Maha Ashour

• Lead projects and analyze data to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Monitor emerging UX design trends and practices for useful techniques and cutting-edge developments suitable for integration into future projects.
• Apply both qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques to continuously improve end-user experiences.
• Conduct design review meetings & brainstorm new UX developments through collaborative thinking.
• Analyze user feedback to influence future UX updates, ameliorating user concerns and pain points during subsequent patch cycles.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders and product to create holistic UX vision and strategies.
• Translate concepts into user flows, wireframes, mockups and prototypes that lead to intuitive user experiences.
• Facilitate the product vision by researching, conceiving, sketching, prototyping and user-testing experiences.

• Leveraging human-centered design process to deliver an easy-to-use user interface and user experience
• Researching & understanding customer needs and banking dynamics to identify market opportunities & improve existing banking offerings.
• Gathering and evaluating user requirements, in collaboration with product managers and engineers
• Defining qualitative & quantitative measures/indicators for user experience and satisfaction, that drives the continuous improvement approach.
• Illustrating design ideas using storyboards, process flows and sitemaps
• Facilitating Design Thinking workshops and Design Sprints (virtual and in person)
• Analyzing complex technical requirements, rationalization, prioritization, and communicating them back to the team in order to execute design deliverables.
• Leading user research, usability validation, and A/B testing
• Working closely with other team members including Business Owners, Product Managers, Content Strategists, and Development Teams to bring designs to life.
• Establishing design strategy, standards, design system and code of practice within the organization.
• Establishing Accessibility standards and Arabic localization standards for all squads.
• Deliver knowledge sharing sessions organizationally to raise awareness about Innovation, Creativity & Design methods.

• Facilitate co-creation and co-ideation workshops, with client & stakeholders as a Certified IBM Design Thinking Coach
• Create innovative high quality solutions focused on clients' business needs.
• Design and model applications, develop application solutions, and integrate them with packaged applications.
• Help create and manage application solutions with a focus on building and managing a portfolio of business applications (and not technology infrastructure).
• Engage in traditional full-scope outsourcing contracts that manage the creation and maintenance of a client's application portfolio - or in specific application development projects and stand-alone consulting engagements for application development of existing or new applications.
• Served as an expert advisor to guide IBM clients.
• Assessed clients' current software capabilities and business needs to identify any deficiencies.

• Creative lead, shaping the concept and seeing it through to detailed design and implementation across a variety of devices and platforms.
• Communicate and envision service concepts and ideas using methods & tools that illustrate all the components and touch points of the service.
• Maintained documentation and dashboards to understand resource capacity and project status.
• Supported multi-discipline teams to provide design solutions that balanced customer requirements for performance and cost.
• Inspire innovative approaches to design, using creative facilitation techniques and taking the lead at client meetings, internal company meetings, brainstorms and external design events.
• Analyze & create design briefs based on project proposals and client feedback.
• Break down business, user, and technology requirements into digestible components for the design team.
• Work with the Project Manager on project allocations, identifying, analyzing and resolving risks.
• Conduct, contribute to and participate in post project reviews.

• Revising & updating RTA's Innovation & Research strategies based on the emerging market needs and global trends.
• Collaborated with business leadership to set priorities based on business needs, resource capacity and risk exposure.
• Orchestrating innovation programs and initiatives by collaborating cross-functionally across departments, government sectors and agencies.
• Scouting and forming partnerships with global players and startups, and forming MoUs within the global mobility ecosystem.
• Coached team members on productivity strategies to accomplish challenging goals.
• Participated in vendor selection and management process for program initiatives.
• Established RTA’s Innovation Fund from benchmarking, fundraising, conceptualization, to implementation mechanisms.
• Established RTA's Intellectual Property Management System.
• Design & conduct Innovation Labs that brings ideas into concepts and roadmapping.
• Participated in experience assessment and design activities for both products and services.
• Led RTA’s Design Thinking awareness programs, and introducing new thinking methods as an accredited RTA Trainer & Coach.
• Demonstrated strong writing and presentation skills to develop briefs, memorandums and analytical reports for management & partners.

• UI Implementation in HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
• Prototyping
• Designing and developing responsive UI for both web and mobile channels
• Generating UX/Usability Evaluation reports along with revamped experience proposals.
• Software Analysis review
• Communicating prototype and design proposals to IBM and other stakeholders
• Working in an Agile team to produce best in class solutions
• Understanding of common software management practices and best practices in UI/UX

HIGHLIGHTS: Worked on RTA's transformational mobility project, & led the Public Transport app design team in 2015.

• Partnered with user interface designers and web developers to translate information architecture, navigation and process flows into easy-to-use solutions.
• Provided advice and guidance on implementation of UX research methodologies and testing activities to analyze and predict user behavior.
• Maximized system performance, enhancing end-user experience by applying iterative back end development updates.
• Monitored emerging UX design trends and practices for useful techniques and cutting-edge developments suitable for integration into future projects.
• Ran user testing of applications, software and websites.
• Facilitated clients' product vision by researching, conceiving, sketching and prototyping.
• Tested UI elements such as banners, page layouts, page designs and target links for landing pages.
• Designed UI elements and tools such as navigation menus, search boxes, tabs and widgets for digital assets.
• Produced wireframes, XHTML code and CSS to contribute to user-centered design efforts.
• Presented UX designs and solutions to senior staff, evangelizing for user-centric design decisions.
• Participated in design review meetings to brainstorm new UX developments through collaborative thinking.

• Establish artistic strategy, budgets and schedules for key project design
• Mentor and supervise team while effecting and introducing new and innovative strategies of artistic execution
• Develop and design ideas and execute artistic material as needed
• Direct the team by providing key ideas, methods and brand positioning
• Contribute strategically to complete design business component
• Provide influencing concepts to boost company's productivity
• Manage design processes to make sure timely delivery projects
• Head and manage work intake and overall design project assignment process

• Identified design requirements for each project.
• Developed design deliverables that elevated, differentiated and functioned on-brand and on-strategy.
• Obtained approval of concepts by submitting rough drafts to management.
• Used Adobe Creative Suite to edit images for use in marketing materials and website content.
• Leveraged industry knowledge and emerging trends to build innovative messaging and bring design concepts to fruition.
• GUI Design using Microsoft Expression Blend
• Identity Design Using Photoshop, MS Publisher
• Applied skill in color theory and composition to bring client visions to fruition.
• Researched new design technology and tools to bolster professional skillset and drive quality deliverables.

• Trained and mentored junior developers and engineers, teaching skills in Trade Finance, Gupta, Sybase SQL and working to improve overall team performance.
• Worked with project managers, developers, quality assurance and customers to resolve technical issues.
• Worked with software development and testing team members to design and develop robust solutions to meet client requirements for functionality, scalability and performance.
• Reviewed project specifications and designed technology solutions that met or exceeded performance expectations.
• Demonstrated experience and good hands-on programming experience C++, Gubta/Centura, Java, Sybase SQL & Oracle.
• Practiced and encouraged respectful and transparent communication in interactions.
• Worked with development teams to correct problems and run test scenarios.
• Integrated third-party tools and components into applications.