UX Research with a Dash of Humor
With over a decade of research experience, I have a strong foundation in methodology but understand when production deadlines change.
Like a fine chef, I can chop up complex problems into small ones; group those concepts into little bowls of user insights; and smooth out the sauce with actionable design recommendations.
And even if things go awry, I’m pretty fun to work with and reasonably smart enough to get a project to the right level of doneness.
MY PROCESS
RESEARCH
As an ethnographer and quantitative analyst, I track down the data needed to improve user experiences. Here are my favorite techniques:
Interviews
Surveys
Contextual Inquiry
Ethnography
Heuristics Evaluation
Card Sorting
Concept Mapping
DEFINING USERs
After distilling the data, I synthesize the findings into results that reveal who the users are so that we can consider their behaviors, needs, and pain points.
Feature Analysis
User Flows
Personas
User Journeys
DESIGN
Once I know who the user is, I use the results to inform design. Here's what I use during this process:
Wire framing
Design Workshops
Sketch
Adobe InDesign
MURAL.CO
DELIVER
The process is never fully complete without a few revisions. I use these tools to test and show the final prototype.
Prototype Testing
A/B Testing
InVision
FIGMA
PUBLICATIONS
I've assisted with a variety of publications over the course of my academic career. Here they are below:
Research Assistance for We Are All Explorers (2008) by Scheinfeld, et al.
Research Assistance for Workforce of One: Customization to Improve Performance and Manage Talent (2010) by
Susan Cantrell, published by Harvard Business Review
Co-authored “Disability Inclusion” in Insight Into Diversity Magazine (April 2011)
Co-authored “Disability and the Workplace” in National Association of Professional Employer Organizations Insider Magazine (August 2011)
Wrote and provided editorial review of 40 webpages on the AskEARN.org website
MY STORY
I'm the child of Taiwanese immigrants, but was born and raised in rural, upstate NY in a small town of five thousand just outside of the college town: Ithaca, NY. With lofty dreams of being an academic, I studied sociology at Northeastern University, focusing on human trafficking and globalization trends. To keep myself sane during college, I stroked my creative side by minoring in graphic art. At the time, I didn't think it was possible to meld my love of research and design.
In 2006, I started graduate school at the University of Chicago, delving into academic theories of gender and globalization. By the end of my Masters program, my interests shifted to the public policy field, and wrote my thesis on the topic of labor market discrimination. In 2008, I moved to Ithaca, NY and worked in advocacy and education.
Although I was providing mostly administrative services between 2008-2010, I still cultivated my taste for data analysis and research by doing contracting work, including a behavioral economics project with the Johnson School of Business on irrational buying behavior on eBay.
In 2010, I became a research specialist and HR consultant for the Employment & Disability Institute at Cornell University, providing free consultations in the area of HR and disability law to employers across the nation in both public and private sectors. This service was funded by the US Department of Labor and I even provided reports to the US Assistant Secretary in 2011. At this position, while I was happy to do research, but I always knew that I was better at working with people, not numbers.
Difficult times struck my family in 2011 and I was launched into the unlikely role of running the family motel business. I can't recommend quitting your professional life to run a motel in a tourist town in Watkins Glen, NY, but you'll learn a lot of things about the locals and yourself!
WHEN I AM NOT WORKING
I love having a diversity of hobbies, whether it be performing standup comedy, competitive trivia, or throwing "Iron Chef"-style brunches. My favorite hobbies and activities are below:
Stand Up Comedy (7 years)
Co-hosting an online comedy radio show
Costume/Set Design for NYC Nightlife Events
Classical piano (12 years)
Karaoke
Pub Trivia
Recording music with my sister on SoundCloud