Jonas Polin

I worked with stakeholders on a membership program with the goal of increasing engagement. I started with exploratory IDIs to set the stage: how were users using and thinking about the program, and what benefits were most important to them? It became clear to me that the way users used and thought of the program did not match stakeholders' conceptions. In my presentation, I reframed stakeholders' understanding of their own product and laid out a plan to increase engagement by meeting users on their own terms: reaching them on higher-traffic surfaces and prioritizing program benefits that resonated with them.

I recommended a follow-up workstream to redesign the dashboard to better meet user desires, which they did. I then conducted evaluative concept testing on the new designs. I delivered recommendations to emphasize highly personalized and frequently updating features to drive repeat visits and engagement with the company's other products.

On my recommendation, the team implemented CTAs on high-traffic surfaces, which had click-through rates 10x the standard for display ads and yielded many new paying members.

By discovering and centering the voice of the user, I delivered on both of the responsibilities of a UX Researcher: enhancing the product for the user and creating value for the business.

I relished the opportunity to work with a researcher who had never worked with a vendor. I confidently guided my client contact through the project process, making sure to frequently verify alignment and keep them updated.

I was able to streamline the needs of stakeholders across multiple groups within my client's company with interest in six disparate topics into a one-hour discussion guide, and I delivered a compact, actionable report in two days.

As a result of this project, my client realized that his group should collaborate with an intracompany group they'd previously had little contact with.

I developed excellent rapport with my client contact, and we've maintained a close relationship. Take a look at my LinkedIn profile linked at the bottom of the page to see this client's recommendation!

My project was the first qualitative research project my client company had done, and from the outset, my client contact made it clear that stakeholders were skeptical of qualitative research, and this project was an audition for qualitative research as a whole. Thus I became an advocate not only for the user but for my field.

My client told me they wanted to evaluate the purchase flow on their site. I demonstrated that there was not just one purchase flow, and I initiated and facilitated internal discussions to establish a single, manageable flow to test that would be most likely to reveal opportunities to improve the site's most crucial sections.

Though initially cynical, stakeholders reacted with wonder to selected clips from my interviews. By being careful not to lead participants, I allowed them to reveal that many users could not effectively use – or even sometimes find or identify – the site's tools, which would result in drop-offs in actual practice. Prior quantitative research had identified that there were drop-offs, but I identified why there were drop-offs.

As a result of my project, my client company was able to quickly revise their tools' labels and positions to be more understandable and usable, and they conducted follow-up qualitative studies to inform broader changes.

The team I worked with had no researchers, so I worked directly with the Product Manager and UX Designers and was able to serve as a research expert. They'd been given budget for a research study, but they weren't sure what they wanted out of one. Their initial plan was to just test whether or not participants were able to successfully navigate and complete the onboarding flow. I took a step back and asked if stakeholders would be interested in understanding users' understanding of and desire for the product along the way. They were.

I uncovered multiple opportunities to rearrange and reemphasize existing assets to create a clearer and more appealing presentation to the consumer, such as moving the most desired elements to the forefront and making crucial information more prominent.

By the end of this single project, my client contacts truly felt that I was part of their team, so much so that four months later they asked me to onboard a new hire. I was able to answer their technical questions and provide context of the product's background and future strategic considerations.

I helped a transportation technology company rethink their offering and even their identity. We spoke one-on-one with 50 participants across three target segments. We uncovered consumer needs that our client – and perhaps their competitors – had never considered, revealing an untapped niche to fill.

Our client company thought of themselves as a technology provider for logistics companies, but with our research we demonstrated that their users thought of our client as being a logistics company themselves. Our client could, and largely already did, cut out the middleman.

As a result of this project, our client completely changed course, focusing on expanding their core offering and retargeting to those most likely to use it.