SKILLS

CORE COMPETENCIES:

  • Enterprise SaaS, AI-powered collaboration, and multi-product platforms

  • Cross-team research that clarifies adoption risks and shapes strategy

  • Clear, actionable storytelling for senior leaders and cross-functional partner

  • Guiding PMs, designers, and content writers through lightweight, reliable studies

  • Building decision trees, templates, and repositories that scale research maturity

  • Connecting insights across studies to highlight broader adoption trends

  • Leveraging AI tools to accelerate synthesis and expand research impact

METHODS: Survey design, usability testing, concept testing, in-depth interviews, diary studies, focus groups, cognitive walkthroughs, benchmarking, card sorting, tree testing, contextual inquiry, experience reviews

ANALYSIS & SYNTHESIS: Thematic coding, behavioral analysis, data triangulation, statistics, data visualization

TOOLS: AI-assisted analysis, Qualtrics, UserTesting, Dscout, JMP, Excel, Tableau, Airtable, Figma, Miro, Google Workspace, PowerPoint, Jira

EXPERIENCE 

UX RESEARCH LEAD - Microsoft, Remote | January 2019 - Current

  • Led research across multiple Teams product areas, including meeting experiences, AI, and Teams Premium, shaping product decisions.

  • Drove key research for Microsoft Teams Copilot, including the meetings Facilitator agent, that redefined the product model to better align with user expectations and risk perception in collaborative workflows.

  • Scaled research practice by enabling cross-functional partners to run their own studies, mentored researchers and non-researchers, and led internal product experience reviews to align teams on UX quality pre-launch.

  • Co-led a Jobs-to-Be-Done initiative that helped product multiple teams shift from feature thinking to user outcomes, and informed long-term product positioning and roadmap planning.

  • Established meeting research during Teams’ early startup days with fewer than 10 million users, and guided product and design teams through rapid growth during COVID-19 to over 300 million users today.

USER EXPERIENCE RESEARCHER - CA Technologies, Boulder, CO & Remote | August 2018 - November 2018

As the first UX researcher for CA's Project Portfolio Management software (formerly Clarity PPM), set up a research practice highlighted by

  • Built an automated participant database to simplify efforts to recruit, organize, and schedule studies.

  • Leveraged Pendo analytics tool with PM to help understand product use and expand reach as sole researcher.

  • Benchmarked key modules in the product via unmoderated usability studies to measure against future designs. 

  • Conducted high-level interviews with members of key teams including sales, support, PM and marketing to gain insight into customer frustrations and the product itself. 

DESIGN RESEARCHER - Microsoft (via eXcell), Redmond, WA | March 2018 - July 2018

  • Planned and ran research for OneDrive & SharePoint team, supporting desktop web and sync client for OneDrive, and Sharepoint features including document libraries, lists, and integration of Flow and PowerApps.

  • Assisted with designing, analyzing, and reporting on group research sessions conducted at two key conferences. Methods included affinity mapping and participatory design exercises.

UX RESEARCHER - AT&T (via AustinCSI), Bothell, WA | February 2017 - February 2018

  • Planned and conducted UX research for ATT.com (desktop, mobile, app) including interviews, customer collaboration, usability testing, cognitive walkthroughs, surveys, competitive analysis, and secondary research.

  • Led the initial research effort in a redesign of the ATT.com homepage, including formative research and usability testing of early homepage designs.

  • Helped start a Lean usability testing program that led to quicker and more iterative feedback to product teams.

UX RESEARCHER - Sumo Logic (freelance), Redwood City, CA | February 2017 – September 2017

  • Provided remote UX research support for a B2B cloud-based log analysis tool, including research consultation, capturing and organizing observations from user sessions, and identifying key insights.

  • Created a tool to collect and manage customer feedback from multiple channels, including Slack, which enabled teams to more effectively track user issues and bugs during a major beta release.

PRINCIPAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE - (multiple companies) Kineta, Presage Bio, Amgen, Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center | 2001 – 2017 

  • Designed, ran, and analyzed applied research studies, and prepared insights to drive project development.

  • Used UX methods to research and design tools focused on improving workflow processes for users (methods included field studies, flow analysis, interviews, experience mapping, prototyping, user testing)

CO-FOUNDER & CO-OWNER - Old School Frozen Custard, Seattle, WA | 2007 – April 2016

  • Conducted market and user research, competitive analysis, and product development.

  • Directed all initial branding, including logo, packaging, website, marketing, advertising, and store design.

  • Hired, trained and helped manage employees.

EDUCATION

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN USER-CENTERED DESIGN - University of Washington, Human Centered Design & Engineering | Seattle, WA | September 2015 – June 2016

▪     Key course concepts: user-centered design process, interaction design, usability evaluation and testing, user research, information architecture, prototyping.

CERTIFICATE IN LEAN SIX SIGMA MANAGEMENT - University of Washington | Seattle, WA | January 2015 – June 2015

▪     Green Belt Certification, with hands-on practice in LSS deployment, including A3 process, SIPOC and value stream mapping, root cause analysis and future state mapping.

MASTER OF SCIENCE – PHARMACEUTICAL BIOENGINEERING - University of Washington | Seattle, WA | 2011-2013

▪     Classes included Statistics and Experimental Design (BIOE 599), which used JMP in course work.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE – STUDIO ART, BIOLOGY (DOUBLE MAJOR) | Allegheny College | Meadville, PA | 1996 – 2001