Hi, I’m Ian! 👋

I am a seasoned researcher with 10+ years of mixed-methods research expertise, and Masters in Human-Computer Interaction.

• I’ve led 85+ product-focused design research projects, moderating over 900 interviews and usability tests.
• My work spans areas like Artificial Intelligence usability, unreleased product concept evaluations, and mixed-methods studies, primarily focusing on 0→1 products.
• I thrive in collaborative environments, working closely with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver world-class user-centered products.

Creativity is about connecting observation with imagination.

I’m all about both.

Picture of Ian (they/them)

My most recent role was as the first Rapid Research hire at Figma. I really enjoyed this role because I get to run fast paced product-focused research for various teams on topics ranging from Billing Administration usability to longitudinal Figma Editor Performance benchmarking.

I was responsible for many of Figma’s research operations functions, including participant budget replenishment / invoicing, managing vendor relationships, evaluating and onboarding new tools, and coaching teammates on best practices for recruiting, tool selection, and using tools.

My role is very collaborative, touches some interesting product problems around the organization, and allows me to make a difference by doing something I really enjoy: product research on a deadline!

Breadth of Clients

I hope that my work with these clients has positively impacted your life in some way!

Breadth of Projects

I typically run ~4-6 projects per quarter across many topics, some strategic and some tactical, depending on the client, stakeholders, topics of inquiry, timeline, budget, and other factors.

Some studies I have run include:

• unreleased zero-to-one product concept evaluation,
• quarter-over-quarter performance benchmarking surveys,
• Artificial Intelligence usability and interaction design beta testing,
• comparing iPad apps to benchmark usability in a Figma HQ pop-up lab,
• establishing and socializing proto-personas in a three-sided marketplace,
• future-facing "how might we serve this audience" generative explorations, and
• multi-person collaborative research projects with other UXRs, Data Scientists, PMs all contributing findings to arrive at a shared conclusion to jointly present.

In 2023 I ran 75+ moderated sessions and over 60 hours of interviews 🎉 💬 🙌

In 2024 clips from my sessions were shown to Dylan Field (Figma’s CEO) to support a decision about Dev Mode’s info-architecture less than 24-hours after the sessions occurred 😲 😵 🔜

And workshops! I have also designed and run numerous stakeholder, client, team, and classroom workshops, both related to projects, technology, research, study design, and more. In a past career I was a Senior Instructional Designer, and learning design is a passion of mine.