Dave Skuratowicz
Design, Leadership, Innovation, AI
For over two decades, I have been on a mission to create products that are easier, more useful, and more enjoyable for users. I have a great passion for innovating with emerging technologies and a user-first, data-driven, strategic approach to design. My leadership objective is to bring out the best in people and teams through inspiration, encouragement, mentorship, and a highly collaborative work environment.
I led global UX teams in creating products for companies that include Google, Apple, Disney, and BlueJeans by Verizon. I ran an agency, co-founded and spun off a company, significantly contributed to my agency going public, and was integral in BlueJeans being acquired by Verizon.
Meetings
When I started at BlueJeans, I led a company-wide collaboration in completely rebuilding the UX for our flagship product, which raised user satisfaction scores from 78% to 95%. Over the years, we have evolved the product significantly with extensions like messaging, white boarding, and Telehealth.
Rooms
Partnered with Dolby to integrate BlueJeans into their hardware as part of the OS installation for our room system. Advised Dolby regarding echo canceling, background noise repression, spatial audio, and CV for face-framing.
Spaces
"Better than being there." A virtual office that gives teams the feeling and collaboration benefits of working in the same room. We made it immersive with spatial audio, 2D & 3D, personalization, environmental branding, messaging, breakout rooms, and a library of 3D avatars and environments.
Studio
Live streaming virtual events platform that allows up to 150,000 attendees and includes custom layouts, interactive polling, easy registration workflows, and security controls. Built for consumers, creators, and enterprise.
BlueJeans by Verizon
I am currently leading UX for the entire BlueJeans ecosystem of communication and collaboration products for both enterprise and consumers. I build relationships with other executives, departments, and companies to find the best solutions and experiences for our users and to strategize ways to build business considerations and revenue growth right into the UX design of products. We were acquired in 2020.
Developer Platform
Built this site to make it easier for developers to integrate custom BlueJeans meetings and events into applications, websites, and services. Includes tools, documentation, APIs, and SDKs. Currently designing AI chat interface.
Admin Portal
BlueJeans platform that gives enterprise administrators a tremendous amount of functionality over all BlueJeans products. It includes Command Center, a user-friendly visual management console with live meeting controls, in-meeting analytics, and troubleshooting as well as visibility of network conditions and meeting performance.
BlueJeans Cloud
A web-based visual workflow service that enables small to enterprise companies to easily deploy, configure, maintain, customize, brand, troubleshoot and view analytics for BlueJeans products.
CV - Weatherperson Mode
Product feature that lets users create more immersive presentations by enabling them to overlay, resize, and reposition themselves over any content that they are screen sharing.
LLM
AI-generated messaging and meeting summaries. Currently working on enabling users to change the tone, length, and style of their messages with AI.
Voice to Text
Use a variety of AI models to convert voice to text in several applications such as close-captioning, transcribing, and generating meeting highlights.
BlueJeans AI
I have been incredibly passionate about AI for over 10 years, and I have brought my knowledge and excitement to innovate with it to BlueJeans at this pivotal time. I promote, educate, and recruit people throughout the company in creating AI-driven product features and improvements.
Product Metrics
System for analyzing and utilizing over five million end-of-meeting surveys per year. Automates highlighting of the most important feedback.
Effectiveness Analyzation
Collect and analyze data from various testing methods to assess the effectiveness of new features.
Online Testing
Collect qualitative and quantitative data through A/B testing, click flows, and fast feedback using software like UsabilityHub, User Testing, and Google Forms.
User Interviews
Asking a diverse group of users strategic questions and observing them interacting with a product is an incredibly effective way to assess their wants, needs, emotions, and intuitive understanding of the product's UX.
Research and Testing
When I started at BlueJeans, I saw a need to better understand our users, so I initiated and led collaborations with data science, PM, and engineering teams in establishing our research, testing, and analytics programs. Following are a few of these programs:
AI Image Creation
I have been using text-to-image AI models like Stable Diffusion, MidJourney and others in personal art, interface design and product illustrations. I also think there is amazing potential for it in other fields, like manufacturing, 3d printing, and movie/video making.
Personal Lookbook
Co-created this consumer-facing mobile app that lets users shoot, save, search, calendar, and share their "outfit selfies" and items of clothing. Received a 4.8 on App Store.
Python & CNN
I taught myself enough about Python and CNNs to set up AI environments and create small programs to try out new AI capabilities, such as simple image recognition and image categorization.
Social Adventure Game
When the world was in quarantine, my brother and I created an immersive 3D environment that enabled family members to choose from a library of pop culture avatars, talk and message in real time, do a scavenger hunt, and explore an alternate world together.
Personal Projects
Since I plugged in my first Atari 2600, I have been passionately learning and experimenting with technology, art, and how to make useful, easy, and fun experiences for people. Here are a few examples:
Apple: First Retail Store
Led creation of all digital experiences for the first Apple retail store and over 100 subsequent stores. Working with Steve Jobs laid the groundwork for my design thinking, simplicity in consumer product design, and how I build space in the virtual world.
6Connex: Virtual Events
Co-founded and spun-off this company. We created one of the first virtual experience platforms for hosting events in a pre-rendered 3D environment. Included video, messaging, document sharing, personalization, and a detailed analytics system.
AR - BlueJeans
Meetings app for Google Glass and Vizio that gives users a wearable, hands-free way to work together. Lets users spotlight their point of view by using voice activation to zoom in/out and by adjusting brightness. Includes noise suppression. We also explored hand gesture controls and 3D annotation.
Kardashians: Virtual Fashion Show
3D virtual runway with multiple rooms that enabled consumers to buy clothing and accessories, create and share virtual outfits, add ratings, and build wishlists.
Immersive Products and Experiences
From early on, I designed my career so that I would be prepared for the time when technology enables us to create experiences as immersive and personal as reality. Below are some of the products and experiences that were integral in getting me to where I am today (from earliest to most recent).
Relationship Building
Building connections with other executives, leaders, and teams helps us promote the value of design, continually advocate for users, and learn about other departments' processes. This in turn supports and removes potential external obstacles to the design process.
UX Life Cycle
Established UX standards for time estimation, reviews, hand-offs, iteration, and recurring meetings. This greatly sped up processes and assured that UX is a focal point in key product decisions.
Design System
Completely rebuilt design system according to the atomic methodology of looking at both the modules and big picture simultaneously. This greatly improved collaboration, speed, and efficiency within the design department and also over the entire company, particularly engineering.
Design Process
I have spent a great deal of my career strategizing, implementing, iterating, and promoting design processes. I have found repeatedly that a well-structured design process is critical to the success of a design department and products.