Usability Testing and UX Research
I've had more than 10 years of experience running usability testing and customer research. I have conducted studies with hundreds of people from a range of different industries, countries and walks of life.
Usability testing can be conducted either remotely or in-person and encompasses both formative testing (ideation and concept testing) and summative testing (real-world product testing) as well as exploratory/foundational or proposition research. Throughout my career, I have successfully executed both types of testing for my clients.
My process typically begins with creating a comprehensive testing plan. I then proceed to recruit the right participants or customers for the project and conduct the research following best practice methods to eliminate response bias and keep the session on track. Once the research phase is completed, I will compile a detailed report that highlights the identified issues and opportunities. To provide a comprehensive understanding, I incorporate relevant images and videos to illustrate key findings.
I can help you with:
- Diary studies
- Exploratory research
- Design sprints
- Usability studies (In-person)
- Remote usability studies
- Guerrilla research
I can help your organisation with this.
Design Discovery
Throughout my career I have found the discovery part of a design project extremely rewarding and enjoyable. This foundation work often involves:
- Internal stakeholder or expert sessions
- Desktop review of competitors / comparators experiences
- Reviewing relevant industry reports or standards
- Exploratory research with external customers
- Review of existing processes and systems including call centres logs/help desk stats
Having a design and problem-solving lens at the beginning of an initiative helps ensure not only the right problem is being solved, but all the background facts and circumstances can be considered. This will usually be finished off with a design showcase.
I will work collaboratively with internal or external teams to get the job done well and to the highest standard within the available timeframe and my capabilities.
I can help your organisation with this.
Concetps/Prototyping
My skill set encompasses creating medium-high fidelity designs and translating them into functional prototypes, facilitating effective usability testing with users and customers. While I don't specialise in User Interface Design or Visual Design, I've collaborated successfully with experts in these areas for testing high fidelity/production-level prototypes. I'm well-versed in tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and other industry-standard software for system prototype creation.
My experience includes:
- Wireframes with notations
- Clickable prototypes
- Medium fidelity designs
- Design systems
Having a design and problem-solving lens at the beginning of an initiative helps ensure not only the right problem is being solved, but all the background facts and circumstances are considered. This process will usually be rounded off with a design showcase.
I thrive in collaborative environments, I will work collaboratively with internal or external teams to get the job done to the highest standard within the available timeframe and my capabilities.
I can help your organisation with this.
Service Design
With a proven track record in both large retail organisations and educational institutions, I've helped shape and refine services. The task or roles that I have experience in includes service documentation, system design, and enterprise training, including an in-depth analysis of touchpoints, process flows, and systems.
Throughout my career, I've created visual artifacts that convey service enhancements, process optimisations, and technological integrations. These visual representations facilitate communication within project teams and provided stakeholders with clear insights into the transformation process.
My experience has enabled me to drive positive change and deliver value to clients/teams and end-users alike. Key outputs usually include:
- User journey diagrams
- Processes maps and service diagrams/blueprints
- Instructional videos and diagrams
- Best practice reviews and disciplines
- System prototypes and mockups
Also importantly in service design is the understanding of how will the services success (or failure) be measured. I will also work with Customer Experience Teams to include the customer feedback loop as part of this process if the end customer is part of the service.
I can help your organisation with this.
UX Reviews
Rarely do you find the opportunity to completely reinvent the wheel. Most projects begin with a comprehensive review of the existing design, system, research findings, and business strategy. This involves understanding the rationale behind the existing design choices. My expertise encompasses:
- Conducting journey analysis
- Scrutinizing existing designs, design systems, and user experiences
- Deconstructing competitors' approaches (Design Tear downs)
- Facilitating stakeholder review sessions
- Competitor benchmark testing
I bring my experience to the table to speed up the process in reviewing UX, making sure time is spent effectively. I am using a range of different automation and AI tools to help me now and this speeds up my work considerably.
I can help your organisation with this.
Strategy/Management
Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of leading teams, whether through formal titles and direct management or by stepping up when the situation warranted. I consider this role to be immensely gratifying, rooted in my core value of trust. To me, trust means steadfastly delivering on my commitments. An illustration of this commitment occurred during my tenure at Woolworths Group (Countdown), where I led a team of 7. I initiated a blind feedback survey across the wider UX team and with stakeholders (PMs). This process provided invaluable insights, validating my trajectory and guiding improvements.
Beyond leadership, my professional journey in both corporate and consulting settings has equipped me with a range of skills, including:
- Conducting independent project analysis
- Crafting compelling business cases
- Ruthless prioritisation of product features and roadmapping
- Managing vendor selection and tender processes
- Conducting thorough pro/con analyses, employing a robust methodology
- Developing KPIs/OKRs
- Participating in the assessment of multi-million dollar investments and expansive program initiatives
These skills have proven instrumental in aligning my work with overarching organisational objectives. I continually aim to leverage my experience to contribute to meaningful and impactful outcomes.
I can help your organisation with this.
Analytical Research
Incorporating analytical research techniques is crucial in gaining deeper insights into user behavior and making informed decisions. My expertise in analytical research encompasses a wide range of tools and methods that contribute to a comprehensive understanding of user interactions and website performance. Some of the key skills I bring to the table include:
- AB and Multivariate Testing: Employing controlled experiments to assess the impact of different variations on user behavior and conversion rates.
- Google Analytics: Harnessing the power of this robust web analytics platform to track user interactions, monitor traffic sources, and gather actionable insights.
- Google Tag Manager: Skillfully managing and deploying various tracking tags without the need for manual code implementation.
- Call Centre Logs Analysis: Extracting valuable user insights from call center logs, helping to identify pain points and areas for improvement.
- Hotjar and FullStory: Utilising user session recording tools to visualize user interactions, uncover usability issues, and enhance user experience.
- Text Analytics: Employing advanced text analysis techniques to understand user sentiment and feedback from various sources.
By leveraging these analytical research methods, I am able to provide data-driven recommendations and contribute to the continuous improvement of digital products and services.
I can help your organisation with this.
Technology Production
My skill set encompasses a wide array of technical competencies that contribute to the creation and refinement of digital products and systems. Through my career, I've delved into:
- High-Level System Architecture: Crafting the foundational structure of intricate systems to ensure optimal performance, scalability, and reliability.
- Business Analysis and Product Management: Collaborating closely with stakeholders to gather requirements and transform them into comprehensive user stories and acceptance criteria.
- Entity Relationship Diagram / Database Design: Proficiently developing intricate database architectures and entity relationship diagrams to manage and organize data effectively.
- Vendor Analysis and Selection: Navigating the landscape of technology providers to make informed decisions about the best-fit solutions for your projects.
- Basic HTML/CSS and JavaScript: Possessing a solid grasp of front-end technologies to facilitate clear communication with development teams and contribute to the creation of seamless user interfaces..
Furthermore, my approach extends beyond the conventional, as I embrace automation and leverage AI tools to enhance efficiency and broaden my skill set beyond individual capabilities. By harnessing these advanced technologies, I empower projects with cutting-edge methodologies and innovative solutions.
These skills, honed through years of experience and ongoing dedication to the field, enable me to play a pivotal role in bringing complex technological endeavors to life. I'm equipped to work collaboratively to ensure that projects not only meet expectations but also exceed them.