product launch
Sonos Roam

The new Sonos Roam. Enjoy music, voice control, and multiroom listening at home on WiFi, plus Bluetooth® streaming, all-day battery life, and waterproof durability on the go.

product launch
New Sonos Product Setup Framework

Launch of the completely redesigned and rebuilt product Setup + Onboarding framework. A project 2 years in the making, conceived to unify all Sonos product under one setup method, supporting all the in-market product as well as future planned products. Proud of the team and huge thanks to Sonos for investing and believing in the project.

position change
New challenge

After 3 years of work with the amazing Sonos team, it's time to take on a new challenge and tackle the complex problem of connected IoT devices in the public safety space. I am starting a new position with Axon Enterprise, leading UX for the Connected Devices team as the Director of Product Design. Exciting space, new directions and team, offering an opportunity to contribute to a new experience space. Let's go! :)



ANDI RUSU


Creative and Experience Product Design Direction & Management.
Seattle - PNW based
USA / EU






I am a Seattle based Design / Creative Director, working on connecting business value to screen experiences. From agency to client side, from strategy, planning and design to implementation.



Currently, Director of Product Design / leading Axon's Connected Devices team.






What I do

User driven functionality planning and design, team leadership, creative process design and implementation.

Strategy, definition and design of user experiences for applications, mobile and desktop products.



Linkedin
Contact







Select work


SONOS*

Established, led and expanded the Seattle Initial Configuration, Setup and Onboarding UX team. I covered functional design leadership, strategic planning and detailed tactical direction for the secure setup, user onboarding, and product lifecycle experiences.



Easy
Working in the Sonos team. Hands down one of the most professional and dedicated teams I have ever been part of. The drive to put out amazing end-to-end product experiences was incredible and made the work easy easy feeling, even though it's an extremely complex IoT UX space. The work benefited from a tremendously engaged and passionate user-base that loves the product, cares and provides great feedback.

Satisfying
Delivering a critically important setup and onboarding experience that sets the tone for the entire ownership journey with the Sonos product. The newly designed and re-engineered Product Setup had to work predictably and reliably with all the in-market products as well as the future planned devices. We were testing and validating our work regularly for qualitative feedback, using it to guide improvements and future exploration.

Work and process casestudy ⟶ on request

TECH RADAR
"Setting up the Sonos Roam took us just a few minutes."
"There’s also a ‘product tour’ within the app, to help you get to know the Sonos Roam’s controls and features – it’s a neat touch that makes the setup process feel really easy."

DIGITAL TRENDS
"If you’re a Sonos owner, you don’t need me to tell you how easy it is to set up the company’s wireless speakers. A few taps in the Sonos app, a few button presses on the speaker, and less than two minutes later, you’re done. But with the Roam, Sonos has simplified this process even further."
"No buttons to press and no passwords to enter. Every tech product should be this easy to configure."

BGR
"As is the case with all of Sonos’s wireless speakers, setting up the Roam is quite easy. As a matter of fact, the Roam is by far the simplest Sonos speaker to set up thanks to the addition of NFC. Simply open the Sonos app, tap over to settings, launch the function to add a new speaker, and the app pretty much does the rest. The only other manual step is to tap your smartphone to the back of the Roam when the app gives you the cue. And of course, Bluetooth is even easier to set up — just turn on the speaker, hold the power button until you hear two chimes to indicate you’re in Bluetooth mode, and pair."

TECH HIVE
"Setting up the Roam in my Brooklyn apartment, the Sonos app discovered the Roam almost instantly. It then prompted me to tap my iPhone on the side of the speaker between its four feet, thus allowing the devices to identify each other using their respective NFC (near-field communication) chips. It took a couple of tries for the NFC handshake to work, but once it did, the Sonos app connected the Roam to my wireless network and automatically downloaded a firmware update. Once that was done, the Roam was ready to go, with the whole setup process taking less than five minutes."

Microsoft*

At Microsoft I led the 25 multi-specialty member Avatar Identity creative team. Delivered the new generation Xbox Avatars in 2018 and worked towards expanding identity representation in the workplace. Designed for trusted connections between people, work and social experiences via cloud driven architecture in a Mixed Reality context.

