Bob Welch, VP of Site Experience. Want to learn a little more about Bob? Read our special Staff Spotlight below!
Bob and his wife having fun!
FP: What is your job title? How long have you been with FashionPlaytes.com?
BW: Vice President of Site Design. About one year.
FP: What are your basic job responsibilities?
BW: I am responsible for the entire user experience of the FashionPlaytes.com site. I am constantly looking at ways which will allow girls to interact with the site and to build a community around FashionPlaytes.com. Specifically I am looking for ways to improve social and creative play experience and overall interaction for the girls. For example, currently the girls can create models and dress and accessorize them. They can share with friends and rate each other’s designs. Soon enough they’ll be able to have fashion shows too.
FP: How did you get into gaming/design?
BW: I went to Massachusetts College of Art for Industrial Design. One of my first jobs was for Parker Brothers which spun off Hasbro Interactive and Atari where I got my start in video. I never planned on a career in gaming– it just took off.
FP: In the past, what has been your favorite project?
BW: When I worked at Parker Brothers I designed Bop It, a hand held toy that tests players’ skills by having them follow directions at a faster and faster pace. It is considered one of the more popular children’s games on the market. I also worked on a great product Roller Coaster Tycoon.
FP: Why did you decide you wanted to join the FashionPlaytes.com team?
BW: There is a great market in user created content and to bring it together into the manufacturing of physical goods was really appealing. Also FashionPlaytes.com gave me the opportunity to bring together my background in product design with my professional experience in game design. An opportunity to bridge the online world with the physical world was something I couldn’t pass up.
FP: What do you like most about working at FashionPlaytes.com?
BW: Knowing that what I do is going to entertain people and allow them to have fun. Fashion is the foundation of our site but the hope is that it will help build a wider experience for girls to connect with their friends and express their own creativity. It is also great working with teams of really talented designers and artists.
