Stephen S.
About Stephen S.
Stephen S. serves as the Senior Director and Head of Product Design at Vroom, where he leads the Product Design and UX Research practice. With extensive experience in user experience and product design across various companies, he has significantly contributed to enhancing design practices and user research methodologies.
Current Role at Vroom
Stephen S. serves as the Senior Director and Head of Product Design at Vroom since 2021. In this role, he strategizes with Product and Tech leaders to enhance Vroom.com and internal tools, focusing on product and feature direction. He has introduced the first-ever user research practice at Vroom, which has resulted in significant time and cost savings by preventing feature teams from pursuing unproductive work. Additionally, he has managed and expanded the Design and Research team, establishing UX practices that align with Product and Tech disciplines.
Previous Experience in User Experience and Design
Before joining Vroom, Stephen S. held several significant positions in user experience and design. He worked at Publicis Sapient as Manager of User Experience and Sr Art Director (UX) from 2005 to 2009. He also served as Sr Creative Director of Product Design at Capital One from 2017 to 2021, where he was involved in The Capital One Lab. His earlier roles include Creative Director at the Library of Congress and Interactive Prototype Designer at Doblin.
Educational Background in Design
Stephen S. has a strong educational foundation in design. He earned a Master of Design in Human-centered Design Planning from the IIT Institute of Design. He also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Fashion Art and Advertising from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. This educational background supports his extensive experience in product design and user experience.
Career Development in Product Design
Throughout his career, Stephen S. has developed a robust skill set in product design. He began as an Art Director at Earle Palmer Brown & Spiro from 1996 to 2000 and later transitioned to roles that emphasized user experience. His experience includes managing product design at Capital One and leading UX research practices at Vroom during its growth stage post-IPO, ensuring a customer-focused and evidence-based approach.