OBJECTIVE: The goal of this project was identify the best types of post-acute care solutions for patient families of medically complex children, for a children’s hospital in a major metropolitan area. The objectives were to understand  patients’ medical journeys and the factors that lead patients to different post-acute care solutions, parents’ ideal care solutions and barriers to achieving those solutions, perceptions of facilities, and facility characteristics and features that would best meet their needs. Our work helped inform executive decisions for expanded or future programming and capital investment. 

METHODS: We interviewed 8 parents over zoom, each with their own dramatically different post-acute care experience. Analysis was conducted over 2 weeks which included a complete review of transcriptions, sorting themes and insights into an excel spreadsheet before distilling into a comprehensive report and presentation deck. 

OUTCOMES: We identified significant opportunities for the client to explore a range of facility and service solutions to improve the patient family experience and ensure a more seamless transition to home or to long-term care. Furthermore, we were able to illustrate the range of factors that parents are up against they transition to care for their children at home. Deficits and inconsistencies in quality home nursing care are leaving them continually stressed, exhausted, and themselves sometimes suffering from chronic physical and mental health conditions. We offered a robust set of recommendations for communication, facility design, home nursing care solutions, and training programs. 

OBJECTIVE: To identify what drives loyalty (and love!) for two of the world’s leading tech brands among Gen Z teens and Millennial moms. Multiple rounds of qualitative research ran alongside a large 5k+ quant study utilizing a scale made up of 7 key factors and 15 drivers to predict brand love. 

METHODS: Brought onboard to moderate one round of the qualitative research, I created 2 distinct qualitative research protocols for the different segments, moderated all interviews, and lead co-design sessions. In session, I lead all participants through conceptual ideation activities, sketching mobile app designs based their favorite go-to apps, mobile device features, and low-tech behaviors. The purpose of these activities was not to propose products for the App Store, but rather to frame a more clear and nuanced picture of what drives usage behaviors, love for the product, and ultimately love for the brand. 

OUTCOMES: Insights from the qualitative research were analyzed with data from a large quant study on Brand Love factors, adding context and richness. This project was a career highlight where I was able to support the work of Brand Love scholars Dr. Aaron Ahuvia, Rajeev Batra, and Richard P. Bagozzi, the leading scientific experts and authors of the brand love concept. Check out Aaron’s book: The Things We Love: How Our Passions Connect Us and Make Us Who We Are.

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: The goal of this digital ethnography (smart community) research project was to better understand usage, drivers of satisfaction, overall customer experience, and drivers of brand loyalty for a leading home printer manufacturer. Discussion topics ranged from tactical questions about every-day use, show-and-tell activities, to future envisioning for services, customer support, and product improvements.

INSIGHTS: In addition to some of the more expected frustrations with home printers (like set up, cost of ink, unused features), we learned that users in general take a streamlined approach to discovery, exploring features and functions as needed. We also learned about where the joy lives when it comes to printing: printing things for family and friends is an act of love and care; printing is a tool for personal creativity and artistic expression, and personal growth.

OUTCOMES: Through envisioning activities, we identified areas of improvement for hardware and software, and ways to raise awareness and trust in about customer support and empowering customers in moments of trouble-shooting, and opportunities for new features and product innovations. 

OBJECTIVE: To understand the degree of impact in two vastly different pilot store concepts: one pilot designed to be more efficient and streamlined, and the other to be more experiential and immersive. We prioritized understanding the specific touch points and experiences that were successfully meeting shoppers’ expectations and needs and which ones fell short, aligning or misaligning with perceptions of the brand. 

METHODS: Using a “mission” based smart community research design, we engaged with participants before, during, and after visits to the pilot stores. We directed them through all keys sections of the stores and provided them with budget to complete a purchase, ensuring they share with us a completed task, from browsing to check-out.

OUTCOMES: We successfully identified numerous opportunities for iteration and experimentation for the client to consider in their next round of pilot testing.

OBJECTIVE: To inform a redesign for the universal first aid app, and ultimately, how success of that redesign would be measured. The work focused on the needs of targeted audience (instructors, students, learners) and at different points in the learning journey and at critical moments (e.g. urgent care or medical crisis situations). 

METHODS: Structured and managed by design researcher, Linda Pulik, we applied a mix-methods approach including desk research, stakeholder interviews, a substantial international quantitative survey of close to 9k respondents, and a digital diary study with participants from across 6 countries. We started the work by gathering feedback from stakeholders on the current app, assessing its utility and impact and informing UX decisions for  content, features, and functionality to enhance, rethink, or discard in the new design. The quantitive survey, interviews, and diary study all overlapped to meet a tight project timeline. The report included key themes with specific, actionable recommendations tied to each finding. Rather than a static memo or deck, the report was delivered in the form of a live microsite that could be easily accessed by stakeholders. 

