
@ the conference called AEJMC, happily presenting my work on immersive journalism.
I was always interested in the nexus between human behaviour and technology: What fundamental needs are being satisfied when people use social media? How can fitness app messages persuade users to log their behaviours? What kind of support do users want from a health coach chatbot? This was why I studied psychology as an undergraduate and pursued a Ph.D. in Mass Communications, with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction.
I absolutely loved my Ph.D. and academic journey and I arrived at the point in my career where I had to ask, "Where to next?" Reflecting on this question made me realize that it's time to explore new challenges and take the next steps in my career.
I want a career where my work can drive tangible impact. I want a career where I can discover infinite opportunities to improve and reinvent the design of technology products and user experiences. I am passionate about evidence-based design that can make people happy, keep them engaged, and bring about positive social impact at a larger level.
This is why I am actively looking for an industry position as a UX researcher and I'd love the opportunity to work with an innovative team to elevate user experiences through data-driven insights!
The foundations of my education, along with over seven years of practical research application, have well-equipped me for a career in UX research. Here is a summary of my educational and career highlights related to UX research.
Applying Mixed Research Methods
I combine quantitative and qualitative methods to create evidence-based, human-centred designs. I accurately understand which methods will give the team the answers they need, and how different methods can be combined to give the team the most complete picture possible.
My research toolkit is diverse (e.g., MAXQDA, NVivo, SPSS, R, Qualtrics, Miro) and the toolkit has empowered me to rigorously plan, conduct, and analyze qualitative and qualitative data of various sample sizes, ranging from 15 to 400+ participants.
Applying Storytelling
I have taught many communications and HCI classes to undergraduate and graduate students over 4 years, and I have also closely mentored HCI graduate students over two years as a postdoctoral fellow. I also have 20+ conference presentations experience.
This experience has improved my communication skill where I can convey design ideas, explain thinking behind designs, and work with mentees and teams at ease. Being a good researcher consists of being a good storyteller. One must master the art of weaving together a compelling story, that is neither over or under-exaggerating one's research.
Applying Psychology and Human-centred Design
I apply social psychology and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) theories and human-centred design framework to understand the reasons behind what drives user's behaviour (i.e., the why) and how a system influences user's emotions, thoughts, and behaviours (i.e., the how).
My research projects fall into two categories: 1) quantitative experiments that are theoretically driven and 2) qualitative and mixed-methods studies that start with identifying user needs. In the former, I develop a prototype based on theories and prior work and conduct an experiment to understand the prototype's effect on the user. In the latter, I identify user needs by conducting interviews and co-design workshops and then develop a prototype that can meet those needs.
I employ the following research and design framework: Understand, Analyze, Ideate, Validate, and Iterate.
Understand
Analyze
Ideate
Validate
Iterate
What do people need and value?
What are people's pain points?
How can I make sense of the data?
How can I make cloudy, uncertain pieces of data into meaningful insights?
Which data should be prioritized?
Which ideas can solve the pain points identified earlier?
How can we take what we know and come up with multiple ways to solve the pain points and address user needs?
Iterate and don't be afraid to go back to any stage as needed!
Which research methods will empower us to test and validate the ideas quickly?
My toolbox consists of a spectrum of UX research methods. I choose my method based on stakeholder input, constraints (budget + timeline), and the research question(s) we are trying to answer.

Literature Review

Surveys

In-depth Interviews

Co-design Workshop

Secondary & Primary Research

Competitive Analysis

A/B Testing

Data Analysis

Storyboard
Creation

Quantitative Experiment