Nicolas Strand

Product leader with technical chops, entrepreneurial sensibility, and curiosity to boot.

Highlights

Leadership: 6+ years of design team management with a track record of mentoring designers, developers, and testers.
Accessibility: Deep understanding of accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.2, Section 508) and ARIA with 7+ years of experience in auditing, annotating designs and design systems, and steering accessibility programs.
Tools: Proficient in design, web, and native technologies with extensive experience in frontend development (HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript frameworks) and design tools.
Communication: 8+ years conveying complex technical requirements to non-technical stakeholders across business lines.

September 2021 - Present

Owned and managed the integration of policy and regulatory compliance across the design system and 4+ product teams while driving adoption and stakeholder buy-in.
Led a team of 10 accessibility experience designers and applied service design methodologies to build a library of component guidance.
Conducted weekly training sessions to audiences of 40+ attendees outlining the essentials of digital accessibility and how roles contribute along the product lifecycle.
Led accessibility designers, developers, and product stakeholders for both iOS and Android platforms for the successful launch of the native design system.

June 2021 - September 2021

Pioneered a complete revamp of internal documentation tools, leading a team of 3 senior accessibility experts.
Created wireframe annotation templates that were adopted across business lines.
Translated business line needs into an effective process to drive a 50% reduction in design and development backlog debt through stakeholder collaboration touchpoints.

October 2020 - April 2022

Collaborated with product managers, designers, developers, content strategists, and researchers to develop a cohesive vision for product accessibility.
Conducted comprehensive accessibility audits of websites, mobile applications, and digital content to ensure compliance with WCAG, ADA, and Section 508 standards using custom technical and ARIA solutions.

December 2019 - July 2020

Owned and directed a special projects unit during a pandemic, working through a backlog of 500+ custom requests.
Advocated for and implemented an accessible, mobile-first design to ensure WCAG conformance.

May 2015 - December 2019

SmplFit: Product development sessions and organizational strategy.
TickerSearch: Service blueprint, business model canvas, proof of concept prototypes.
Saint Mary’s University: Library internal process documentation.
The Root Note: POS architecture, community partnership programs.
Frozen River Film Festival: Content editing, digital strategy.
Enlightened Equipment: Persona generation, service blueprint, wiki structure, CXD.
Children’s Hospital and Clinics Minnesota: System maps, engagement scripts.
89.5FM KQAL: New music intake and review process definition, radio imaging.