OUTCOMES: We had 2 larger categories of insights for both the educational experiences of the users (e.g. their learning journeys) and the back-end technical considerations (e.g. how to address interruptions in network service, for example during natural or infrastructural disasters, or for users living and working in regions without network service). We also looked at the larger ecosystem of the app, including where it “lives” in the first aid training and certification experience, and how certified responders maintain and refresh skills. 

METHODS: In-depth secondary research investigation, along with exert interviews, covering key topics in the scholarly literature on youth entrepreneurship and national trends. This work included a scan of programs across the US that are designed to help young people in K-12  learn about entrepreneurship, develop an entrepreneurial mindset, or start businesses.

INSIGHTS: The secondary research revealed key best practices and challenges to successful youth entrepreneurship programming including transportation, a lack of infrastructure and connectivity among existing programs, and a lack of integration of youth entrepreneurship programming within school curricula.

OUTCOMES: This multi-year project was conducted for the New Economy Initiative, a special project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, in partnership with the C.S. Mott Foundation. This grant funded the Youth Entrepreneurship Learning Initiative, which brought together a cohort of grantees, all key players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Southeast Michigan. My research aligned the cohort and structured the parameters of the grant. 

Here is the short report that was one of the final deliverables.

OBJECTIVE: This research was part of an envisioning effort initiated by a department at an art and design academy to best position two visual arts programs for continued success by addressing changes in student enrollment and industry trends and the impact on graduates and professionals. The research focused on leadership, the student experience, and curricular and program opportunities.

METHODS: I applied a mixed methods approach of 1:1 interviews, focus groups, and a town hall listening session with students, alumni, and a cross section of industry professionals / stakeholders. I partnered with a faculty task force to develop the research objectives, discussion guides, identifying participants, and leading recruitment and outreach. 

OUTCOMES: The research identified a few critical areas where the department could improve including diversifying faculty and staff, building interdisciplinary collaboration and exploration, building greater cultural competencies and building a stronger design history curriculum. The research process (not just the findings) also helped to build consensus about what they really needed in a department chair, ultimately leading to the selection of a new chair. 

OBJECTIVE: Identify how user-centered digital tools and services could help revenue agencies and small business taxpayers in two countries. The research included an assessment of websites from revenue agencies in numerous countries, followed by qualitative research conducted in both countries. 

METHODS: We targeted a select 20 interviewees, all small businesses owners which included sub-contractors, individuals who file through an accountant, and individuals who file using third party software. Interviews were in-person, 90 minutes and semi-structured, consisting of both open-ended and directed questions, and co-creation activities designed to evaluate expectations and behaviors surrounding digital interactions.

INSIGHTS: We successfully identified not just the major pinpoints in the user experience when it came to preparing taxes and interfacing with these agencies, but a much deeper understanding of their strategies, behaviors, values, and perceptions that shape their experience throughout the whole tax year (not just the weeks leading up to filing). This was in-person contextual inquiry at its best. 

OUTCOMES: The research deliverables dramatically illustrated our findings while showcasing the skill-set of the client, a global professional services agency. These included persona-based storylines (i.e. journey maps), and digital assets in the form of a drastically improved digital experience scenario.

OBJECTIVE: This was an deep-dive inquiry project conducted for Ford Philanthropy in the City of Detroit during the months of July and August of 2016. This project took a human-centered and highly qualitative approach to understanding various mobility needs of Detroiters.

METHODS: The purpose of the research was to utilize ethnographic-style techniques and methods to deliver insights that are highly contextual, narrative, and based on real human experiences. These insights were analyzed with secondary information about the state of mobility in Detroit.

The ethnography focused on interviews and ride-alongs with students and workers who regularly rely on the bus and walking. I also conducted expert interviews with mobility strategists, and other members of the planning and development community in Detroit. I reviewed published mobility reports a to better illustrate the breadth of current and potential initiatives.

OUTCOMES: The research was leveraged strategically and creatively, providing strategic approaches to developing questions and partnerships that would ultimately frame the Go! Detroit Ford Mobility Challenge. The deliverable was a thorough report explaining the overall research design and finding from different phases of the work. Our report highlighted 15 key themes which were supported by stories, observations, and insights from our fieldwork activities. The report also included a synthesis section which offered a high level statement, pulling together some of the key tensions found in our analysis. I provided a discussion on implications for the challenge, including opportunity gaps that may exist for product, service, and business innovations, and participation from the Detroit community.