Hello. I'm Travis Isaacs, and I design great user experiences.

Latest Thought

Keynote Kung-Fu coming to the Big Design Conference

I’ll speaking at this year’s Big(D) conference about how iWork’s Keynote is an indispensable design tool in my process:

Keynote Kung-Fu: How Ninjas Wireframe
Keynote is a cheap, friction-free tool to create elegant wireframes in a 
format that’s perfect for presentations, pitches, and hand-offs.
Visio, Omnigraffle, and Balsamiq will be jealous

I’ve been using Keynote as my primary sketching/wireframing/low-fi prototyping tool for years now. […]

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Recent Work

Trailhead

Trailheadapp.com

Trailhead is a new application that helps site owners visualize their user's browsing activity by capturing mouse movement, scrolling, and clicks.

User Experience (UX) professional, at your service:

User Interface (UI) Design HTML & CSS
Visual & Interaction Design Some PHP
Information Architecture & Design Some JavaScript

    My design services start at $7500

    Drop me a line →

    Recommendations & Testimonials

    “Travis is the type of guy you want on your team. Why? He is a designer who truly understands the medium, a rare find indeed. Meaning, when he sets out to create something, he considers the solution holistically. He thinks two steps ahead - creating a smooth user experience, while also anticipating how it might be coded. Thus, working with Travis tends to yield beautiful and performant web applications.”
    Nathan Smith Sonspring.com
    “I don't even know where to start with Travis. He's one of those guys who I absolutely love working with because of all the great things he does and says. But, he's also the guy I hate working with because he does stuff so well, and he's so smart, all I ever think is "why didn't I think of that?" Travis' skills in design are superb. His attention to detail and his ability to smartly code and create what he designs makes him incredibly valuable. When I decide I want to take over design and rule the world, I will be calling Travis. He will be my work horse. I will run him into the ground and laugh while I do it, and me and my world-renowned design agency will look amazing and do great work.”
    Aaron Martin Superwindy.com
    “There are very few people I consider awe inspiring. This reaction could be brought on by watching someone create something beautiful, produce something in record time or demonstrate a nearly mystical understanding of user need and behavior. While working at Viewzi, I watched day after day as Travis embodied all of these qualities as well as a host of others. His ability to be creative, day in and day out is nothing short of miraculous. Couple that with a willingness to share ideas and collaborate and you have a pretty unbeatable package... covered in tattoos.”
    Chris J Davis Chrisjdavis.org
    “Travis is one of a kind. He performed above and beyond our expectations on a consistent basis. He is a rare combination of business savvy, user advocacy, and design sensibility. I look forward to the next opportunity I have to work with him.”
    Brandon Cotter CEO at Viewzi
    “Travis has the rare ability to create outstanding design under the pressure and constraints of a tight deadline. He also seems to be able to natively think in terms of layers that visualize and represent user interactions. Huge numbers of layers. Lastly, he demonstrates the maturity necessary to handle feedback and criticism that many designers wilt under. It was a fantastic experience to work with him.”
    Jay Horne Formerly, Vice President at Viewzi
    “Travis is an excellent UI/UX Designer. He has all the obvious skills you'd expect in a designer, but he also really likes to work with clients. He listens to what users are saying and can quickly generate as many options as necessary to exceed what the client is looking for. Not only has he mastered Keynote and HTML/CSS, he's also one of the best JavaScript guys around. Oh, and he takes a mean picture with his new found photography hobby. Looking for someone who brings the whole visual package to your next project? Travis is your guy.”
    Derek Lane Principal, Improving Enterprises
    “I am officially spoiled as a developer and it's all Travis' fault. Working with Travis has not only given me insight into what it means to develop user experiences but has shown me the power of having a developer and designer work together on projects. His attention to the smallest details of the UI seem to take the interface to that next level and he's always looking to refine the experience for the user. The fact that he values speed of delivery and quality as much as the ultimate vision has made clients love him all the more. When I need a compelling user experience or have a tough interface to tackle, Travis is the guy I want working next to me. Oh, did I mention that he actually writes code too?? Yeah, he's that bad ass...”
    David O'Hara Principal, Improving Enterprises
    “I was instrumental in selecting Travis for hire at Travelocity and Travis proved me to have made the right decision...He is a team player and offers a great deal to any team and organization...”
    Seda Sookias Maurer Interaction Design and Usability Consultant
    “Travis has a gift for creative design, understanding users, and coding skills we've not been able to replace after 2 years. If you have a chance to get him on a project, then do so fast ”
    Bill Moore CEO - RadioTime.com
    “Travis is easily the most multitalented designer I've ever worked with. Not only can he design great user experiences, he can build them out, too...”
    Jared Christensen Designologist - Jaredigital.com
    “Travis is a design ‘rock star’. Clean, semantic markup. Tight design comps. Brilliant interfaces. But in working with Travis, what's most striking about him are not these obvious contributions, but rather the leadership skills he demonstrates...”
    Stephen P. Anderson User Experience Professional - Poetpainter.com
    “Working with Travis is wonderful. He is full of energy, talent, and determination. He will contributes to the ideas, has the talent to turn ideas into reality, and the personality to make your people a team...”
    Steve Brewer Software Developer
    Looking for more? View my LinkedIn profile →

    Projects

    • Trailhead Heatmap visualization for cheap.
    • Shopkeep Point-of-sale in the cloud.
    • Dallas Design Dojo Design lessons for developers.
    • Small Time Media Really good apps built really quickly.

    Speaking

    Keynote Kung-Fu: How Ninjas Wireframe
    The Big Design Conference
    May 28-29, 2010

    Previous speaking engagements:

    Interactive Media Panelist
    MultiVisions 2009
    April 17, 2009
    Designing Visually Explicit Information
    IA Summit 2009
    March 20, 2009
    See What I Mean?
    Refresh Dallas
    August 2008
    Influencing Change Through Presentations
    Design Thinking 2007
    October 2007
    An Introduction to Microformats
    Refresh Dallas
    November 2007
    Designing for the Mobile Web
    Travelocity CE University
    August 2007
    An Introduction to Microformats
    Travelocity CE University
    August 2007
    Flash, Flex & AIR
    April 2007
    New Media: Interactive Design for a Digital Era
    MultiVisions 2007
    April 2007
    Interactive Media Panelist
    MultiVisions 2005
    April 2005