About
Hey there! I'm James (JC) Zabel, a UX professional based in Charlotte, NC. I hold a BS in Industrial Engineering and an MS in Human Factors Psychology, both from Clemson University (Go Tigers!).
With 15+ years of experience spanning corporate giants and scrappy startups, I've had the chance to work on everything from factory automation to green energy to defense contracting to IoT cloud platforms and consumer electronics.
I'm always looking for a challenge and looking to make a difference, building products that real people actually want to use.
Career
Senior UX Designer → Senior Design Manager
Microsoft
Managing a team of 6 designers and UX researchers across Azure X, Resiliency, and Customer Health. Established design-driven operating rhythms, led large-scale quality initiatives, and was recognized with Azure X Manager of the Year.
UX Engineer → UX Manager
SnapAV / SnapOne
Early team member on OvrC, an IoT cloud platform that grew to support 20M+ managed devices globally. Led UX for both the pro and consumer apps, managed onshore and offshore design teams, and built the design system across all product lines. Strategic design support for the $150M+ Connected Device category.
Human Systems Integration Engineer
Lockheed Martin
Principal investigator on usability assessments for the Navy Ballistic Missile Defense 5.1 program. Used iterative design and heuristic evaluations to develop new GUIs introduced to fleet architecture, gathering input directly from active duty sailors.
Human Factors Engineer
General Electric
Conducted risk assessments, Root Cause Analysis investigations, and Preliminary Hazard Assessments for new product development across multiple GE business units.
Skills
Contact
Available for freelance projects and interesting opportunities. Let's connect.