Chris Mehl: Creative Director & Product Growth Lead | Outdoor, Fishing & Lifestyle Brands in Santa Cruz, California

Led UX and digital experience strategy for the nation’s largest marine retailer, partnering closely with marketing, merchandising, and technology teams as ecommerce and digital marketing became core growth drivers for the business. My role sat at the intersection of UX, content, and marketing, shaping how customers discovered products, engaged with campaigns, and moved between online and in-store experiences. I focused on clarity, performance, and storytelling at scale while supporting a complex retail ecosystem. Highlights Owned UX and content strategy for the ecommerce platform, including product discovery, checkout, retention flows, and lifecycle touchpoints Partnered with marketing teams on email campaign design, digital storytelling, and promotional layouts supporting product launches and seasonal retail campaigns Led navigation and information architecture design for large, complex product catalogs Introduced user research and usability testing practices that improved decision making, reduced friction, and increased conversion Supported company-wide digital transformation as ecommerce, email, and digital marketing became primary growth channels

Managed day-to-day creative and production work for West Marine’s website, email marketing, and digital merchandising programs during a period of rapid ecommerce growth. My role combined hands-on design with coordination across marketing and development, supporting campaigns, promotions, and site improvements that directly impacted traffic, engagement, and conversion. Highlights Led design and production for homepage features, email campaigns, product pages, and promotional marketing content Designed email templates and campaign layouts that balanced storytelling, merchandising, and performance goals Led redesigns of key site areas including store locator, checkout flows, and core templates to improve usability and conversion Created user flows, wireframes, and prototypes to support new features, promotions, and site enhancements Developed and ran customer testing programs including surveys, moderated sessions, and iterative prototypes Partnered closely with marketing and development teams to support ongoing optimization and campaign execution