User Researcher

Values led, passionate about Tech for Good. Brings in-depth knowledge and experience creating a positive space in which to design products and services in collaboration with users and stakeholders. Adept at working with children to seniors from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds including people with disabilities.


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Key Skills

User-centred Research and Design | Workshop Design and Facilitation | Team Facilitation | Project Delivery and Management | Stakeholder Management | Teaching | Mentoring 
 

Professional Experience

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Ayup Digital

Jul 2019 – Present

Small digital agency that specialises in Tech for Good

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A User Researcher working with a variety of clients including PSHE Association, Equal Care Co-op, Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network and Me+My Medicines, Catch22 and Leeds City Council. Conducted a variety of research methodologies comprising one to one interviews, contextual enquiries, surveys, diary studies, co-creation workshops and usability testing.

 

Responsibilities range from

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• Discussing briefs with clients to best tailor research methodologies to their needs;

• Recruiting and scheduling up to 60 participants. Engaged with charities and patient participant groups across Yorkshire in order to secure a diverse sample;

• Synthesising data, producing reports and presenting it to clients in order to walk them through key learnings, discuss any controversial findings from the research and making sure they were comfortable and reassured;

• Initiated, designed and facilitated team building and stakeholder engagement workshops, comprising people from CEOs to children and vulnerable adults, which aided in aligning expectations and bringing a sense of togetherness to every project.

• Designed and facilitated upskilling workshops in research and design, for both general public and client teams.

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Key achievements:

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• Set up the research department, instigated procedures and standards for others to follow;

• Conducted the biggest Discovery projects in the company’s portfolio, recruiting participants, designing and facilitating workshops and delivering insights to the client;

• Designed and facilitated a workshop for bringing new businesses for Ayup’s portfolio and succeeded in acquiring a new client;

• Set up and followed GDS standards for remote research during COVID-19;

• Known for making both clients, stakeholders and users feel comfortable by active listening and empathising with their needs.

 

Freelance User Research in Tech for Good

October 2018 - present

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I've worked in several Discovery Tech for Good projects for different clients, including Noisy Cricket, Energy Sparks and CartaCapital, both in teams and as a sole researcher.

 

Key achievements for Noisy Cricket, a Manchester-based social enterprise. Their organisation aims to create a service that connects people that have experienced homelessness with potential employers. Our team had to investigate what kind of barriers would be present in this process, from systematic to cultural and personal.

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• Designed user research workshops with people who had previously experienced homelessness to make them feel more comfortable about sharing their stories. Ensured safeguarding procedures were in place, as well as social workers present. Participants were really comfortable and praised the experience;

• Engaged stakeholders from large corporations and nation-wide charities to conduct research;

• Findings informed their platform’s design, which will be launched in October 2020.

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Key achievements for Energy Sparks, a company that provides energy data to schools and helps them make savings. Their platform also has activities that aim to educate children and young people about the importance of energy-saving and sustainability. Our team needed to investigate the needs of different user groups, such as pupils, teachers and school management, in order to improve the platform’s design and service offering.

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• The project was part of the Non-Domestic Smart Energy Management Innovation Competition, held by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Energy;

• Research complied with government and multiple agency standards;

• Overcame recruitment challenge of the project being carried close to half-term, a busy time for schools. Secured sample by contacting many different schools and potential participants;

• Spoke to 130 Primary age children and 30 adults including, teachers, headteachers, school staff and parents, in Bath and Sheffield;

• Due to the work carried out, business for Energy Sparks has now expanded from Bath and Sheffield to Oxfordshire and Highlands as well.

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Key achievements for CartaCapital, a Brazil-based weekly politics and economics magazine. They needed to understand more about their older and most loyal readers, and how digitally included they are, in order to plan for the company's next steps in their digital transformation journey. 

 

• Noticed a gap in their service offering and proceeded to pitch them a research project to investigate a specific part of their demographic and understand their needs and digital literacy levels;

• Interviewed twenty readers from all parts of the country, ranging from 55 to 80 years old;

• From the research, the magazine gained an important sense of clarity about their loyal readers’ preference for the hardcopy magazine.

 

Previous Experience

 

Communications and Video Freelancer

October 2011 - July 2018

 

Marketing Analyst

Alef Peretz School (Brazil)

July 2015 - December 2015

 

Head of Video and Marketing Assistant

CartaCapital (Brazil)

March 2013 - December 2015

 

Assistant Editor and Production Assistant

Caju Productions (Brazil)

January 2009 - October 2011

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Other Information

 

Experience in mentoring children and young people through multiple organisations, including InnovateHer and The Challenge/NCS.