Matthew Carlson

Project Year:

2020 - 2024

Overview:

Deepest of all—beneath your physical and mental selves, is your spiritual self. Like your body and mind, it can feel, it can hurt, it can heal, and experience wellness. Yes, its feelings are often subtle, but they’re also deep and foundational. Researchers are just beginning to uncover what many have known for centuries: that spiritual health affects other parts of our wellbeing.

Skylight is a one-of-a-kind app to help you develop a stronger connection to God by awakening your spirit.

Skylight provides simple exercises that focus on connecting you to God to awaken your spirit and provide higher moments of enlightenment. It also provides thought provoking conversations to help you better understand your spiritual journey.

Our small, talented team came up with the initial idea of Skylight and built it from the ground up to now have a presence across iOS, Android, web and various social properties. In just 2 short years we have built a digital ecosystem that is growing month over month and helping the rising generation tackle emotional and mental issues through spiritual exercises that help connect them to their Higher Power.

Primary Roles:

• VP of Digital Strategy

• Retention Marketing Lead

Secondary Roles:

• QA + QC Specialist

• Content Manager

• ASO & SEO Strategist

• Social Media Strategist

• Art Director

Project Year:

2020 - 2024

Overview:

Over 4 years I built out the entire content strategy for the Skylight app. We originally started with meditation practices that were similar to what you would find on popular apps such as Calm and Headspace. We found very little traction in gaining any sort of subscriber base with this approach.

Looking closer into what was sort of working and what we were seeing through Google analytics around popular searches, we quickly realized that the biggest problems users ages 18-35 were dealing with revolved around issues with sleep, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and loneliness.

We pivoted our strategy and focused on spiritual wellness practices that tackled these problems through affirmations, movement, meditation, prayer, music, and stories.

In doing so, we quickly found a niche audience of users and at our peak were able to grow the Skylight app to over 40K monthly active users.

Even though Skylight would eventually be discontinued as funding from the non-profit organization that was sponsoring it would dry up, it remains a powerful use case of how experience strategy is critical for product success from the very beginning of a user’s journey, all the way through to fulfillment.

Primary Roles:

• VP of Digital Strategy

• Content Strategy

Secondary Roles:

• Art Direction

Project Year:

2016

Overview:

The Polynesian Cultural Center is a family-centered cultural tourist attraction and living museum located in Laie, on the northern shore of Oahu, Hawaii .

Our team redesigned the whole website to bring the brand to life with vibrant colors and textures reflective of the Polynesian culture. More importantly, we did a complete overall on the booking engine to help customers more clearly understand packages and group offerings to create their ideal trip itinerary.

Feedback was extremely positive from both the client and customers and resulted in increased annual ticket sales once implemented.

Primary Roles:

• Associate Creative Director

• UX Design Lead

Secondary Roles:

• Client Manager

• Content Strategist

Project Year:

2018 - 2020

Overview:

SAY was a video app that allowed friends and families to connect via asynchronous video chat. Like many startup companies it unfortunately didn’t survive and funding was exhausted by mid-2020. I put it in my portfolio because it stands as the most challenging project of my career and taught me so many important lessons on leadership, project planning, communication, employee development, and personal integrity to name a few.

As challenging and sometimes uncomfortable as these 2 years were I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I learned that in these moments of difficulty we often times learn and grow the most. SAY set me up for success on my next project “Skylight” and showed me the roadblocks and pitfalls to avoid to grow an app in an organic and sustainable way. For this reason I consider SAY to be one of the best learning experiences of my career.

Primary Roles:

• Director of UX

• Retention Marketing Strategist

Secondary Roles:

• QA + QC Specialist

• Content Strategist

• Community Manager

Project Year:

2014

Overview:

Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 million vehicles per year.

Toyota/Scion E-Learning modules based on the learning principle of "teach concepts not details". All interactions, information, and experiences are based in concepts designed to SELL vehicles as opposed to useless details like wheelbase measurements.

Primary Role:

• UX Design Lead

Project Year:

2024-Present

Overview:

“This is Pivotal,” is my passion project. A labor of love that started in January of 2024, pivotal is a podcast available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify that explores the pivotal moments in people’s lives and how it changed them for the better and taught them important life lessons about themselves and about their relationship to a higher power and to others.

