When you think of a researcher, the mental model you have is generally a bookish person who enjoys the success of setting up a stunning automated spreadsheet. Yet, I believe my loud voice, empathy and sometimes obnoxious energy have proven uncommon strengths that make me successful as a UX researcher.

I think my loud voice has led me to be a passionate advocate for the voice of the users, customers and clients that I speak with in qualitative interviews and challenge in iterative testing. In my most recent role, I had the challenge of advocating for the user while supporting 5 unique product teams across TELUS Digital. Often, advocating for research for me looked like being an educator, strategic thinker and curious researcher to tackle every UX problem or ask that came my way.

I’ve been an advocate all my life, so it shouldn’t surprise me that so much of what I love about being a UX researcher is advocating for its importance. I advocated for my students when working as a behaviour interventionist and educator for children with autism. In my recent academic research work, I advocated for the challenges instructors have faced with rapidly transitioning their teaching to a full online format. And now in my role as UX Researcher, I advocate that discovery research should be a thoughtful step in the UX product life cycle and validating our assumptions is crucial at every stage. I have executed over 85+ research studies in the past year, ranging from product focused testing to discover research and qualitative analysis.

I want to work on projects that can illuminate opportunities to support diverse groups of users as they navigate the unique challenges facing us today.

I aspire to be part of designing innovative ways to approach problems, by being an advocate for people, and having empathy always.