Kristen Watson

About

Kristen Watson is a dynamic professional with a diverse background in product management, journalism, community building, marketing, storytelling and photography. She holds a Master of Journalism and a Bachelor's in Photojournalism and Political Science from the University of North Texas. Kristen has honed her skills in full stack development, UX design, and inbound marketing through various certifications. As an AI Chatbot Product Manager at SJ Design Studio, she led the development of a new AI product, significantly enhancing user satisfaction and retention. Her entrepreneurial spirit shines through her photography business, where she manages operations and marketing. Kristen's experience as a consultant and managing editor further showcases her ability to lead cross-functional teams, optimize workflows, and drive user engagement. Her work at Dough, a VC-funded venture, highlights her expertise in community growth and partnership development. Kristen is committed to fostering inclusive and innovative environments, leveraging her anti-racism training and diverse skill set.

Experience

• AI Chatbot Product Manager/Samsung · Samsung2019

  Led the end-to-end product lifecycle of a new AI chatbot product, increasing user satisfaction on support tickets by 50% in the first year through agile product development and data-driven decisions. Worked closely with cross-functional teams (engineering, design, legal, content, marketing) to launch key features aligned with customer-centric needs, driving a 20% increase in retention. Utilized A/B testing and metrics-driven analysis to optimize product features, increasing conversion rates by 30%. Created internal tools for content creation and KPI tracking, speeding up our content and analytics workflows by 50%. Managed the product roadmap using Jira and Aha!, ensuring alignment with business objectives, stakeholder needs, and market research insights. Built strong relationships with partners and stakeholders, securing new collaborations that expanded the product's market presence and drove user engagement. Fostered a community-driven product development process, incorporating user feedback and engagement into feature prioritization. Led efforts to translate complex technical specifications and API integrations into clear, actionable requirements for the engineering team.

• Product Manager | Web Development | UX/UI Design · Consultant2019

  Managed end-to-end lifecycles for e-commerce web development projects on Shopify, Squarespace, and WordPress platforms, meeting all development timelines and delivering on-time 100% of the time. Spearheaded the product strategy for multiple products, working with cross-functional teams to launch key features that improved user experience and increased customer satisfaction by at least 25% for each project. Collaborated with engineering teams to define technical specifications, including API integrations, REST APIs, and cloud technologies to deliver seamless user experiences for products with a user base of over 10K a day. Conducted market research, competitive analysis, and user research, using findings to create and refine the product roadmap, reducing design sprint iteration time by 50%. Implemented accessibility strategies for all products, ensuring all meet the latest WCAG guidelines, reducing legal liability for all projects. Worked directly with stakeholders to align product strategy with business goals, resulting in 30% growth in active users within 6 months. Created and maintained product documentation including user stories, acceptance criteria, and technical specs, ensuring clarity across the team and stakeholders, reducing production time by 25%. Achieved successful project deliveries and client satisfaction through effective scope and budget management. Led email marketing, social media management, and website e-commerce content creation.

• Content, Community and Product · Dough08-01-2018 – 07-01-2019

  First hire at a VC-funded venture based in Boston, MA that created a membership platform (e-commerce and directory) that directed dollars to women-owned businesses. As a unicorn employee, I touched almost every piece of the MVP product, including, branding, marketing, content creation, community growth, and product development. Grew Instagram following from 300 to 18K and email list to 20K leads with a constrained budget in 6 months. Extensive A/B testing for social and search ads that led to a 50% conversion rate on optimized ad campaigns. Spearheaded partnership program, recruited over 200 women-owned businesses to our directory, and negotiated discounts for our members in under 6 months. Planned and executed in-person pop-up shopping events, creating brand recognition and strengthening partnerships with 20 women-owned businesses.

• Managing Editor · The Dentonite2016 – 2019

  Managed day-to-day operations of a hyper-local news/culture/art website in Denton, Texas. Oversaw a diverse team of editors, writers, photographers, videographers, interns and volunteers. Implemented a new CMS, boosting editorial workflow efficiency by 30% and reducing publication turnaround time by 25%.

• Staff Photojournalist · Denton Record Chronicle2014 – 2016

Education

• Scrum AllianceCertified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Product Management
• Southern Methodist UniversityCertificate, Full Stack Development
• CITI ProgramCertificate in Human & Behavioral Research
• University of North TexasMaster of Journalism, Journalism
• SpringboardCertificate, User Experience Design
• University of North TexasBachelor’s Degree, Photojournalism and Political Science
• Diversity and Resiliency Institute of El PasoAnti-Racism Training
• HubSpot AcademyInbound Certified, Inbound Marketing

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