Here are some employers, clients, and partners I've worked with over the years. See below for projects in my portfolio.
Here are selected highlights from my portfolio. More projects and details are available.
SCOOTER PARKING
USA/Spain
LIVESTOCK EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEM
Mongolia
HOUSEHOLD WASTE MANAGEMENT
Philippines
LIFE INSURANCE
Malaysia
LABOR EFFICIENCY
USA/Germany/France/Canada
IN-APP NAVIGATION
USA/France
HARDWARE RIDE QUALITY
France
AV SERVICE QUALITY
USA
HOME SECURITY
USA
AGRICULTURE SUPPLY CHAINS
Zambia
CONSUMER SAVINGS
USA
SCOOTER PARKING
USA/Spain
Generative, concept exploration research
Cities develop a negative attitude toward scooters when the vehicles are poorly parked in their communities. This poses a reputational risk and potential loss of operating rights within a city.
This research's goal was to influence product solutions by understanding why riders make the parking decisions they do and what drives non-compliant parking behavior. In additional to this foundational knowledge, the research explored some early concepts, helping the team make key strategic decisions to move forward.
I led the design and execution of the in-person study in Los Angeles and Madrid (English and Spanish), working closely with designers and product managers to develop prototypes (stimuli for feedback) that riders would react to. Riders had sessions during which they were asked to complete "parking tasks" in different scenarios that built on both the existing regulations and simulations of potential future-state regulations. We rode-along and asked questions to get insights on the hardware and software's combined interaction with the rider and her physical environment.
The research resulted in key understanding of parking attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors. It drove forward a new parking strategy, including a roadmap for new product features and designs. It also laid the groundwork for new research questions/projects in the following months.
LIFE INSURANCE
Malaysia
Generative research
The central bank of Malaysia noticed that it was receiving an unusual number of consumer complaints related to the purchase of insurance products. It had a hunch that consumers were buying products poorly suited to their needs and it wanted to improve required product disclosure policy.
How and why did customers buy certain life insurance products? How and why did sellers sell certain products?
I led research which consisted of contextual inquiry and investigative interviews in Kuala Lumpur. Given the cultural and linguistic differences, I managed local team to help conduct the contextual inquiry (“mystery shopping”), and intensively trained them to maintain high standards for data collection quality. I conducted interviews directly myself.
We found that 1) insurance was sold not bought - often in a context that makes the customer feel obliged to reciprocate by purchasing a product; 2) family and friendship networks dominated the sales process - resulting in social pressure and blind trust of recommendations, 3) consumers were unwilling to disclose financial information - making it hard for sales agents to recommend a suitable product, and 4) consumers struggle to evaluate whether a product is suitable for them; they struggle with the products’ complexity, calculations, and comparisons.
Working closely with the bank, we helped design solutions that would assist consumers in comparing products, create an “active choice” on key product features (to slow down automatic behavior), and provide additional, more private channels for consumers to disclose personal financial information.
IN -APP NAVIGATION
USA/France
Evaluative research
The micromobility company had internally built and tested a new product feature that would navigate riders to a destination. Before exposing the feature to the general public, we wanted to get rider feedback through a limited user research study. Did the feature add value to the rider experience? Did it drive rider preference over competitors? What was the quality of the experience?
The study consisted of two parts: 1) a diary study, asking research participants to ride scooters several times over 10 days, logging feedback after each ride, and 2) a remote interview of each research participant, following the end of the diary study. I actively monitored and analyzed the diary entries, using each participant's feedback to tailor the remote interview I would later conduct.
The study resulted in significant changes to market launch selection, third party integration, the UI, and discoverability. The qualitative study prepped the feature so that it could have maximum success in the subsequent experiment launches.
LIVESTOCK EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEM
Mongolia
Generative, evaluative research
Mongolia experiences extreme winter conditions known as dzud. The World Bank has supported the development and roll-out of a “hi-tech” early warning system (EWS) designed to help herders move their livestock and prepare for dzud.
My research objective was twofold, both foundational and evaluative: 1) to understand herder mentality (attitudes/perceptions) and behavior toward dzud and 2) to learn if and how herders were using the EWS. In other words, how do herders understand risk, what shapes their perception of it? What actions do they take to mitigate it, and how do they seek information? How do the EWS maps/text messages interact with herders’ lives?
I developed a research plan that included in-person focus group discussions and interviews with government officials from various departments. While I developed the data collection methodology and tools, given cultural/linguistic differences, and the sheer size of the country, I trained a local team to help.
In short, given the lack of herder comprehension and trust of the EWS (and the work it would take to change this), along with challenges with its timely delivery and complexities associated with collective grazing rights/herd movement, we made the recommendation to stop the funding of this program. The research uncovered other opportunity areas for new products and services: one way herders are most able to mitigate risk is by selling-off livestock before the winter, but many are not able to because of a lack of market price information. A mobile text message-based price index was recommended and designed.
LABOR EFFICIENCY
USA/Germany/France/Canada
Generative, concept exploration research
In the operational world of shared, dockless vehicles (e.g. electric bikes, scooters), workers drive around and perform tasks on them-- sometimes collecting them for maintenance or swapping empty batteries for charged ones. Often, these workers were not completing tasks in the most efficient way for the company. My prior foundational research found that most workers used an independent decision-making logic that was good for them, but not necessarily for company priorities.
