Human-Centered Research Expertise
I am completing my PhD in learning sciences, a field spearheaded by early leaders in UX, human-computer interaction (HCI), and artificial intelligence at institutions like XEROX Palo Alto Research Center in the 1980s and 1990s.
As a learning scientist, I take an explicitly human-centered approach to research and I know how to analyze people’s mental models, goals, skills, activities, and cultural contexts to design better learning experiences.
This expertise directly translates to User and UX research in any domain, where I leverage concepts like mental models, cognitive load, and cultural contexts to help my cross-functional stakeholders understand users' needs, abilities, and behavior to make better product design decisions.
(modified from a description written by Spencer Carlson, PhD)
Worked with:
Project Samples
Collaborative Annotation Technology in Online University Courses
I led an end-to-end research study exploring how university instructors used the collaborative annotation tool, Hypothesis, in their classroom. Analyzed 1500+ student annotations and 50+ course documents. Facilitated 7 focus group sessions with 6 university instructors. I am also a key contributor to a large-scale study on the use of Hypothesis in university courses.
Methods and Processes
literature review, survey research, user testing, focus groups, content analysis, thematic analysis
Tools
Qualtrics, Zoom, Google Forms, Google Docs, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Scrivener, MaxQDA, Otter.ai, Canvas LMS
Evaluation of Indiana’s Interim Assessments Grant Program
Contracted to work with the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to evaluate their Interim Assessment Grant Program. Developed 50-question survey, administered survey to 500+ schools across Indiana, analyzed results, wrote 4 page executive summary and 26 page full report. Presented results to IDOE.
Methods and Processes
survey research, interviews, descriptive statistics
Tools
Qualtrics, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Adobe Illustrator