Prior to the Avatar engagement, as Design Director, I led the effort to define the next generation Windows Product Experiences for the Maps and People teams. Responsible for definition, articulation and delivery of secure, cloud and location data driven identity experiences to a variety of form factors ranging from mobile to Hololens.



Easy
Working in an environment of shared, common sense of purpose, genuine exploration of new mediums and defining new representation languages. Things get easy with access to the massive Microsoft network of knowledge and brilliant people, ready, interested and willing to help. What also helps is the tremendous amount of data informing experience design along with the chance to impact and improve the experience for millions of people daily.

Satisfying
Researching, concepting and building relevant experiences for present and future simultaneously. Driving experiences based on People Data as-a-service, and Location as-a-service concepts. Delivering at scale for millions of connected devices and people using the apps daily.

Work and process casestudy ⟶ on request

Windows 10* *

I have had the opportunity to creative direct the Windows 10 Website and CRM program for the Aug. 2016 launch event. The challenge: working with a small team, design and implement a highly flexible and dynamic design system, responsive to fast turnaround marketing demands, localized for 60+ international markets.

In a 10 months timespan we covered all aspects of the human centered design process. From research to establishing business and design KPIs, test goals, design pitch, production, design system development to measurement and looping back for optimization.



Easy
Working with a great team, highly motivated, invested and ready for everything in challenging creativity and pushing design boundaries. Delivering work in a demanding space to an eager audience, pushing and stretching the design language and framework.

Satisfying
Meeting the program KPIs and business goals with our work being well received, leading to a successful launch event and subsequent refresh cycles.

Work and process casestudy ⟶ on request

Deloitte Digital*

Provided agency and client account facing creative direction and leadership for 33 multi-specialty member team on multiple, concurrent, high profile digital projects. On the strategy side, I led clients through discovery, pitch and functionality workshop meetings, devised strategy and conducted competitive analysis. On the production side, engaged with the team on user research, usability reviews, design process, production, front-end code implementation and review.



Easy
Working with a great team and production processes, fine tuned to be responsive and fast, becomes a spoiler for future engagements, in addition to making things easy. Providing deep user experience insights and making design decisions is smooth and effortless when you have the benefit of working with some of the best consultants in the business, ready to provide all the data you'd ever need to design with.

Satisfying
Everything outlined above as easy is also satisfying. Additionally, being engaged on fast, short cycles, creates its own unique "force field" for creative work and team energy.

Work and process casestudy ⟶ on request

* Multiple Projects / Position
* * Single Project




Clients served


Xbox

Amazon

HBO

Bill Gates Estate

Papa Murphy's

Restoration Hardware

Macy's

Under Armour

HP

Top Pot Doughnuts

HP Enterprise

National Geographic

Red Bull

MoPOP Seattle

McGraw Hill

KEXP Seattle

Smithsonian Folkways

Thierry Mugler

Sprint

City of Ketchikan




Recognition

Webby
Graphis
Print Regional Annual
Communication Arts
Seattle Show
Telly
Regional Emmy




Background Info

Between 2004 to 2014, I led IF/THEN, a technology-centric design studio I co-founded in Seattle. After serving as Creative Director for Deloitte Digital's Seattle office, I joined Microsoft as Design Director for the Maps and People teams, and headed the Communications and People family of products as Creative Director.

In my last position at Microsoft, as Principal Creative Director, I led the Mixed Reality Studio Avatars Creative team delivering UX/VX/Art, expanding identity representation, driving connections between people, work and social experiences in Mixed Reality and traditional contexts.

Post Microsoft, I joined Sonos in Jun. 2018 as Senior UX Product Design Manager, leading the Seattle Setup / Onboarding and Product Lifecycle UX team.

After 3 years of heading and delivering several successful product introductions ranging from Lifecycle - splitting the Sonos mobile experience into the S1 and S2 apps, to the complete redesign and rebuild of the Setup and Onboarding platform for the entire Sonos suite of products, it is time to move on to new challenges. I have joined Axon Enterprise as Product Design Director in Aug. 2021, leading the Connected Devices experience team.




Teaching Engagements

Cornish College of the Arts
School of Visual Concepts
University of Washington