I study how people communicate –
with products, with each other, and with themselves.
01 About
The best research I've done didn't answer the question on the brief. It changed the question entirely. Teams came in asking whether users understood a feature and left reconsidering whether the feature was solving the right problem. That reframe is what I think good research is actually for: not confirming what a team already believes, but changing what they think is possible.
Before UX, I was a Speech-Language Pathologist, which meant sitting with people who knew exactly what they wanted to say but couldn't find the words to match. That habit has carried over in my research practice: noticing the gap between what people intend and what actually comes out.
10 years of experience at Google, Meta, and Duolingo taught me that the research question is almost never the real question. I've led generative studies that shifted roadmap priorities, usability research that caught critical failures before they shipped, and longitudinal work that traced how people's relationships with a product evolve over time.
I'm available for senior contract and full-time UX Research roles. I'm most interested in teams where the research can change what they think is possible.
02 What I Do
01
The best research projects start with a precise question, not a vague one. I get involved before the brief is written to help teams figure out exactly what they need to learn.
02
Interviews, ethnographic observation, diary studies, usability testing. I'm skilled at creating conditions where people tell you what they actually think, not what they think you want to hear.
03
Qualitative findings gain force when triangulated with behavioral data. I'm comfortable partnering with data scientists and designing surveys that complement exploratory work.
04
After fieldwork, I put real time into synthesis: what the patterns mean, how to sequence the story, and what format will reach the people who need to act on it.
05
I trained as a Speech-Language Pathologist before moving into UX research. That background gives me a specific vocabulary for diagnosing where communication breaks down, which changes the questions I know to ask.
06
Getting research into decisions is a separate skill from doing the research. I pay close attention to who makes decisions, what they need to hear, and when in the process they're actually open to changing course.
03 Career
Prior to 2016
Clinical Practice
Speech Therapist
Worked clinically with individuals across the lifespan with communication, language, and cognitive disorders. Observed where and why communication breaks down, and facilitated getting it back on track.
2016 – 2018
UX Research Coordinator
Coordinated UX research operations for Google Cloud, managing study logistics, participant recruitment, and cross-team communication to keep research running smoothly.
2018 – 2022
Meta
UX Researcher — Instagram
Conducted "Creator" research across Instagram's Feed, Messenger, Profile, and Live surfaces. Helped teams understand how creators and influencers interact with their fans and navigate the social dynamics of a platform at global scale.
2022 – 2025
Duolingo
Sr UX Research Manager
Led research for core learning and engagement features on the world's most popular language learning app. Partnered closely with product, design, and learning science teams to understand how people build and break long-term learning habits.
2026
Contractor
Independent Researcher
Most recently: contracted to lead foundational qualitative research at Change.org, studying a small segment of users who drive outsized platform impact.
