Photo of David Perini

I help design & engineering teams create meaningful digital product experiences.

Since 2000, I have worked with multiple Fortune 500 companies including eBay, Comcast, Toys'R'Us, and American Express.

I have developed comprehensive strategies for early-stage startups and mid-to-large enterprises, leading both in-house and offshore teams for product launches across North America and Europe.

Past Clients
My Strengths

Creating digital experiences
that solve real customer problems

Diagram of navigating between obstacles to score a goal
Digital Product Strategy

Let's develop your product concept together through discovery and ideation.

User Experience Design

Turn ideas into actual solutions with research, design, and testing.

Two people discussing software development
Team Leadership

Support existing design & engineering talent to grow their skillsets.

Arrows indicating an iterative release process
Project Management

Deliver working software with iterative, just-in-time customer value.

Three people sharing feedback with each other
User Research

Gather feedback from real people about how to make your solutions better.

A sitemap diagram indicating page hierarchy
Information Architecture

Organize content around how your customers think about your problem space.

A wireframe illustration of user interface elements
UI Design & Wireframing

Rapidly visualize ideas without spending time on code or infrastructure.

A person's hand tapping on a wireframe illustration of a smart phone
Prototyping

Test solutions out and make changes quickly before implementation.

12
Products
Launched
100+
Projects
Delivered
22
Years of
Experience
08
Teams
Led
Experience

A legacy of leadership across
established brands & technology unicorns

within edTech, finTech, & e-commerce industries

Education

Stockton University

Business Marketing, 2005

Atlantic Cape Community

General Studies, 2003 – 2004

Oral Roberts University

Drama, TV, Film, 2002
Awards & Recognition

Team Pillar Award

Frontline Education, 2017
Received for the brainstorm, development, and launch of the Frontline mobile app.

ASU GSV Summit Participant

ASU GSV Summit, 2016
Showcase of innovations in edTech from K-12 through higher education.

Head of Product Development, CurrentDesk

October 2018 ─ Feb 2022

I lead all aspects of product and engineering for CurrentDesk's next-generation brokerage management (CRM) platform. In the first six months, I established a formal software development lifecycle from discovery through delivery and hired cross-functional engineers to foster a healthy, Agile-based culture of iterative development.

I worked closely with the executive team to organize our backlogs, establish roadmaps and milestones, build an onshore QA practice, and coach our internal design practice. My responsibilities increased to include coaching executive leaders on all aspects of corporate strategy, including formalizing company goals and breaking down communication silos between teams.

Director, Product Design, Frontline Education

March – October 2018

In response to Frontline's rapid portfolio growth, I re-structured our design operations and elevated senior members to design manager roles, allowing us to better align people and processes to program needs. I hired a senior UX researcher to establish a formal practice and help us anchor our design activities around a science- and data-driven model.

These changes significantly reduced delays in our cross-functional partnerships and tied the effectiveness of our design artifacts directly to their business value.

User Experience Architect, Frontline Education

January 2014 – March 2018

With executive support, I grew our internal product design team to 16 members over 4 years to keep pace with the rapid acquisition of new products, including absorbing Frontline's existing instructional design team into our product design group.

During this period, we introduced user research and testing into our lifecycle, established a unified design system across newly-acquired product offerings, and partnered with PM & engineering to convert our standalone product offerings into a unified platform for K-12 school administration.

These efforts contributed to Frontline's second acquisition by Thoma Bravo in 2017, valued at over $1B (and securing Frontline's reputation as a tech unicorn).

Lead User Experience Designer, Frontline Education

August 2012 – January 2014

I was hired by Frontline to bring all product design work in-house. Early responsibilities included creating user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity UI mockups and implementing HTML/CSS/JS code changes.

During the first two years, I helped Frontline incorporate design activities into our software lifecycle; I coached engineering, product, and executive leadership on the value of user-centered design; and I lobbied for a design seat at the table in product decision-making.

These efforts led to our UX practice being recognized as a key competitive differentiator during Frontline's acquisition by Insight Venture Partners in early 2014.

Lead User Experience Developer, eBay / GSI Commerce (acquired)

November 2009 – August 2012

I led the front-end development teams for Toys'R'Us online store launches in Canada, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal.

In addition to hands-on HTML/CSS/JS development, this included guiding 15+ on-and-offshore team members through all aspects of the development process; assisting in task assignment and professional growth of team members; and setting standards for code quality and techniques.

Further work history available on LinkedIn.

Qualifications

Two decades of software design
& development experience

3 yrs

Mobile Strategy

4 yrs

DevOps / QA Leadership

4 yrs

Platform Strategy

9 yrs

Design Leadership

11 yrs

Engineering Leadership

18 yrs

Project Management

20+ yrs

Product Design

20+ yrs

UI Development

Case Studies

Sample projects from past clients

References

Recognition from colleagues & clients

“Dave was one of the reasons I decided to join Frontline in 2015. When I first met him I was immediately impressed with his passion for design thinking and entrepreneurial spirit.“

"In the nearly 4 years I was lucky enough to have him lead UX and Mobile for us – I witnessed him build an enterprise design organization that unified the user experience across a multitude of organic and acquired solutions and bring a mobile solution to market that allowed educators to spend more time teaching students and less time pushing paper. Both of these accomplishments were key differentiators that led to our acquisition by Thoma Bravo in 2017.

“Above all, Dave understands that culture is king, and he exemplifies servant leadership in everything he does. Hands down... one of the best.”

~ Matt Hildenbrand
VP of Product Development, Frontline Education
FAQ

Ask Me Anything

Q.

Are you available for consulting work?

A.

Yes! Depending on the project scope and length, I am always open to new opportunities. The most suitable projects are part-time with clear goals defined. Some projects may also be restricted by current agreements with other clients.

Q.

I have a great idea for a mobile app. What steps should I take next?

A.

If you know enough to design or develop a prototype, start there! Otherwise, I highly recommend creating a lean canvas for your idea to rapidly sketch out your business plan and recruit engineers. I'm available to help you figure out the details and turn your plan into reality.

Q.

I'm interested in a career in digital user experience design. Where do I begin?

A.

There are a lot of great low-cost resources available online for you to get started, such as training courses on Pluralsight and Treehouse. UIE's All You Can Learn Library also contains a wealth of learning content. As you get familiar with the space, you may consider getting certified through a UX bootcamp or intensive study to help you land your first gig.