User Experience Researcher

Natalia Blackwell, Ph. D. User Experience Researcher

**** ******* **, *** *********, 94131 • 510-***-**** • *********@*****.***

Profile

Researcher with expertise in the area of communication and technology use. Possessing a broad range

of qualitative and quantitative research skills, and a passion to advocate for product end users.

Enthusiastically seeking a new opportunity to apply extensive knowledge of usability study methods to

optimize usability experiences and develop world class products.

Skills

• Research design and implementation: experiments (e.g. A/B testing), ethnography, surveys,

on line questionnaires (e.g. SurveyMonkey, Mechanical Turk), one on one interviews, focus

groups.

• Participant recruitment.

• Audio analysis (e.g., Audacity), video editing and analysis (e.g. imovie, QuickTime Pro).

• Advanced data analysis, qualitative and quantitative (e.g., Excel, SPSS, SAS).

• Data presentation: verbal and written study findings (e.g., PowerPoint).

• Able to work on multiple projects simultaneously.

• Able to work independently, and also as a team with engineers, designers, and product managers.

Education

University of California, Santa Cruz PhD. Psychology, 2013

Portland State University, OR Post Baccalaureate, Linguistics.

McMaster University, ON, Canada MSc. Chemistry, 2006.

University of Windsor, ON, Canada BSc. Biochemistry, 2003.

Work Experience

User Experience Researcher, VW Electronics Research Lab, March July 2013

• Worked on team of US and German multi disciplinary researchers investigating

human machine interaction.

• Collaborated on competitor benchmark studies investigating voice recognition systems.

• Tested mobile electronics and user interface design.

• Developed research materials, including surveys and questionnaires.

• Collected, organized, and analyzed data using SPSS.

• Presented results, and provided actionable insights.

Graduate Researcher, UCSC, 2008 2013

• Independently worked through complete project life cycle research idea development,

testing, analysis, and write up.

• Used a variety of empirical research methods surveys, interviews, and experiments.

• Led teams of undergraduate research assistants working on projects

• Used a variety of statistical software and statistical methods to analyze data.

• Collaborated on a project developing a mobile app related to navigation.

• Researched communication through digital technology, such as texting and Skype.

• Presented research to a variety of audiences around the world.

Activities

• Volunteer with Upwardly Global Network, 2013.

• High school science fair judge, Santa Cruz, 2009 2013.

• Speaker/volunteer at UCSC diversity forum, 2010, 2011.

• Volunteer math and literacy program, Santa cruz, Beach Flats Community, 2010.

• Volunteer with after school literacy program, Portland OR, 2006 2007.

Awards & Fellowships

2013 Summer dissertation Fellowship.

2012 UC Santa Cruz, Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship.

2011 Graduate student assistant scholarship.

2010 UC Santa Cruz Social Sciences summer fellowship. 2007 Portland State. Undergraduate

research award.

2010 UC Santa Cruz, Alumni award, for best presentation in the Social Sciences area,

Graduate Research Symposium.

2008 UC Santa Cruz, Dean’s Fellowship .

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