The product team had an idea-- a loose concept-- for how to improve labor efficiency. The build for this solution would require significant investment. I led remote and in-person research in order to explore and de-risk the concept, identifying contexts, parameters, and more details for the concept to work.
The study included using an off-the-shelf third-party product that would roughly simulate the proposed concept. There were three parts: 1) following workers as they used the third-party product, 2) using the product myself with members of the product team to conduct labor tasks, and 3) interviewing managers to understand their approaches and tools for labor management and performance management. For several cities, this was conducted remotely.
The study resulted in core product requirement recommendations for both the workers' mobile application and the managers' performance management console.
HOUSEHOLD WASTE MANAGEMENT
Philippines
Generative research
Cities are investing in infrastructure to help reduce flooding. However, this alone will not reduce flooding unless there is a simultaneous reduction of solid waste that is disposed of in waterways. This is fundamentally a behavioral problem as much as an infrastructural one.
I led research to understand how slum-dwellers– living along and over waterways– manage their household waste. What (un)official services do they use? How does the simple act of throwing something away fit within their daily rhythms? Who are the actors within this system of waste producers and consumers? What are their interaction dynamics? How can municipal services be better designed to address the human-scale of day-to-day waste management?
This research project was commissioned by the World Bank in partnership with the Government of the Philippines. It used ethnographic approaches– visiting slum residents and spending time with them in their homes and neighborhoods. It also involved interviewing local government and community leaders.
We found household waste management practices shaped by 1) market/cooking schedules, 2) limited space and ventilation, 3) social norms and a lack of individual accountability, 4) gender and gendered responsibilities, 5) collection points that were too far away, and 6) inconvenient collection schedules, among other things.
The result was human-centered service design that included detailed consideration of the physical environments and how people move and interact within them.
CONSUMER SAVINGS
USA
Concept exploration research
Many Americans do not use a household budget and live paycheck-to-paycheck, often spending more than their income. But it’s not just about creating budgets– it’s getting people to stick to them.
I was part of a design team at ideas42, an applied behavioral science agency, that worked with the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), to design FinTech products that could improve people’s spending and savings.
By closely observing and mapping the customer journey, we found that many shopping decisions were automatic (vs. deliberate) and present-biased. Many individuals did not know how much was in their bank accounts. To address these issues, we designed digital financial products that would 1) make abstract dollar amounts meaningful and differently salient, and 2) introduce reasonable friction, requiring more active/reflective “moments of choice” in the shopping journey.
HARDWARE RIDE QUALITY
France
Concept testing, evaluative research
The team found a hardware solution that would significantly reduce operational costs. However, several leaders in the company were worried that the new hardware would degrade ride quality and reduce demand.
In order to help the product team move forward-- i.e. have confidence in their decision-making-- research was conducted in Paris, France.
On a foundational level, how do riders define "ride quality"? On an evaluative level, using riders' own definitions, and that internally established by the research design, how did the various new hardware options impact ride quality? How did they change preference, among competitors?
I designed a multi-phased, quick turn-around, in-person study which consisted of riding along with research participants, and developing rigorous metrics for assessment.
The result was product leadership confidence in a strategic decision-- choosing which specific hardware option and exposing it to experiments in several markets before moving to general availability.
AGRICULTURE SUPPLY CHAINS
Zambia
Generative, evaluative research
Many people in Sub-Saharan Africa rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Small operations make them part of the not-so-small smallholder market. To improve their production, these farmers could benefit from inputs (farmer extension) ranging from technical education and credit, to improved seeds and fertilizers. However, many agricultural suppliers focus on large industrial producers which they perceive as less risky.
The organization Musika takes a “Making Markets Work for the Poor” (M4P) approach, and provides private agricultural suppliers with commercially-focused technical advice and subsidies to lower some of their initial risks in doing business with the smallholder market.
How could Musika help their primary customers– agricultural suppliers– better serve the smallholder market?
I led research - surveys, interviews, and workshops - with agricultural suppliers, to understand how they viewed business risks and opportunities presented by smallholder farmers. In a workshop, we collectively mapped the supply chain to identify bottlenecks and potential product/service solutions.
HOME SECURITY
USA
Concept testing, evaluative research
The number of people using cameras for home surveillance and security has exploded in recent years. What are the user problems they face and what kind of solutions might help?
The research’s goal was to help a start-up client explore a new technology concept.
I led the design and execution of a remote diary study, working closely with the team to solicit structured external user feedback. This was the first time the team had “real” users engage with their concept and it was an exciting time.
The insights from this study helped inform product strategy at both macro and micro-levels. It prioritized foundational user needs and made immediate action-oriented recommendations for product development.
AV SERVICE QUALITY
USA
A leading autonomous vehicle company wanted to set-up a research program to understand and measure the quality of riders' experiences. This was a new endeavor, intended to provide ongoing, recurring insights that could be trackable over time. Further information is unavailable on this website due to confidentiality requirements.