Christopher Cifonie

Christopher Cifonie

UX / UI Designer | Product Design

Greater Chicago Area contact@cifonie.com www.chriscifonie.com linkedin.com/in/chriscifonie

Professional Summary

UX design manager with more than 20 years in design. I lead UX across e-commerce brands, build shared design systems, and work with Product, Marketing, and Engineering to improve how customers shop.

I use prototypes to work through design decisions with developers, and I use analytics and experiments to guide improvements. Accessibility is part of how I approach both the experience and the design system.

Professional Experience

  1. UX Design Manager

    School Specialty, Inc.

    Aug 2022 to Present

    • Lead UX strategy and initiatives across multiple e-commerce brands.
    • Build and maintain a scalable Simple Design System (SDS) ensuring accessibility and brand consistency.
    • Partner with Product, Marketing, and Engineering to improve user flows and UI responsiveness.
    • Drive A/B testing, analytics, and data driven enhancements to optimize customer engagement.

  2. UX/UI Visual Design Lead

    LTD Commodities

    Oct 2021 to Aug 2022

    • Spearheaded end-to-end redesigns of core e-commerce experiences.
    • Created interactive prototypes in Figma for user testing and stakeholder alignment.
    • Partnered with developers to modernize UI frameworks and improve front-end performance.

  3. UX Manager

    Anixter

    Mar 2020 to Apr 2021

    • Managed a UX design team focused on digital product optimization.
    • Defined user journeys, wireframes, and interactive prototypes.
    • Championed accessibility standards and inclusive design practices.

  4. Sr. Web Designer / UX Specialist

    LTD Commodities

    Dec 2014 to Mar 2020

    • Designed responsive e-commerce experiences and interactive prototypes.
    • Built coded front-end prototypes to validate design hypotheses.
    • Collaborated cross-functionally to resolve UI/UX and CSS display challenges.

  5. Web Designer

    LTD Commodities

    Oct 2006 to Dec 2014

    • Designed homepage layouts, marketing emails, and seasonal campaigns.
    • Supported full website redesign with improved navigation and checkout flows.
    • Enhanced user engagement through performance focused design updates.

  6. Frontend Designer

    seyDesign

    May 2012 to Feb 2013

    • Developed custom HTML5/CSS3 themes and templates for RapidWeaver.
    • Designed branding elements and responsive layouts in collaboration with the lead developer.

  7. Graphic Designer

    School Specialty, Inc.

    Oct 1995 to Oct 2006

    • Designed catalogs, print ads, and marketing collateral for educational products.
    • Provided design support for marketing campaigns and IT collaboration.