Experience

ezCater · Boston, MA · October 2018 – Present

Principal Design Researcher

Go-to resource and trusted thought-partner to cross-functional teams. Responsible for:

  • Designing & implementing quarterly learning agendas for the ezCater Customer Experience (including products and services) that addresses gaps in knowledge cross-functionally, supports business goals, and anticipates future business and customer needs

  • Connecting the dots between customer learnings from sales, marketing, customer service, and product to ensure insights are viewed holistically and leveraged company-wide

  • Establishing research best practices, including defining a new research system, and building understanding around design research approaches

Senior Design Researcher

  • Identified, designed, and conducted strategic research that drove product work forward confidently and ensured efforts were aligned with business goals and users’ needs

  • Facilitated internal alignment through creative ideation, cross-functional initiatives, and partnerships

  • Advocated for end users’ needs and effectively engaged others within the organization to think and make decisions from the end users’ perspectives

Design Researcher

  • Led research strategy and execution across multiple squads and researchers

  • Worked with product managers and designers to identify and prioritize research projects

  • Produced actionable insights in sync with squad priorities

GfK Custom Research · Chicago, IL · October 2016 – October 2018

Lead User Experience Specialist

  • Led global and national large-scale research projects, including designing and executing studies, managing client needs, training teams, moderating sessions, driving design with actionable insights, and presenting findings to stakeholders

  • Adapted to, define, and execute on client needs whether that means collaborating with global partners to provide local insights in early phase technical product development or executing human factors medical device testing from task analysis to 510(k) submission

  • Mentored and provided guidance to new consultants, including training in essential research skills such as moderating and note-taking

  • Co-ran GfK UX’s micro-grant program through a partnership with University of Chicago MAPSS

User Experience Specialist

  • Provided research consulting services using various methods for clients in a wide variety of sectors and roles, including engineers, researchers, and designers

  • Developed test plans, screeners, moderator guides, and datasheets in the planning stages of studies and uses project management skills to oversee recruitment efforts, collaborate across teams, lead teams, and manage budgets

  • Ensured client research objectives are met by moderating test sessions and collecting qualitative and quantitative data

  • Synthesized research findings in the form of written reports and PowerPoint decks, with actionable recommendations and supporting data visualization

ORC International · Chicago, IL · June 2016 – October 2016

Senior Strategy Associate

  • Executed marketing campaigns to drive leads, including creation of thought leadership and marketing content

  • Supported new business development efforts through creation of sales materials and new business proposals

  • Measured and analyzed success of various internal initiatives, including financial and sales analysis

Education

Masters of Arts in Social Sciences · The University of Chicago ·  2015 - 2016

Focus in Social Psychology · Chicago, IL

Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice · The George Washington University · 2011 - 2015

Magna Cum Laude · Washington, DC

Skills & Technical Competencies

User Research Design · In-Depth Interview · Qualitative Analysis · Facilitation · Project Management · Improvisation

Mural · AirTable · MAXQDA · Rev · UsabilityHub · Microsoft Office Suite · Zoom

Academic Endeavors

Qualitative Research on Romantic Love · Chicago, IL · September 2015 – August 2016

Completed with Dr. Sharon Hicks-Bartlett · Funded by GfK Award for Innovative Research

  • Operationalized conceptualizations of romantic love and partnership practices based on thirty in-depth interviews and a collection of love stories

  • Designed a website and ran a social media campaign to recruit respondents

  • Employed eight different qualitative coding methods to each transcript to analyze results, develop a partnership framework, and disseminate findings in a report

Mixed-Methods Research on Unauthorized Migration · Tucson, AZ · May 2014 – May 2015

Completed at the Colibrí Center for Human Rights · Funded by Luther Rice Fellowship Award

  • Investigated unauthorized migration and migrant deaths along the US-Mexico border

  • Oversaw and pioneered various databases with sensitive information to use for both direct service and research purposes

  • Authored essays on current historical immigration policies and procedures utilizing the unique data collected by Colibrí staff to effect policy and perception changes

Quantitative Research on Criminal Desistance · Washington, DC · January 2014 – May 2015

Completed with Dr. Daniel Martínez · Funded by Undergraduate Research Enhancement Award

  • Researched individual and community factors influencing general perceptions of social phenomena, or those labeled deviant

  • Completed data management and analyses measuring political ideology, religiosity, personality traits, household and social network composition, neighborhood collective efficacy, media consumption, and perceptions of a host of social issues through a survey instrument