User Experience Research
Along with designers, engineers, product managers, and other researchers, I study how people interact with various Google Search products. I run quick, 10-minute usability sessions with Googlers and their visitors and formal, hour-long usability sessions in the lab. With very quick turnaround, I present the findings to all of the stakeholders, and the products will either go through more testing or go live.
With a UT Libraries site redesign in the works, my colleague and I tested both undergraduate and graduate students and university faculty on a set of 13 tasks. We presented our findings to the Libraries Website Working Group, and the Libraries will implement these findings when the site is redesigned.
During Summer 2012, UT Libraries purchased a new library search tool. n order to customize the tool to meet the needs of the UT community, my colleague and I observed undergraduate students, graduate students, and university faculty as they used the new tool to complete a set of tasks.
Lasso, UT's Large-scale, Multi-touch Display
For my study in human-computer interaction, two of my classmates and I observed the user experience afforded by Lasso, UT's large-scale, multi-touch display. We explored two aspects of collaborative use: asynchronous access and multiple-input use in group work.
Through heuristic evaluations, competitive analysis, and usability testing, I researched the site of a small, but growing data center company. The company was looking to improve user experience, enhance their online presence, and increase traffic to the site.
A fellow student and I researched the user experience of the Austin Habitat for Humanity website by testing six users from a convenience sample. We tested site navigation and organization of information.