User Testing & Research Projects
my UX philosophy
In 2019 I completed a two-year certificate program, now called Selling Customer Experience, User-Centered Design and Your Portfolio, through California State University, Fullerton. In addition to work for this program and professional experience shown below, from 2019 to 2021 I volunteered as social media manager for the User Experience Professionals Association of Los Angeles (UXPALA).
PERSONAS: what House hunters WANT in a real estate site/app
Our team conducted user research among nine current or near-future homeowners in Southern California to determine which features they find most and least useful in digital products. Our findings allowed us to identify a primary persona and secondary personas with specific needs that if adopted could improve future digital real estate products and refine existing sites and apps for the $27 trillion U.S. residential real estate market.
Cal State apply - Counselor user testing & research
High school and community college counselors are the super users of the CSU application portal. In order to identify areas for improvement, I interviewed more than a dozen counselors around the state to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the portal and identify opportunities for improvement for counselors, students and parents.
ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH: NEEDS & BEHAVIORS OF FAST FOOD DINERS
Our fictional client was launching a new fast food restaurant in late 2020 in California. Our team was tasked with designing the restaurant. To better understand the needs and experiences of people who eat at fast food establishments, in fall 2019 we conducted contextual inquiry sessions at a variety of restaurants in Southern California, including In-n-Out Burger, Starbucks, and McDonald’s.
Customer Experience journey map: Applying to the CSU
This assignment for my UX certificate program asked students to identify and map a customer experience. I chose an incoming freshman student applying to Cal State, identifying the likely emotions, concerns and questions experienced at each step, as well as opportunities to improve this complex experience.
USABILITY TESTING: CAl State Chancellor’s office employee mobile app
As digital content strategy manager at the California State University Chancellor’s Office, in 2016 we conducted user testing before the release of the first-ever mobile app for the 600+ employees of the Chancellor’s Office. I created the testing protocol, trained two additional testers, and worked with the development lead on the app. We met with 14 employees who were asked to complete a handful of tasks. Here’s what we found.
Vacasa.com Usability testing
Vacasa.com offers vacation rentals, property management services for homeowners, and real estate services to buyers, sellers and real estate agents. I conducted in-person, qualitative testing with three consumers and remote testing (via usertesting.com) with two consumers looking for a vacation rental on the site for summer 2019.