Design Research & Strategy
Clients (chronological order): Edward Jones, verynice, Sarvodaya Institute, Organics Alive, Iteration Group, Sectorlight Strategic Design.
My love of research has shone brightly throughout my professional journey.
I’m fascinated by people and behavior, and I readily explore new territory; I’m as comfortable talking with physicians in hospitals as I am with farmers in fields.
I’m a passionate user advocate, with an approach that is rooted in empathy, behavioral curiosity and desire to help improve experiences and lives.
I am currently working with Edward Jones; helping to drive fundamental change and greater impact through FinTech initiatives, as the financial services firm accelerates it journey to become industry leader in Human-Centered Complete Wealth Management.
My work involves discovering user behaviors, motivations, and needs; while connecting with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, to ensure communication, collaboration, and alignment.
I create research plans, research questions and discussion guides; I organize, schedule, and perform a variety of co-creation sessions, and moderated/unmoderated research studies; I also capture data, synthesize primary/secondary research; and detect patterns and pivotal information.
From this work, I deliver actionable insights through reports and presentations, to inform product direction and definition; advise strategic decision making; and to validate usability.
I am deepening my Design Research practice with continuous training that includes: Accessibility, Agile Methodology (SAFe), UserZoom, Qualtrics, Mural and Pendo.
I also lead weekly peer review sessions as a colleague and mentor.
Joining LA-based collaborative design strategy practice, verynice; I conducted research, synthesized data, and provided strategic insights and recommendations for user experience design, brand and marketing, strategic foresight, strategic planning, and change management. As part of the core team of advisers, I also helped companies explore Human-Centered Design as both a mentality and a process for their operational systems, customer experience and service design.
Research methods included: collaborative workshops, co-creation sessions, stakeholder interviews, online surveys, and desk research.
Projects created impact for seafood sustainability, climate change and environmental conservation, menstrual equity, international resuscitation practices, heart valve disease care, children’s hospital systems, and inclusive outdoor recreation.
While working to improve the membership experience for regenerative agriculture advocates, Sarvodaya Institute; I surveyed volunteers from the current membership base, to uncover customer insights and compile a set of strategic recommendations.
I organized and designed an online survey of current members, and synthesized my findings into a comprehensive presentation with actionable steps.
I then translated these findings into foundational design elements for the membership experience and wider brand development strategies.
I applied my design research skills to an ongoing strategy project, with all-natural soil and plant care company Organics Alive.
I delved into persona development, empathy mapping, user journey maps and service blueprints in order to better understand the primary target customer and their brand experience. Data was gathered from interviews, moderated user testing, and product analytics.
I communicated customer needs, goals and pain points to the team, through these artifacts; in order to help inform design and marketing, operational flows and strategic planning.
I performed user experience research, strategy and design with LA-based, boutique Product/UI/UX consulting firm, Iteration Group, where I was also awarded the role of Research Fellow.
I organized, designed and recruited for, different types of research methods including: stakeholder interviews, card sorting, persona development, competitive analysis, user interviews, online surveys, and moderated/unmoderated usability tests.
I collected and synthesized data, created problem statements and hypotheses, and highlighted strategic opportunities in client presentations; designed and tested wireframes and prototypes, and reported bugs.
I embraced my gift for entering unknown territories and quickly familiarizing myself, in order to speak the client’s and users’ language. Project sectors included: Korean pop culture, real estate, HR and recruitment, tax credits, teen social polling and healthcare.
My design research and strategy practice began with London-based agency, Sectorlight Strategic Design, as I was commissioned to conduct primary and secondary research to inform and define the cultural context for placemaking and destination marketing projects.
I performed ethnographic fieldwork, customer interviews, and desk research; and synthesized data into actionable insights for design teams.
The commission included nine, high-profile projects that spanned a variety of central London locations, such as St Paul’s, Bloomsbury and developments along the River Thames; as well as the city of Birmingham, and my home town of Manchester.
Clients included: JER, Tishman Speyer, Jones Lang LaSalle, Laing O’Rourke.
