UserTesting
Jennifer Westby
Senior Design Researcher
McFarland,WI
Summary
Passionate and curious researcher with a breadth of experience utilizing mixed-methods research to discover and influence new product development through user-centered design
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
2
2
Certifications
Work History
Senior Design Researcher
Delve
09.2021 - Current
- Scope, plan, and execute strategic and new product development projects for a variety of Fortune 500 clients, utilizing mixed-methods research approaches to uncover user needs to drive highly usable products
- Lead all phases of research including planning, recruitment, data collection, analysis, synthesis, insight, and report generation to guide clients to actionable next steps for new product development at a global and national level
- Facilitate co-analysis and -synthesis workshops with multi-disciplinary team members and clients to guide and generate user needs for product innovation grounded in research insights
- Support business development by writing compelling proposals for insights and strategy projects and work with external suppliers to generate accurate recruiting bids
- Created company specific templates for all research-related deliverables resulting in greater process efficiency and consistent client deliverables
Digital Consumer Insights Scientist
American Family Insurance
03.2017 - 09.2021
- Received promotion from Associate Scientist in 2021 by leading multiple successful and informative company-wide research efforts
- Provided qualitative insights to optimize the online home insurance quoting workflow through virtual in-depth interviews with customers resulting in additional $1.3 million in premium in 4 months
- Designed and managed task prioritization and persona sizing research to assist stakeholders with development of company strategy and project initiatives for 2021 and beyond
- Influenced CEO and Senior Leadership team by presenting social issues research around brand authenticity initializing an internal employee campaign to promote social justice support
- Designed and executed multi-phase learning plans and managed external suppliers for mixed-methods research
- Saved ~$200,000 in research costs by using agile methodologies and self-moderating online communities
Scientist I
Charles River Analytics, Inc.
06.2014 - 02.2017
- Received promotion from Associate Scientist in 2016 for successfully navigating multiple projects from Phase I to Phase II extensions and acting as lead proposal writer for various government funded research and development opportunities
- Awarded over $2,000,000 revenue in new business opportunities and contract extension of current project work through proposal submission and contract briefs
- Led UX Research and Design efforts on various Department of Defense projects by eliciting knowledge from subject matter experts and deriving design requirements from analysis artifacts
- Managed and developed summer intern who received company's Great Promise Award – directly promoting organization's growth
- Published and presented project work at prestigious conferences including: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Education
Master of Science - Industrial Systems Engineering
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI 09.2013 - 05.2014
Bachelor of Science - Industrial Systems Engineering
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI 09.2008 - 05.2013
Skills
Contextual Inquiry
Design Thinking
Workshop Facilitation
Quantitative Analysis
Storytelling
Journey Mapping
Affinity Diagramming
Usability Testing
Qualitative Analysis
Proposal Writing
Process Mapping
Software
Respondent
Miro
Qualtrics
Balsamiq
Axure
Digsite
Voxpopme
Dovetail
Microsoft 365 Suite
Certification
Measuring U UX Bootcamp - User Experience Research
Timeline
Senior Design Researcher
Delve
09.2021 - Current
Measuring U UX Bootcamp - User Experience Research
08-2020
Burke Institute - Certified Qualitative Researcher
07-2019
Digital Consumer Insights Scientist
American Family Insurance
03.2017 - 09.2021
Scientist I
Charles River Analytics, Inc.
06.2014 - 02.2017
Master of Science - Industrial Systems Engineering
University of Wisconsin - Madison
09.2013 - 05.2014
Bachelor of Science - Industrial Systems Engineering
University of Wisconsin - Madison
09.2008 - 05.2013