Listen to Podcast:

linktr.ee/thisispivotal

Follow on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thisispivotalpodcast/

Primary Roles:

• Podcast Producer

• Podcast Host

• Podcast Writer

• Audio Engineer & Editor

Project Year:

2015

Overview:

Working with the Philanthropy Roundtable, a nonprofit organization that advises conservative philanthropists we tackled the problem of getting cohabitating unmarried millennials to consider matrimony. Surprisingly, the project was not intended to prove some sort of moral right, but was rather based in sociological facts that show that U.S. society benefits both economically and from a mental and physical health standpoint when couples choose to marry.

We created a creative digital campaign that targeted cohabitating millennials and led to a website that allowed them to self identify their situation. This then led them to personalized content in the form of a questionnaire, statistical data and relatable human stories.

The campaign and website won a gold addy for Public Service Online/Interactive.

Primary Roles:

Associate Creative Director

UX Design Lead

Secondary Roles:

Content Strategist

Project Year:

2014

Overview:

On a functional level, the Lexus Learn app is simply a replacement for a printed product handbook. When we examined the “ask” we identified an opportunity to go beyond a simple digital replacement. Our deep understanding of sales force training, education, and enablement led to a completely new approach for vehicle releases and sales training distribution. Now, the Lexus Learn app is the primary platform for new vehicle releases (including concept vehicles), education, and detailed reference information. Lexus Learn transfers knowledge from the traditional training portal and printed handbook and places it in the pockets of every single sales consultant at Lexus.

Primary Role:

• UX Design Lead

Project Year:

2014

Overview:

The Deseret News is a publishing company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The Deseret News is owned by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation. The publication's name is from the geographic area of Deseret first identified by Utah settlers.

The National Edition website, like its print counterpart, provides in-depth coverage in six areas of emphasis – Family, Faith, Education, Culture, Causes, and Moneywise – for family-oriented audiences.

My role was to take these six areas as they existed in print and design a way for them to work in a website and mobile experience.

Primary Role:

• Associate Creative Director

• UX Design Lead

Project Year:

2013

Overview:

Envision Utah is a nonpartisan public-private partnership that engages people to create and sustain communities that are beautiful, prosperous, healthy, and neighborly for current and future residents.

Our team partnered with Envision Utah to create an interactive “Clear the Air” website Intended to encourage Utahns to take personal responsibility for the state’s poor air quality during Winter inversion conditions, the campaign represents a collaborative partnership between local non-profits, public-private partnerships, and the Utah state legislature.

Primary Roles:

• Associate Creative Director

• UX Design Lead

Secondary Role:

• Content Strategist

Project Year:

2016

Overview:

Christmas campaign website for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I worked on every Christmas campaign from 2010 to 2017 to include the initial #LightTheWorld campaign where I formulated the 25 days, 25 ways effort that encouraged people to take action and serve their family, friends and neighbors leading up to Christmas day. This idea has continued in various forms with each subsequent Christmas campaign since the inception of the first year of #LightTheWorld.

Primary Roles:

• Associate Creative Director

• UX Design Lead

Secondary Roles:

• Client Manager

• Content Strategist

Project Year:

2010

Overview:

JustServe.org is a website where the volunteer needs of organizations may be posted and volunteers may search for places to serve in the community, providing opportunities to help those in need and enhance the quality of life in the community.

Working alongside a small creative group, I helped formulate the initial idea around this website that was originally positioned as the “Craig’s List” of service. Since it’s inception, Just Serve has grown to service the needs of communities throughout the United States.

Primary Roles:

• Associate Creative Director

• UX Design Lead

Secondary Role:

• Workshop planner & facilitator

Project Year:

2012

Overview:

The Life of Jesus Christ: Bible Videos. The app provides a way to explore the New Testament through sight, sound, and touch and experience the gospel on an emotional level. Users can explore biblical environments, watch scripture-based videos and photo slideshows and discover interesting facts about biblical accounts. The website and app are based on accounts of Christ's life from the King James Version of the Bible.

