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Professional Projects
Current Projects
Research Analyst
In my current role I work on 1-3 projects at a time.
Usability Testing
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Greet and converse with respondents to foster a welcoming environment and establish trust
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Develop follow-up questions to ensure a thorough understanding of the respondent's experience using the product
Building and Managing Agents
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Create agents for specific workflows: project management of collaborative reports, creation of easily-searchable datasets of interview transcripts, and theme identification in open-ended survey responses
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Apply Computational Thinking from my coding background to troubleshoot inconsistencies and add guardrails which ensure accuracy
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Add instructions to format data so it can be exported, viewed, and edited to maximize oversight and increase the integrity of the end product
Writing Reports
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Collaborate with my team and apply my experience in creative writing to communicate project outcomes to clients in effective, engaging reports
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Follow up with the Vice President and Managing Principal to confirm alignment with their specifications and client needs
Archive App User Research
UX Generalist
University of Pittsburgh
Digital Scholarship Services
I led a project for the development of an archive website, from the initial stakeholder meeting to presentation of the first mock-ups. This would serve as a digital access point for a major archive collection recently acquired by the University of Pittsburgh.
I conducted multiple interviews with intended users to inform the development of user personas and mockups. My selection of respondents was guided by goals developed in meetings with the Heads of Departments in the University Library System, encompassing the intended users of the application from student researchers working on critical projects to library employees.
My interviewing began with creating a welcoming environment. If any hesitancy to share details or critique was expressed, I affirmed the importance of their insights. The discussion guide I used was created independently, then reviewed by the Heads of Departments.
To maximize feedback and ease of communication, I sent bi-weekly surveys to stakeholders to collect their views of current progress and future goals. This streamlined process resulted in clear, cross-functional objectives between different Heads of Departments after our initial meeting.
My approach to organizing and presenting data was streamlined through a FigJam template that allowed me to incorporate contextual inquiry approaches, including affinity maps, while keeping all artifacts in one location for efficient access by library leadership.
Metadata Web Application
UX Generalist
University of Pittsburgh
Digital Scholarship Services
In collaboration with one of the Librarians in Digital Scholarship Services, I designed, developed, and tested a web application intended as an access point for library collections. This application allowed users to search by metadata, create their own collections for research, and share these collections with other researchers.
My work consisted of the design (home page, user dashboard, and FAQ pages) and the front-end development. This project merged my previous experience building software with my current focus on developing experience as a user researcher.
We worked collaboratively on a self-guided survey for respondents who worked in the library system and frequently access library collections.
Capstone Project Archive
User Experience Researcher
University of Pittsburgh
Digital Narrative & Interactive Design
I worked as part of a team of 4 researchers to conduct research with the Digital Narrative and Interactive Design program at the University of Pittsburgh to inform the design of a capstone project archive. This project followed a prior one recommending a project archive for students to showcase their work, and precedes future work in building the archive website. Our work on this project included 11 interviews across faculty and students in the program, an affinity map, storyboards, a focus group, and UI design.
We collaboratively built a discussion guide, then rotated between being an interviewer and taking notes. After each session, we met to discuss the notes and make edits to the discussion guide. The result of the processes was an extensive affinity map to inform the development of the intake form and site mockups.
Following this, we created storyboards and used data collected in the first stage to develop the fields included in the intake form and the site mockups. Lastly, we hosted a focus group for students in the Digital Narrative and Interactive Design program to ensure these end products met their needs as users.
Throughout the process, our weekly standing meetings ensured communication across the team and time to work collaboratively or share feedback on current independent work.
Personal Projects
Visible Mending
Sweatshirt, Cotton Flannel Fabrics
Work in Progress
While visiting our college town, my friend and I visited the local quilting store. I purchased a set of blue flannel fabrics with the intention of covering bleach spots on the forearms and decorating the back. This would continue preserving the sweatshirt I love, while covering these bleached spots and adding a unique touch to the piece.
The sailboat and fish match the theme of the sweatshirt (advertising a local lakeside town). The decision to add these elements was inspired by my connection to Lake Erie. The snow clouds and sailboat bring together the difference in seasons, from the deep freezes to summer days on the bay.
Textured Tapestry
Wool & Synthetic Yarns, Scarf
This tapestry was inspired by creative reuse of yarn scarps and creating different textures in the same piece. It uses blanket yarn for a fuzzy texture, wool/acrylic blend twisted yarn for tassels and tighter weaving, and wool/acrylic roving for malleable texture.
The color palette was selected to match the one I use for my closet and home decor. I left the tassels uneven to add to the texture of the piece.
A scarf given to me by a friend was added, both as a highlight in the piece and to showcase the scarf in my home.
Shawl
100% Merino Wool Yarn
I selected this yarn at my local yarn store with the assistance of a fellow knitting guild member. The intention was to match the brown in my hair with a hand-dyed yarn.
I based this design off of The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief pattern by Orange Flower Yarn and decreased the amount of open sections to allow for cold weather use.
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