Nia J.
Generative, Iterative,& Evaluative
Research
NATIVE PLATFORM
As a UX Researcher, I identified a core problem: Black creatives lack a dedicated, mobile‑responsive platform that effectively showcases their digital artwork and non‑fiat offerings to the right audiences. Through a blend of discovery interviews and persona development with two archetypes (a freelance artist and a graphic designer balancing salaried and freelance work), I uncovered pain points around confusing navigation, visual misinterpretation of interactive elements, and limited access to relevant collaboration or exhibition opportunities. Evaluative research surfaced four top-priority improvements: clarify icon affordances, relocate and improve awareness of “add project” CTAs, enhance visibility and presentation of featured exhibit submissions, and streamline the collaborator search flow (filtering by country before discipline). Next steps would have included redesigning these key UI element on high-fidelity prototypes and running follow-up usability tests to validate that the new flows boost task comprehension, reduce time-on-task, and ultimately increase portfolio engagement and submission rates.
Role: UX Researcher
Research Methods:
Competitive analysis
IDI (In-depth Interviews)
Information Architecture Analysis: Closed Card Sorting
Usability testing
SUS (System Usability Score)
Iterative Research
Concept Redesign
As a UX Researcher, I identified a primary challenge: Android podcast listeners face a fragmented and unintuitive experience in Spotify’s mobile interface, particularly when navigating between audio and podcast content. Through a combination of competitive analysis, in-depth interviews, and moderated usability testing, including task completion and time-on-task metrics, I discovered several actionable insights. I learned that users consistently struggled to locate podcast controls, experienced confusion toggling between media types, and took an average of 1.5 minutes longer on podcast-specific tasks than music tasks. These usability issues resulted in a lower System Usability Score (SUS) for podcast flows compared to music controls. Based on these insights, I prioritized redesigning navigation hierarchy to clearly distinguish media types, implementing contextual cues and persistent playback controls, and streamlining podcast discovery pathways. Next, I would have redesigned the high-fidelity prototypes, validated them through a second round of usability testing to measure improved completion rates and reduced task times, and iterated to ensure seamless integration of audio and podcast experiences.
Role: UX Researcher & Designer
Research Methods:
Competitive analysis: Business Model Canvas & Feature analysis
IDI (In-depth Interviews)
Usability testing
Design Method: Design Studio, Mid-Fi, High-Fi wireframes
Iterative & Evaluative Research
As UX Researcher, I uncovered a significant user challenge in Promenade: unexpectedly discharged veterans lack a structured, emotionally supportive, and personalized pathway to transition into civilian life via digital platforms. Through strategic discovery interviews, persona mapping, and evaluative research, I learned that users struggle to find mentorship, job resources, and mental-health support in one place. Key findings included a strong desire for multimedia community interactions (photos/videos), intuitive mentor connection points, and bite‑sized mental-health check‑ins, all missing or buried in the existing experience. To address these findings, the roadmap prioritized redesigning the Community page to allow user-generated visual content, enhancing visibility and clarity of mentor contact buttons, prototyping a Jobs & Mental Health interface for user testing, and refining gamification elements. My UX team also recommend integrating a custom “battle buddy” mascot to foster emotional connection. Next steps would have entailed redesigning high‑fidelity prototypes incorporating these elements, then conducting iterative usability testing to validate improvements in task completion, engagement, and membership conversion metrics—building toward a post-launch measurement plan guided by a HEART framework.
Role: UX Researcher, Copywriter, & Documentation Specialist
Research Methods:
Competitive analysis: Business Model Canvas & Feature analysis
IDI (In-depth Interviews)
Information Architecture analysis: Closed Card Sorting & Tree Tests
Usability testing
Evaluative Research
As a UX Researcher, I led an evaluative study to assess how effectively Verida's decentralized identity wallet (DIDs) aligns with user mental models. Using moderated, remote usability testing, I uncovered a critical misalignment between user expectations and core task flows, particularly in tasks 2–4, where success rates dropped due to low awareness of DIDs and unclear interaction patterns. Qualitative synthesis highlighted trust and security concerns as major usability blockers. I recommended a phased strategy prioritizing high-impact, low-effort changes that clarify DID concepts, reduce cognitive load, and build trust through consistent, transparent UI patterns to help users understand and confidently adopt the platform.
Role: UX Researcher
Research Method: Usability testing