Primary Roles:

• Associate Creative Director

• UX Design Lead

Secondary Role:

• Client Manager

• Content Strategist

Project Year:

2011

Overview:

3 page ad that displayed in the playbill for the “Book of Mormon” musical. The challenge was how can you piggyback off the interest in the musical to actually get people to want to read the book. My wife and I came up with this concept one night in our kitchen.

Primary Roles:

• Associate Creative Director

• Content Strategist

Project Year:

2010 - 2014

Overview:

One of the most successful ad campaigns ever created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I personally helped come up with the concept of normalizing church members by showing surprising moments from their everyday lives and then finishing the ads with the famous tagline, “And I’m a Mormon.”

This ad campaign would go on to be considered one of the best of the decade and proved that it is possible to change public perception through relatable human stories. The stories featured on this page are all people I interviewed and vetted as excellent candidates for the campaign. I also was responsible for all of the digital solutions that came from this campaign over the course of its run.

Primary Roles:

• Associate Creative Director

• UX Design Lead

Secondary Roles:

• Content Strategist

• Campaign Story Coordinator

• Workshop planner & facilitator

• User Researcher

Project Year:

2010 - 2016

Overview:

Mormon.org is the Missionary Web site for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It received multiple awards to include:

• Interactive Media Awards, Best in Class

• Religion Interactive Media Awards, Best in Class

• Non-Profit Interactive Media Awards

• Top 10 Sites in 2010 Webby Awards

• Honoree, Religion & Spirituality Communication Arts Web Pick

Primary Roles:

• Associate Creative Director

• UX Design Lead

Secondary Roles:

• Content Strategist

• User Researcher

• Workshop Planner & Facilitator

Project Year:

2010

Overview:

Yahoo! wanted to position themselves as the main entry point for online content for the World Cup and asked us to help them with that challenge. We created a real-time, multi-player penalty shoot out game to engage football fans around the globe. 

The game was played by 2.1 million people world wide, the campaign generated 16 million social media impressions. 11.6 million minutes were spent on the game world wide and the Yahoo! World Cup landing page had 60 million visits.

Primary Roles:

• Manager Information Architecture

• UX Design Lead

Project Year:

2009

Overview:

Hawaiian Airlines is the largest operator of commercial flights to and from the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is the tenth-largest commercial airline in the United States, and is based at Honolulu, Hawaii.

I designed the ticket booking system for Hawaiian Airlines which allowed users to complete complex booking itineraries spanning multiple travel legs, as well as include alternate travel options within their purchase.

Primary Roles:

• Manager Information Architecture

• UX Design Lead

Project Year:

2008

Overview:

Bain & Company is an American management consulting company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm provides advice to public, private, and non-profit organizations.

JoinBain.com is Bain & Company's corporate recruiting website. Our team was tasked with coming up with an exciting and compelling way to promote the company brand and culture to increase applications from prospective employees.

Primary Roles:

• Manager Information Architecture

• Design UX Lead

Secondary Roles:

• Content Strategist

• User Researcher

Project Year:

2009

Overview:

Sony Corporation, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Kōnan Minato, Tokyo, Japan.

Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics products for the consumer and professional markets.

Dealer Source is a website intended for authorized Sony resellers and distributors that purchase Sony consumer electronics and/or professional products. It allows them to access detailed information on Sony premium home products and support services, including integration drivers and other install-friendly technical documentation.

My role on this project was to do a complete redesign of the site to get it up to par with common design standards and functionality.

Primary Roles:

• Manger Information Architecture

• UX Design Lead

Project Year:

2009

Overview:

Franklin Resources, Inc. is an American multinational holding company that, together with its subsidiaries, is referred to as Franklin Templeton; it is a global investment firm founded in New York City in 1947 as Franklin Distributors, Inc. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEN, in honor of Benjamin Franklin, for whom the company is named, and who was admired by founder Rupert Johnson, Sr.

This project required a complete redesign of the Franklin Templeton website with associated financial tools.

Primary Roles:

• Manager Information Architecture

• UX Design Lead

Secondary Roles:

• Workshop Planner & Facilitator