Hi! My name is Eric Plourde and I'm a professional User Experience and Interface Designer and a recent graduate
from the University of Waterloo's Master of Digital Experience Innovation (MDEI) program. Prior to my studies at
Waterloo, I studied at the University of Ottawa earning my Bachelor of Commerce in Management
of Information Systems, and Analytics. Most of my initial practical work experience in both the public, and
private
sector was in the field of visual analytics. The target of my work was always to design dashboards in such a way
so that
stakeholders could understand what they are seeing instantly for quick analysis. Creating dashboards and working
with data was something that appealed to me, but I came to the realization that what I really loved was the
design and
human involved in the process. This realization made a career in UI/UX a perfect fit for both my interests and
professional skill set.
My first opportunity to work in UX came during my time when I was employed as a Conversational User Experience
Design Intern at Nuance Communications (now Microsoft) creating Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRs). With
no visual interface to rely on, my time developing IVR systems gave me a deep appreciation for the UX side of
the profession. Following the conclusion of my undergrad, I worked as a UI/UX Designer for Logistik Unicorp, an
industry leading uniform provider located just outside of Montreal in the town of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. This
job was an incredible experience as a young professional; I was the only the designer employed at Logistik and
was able to lead several initiatives including mobile design, e-commerce, and even instituting an initial design
system.
Right now, I am working as a User Interface Designer for the Nokia corporation, based out of Ottawa, Ontario
Canada. As
one of two designers responsible for the product, my duties include design, research, and project management.
The product I work on is called Deepfield and is a 2016 acquisition by Nokia that offers solutions in internet
traffic classification and DDoS detection and mitigation. The experience of working in a technical domain with a
complex product have brought new challenges, but at the same time this experience has only made me stronger as a
designer. Over the course of the last two years, countless improvements in
the UI have already garnered positive feedbac and I can’t wait to see
what the future holds as we enter the new year.
In my free time, I enjoy playing guitar, as well as playing sports like hockey and golf. If you want to learn
more about my background experience, or if just want to get to know me better, please feel free to
reach out to me at ericplourde14@gmail.com
