Washington, District of Columbia, United States
In March of 2025, after more than a year of fruitlessly searching for a role, I announced my retirement from UX research, which I practiced (or tried to) for five years. I now identify primarily as a writer and content creator who may decide to go mainstream again if the right offer presents itself. And if it doesn't, well...I'll just have to hope I'm destined for more than a dreary 9 to 5. To that end, I'm working on a novel that I pray gets made into a blockbuster movie -- since people don't read much anymore. In the meantime, I'm looking for opportunities that maximize my skills and creativity. I'm NOT looking to become someone I'm not or dumb myself down just to (potentially) get a job that's probably much better on paper than it is in reality. I'm one of the few things that IS better in reality. WAY better ;-) Since life is short, I want to contribute to something big and bold -- or at least useful and non-lethal. I don't care about titles or prestige: I care about the work and the people I work with. People matter most, even the ones who bother me sometimes. I have experience in technology (UX), research, education, journalism/media, editing/publishing, nonprofit leadership, grassroots activism, elections/campaigning, cross-cultural dialogue, mentoring/coaching, conflict resolution, tomfoolery, setbacks, and career transitions. You would be hard-pressed to find a more interesting mix of skills and personality traits. Please note, especially if you're a recruiter or hiring manager: I have a bad habit of taking myself too seriously, so I use humor as a way to cope with the many stressors of life including (un)employment, illness, malaise, hopelessness, tragedy, politics, Trump, etc. I write and do standup comedy on the side. (Note: I said "on the side" because I can turn the humor off when I have to. Trust me on this: I never got so much as a lunch detention in 12 years of public schooling. Matt was a dull boy.) Laughter makes the world a lighter and more interesting place, and this platform would be impossible for me to handle without it. I've also experienced a significant amount of (un)employment-related trauma. This is something I'm trying to be more open and vulnerable about. While I'm on the subject, if you think my "open to work" banner makes me look desperate, trust your instincts. They're working just fine. Finally, if you're reading this and need a referral and/or career advice, don't hesitate to reach out to me. Happy to help in any way I can. The world would be a better place if we all just gave a little bit more.
CLIENT: #MEAction • Synthesizing client and volunteer data into user journeys, personas, and service blueprints to improve service design for people with chronic illness seeking healthcare resources • Conducting a heuristic evaluation to promote the redesign of a website that provides vital information to people with chronic illness and disabilities • Preparing artifacts and visuals for funder pitch sessions CLIENT: Black Jack Productions LLC • Serving as lead researcher for competitive RFP projects to support state and local governments • Advising founder on proposals, project goals, strategy, timelines, and personnel
• Facilitating mentoring sessions for design, research, and career-services students • Providing feedback on design and research academy work • Supporting career growth for young UX designers and researchers Selected Accomplishment: First career service mentee got hired months before the end of the program
• Provided expertise on UX research methods and best practices to develop a consumer product line • Developed research plans, discussion guides, testing scripts, personas, and affinity-mapping templates • Crafted surveys to determine market size and customer demographics and preferences • Analyzed customer feedback and purchasing habits to prioritize new products and features
• Planning and conducting research studies to improve portfolio management tools for 19,000 financial advisors • Collaborating with accessibility, content, and design to craft research plans, disc. guides, and surveys • Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, and presenting qualitative and quantitative data to business stakeholders • Assisting four product teams with research strategy, recruitment, long-term planning, and feature prioritization • Bolstering quant. data collection, analytics, and visualization by leveraging Pendo and UserZoom Selected Accomplishment: Research efforts resulted in interface improvements that helped save financial advisors about a minute per day—for a total of roughly 320 hours saved (in the aggregate) that can be diverted to essential client service
• Conducted user interviews to support academic design and product design teams in their development of ELA curricula (digital and print) for millions of K-12 students in the United States • Analyzed, synthesized, and presented quantitative and qualitative data to academic design teams, product design teams, and other stakeholders Selected Accomplishment: Leveraged my unique skills as a researcher and former educator to improve research methodology