Lori Ross
Okatie,SC
Summary
Strategic Design Research Leader Making Innovative Products and Services that Address Real Customer Needs Specializing in working in ambiguous spaces and bringing clarity to products by illuminating unmet customer needs and translating these behaviors into catalysts for innovative design solutions. Dedicated to providing the appropriate research at the right time to uncover the relevant patterns that shape transformative change across digital and physical products, services, and experiences. Uncovering the insights that resonate deeply and address real customer challenges is the key to successful research and building seamless products.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Design Research Lead
Ford Motor Company
01.2011 - 01.2023
- Orchestrated and oversaw critical research initiatives being led by our research team, ensuring strategic alignment with business needs and stakeholder objectives
- Spearheaded the identification and implementation of streamlined strategies to enhance the efficiency of research processes
- Mentored and supported my team while continuing to remove roadblocks for the team to complete their work on time
- Recognized by being Nominated to, and completing the Women Rising Program
- Analyzed and evaluated numerous research software services, onboarding 5 platforms and 3 new vendors to streamline the research process, support agile methodologies and new DEI initiatives
- Reducing the overall research timeline by 4-6 weeks
- Reduced overall costs by $350,000/project by bringing the work in-house to be performed by the 5-7 researchers that I mentored and supported.
Senior Design Researcher
Ford Motor Company
01.2018 - 01.2021
- Engaged in collaborative efforts with cross-functional team leads and internal research partners to conceptualize UX research programs integral to shaping key business needs
- Manage the organization, planning, and execution of experience design research (from exploratory to generative) to ensure projects align with stakeholder needs and overall business strategy
- Distill crucial insights into impactful narratives and memorable moments that compel stakeholders to change, fostering a culture of strategic innovation
- Drive change into digital and physical product offerings
- Areas of interest included electrification, fleet management software, small and medium businesses, autonomy, inclusion, and a physical and digitally integrated accessory system
- Led and conducted numerous research projects (4-12 months each)
- Findings directly led to the development of a start-up business and 1 US patent
- Insights generated directly fed into the development and offering of a new start-up business set to launch in 2024
- For the projects that I led, this resulted in a cost savings of $1,400,000 vs
- Outsourcing
- Managed and translated 5 design research projects (4-8 months each)
- Directly drove strategic change to products
- DEI&A findings changed the direction and strategy of a product team
- Recognized for my contributions by being Nominated for the Change Maker Award for our catalyst project – Career Advancement for Individual Contributors.
Autonomous User Experience Project Lead
Ford Motor Company
01.2016 - 01.2018
- Spearheaded the definition, translation, and implementation of the User Experience vision into tangible product, software, and service deliverables for Autonomous vehicles moving people (B2C) and moving goods (B2B)
- Developed initial mental model research around autonomous ride share and package delivery that led to a series of initial assumptions around autonomy
- 3 US Patents awarded
- Translated these needs to program requirements
- Ensured implementation into the program and new business unit Argo AI.
Core Lincoln Vehicle Integration Engineer
Ford Motor Company
01.2014 - 01.2016
- Championed the role of the customer advocate, effectively integrating the customer needs into character requirements to establish a cohesive and seamless experience for our customers
- Planned, project managed, and executed 2 of the biggest global clinics (US and China) in Ford’s history (qual 2015, quant 2016)
- The results of the global clinics redefined the Lincoln brand in terms of redefining luxury and are reflected in the new Lincoln lineup that you see today.
HMI Best Practice Lead: Driver Interface
Chrysler LLC
01.2010 - 01.2012
- Responsible for optimizing intuitiveness, ergonomics, accessibility, and ease of use for all customer interfaces that the driver interacts within the vehicle while ensuring harmony throughout the product
- Creating standard operating procedures to capture best practices based on research
- Validation of design proposals through usability and/or customer research
- Responsible for modifying and validating over 60 customer touchpoints
- Designed and tested all-new steering wheel controls which were rolled out on all future vehicle programs from 2012-2020.
Education
Masters of Applied Human Performance (MHK) Ergonomics -
University of Windsor
Bachelor of Human Kinetics (Movement Science) -
University of Windsor
Skills
- Research Methodology/ Design
- Research Operations/ Logistics
- Research Tools/ Software
- UX Research/ User Experience Research
- Qualitative/ Quantitative
- Exploratory/ Generative/ Evaluative
- Discussion/ Interview Guide Development
- Moderation/ Interviewing
- Synthesis/ Analysis
- Data Interpretation / Translation
- Story Telling
- Vendor Management/ Project Management
- Stakeholder Management
Certification
Certified User Experience Professional (CUXP), Board of Certified Professional Ergonomists
Password Required
True
Timeline
Senior Design Researcher
Ford Motor Company
01.2018 - 01.2021
Autonomous User Experience Project Lead
Ford Motor Company
01.2016 - 01.2018
Core Lincoln Vehicle Integration Engineer
Ford Motor Company
01.2014 - 01.2016
Design Research Lead
Ford Motor Company
01.2011 - 01.2023
HMI Best Practice Lead: Driver Interface
Chrysler LLC
01.2010 - 01.2012
Masters of Applied Human Performance (MHK) Ergonomics -
University of Windsor
Bachelor of Human Kinetics (Movement Science) -
University of Windsor