Sarah Chien, Design Researcher
I help design and product teams meet and better understand their users. I believe that people are the experts in their own lives, and only by listening to their stories can we build more empathetic, holistic solutions. I'm committed to establishing qualitative research (and design in general) as a strategy for innovation.
I currently work as a UX Researcher at 2U, and am only available talks or workshops. However, I am helping to build out our team- and we are hiring researchers!
✉ CONTACT
sarah.l.chien@gmail.com
“ I excel at sense-making and storytelling, and am always looking to communicate big picture concepts that help ground projects, inspire teams, and continue providing value long after the research phase is complete.”
What is Design Research?
Design research helps you see the world from other people's perspectives. If you have a product or service, design research will connect you to the people who use it. Using a variety of qualitative techniques, as well as some quantitative ones, a researcher will find the best way to bring back insights that reflect both individual particularities as well as the larger group context.
Design research seeks to inspire innovation. At the beginning of a development cycle, researchers can uncover opportunities or validate assumptions about user needs. During development, researchers can validate design decisions, working iteratively to continue researching as you continue to build. Later, research can develop an ongoing pipeline of feedback between your users' changing lives and your ever-improving product or service.
What I Can Offer
Talks & Workshops
Bring me in to run a custom workshop or give a talk to your design, product or engineering team. I can take your team through design research theory, help you think through your specific projects,and inspire any role to be empathetic to user’s needs.
Recent Talks & Workshops:
The Basics of UX Research
BarkBox
Listening with an Open Mind
Useful Usable Exceptional Design Conference
Ethnography 101
AppNexus Analytics Guild
Part-Time Consulting
Hire me as part-time consultant to join your team and help design and execute a research plan. I can bring your team into the field for an ethnography project, execute some quick usability tests to validate an new idea, or help you reach users to build an ongoing user research program.
As the first permanent research hire at my previous company, I am used to hitting-the-ground-running and bringing non-research roles along for the ride. I have experience building research processes in a start-up as well as problem solving in a larger corporate space.
Unlike an agency, I care about the impact my research has from beginning to end. Even if our engagement is quick, I'll ensure you have the building blocks to continue creating an ongoing research program.
“ “It was really helpful to have a framework to put around what we’ve been doing...really thorough, helpful session all around.””
How I Work
I love to creatively combine methodologies and tools to answer research questions within project constraints.
People’s stories are data, and that data tells a story. My deliverables are shaped by the story revealed in the data. Traditional reports are often complimented by creative and interactive communication methods.
Below are some sample deliverables, please get in touch to request a complete portfolio