Hi

Ariel McNichol

Creating products that inspire action shift mindsets solve problems build empathy improve outcomes delight spark awe

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Career Summary:
A technophile/data-loving/product design leader who delivers groundbreaking experiences for companies like CVS Health, Apple, Disney, Scilearn, IMG/TWI, Now.com.

I co-founded, designed and successfully scaled 2 tech companies, mEgo Avatars and MotiSpark, personalized video nudges. 

Mission:
Create scalable products that improve our lives by synthesizing human centered design, brilliant research, cutting edge technologies with a bit of magic. Leverage AI using my relentless hands-on curiosity to be the fastest solution maker to the hardest problems, now via YesCraft.ai

Case Studies

Dive in to case studies of recent work.  Contact me to explore earlier work in streaming, shopping, and digital identity for  Disney, Apple, The NBA, Dressipi and mEgo avatars (co-founder.)

CVS Health Innovation 

How our pilots succeeded in helping patients manage coverage changes and improved revenues.
Role: UX Design & Strategy Lead > Product Lead

CVS Health: Accounts 

Improved critical KPIs for registration, login, payments and account management and wrote roadmap for unified CVS ID to ensure smooth transition from multiple legacy systems

Role: UX Design & Strategy Lead > Product Lead

MotiSpark, personalized video nudges

How a need to keep myself motivated inspired me design & patent a platform that combines the draw of delightful videos, personalization  & behavioral science that helped diverse patients in 7 states to stick to their doctor’s orders and triple provider revenues

Gymboree Play & Music 

Modernize design system, marketing and web templates while migrating to Sales Force Marketing Cloud to increasing revenue and give client an easy-to-use platform primed for growth

About

Feeling like I’m useful is my soul’s food.  I love making complex or new things feel friendly and finding unique fixes.  I am accidentally funny and ask questions that put things in motion. I’ve floated between innovation for entertainment, gaming, education, telecoms, healthcare, consumer internet +.

I was raised by a lady of the canyon, a multi-ethnic mutt descending from academics and entertainers. 

techstars mentor

I love being an advisor, judge, resource+ for startups at Techstars, BioScienceLA, ScaleHealth, UCLA and UCI.

During the pandemic lockdown, my son helped create an interactive video series to help educate seniors that was shared by governments and non-for profits, watched by millions of people around the globe and giving us a sense of power during uncertainty!  Click here to see examples of kids helping seniors in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. 

GenAIs will be a part of advertising and ambient computing, swaying our behaviors. I want to help make guardrails to prevent short sighted thinking and instead design to improve human EQ. 

What are the ethics our designs inspire?  I helped create attention destroying addictive features and want now to fix that. The pull of the endless scroll makes it highly unlikely anyone will read this much copy 🤔

Experience & Skills

I can do & have done a lot
yikes that feels very not-humble 🤔 

LinkedIn Profile
Agile & Prioritization Frameworks

In the press

It's my pleasure to contribute to fast-paced dialogues about innovations in digital health, identity, behavior change and building consumer trust.

Esther Dyson on Digital Health

"What Is the One Thing Missing From Most Health Tech Business Models? Human Beings" Esther Dyson notes the benefits of MotiSpark's scaling of human connection

DocSpace Interview Podcast

Host Dr. Mario Amaro and Ariel discuss ways to better use technology to engage with patients outside of traditional clinical spaces.

Fast Company, Robert Scoble Interview

Robert Scoble and I discuss mEgo's rollout and ambition to empower people to control their online identities

A Healthier View Podcast

A dialogue about how Personalized Health can help build intrinsic motivation

Featured Entrepreneur

I answer great questions on what I've learned and believe as a founder. "What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs make?"... "Top 3 Lessons..."

Techweek: AI driven patient engagement

How MotiSpark leverages AI-driven timing and personalization for ongoing patient engagement

Testimonials

Fotios Konstantinidis
Fotios KonstantinidisManaging Director, Head of Digital & Data Analytics at Stout, worked with Ariel at 2 companies
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“Ariel is one of the few people that possesses all qualities that lead to success in the business world: Creativity, tenacity, persistence, professionalism, business acumen and above all integrity. She is amazing in her creative work and vision, product management and presentations to investors and clients. She always goes above and beyond on what is required to make her company successful and profitable.”
Gail Benitez Hair
Gail Benitez HairSenior Product Manager, CVS Health reported to Ariel
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“Ariel is nothing short of exceptional. Ariel possesses a unique blend of visionary thinking and creativity that consistently left me in awe…She had an uncanny knack for seeing opportunities where others might not, and her forward-thinking approach was instrumental in driving our team's success. She is a leader, mentor… fostering an environment where everyone feels empowered to contribute their best ideas and work collaboratively.”
Tracy Shea
Tracy SheaChief Digital Officer, directly managed Ariel at DirectTV Innovation
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“Ariel is among the best hires I ever made in my 30+ year career in the media and convergence space. Easily.”
Krishna Sunkammurali
Krishna SunkammuraliExecutive Director of Product, CVS Health, managed Ariel directly
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"She's one of the best talents I worked with in my career. I would love to work with her again! I strongly recommend her for a product or design leadership role."
Laura Klein
Laura KleinTechnology Consulting | Digital Transformation | Strategy through Execution
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“At CVS Health, I had the opportunity to witness Ariel's brilliance and leadership in creating successful omni channel user experiences...a major workstream was stalled in disagreement, but Ariel rallied teams with mock-ups, data flows, and competitor analysis until alignment was won to implement her vision for an incredibly improved user experience which is now live, positively affecting OKRs!”
Eva Eilenberg
Eva EilenbergLegal IT expert, worked with Ariel at 2 companies
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“Ariel is a brilliant dynamo. Her piercing intelligence and visionary creativity, combined with her “Energizer Bunny” drive and unstoppable passion for technology, make her an asset to any enterprise and an absolute delight to work with...I trust her instincts, her sensibility, her skills and talents, as well as her ability to work harder—and smarter—than just about anyone I know.”
Kathryn Campbell
Kathryn CampbellGlobal UX Research & Marketing Research Leader, collaborated on multiple projects
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“Ariel is a technology visionary, three steps ahead of everyone else in the room. And she's genuinely one of the most fun, humble, open-minded, and inspiring people you will ever meet.”
Srinivas Loke, PMP
Srinivas Loke, PMPLead Director of Engineering at CVS Health, worked 2 years together
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"Ariel is an amazing person to work with. She has excellent design & creative skills. Her ability to think outside the box and connect dots across multiple projects to create product vision is what makes her standout. She can quickly come up to speed and always shows curiously to learn. She has a calm personality and a great team player. She will be an asset to any company”
Deena Varshavskaya
Deena VarshavskayaFounder and CEO of Wanelo, worked at agency, Lotus, with Ariel
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“Ariel is phenomenal at getting things done. She is incredibly creative, yet extremely focused on execution. She is able to bridge the gap between highly conceptual and abstract ideas and practical outputs...”
Nika Vaks
Nika VaksSr. UX Design Lead & Researcher, reported to Ariel
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“Ariel unequivocally stood out as one of the most inspiring, knowledgeable, and innovative individuals I had the pleasure of working alongside and learning from. She consistently delivered optimal outcomes for the business while prioritizing the finest user experiences. Any team would be fortunate to have her as their leader” Nika Vaks Senior UX Designer & Researcher, reported directly to Ariel

Contact

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