Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Achievements And Awards
Timeline
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Yalda Ghasemi (She/Her)

Chicago,IL

Summary

I am a passionate HCI researcher with a deep interest in user experience and user-centered design, and a strong focus on mixed-method research to draw actionable insights from both numerical and qualitative data.

Overview

5
5
years of professional experience

Work History

Graduate Research Assistant

University of Illinois at Chicago
08.2020 - Current
  • Designed and conducted UX studies for XR environments using physiological sensors (eye tracking, EEG, ECG, GSR) and psychophysical methods (threshold detection, perceived differences).
  • Led A/B testing, usability evaluations, and task-based studies to compare interface designs and interaction flows.
  • Facilitated semi-structured interviews to inform iterative design of VR and mobile interfaces.
  • Investigated the impact of mixed reality on user perception, attention, and performance across various contexts.

User Research Intern

Activision Blizzard
05.2024 - 08.2025
  • Conducted multiple playtesting sessions and focus groups to gather user feedback on gameplay mechanics and overall experience.
  • Analyzed multimodal data, including surveys, behavioral telemetry, and biometric data, to identify usability issues and engagement patterns.
  • Identified and resolved data integrity issues in telemetry dashboards, improving accuracy for behavioral analytics.
  • Synthesized insights into actionable UX recommendations and contributed to cross-functional reports for design and development teams.

UX Research Intern

Nielsen Norman Group
05.2023 - 08.2025
  • Conducted a heuristic evaluation on the usability of mobile web interfaces to support client projects.
  • Designed and executed qualitative research studies aligned with client objectives and product contexts.
  • Performed thematic analysis of qualitative user feedback, and contributed to UX research reports.

UX Research Intern

NortonLifeLock
05.2022 - 08.2022
  • Conducted moderated and unmoderated usability testing to evaluate digital products using user interviews and A/B testing.
  • Applied mixed-method approaches to perform product audits and uncover usability issues.
  • Analyzed qualitative data, synthesized key findings, and presented UX insights to stakeholders.

Student Researcher, Human Factors

Honda Research Institute
01.2022 - 05.2022
  • Developing and evaluating e-scooter simulation systems, focusing on rider behavior, safety, and human-centered design.
  • Conducted user testing sessions to assess rider interaction with hybrid mobility interfaces under various simulated conditions.
  • Analyzed physiological and behavioral data to identify usability issues and inform iterative design improvements for micromobility systems.

Education

Ph.D. - Industrial Engineering

University of Illinois Chicago
12.2025

UX Certification -

Nielsen Norman Group
08.2023

Bachelor of Science - Industrial Engineering

Shomal University
Iran
01.2019

Skills

  • Qualitative: Usability testing, 1-on-1 interviews, focus group
  • Quantitative: A/B testing, surveys, inferential statistics, benchmarking
  • Programming: Python, R
  • Remote Testing: UserTesting, UserZoom, Prolific
  • Thematic Analysis: Dovetail, Atlasti
  • Design: Figma, Zeplin
  • Surveys: Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey
  • Collaboration: Miro, Notion

Achievements And Awards

  • Winner of the HFES's Virtual Environments Technical Award, 2022
  • Winner of the HFES's Council of Technical Groups Student Presenter Award, 2021
  • Winner of the HFES's Council of Technical Groups Student Presenter Award, 2023
  • Winner of the HFES's Council of Technical Groups Travel Award for First Year Graduate Students, 2020

Timeline

User Research Intern

Activision Blizzard
05.2024 - 08.2025

UX Research Intern

Nielsen Norman Group
05.2023 - 08.2025

UX Research Intern

NortonLifeLock
05.2022 - 08.2022

Student Researcher, Human Factors

Honda Research Institute
01.2022 - 05.2022

Graduate Research Assistant

University of Illinois at Chicago
08.2020 - Current

Ph.D. - Industrial Engineering

University of Illinois Chicago

UX Certification -

Nielsen Norman Group

Bachelor of Science - Industrial Engineering

Shomal University

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Yalda Ghasemi (She/Her)