I’m a researcher and strategist in tech.

I make sense of fuzzy human stuff to help organizations make smarter decisions.

Here are some career and project highlights:

 
 
 

Containing COVID-19 in Healthcare

I was brought in mid-build to lead the rapid user-centered discovery and redesign of a custom-built contact tracing application that had been spun up in urgent response to the pandemic.

ACHIEVEMENTS // Improved speed of workflows and ultimately, containment of covid spread among 80K healthcare workers by successfully influencing the Director of Infection Prevention to pivot product strategy toward usability and away from scientific data collection.

Saving $2M+ On a Risky Investment

I led a project to assess a digital covid tracing concept that used wifi-positioning within hospitals to identify potential exposures for screening and possible containment.

ACHIEVEMENTS // I presented compelling evidence to the CEO of a technology investment firm to hold back on an exciting proposed investment opportunity – which has been further validated by the fact that similar applications of the technology have not gained market demand since.

 
 
 

Making the Case for GenAI Tutors

I planned the research, co-produced wireframes, led interviews, and synthesized actionable insights for a market leader in the education industry to evaluate user demand and early feature prioritization for GenAI tutoring experiences.

ACHIEVEMENTS // I successfully won back a client who had previously decided to discontinue pursuing GenAI product development, using qualitative and quantitative insights to illustrate market desire and further define value proposition.

Intervening in a Crisis of Confidence

I co-led the prioritization of a platform-wide overhaul (“digital transformation”) project for a client in the property management industry.

ACHIEVEMENTS // I intervened when a client sponsor expressed a crisis in confidence for a discovery project that ultimately lead to the sale of $38M+ worth of implementation work to rebuild the clients platform.

 
 
 

Writing

Why I think a robot could take my white-collar job

Australian songwriter Tim Minchin recently gave an off-the-cuff critique of AI in the arts that left me wondering. He asked the audience to consider… read more

 

Professional Background

 
 

I currently work at EPAM Continuum, which is the human-centered strategy arm of a large multinational technology development company where clients come to us with a range of business problems, and it’s my job to design and execute a research program to meet their goals – whether its blue sky innovation, attraction and retention of customers, business efficiency or platform overhauls.

Previously I worked at the technology investment and innovation arm of a large healthcare organization, which included leading the design of two digital tools, providing patient-centered strategic guidance for a specialty outpatient hospital construction project, and deep-dive design sprints to uncover opportunities in specialty areas (e.g. menopause).

Aside from my full time role, I co-facilitate futures training workshops and co-design future artifacts with Situation Lab where we get to work for clients like the UNDP, Niantic, NASA JPL and the Cook Inlet Tribal Council.

Before making my way to design I completed a double degree in bioethics & genetics, worked as a sexual health & relationships educator in Melbourne, ran a 40K attendee free-to-the-public technology event called Maker Festival, and was the founding manager of an eight team member educational makerspace in Toronto. I finished my masters in interaction design at Carnegie Mellon in 2019.

Skills + Specialties: stakeholder management, research design, team building and mentoring, cross collaboration and inter-disciplinary decision making, storytelling / public speaking & experiential prototyping.

 
 

About Me

I’m an Australian living in the USA, previously Canada, with Anglo-Indian and Dutch ancestry. My bookish partner and I currently live in California, and I have ongoing aspirations to write things about the futures of care(giving), and the intersection of romance reality TV and game design. I love camping, dancing in the dark, and cups of tea.