UX Research

UX Research: Practical, Scalable Insight

I believe good research is about asking the right questions and making sure the right people hear the answers.

Over the past 10+ years, I’ve integrated user research into design systems work, AI integrations, internal tooling, & enterprise UX. I don’t just conduct research – I build the processes that make research part of how teams think, plan, and build.

My Approach to Research

I emphasize scrappy, scalable methods that deliver clear insight without derailing timelines. Long have I worked in environments that have zero budget. I’m equally comfortable:

  • Leading structured studies and workshops

  • Embedding continuous discovery into team backlogs

  • Running post-launch evaluation tied to design metrics

My work blends quantitative and qualitative methods, adapted to the audience, product maturity, and available tools.

Methods I Use

  • Unmoderated usability testing (via Maze, Lookback, Useberry, etc.)

  • Surveys and structured interviews

  • Design validation through feedback loops

  • Card sorting and IA testing

  • Heuristic evaluations and accessibility audits

  • Feature usage analysis (often paired with analytics or funnel metrics)

  • User journey mapping and proto-persona development

Examples of UX Research in Action

Design System Needs Assessment

I am the owner of the metrics function at Edward Jones, where I:

  • Facilitated feedback sessions with designers and engineers

  • Identified gaps in token usage, component confusion, and doc discoverability

  • Used Figma Analytics to identify potential points of friction (high component detach percentage, sharp drops in usage, etc.)

  • Drove creation of component guides and onboarding materials that directly addressed user friction

AI Tool Adoption – Edward Jones

Led user discovery and post-pilot evaluation for Figma’s AI feature rollout. Methods included:

  • Internal survey design and distribution

  • Usage feedback analysis

  • Stakeholder interviews

  • Documentation of recurring pain points and use cases

Accessibility Research & Advocacy

  • Participated in founding efforts of the Accessibility Working Group at Edward Jones

  • Conducted internal research to identify blockers for accessible design adoption

  • Identified time and cost savings associated with investing in an accessible design system

  • Presented findings to leadership to secure buy-in and formal resourcing

Research Tools & Platforms

  • Figma & FigJam – for prototype testing, collaborative sessions

  • Maze, Useberry, Lookback – for remote testing

  • Google Forms, Typeform, SurveyMonkey – for surveys and data gathering

  • Confluence, Notion, Zeroheight, PowerPoint – for documenting insights and research ops

  • Jira, Trello – to track follow-through on findings

  • Excel, SQL, Tableau, R – when deeper quantitative slicing is needed

Research That Moves Teams Forward

My UX research philosophy is built around alignment, not overload. I make sure the insights I gather:

  • Reach the right people

  • Inform the next decision

  • Fit into how the team works

In short, I don’t just do the research — I make it useful.

Relevant Case Studies