User Experience Research

 An expert in human-centered design, my work starts with empathy and balances qualitative inquiry with quantitative analysis.               

open source imaging technology:
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Foundation

Discover  
How might we drive the rapid development and equitable distribution of advanced imaging technologies to view and analyze biological systems in context?

Design 
As UXR lead on a startup-style incubation project, I took the team from “0-1” by delivering foundational research to establish core personas, jobs to be done, and journey maps, informing strategic priorities in complex, multi-user dependent ecosystem. I’ve conducted and socialized outcomes from dozens of multi-method studies (including focus groups for "app store"-like MVP product, longitudinal survey to measure sentiment YOY, and multi-month cohort partnerships to co-create tool's first teaching course with imaging educators). I’ve also served on the team’s cross-functional leadership team, designing user-centric strategies to identify product opportunities, shape decisions, and measure impact.

Deliver
Research insights supported team’s successful progression from incubation to validation and growth stages, allowing for an expanded team and resources. Research contributed directly to de-risking original value proposition, spinning up MVP and continued iterations of new hub for imaging plugins, longitudinal evaluation of user sentiment, and co-creation partnerships with community to build quality plugins and teaching materials. You can learn more select research studies from published articles/reports on our core personas, the napari hub, and our annual survey (hover over to click on links!) If you’re interested in learning more about these or other studies, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Cloud, Data and AI Portfolio: IBM

Discover  
How might we support the integration of over a dozen data analytics tools into a centralized user experience, so companies can harness productivity and reduce the complexity of their data?

Design 
As the first-hire UX researcher and lead for core experience, I juggled complex stakeholder management across competing tools to prioritize the highest risk and most ambiguous user experience needs. I partnered with 20 UX designers, Visual designers, and FEDs, to build out strategic use cases, cross-tool user account management, installation experiences, and dashboarding, with prioritized focus on seamless access and intuitive integration.

Deliver
My research work led to redesigned single sign-on experience, improved installation wizard, new crash/error reporting, and custom dashboarding. Additionally, I had the pleasure of spinning up core partnerships with key potential clients to socialize use cases (resulting in successful adoption of product), demos and user testing at IBM’s major data conferences, and several facilitation workshops across the globe to explore new product opportunities. Learn more about Cloud Pak for Data here.

Donor Experience and Trust: Lincoln Center

Discover  
How do donors feel about their relationship to Lincoln Center; how might our donor series successfully retain membership and cultivate increased giving?

Design 
Using data analytics, I reviewed per person costs relative to performance genre and venue, correlated with attendance and membership renewal rates, and assessed competing organizations' benefit programing.  I interviewed donor teams to understand what incentivized membership and attendance. Finally, I worked with vendors across campus to design unique, lower cost experiences.

Deliver
A formal presentation delivered to VP of Development recommending cost efficiency measures, strategic date alignment with membership renewal cycles, and a redesigned interactive experience. Implemented plan reduced costs by 25% and supported increases in donor retention across all giving levels.

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein