Cary, North Carolina, United States
Senior User Experience Researcher with 10+ years of industry experience and 7 years of academic training, specializing in AI/ML-driven product development, quantitative metrics, and behavior-focused design at scale. Track record of influencing roadmaps and improving key user and business outcomes.
Developed a newspaper simulation game (http://simularis.io/yesterday) that uses public domain newspaper articles to relive days in history through the lens of an editor. Players learn grammar, editorial judgement, and history. Uses an automated AI pipeline to ingest and enrich historical documents.
◾Co-developed a GenAI prototype and documented 30% time-saving and 70%+ positive user response rate. ◾Developed a rapid prototyping and feedback approach for GenAI products. ◾Developed a methodology to visualize time spent metrics at the page and feature level so that stakeholders can identify bottlenecks and automation opportunities. Time spent metrics have been used to inform and justify product roadmaps from multiple product teams in 2024–2025.
◾Developed educational PC game (VR prototype) in Unity, which uses immersive environments to teach Chinese characters. Available at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1338570/Sheng_Tian___Episode_1/ ◾Developed AI-powered newspaper simulator game that teaches grammar skills with auto-generated content from the OpenAI API (May ‘23). Available at: https://eastbayimmersivegames.itch.io/editors-edge
◾Managed an analytics/UX team including 2 FTEs and a contractor. ◾Served as core member of two cross-functional task forces to increase client enrollments and improve key health outcomes. Projects included adding additional channels to capture and validate program outcomes (which improved program KPIs) and leading marketing concept testing and designing an off-platform A/B testing solution (broke monthly enrollment records three times in 2021–2022).
◾Developed algorithms for personalized in-app recommendations according to practice guidelines. Earned first authorship on patent. ◾Conducted qualitative and quantitative user research on Bluetooth hardware carbon monoxide (CO) breath sensor and app-based behavioral health program for smoking cessation. ◾Used regression modeling to recommend creation of feature to automatically pair new users to behavioral health coaches at account creation, which improved KPI by over 25%. ◾User interviews on benefits of sampling after quitting led to creation of a “validated-quit” app badging feature, which increased CO-validated program outcomes by 38%. ◾Assessed user understanding and motivational potential of “time to green” and “time in green” features of CO breath sensor. Clinical trial demonstrated that the improved CO sensor increased users’ motivation to quit, supporting new marketing claims.