SENIOR USER RESEARCHER
Qualitative Researcher/ Usability Analyst / User Advocate
- Experience conducting user research, contextual inquiries, personna, surveys, etc.
- Expertise in qualitative research in software, mobile, games, and e-commerce
- Familiar with Morae, Ovo, video-editing software, SurveyGizmo, Loop11, etc.
- Experienced moderator for lab, remote, personna and field research interviews and focus groups
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES___________________
Principal User Researcher. Iterative Design Research, January 2002 – Current
- Develop and implement strategic market and usability research for e-commerce, mobile and computer game companies.
- Lead traditional and discount studies from kick-off meetings to results debriefings.
- Facilitate cross-team collaboration with visual designers, developers, and product management.
- Design and write phone screen recruiting scripts, moderator guides, test plans, surveys, debriefing summaries, and reports infused with conclusions.
- Moderate all types of research events including: paper prototyping, remote testing, usability bash, focus groups, and field research.
Director of Research. Big Fish Games, November 2007 – March 2010
- Design and conduct research on game download registration GUI, online trial and purchase flow, social, MMO, Facebook games for computer and iPhone.
- Build a state-of-the-art 3 room multi-player game research lab.
- Research prototypes in analysis and design phases and post-launch. Complete data tabulation for reports and presentations.
- Additional responsibilities: Hiring, tracking expenses and preparing budgets, recruiting, standardizing research methodologies, mentoring producers and game developers.
Senior Usability Researcher. InfoSpace, July 2003 – December 2006
- Conduct research on wireless purchasing, voice-enabled traffic applications.
- Lead research with Cingular, T-Mobile, AT&T, as well as independent developers.
- Expand user-centered design research activities with diary studies, mystery shopping, heuristic reviews, paper prototyping, and out-of-the-box studies.
Senior Information Architect. Molecular, Inc., January 2001 – January 2002
- Lead web research consulting and user experience planning in collaboration with Business Development and Sales teams.
- Manage research projects for clients including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Fidelity Investments, and FMTC, FeB, Boston.com, Yankee Candle, Brown & Company.
- Conduct trainings on user research techniques for clients and internal product managers.
Senior Usability Specialist. The MathWorks, Inc., July 1996 – January 2001
- Design, and deliver research findings to evaluate graphical user interfaces for MATLAB products including controls and financial toolboxes and global e-commerce web site.
- Publish and present findings annually at UPA conferences.
- Edit and contribute chapters in two book publications by Lawrence Erlbaum entitled Human Factors and Web Development.
Graduate Term Appointments. Sandia National Laboratories, March 1993 – June 1996
Computational Mechanics and Data Visualization & Statistics and Human Factors
- Design and evaluate graphical user interfaces and instructional multimedia for the engineering community.
- Perform usability testing for web applications.
- Research human factors guidelines for on-line electronic textbook and engineering curriculum.
EDUCATION ____________________________
Ph.D., in Training & Learning Technology, from Univ. of New Mexico, Albq, NM
M.A., from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
B.A., cum laude, from University of Rochester, NY
PROFESSIONAL_____________________________
Guest lecturer at University of Washington, 2004 – Current
Presentations SXSW, UPA, CHI, and the Conf. on Human Factors & Web, 1996 – current