This was done in conjunction with a class project.  I identified a realistic problem statement for the online gaming platform Steam that focused on why the platform may have seen a reduction in the number of Free games being downloaded by users.   Through this evaluation, I discovered that the wording for purchasing and downloading a game differed between free and paid games.  This difference in UI caused confusion that resulted in failure to complete the task (i.e., they did not successfully download the free game).  I suggested a change to the UI that would eliminate this issue and would likely make users more likely to and confident when downloading free games on Steam.

This study was done in conjunction with a class project.  I asked participants to complete a lost sector in the game Destiny 2 to evaluate if the difficulty level of the task aligned with the recommended player power level in game.  I conducted the entire project alone and strengthened my research skills when it comes to connecting with specialized populations (i.e., hardcore pvp gamers in this case) and how to break down research concepts in a way that can be understood by a non-UX researcher audience.  My playtest confirmed that the difficulty of the lost sector task matched the player power level recommended by the game.

This was a personal interest project.  I play Destiny 2 very frequently (maybe too much...) and have noticed a few areas where the interface could potentially detract from the user experience.  Here I identify specific examples and, from the feedback of additional players, suggest ways that the interface could be improved.

Optimize User-Centric Research Group was established to allow students to gain practical UX research experience through various industry contracts (e.g., companies including Dell, Honeywell, and more).  The specifics of this work are protected under NDA, but I can share that I worked on multiple website usability studies.  Within each study, I took on more responsibility, growing from note taker to study lead, in charge of study design, participant scheduling, facilitation, training new researchers, data analysis, and the final stakeholder presentation.  

This project was part of a grant awarded to WSU by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  I led the student researchers in conducting a nearly exhaustive evaluation of current human error methodologies, taxonomies, and frameworks that could be used to evaluate current and in-development flightdeck technology.  Along with leading the student team, I was the point of contact with the FAA in terms of project updates and leading monthly meetings regarding our progress and ensuring our work kept in alignment with stakeholder expectations.

* A link to the final document will be attached here once it has been released by the FAA.

My work for the Harley-Davidson Motor Company is protected under an NDA.  I was first hired as the Human Factors Engineering Intern; during this 7 month position, I conducted 13 separate studies with various teams (e.g., ergonomic evaluations, anthropometric studies, ride testing, app studies, etc.).  Following this role, I was invited to return to the team as a remote Human Factors Engineering consultant; in this role I conducted several remote usability studies on various digital products.

This was done in conjunction with a class project.  This set of classes taught the innovative design process, how to facilitate ideation workshops, and how end-to-end service design.  Here, I designed a food production service that  would certify fruits and vegetables as sustainably produced.  Through this class and project, I learned how to create a business plan, listen to stakeholders to ensure their needs are met, build a persona and user profile from which to base this business, and the stages in service design while promoting sustainability.