I help my cross functional team feel confident in the decisions they’re making by giving them the user-backed information they need to inspire and de-risk choices.
Experience
Starbucks| March 2023 – Present
Senior UX Researcher
- Served as Customer pillar Lead UXR, including the digital and in-store experience, including scoping, resourcing, vendor management, and hiring processes
- Led the research planning, roadmapping, study prep and reporting, and was the research authority for the new Starbucks app redesign
- Acted as the go-to contact for all research scoping questions, roadmapping, and resourcing across 3 portfolios and 21 product managers
- Ensured coverage on all high-impact customer products by recommending resourcing for more junior researchers on the team
- Managed vendor relationships with research tooling companies and supervised external reports to ensure quality
- Engaged in a cross-collaborative effort with members of 5+ teams to restructure and redesign the drive thru menu experience
- Identified major pain points in the menu, including mismatches with customer expectations leading to in-person cart abandonment
- Collaborated cross-functionally to create clear and persuasive insights and research-backed design principles for a nation-wide live study
- Mentored junior researchers in research methodologies, reporting, and stakeholder management to grow and upskill the team
Unity | November 2022 – February 2023
Senior UX Researcher
- Evaluated and established processes, tools, and interaction structures with newly established teams
- Identified key priorities for new product-specific features
AnswerLab | April 2018 – November 2022
Principal UXR, 2021 – 2023 | Senior UXR, 2020 – 2021 | UXR, 2018 – 2020
- Led UX research projects for high-profile clients including Meta, Twitter, Twitch, Amazon, and American Express, delivering insights that improved user experiences and drove client success
- Reinforced design systems within client teams to ensure user comprehension and retention
- Oversaw projects throughout their full lifecycle including session planning, recruiting, moderating, data collection, analysis, reporting, and presenting findings and recommendations
- Kept projects on schedule and within scope and budget
- Developed and led the Gaming Taskforce within AnswerLab, expanding research offerings in the gaming sector, including VR, accessibility, and peripheral usability testing
- Strengthened client relationships by translating user insights into compelling narratives, which converted single studies into long-term, dedicated programs and renewed contracts
- Became a recognized resource for coworkers through mentoring, training, and managing team members while remaining supportive throughout their growth process
- Created internal resources, such as note-taking templates, VR how-tos, and writing guides to improve team efficiency and knowledge sharing
- Assisted sales teams in scoping potential projects and writing proposals that best met client needs and budget
Centralis | August 2015 – April 2018
Senior UX Specialist, 2017 – 2018 | UX Specialist, 2015 – 2017
- Managed multiple research projects successfully creating, orchestrating, and delivering results, leading to a promotion to Senior UX Specialist
- Executed studies using methodologies such as heuristic evaluations, card sorts, tree tests, low fidelity prototype testing, field research, usability testing, and online surveys
- Developed screener surveys for identifying clients’ target users
- Oversaw the participant recruiting process
- Designed training materials for best practices within the company
- Acquired necessary assets and collaborated with vendors including design agencies
- Created wireframes in Axure and conducted usability testing studies on prototypes and live sites
- Synthesized research findings into best practices and guidelines
- Developed presentations in PowerPoint and reviewed results with stakeholders
Education
Depaul University
- Bachelor of Science, Interactive and Social Media
- GPA 3.7, Magna Cum Laude
Software / Coding Languages Known
After Effects, Access, Axure, C++, Excel, Final Cut Pro, Google Suite, HTML, InDesign, Java, JavaScript, Maya, Microsoft Office, MySQL, Optimal Sort, Photoshop, Premiere, Quip, SQL, Treejack, UserZoom, Visual Studio
Emily Moser's Portfolio 