UX Researcher

Niharthi Muddada – UX Researcher

Seattle, WA • ********@**.*** • 574-***-**** • in/niharthi-m • Portfolio OBJECTIVE

Growth-driven UX researcher with experience across healthcare, fitness, and enterprise tools and now focused on driving user engagement and conversion in human-centric marketplaces. I apply mixed methods and behavioral insights to build lovable, high-retention products. EDUCATION

Master of Science in Human-Centered Design and Engineering Seattle, WA University of Washington GPA: 3.9 /4.0 Relevant courses: Usability Studies, Qualitative research methods, AR/VR research and design Bachelor of Design in Industrial Design Indore, India Avantika University Top 1% of class First Class with Distinction (Worked on 15+ projects) Volunteer at Aashmaan Foundation– Supported widowed parents by designing resources and support systems, enhancing access to essential services. Collaborated with the community to identify needs and develop inclusive solutions, reinforcing commitment to equity and inclusion. RELEVANT PROJECTS

UX Researcher Microsoft (Capstone) January 2025 – Present

• Leading mixed-method research (literature review, netnography, 15+ interviews) to identify enterprise training pain points in remote employee onboarding and compliance workflows. Synthesizing insights via affinity mapping and thematic analysis, revealing 3 key opportunities to streamline corporate knowledge management systems. Collaborating with Microsoft UX researchers to validate findings and prioritize product strategy recommendations for Microsoft Viva. Developing behavioral segmentation models to align training solutions with different learner cohorts' needs. RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Lead UX Practitioner (Research + Design) Seattle, WA Ligi App – Fitness app aimed to make gym-based workout tracking easier. May 2024 – January 2025

• Conducted heuristic evaluations and usability tests, identifying key pain points like complex navigation and inefficient workout logging. Redesigned navigation with a tab-based menu & intuitive icons, boosting user satisfaction by 25% and engagement by 30%.

• Led 20+ iterative research cycles, streamlining workflows through usability tests. Cut workout logging steps from six to three by adding autofill and quick-add features, reducing drop-off rates by 32% and improving task efficiency.

• Collaborated with teams to create a progress dashboard showing metrics like total weight lifted and personal bests. Improved UX writing for clarity, increased feature adoption by 18%, and addressed motivation with encouraging messages. Usability Analyst & UX Researcher Seattle, WA

Hiya Calls – Caller identification and spam blocking service. January 2024 – March 2024

• Directed end-to-end usability testing for an Android feature used by 400M global users, conducted 6+ user interviews, and employed affinity mapping and heuristic evaluations to identify and prioritize three high-severity UX issues.

• Designed a scalable framework combining Likert-scale analysis and qualitative feedback to evaluate usability issues by difficulty and severity, enabling targeted and impactful product improvements that elevated app engagement and satisfaction rates.

• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to implement prioritized fixes, streamlining user interaction workflows and directly enhancing customer retention through optimized usability and reduced pain points. Research Strategist Seattle, WA

UW Foster B-School – Assigned a project and company called JUNO, to which I was a research consultant. June 2024 – August 2024

• Conducted and synthesized insights from 25+ stakeholder interviews with healthcare professionals, administrators, and patients to identify key gaps in postpartum care, shaping user-centered strategies for JUNO — an enhanced postpartum recovery app.

• Managed complex databases to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data, informing strategies for JUNO’s enhanced recovery app.

• Devised a comprehensive competitive and market analysis of 20+ maternal health apps, employing tools like Lean Canvas and behavioral analysis to design scalable product features, aligning with target user needs and strategic business goals.

• Mapped a $41B total addressable market using cohort analysis and LTV modeling, identifying high-LTV user segments for targeted feature development in healthcare ecosystems.

Product Researcher and Designer Pune, India

Dominix Global Design Studio – Top Award-winning design studio based in India. February 2023 – June 2023

• Conducted mixed-methods research (10+ interviews, 40+ survey users, and market analysis) covering 25+ chronic pain treatment methods, identifying unmet user needs, and developing actionable insights to inform healthcare product design.

• Translated user research insights into high-fidelity personas, storyboards, and wireframes, driving the design of a personalized electronic therapy foot brace and a companion mobile app offering AI-driven reflexology-based treatment plans.

• Delivered a functioning prototype integrating real-time user feedback and advanced pain management workflows, showcasing product viability and scalability for diverse user populations and chronic pain scenarios. SKILLS

Research: User Interviews, Surveys, Competitive Analysis, Heuristic Analysis, AR/VR Studies, Card Sorting Study, Data Analysis, Ethnographic studies, Research Coding, Interview protocols, Field Observations, Contextual Enquiry, Secondary Research, Design Thinking, A/B Testing, UX Writing, Web analytics, Benchmark studies, Statistics, Journey Mapping, Empathy Mapping, Thematic Analysis, Usability Testing, Diary studies, Cognitive walkthroughs, Statistics basics.

Tools: dscout, ATLAS.ti, UserInterviews, UserZoom, HotJar, Qualtrics, Airtable, SurveyMonkey, Figma, Axure, Adobe XD, Webflow, Sketch, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Miro, Notion, Jira, Protopie, Procreate, p5.js, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Excel.

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