Alicia Ostarello, MA

Experience

Collective Health | June 2017 - Present

Design Manager (since March 2020) 

Through strong relationships and authenticity, enables team to deliver high quality experiences, laser focused on user needs, that supports business strategy and goals.

• Partners with Product Development leadership to define what problems we need to solve and determine yearly and quarterly roadmaps for the Member Experience

• Oversees end-to-end user experiences, offering high-level and nitty gritty guidance as needed

• Coaches team in career growth and clears pathways for new opportunities

• Redefined hiring practices to help draw in diverse candidates and eliminate bias

• Successfully navigates change management challenges with consistent messaging and compassionate communication practices

Content Design Manager (November 2019 - March 2020)

Scaled team’s size and impact across the organization through strong rituals, advocacy, and commitment to developing simple-to-use  self-service tools. 

• Created new pathways for cross-functional teams to get content help

• Determined team and individual priorities that aligned with business goals

• Coached the team on UX, strategy, and creative workflows

Lead Content Designer (March 2018 - November 2019)

Championed the discipline of Content Design internally and externally, with a focus on the power of content to produce human-centered solutions. 

• Oversaw all Member-facing touchpoints from a content perspective, and all Member communications from a content & design perspective

• Took second place in an internal hackathon for reimagining how we approach educating all Americans about healthcare basics

• Hosted Creativity in Constraint, a gathering for UX writers in regulated industries

Sr. Content Designer (June 2017 - March 2018)

Developed new ways to solve the systemic issues inherent in American healthcare by applying design thinking and creative problem solving through the lens of language. 

• Partnered with designers and applied research findings to a variety of product areas, including user flows, help center content, and member account features

• Established standards for internal and external naming conventions

Vow Muse | June 2010 - Present

Co-founder, Editor in Chief

While looking for ways to use my talent in writing and love of helping people, wound up defining a new category of wedding business during an economic downturn, 

• Writes & edits custom vows, speeches and ceremonies for clients globally

• Directs company strategy and leads onboarding and coaching freelance writers

• Press features include NPR’s Marketplace, New York Times, WSJ, Today Show,

Zenefits | April 2016 - February 2017

UX Writer

Sole writer on the Time & Pay feature suite, serving eight Product Managers and two Product Designers. 

• Put the customer first when proposing solutions, consistently influencing design decisions

• Collaborated with scrum team to lead users through nuanced products flows in highly regulated spaces

Nitro | July 2013 - October 2014

Copywriter

Served as the writer across all teams, including Product, Marketing + Brand, Customer Success, People, and Executive content

• Developed, documented and maintained the Nitro brand, including reviving the style guide and educating teams on how to “write like a Nitronaut”

Select freelance clients | 2009 - present

Mentorship

Copy Muse Collective 2011 - present

Co-founded and co-facilitate and ever-growing network of freelance writers. Focused on career growth, coaching on best practices, and referrals. 

Education

San Francisco State University
MA, English + Creative Writing

University of Oregon
BS, Sociology