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Design Anthropologist | UX Researcher
Heather S. Roth
Irving, TX
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About
Our interactions with digital interfaces manifest gray areas filled with pain points - each its own design opportunity. I employ ethnographic research methods, user-centered design practices, and design thinking to obtain shared understanding among users, stakeholders, and team members around foundational questions of the human experience.
Utilizing a boundless research toolkit, my work aims to select appropriate methodologies for the research questions at hand, synthesize data quickly, and present findings and recommendations to envision practical yet impactful solutions to pain points stemming from people interacting with the product or service at hand.
My background in applied anthropology allows me to capture nuanced and contextual insight through rigorous data collection and utilization of a variety of theoretical frameworks neatly packaged per client needs. I have experience conducting rapid research, scrappy usability testing, and also lengthier ethnographic fieldwork to explore the people dimension of technological products.
Full resume can be provided upon request.
Contact Me:
heathersroth@gmail.com
Twitter: @anthrolobo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersroth -
Education
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MA Applied AnthropologyUniversity of North Texas2014 - 2016Focus in business, technology, and design
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BA Anthropology, SpanishMissouri State University2008 - 2012Minor in Philosophy
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Experience
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Sr. Experience Design ResearcherHiltonJun 2019 - Apr 2020 (10 months)Conducted research within the Mobile Channel Product Team across several squads dedicated to the Hilton Honors mobile app including digital check-in, digital key, and in-stay engagement. Each squad consisted of a product manager, solutions architect, and designer. Drafted study designs for immediate
and exploratory needs while also consulting on larger strategic initiatives. Utilized a mixed methods approach with some studies live and others unmoderated. Collaborated with groups such as digital optimization (A/B & MVT), product science, and accessibility to develop measurement plans for new
concepts. Methods utilized: interviews, concept testing sessions, usability testing sessions, on-site intercept interviews, surveys, etc. -
User Experience ResearcherCitiApr 2017 - Jun 2019 (2 years 2 months)Worked on a team of designers, project managers, and engineers that functioned as an internal creative digital agency which took on internal clients for redesigns of existing enterprise systems or explorations for the design of new systems. Projects included an enterprise entitlement review system, project
management tool, enterprise supply chain portal, regulatory reporting interface, and more. As sole researcher I crafted study designs, executed research, and synthesized findings for our clients. Studies were moderated and often conducted remotely as Citi internal users are dispersed globally. Conducted
some studies in Spanish as needed with the LATAM region. Methods utilized: think-aloud walkthroughs, task-based testing, heuristic review, focus group feedback sessions, competitor analysis, etc. -
User ResearcherFire & AssociatesDenton, TXJan 2016 - Oct 2016 (9 months)Explored the technology, information, and networking needs of educators who teach American Indian students in higher education for a small startup website. Methods utilized: interviews, literature review, heuristic analysis, etc. Fire & Associates, a small start-up business that provides resources to educators of American Indian students in higher education.
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Graduate Research AssistantUniversity of North TexasDenton, TXSep 2015 - Jul 2016 (10 months)Assisted a professor in the department of anthropology with research needs including extensive literature reviews, investigation into grant opportunities, and the planning and execution of a workshop for the User Centered Design of Language Archives with grant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). I co-authored a white paper about workshop outcomes that can be found on a WordPress site created to disseminate workshop outcomes: https://designinglanguagearchives.com/.
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User ResearcherUNT Information Technology Shared ServicesJul 2015 - Sep 2015 (2 months)Data Warehousing, Analytics, and Dashboards Project: Uncovered information needs and pain points of university executives and leadership regarding their use of the enterprise data landscape at UNT. Findings informed the strategy and design for the construction of a new, system-wide, data warehouse. Created a searchable Excel database for reviewing salient information needs across the population. Methods utilized: interviews, historical evaluation, ideations, etc. Recommendations were provided to guide this initiative into Phase Two.
Research was conducted under the direction of Dr. Christina Wasson (University of North Texas) and Dr. William "Bill" Moen (University of North Texas). -
User Researcher AssistantAncestry.comSan Francisco, CAMar 2015 - May 2015 (2 months)Recruited participants needed for a large study with the Ancestry.com research team across several parameters important to the study needs. Developed recruitment materials such as emails and social media posts, administered screener surveys, and scheduled participants for remote studies. Sat in on
most studies to take notes and debrief with initial findings to the full team. -
Exploratory Ethnographic Study of The Social Life of the CarNissan LabsSunnyvale, CAAug 2014 - Dec 2014 (4 months)Generated a foundational understanding of how people in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex perceive and interact with their vehicles to support innovations in autonomous vehicle technology at the Nissan Research Center in Silicon Valley. Conducted an ethnographic video study in conjunction with other design anthropologists to observe drivers and answer foundational questions about the way they commute, socialize, navigate, eat, store items, and do other activities while in the car. Collaborated with designers to provide clear design implications with sketches to Nissan Labs in a final report.
Co-authored article about the research can be found here: https://www.epicpeople.org/ethnographic-study-lifts-the-hood/
Research was conducted under the direction of Dr. Christina Wasson (University of North Texas) and the late Dr. Brigitte "Gitti" Jordan (Nissan Research Center in Silicon Valley). -
User ResearcherUNT Dean of StudentsDenton, TXAug 2014 - Dec 2014 (4 months)Qualitative Population Assessment of Food Insecure Students at UNT: Collaborated with other anthropologists to assess the extent of hunger and food insecurity among college students at UNT. Methods utilized: interviews, on-site observations, bilingual intercept surveys at a mobile food bank, literature review, etc.
Research was conducted under the direction of Dr. Lisa Henry (University of North Texas).
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Affiliations
University of North Texas (UNT), Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA), Graduate Anthropology Student Association (GASA), Lambda Alpha Anthropological Honors Society, Dallas UX Meetup Group
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Industries
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Skills
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Elsewhere on the Web
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On Coroflot@heathersroth, member since 2015