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UX Researcher
& Strategist 

10+ years experience with mixed methods research.

Transforming ambiguous challenges into strategic solutions.

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Skillset 

Through experience in a variety of environments, I've acquired a versatile skillset that enables me to approach challenges from multiple perspectives, balancing both high-level and detailed views.

UX RESEARCH

Concept Testing

Multi-part study design

Contextual Inquiry

Heuristic Review

Survey Design 

Discovery Research

Usability Studies 

Remote Research

Hardware & Software

Journey Maps 

UX STRATEGY

Stakeholder Management

Research Roadmaps

Building Partnerships

Strategic Consultation

Problem Solving 

Opportunity Identification

Analytical Thinking

High Level and Detailed view

Change Management 

Organizational Analysis

COLLABORATION

Synchronous Workshops

Mentorship to Researchers

Research Advocacy

Community Building Activities

Research Process Improvements

Communication 

Planning and Organization

Leadership

Adaptability

Enthusiasm and Inclusion

Experience

Organizations I've conducted research for 

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UX Strategy

Specializing in designing and implementing strategic research aligned with desired business outcomes.

SUCCESS STORY 

Secured senior product leadership endorsement on a multi-phase research strategy. Implemented ongoing contextual feedback that directly influenced feature prioritization for new $100M client-facing portal.

Cross-Team Collaboration

Strategically building partnerships and identifying opportunities for research to deliver value to organizations.

SUCCESS STORY 

Initiated a strategic partnership between UX research and Change Management, resulting in a transition from no cross-team collaboration to effective teamwork within 6 months. 

Research

Solving complex ambiguous challenges with mixed methods research. 

SUCCESS STORY 

Transformed a highly technical user journey research artifact involving 20 systems, 10+ users, and more than 5 phases into an intuitive interactive resource for rapid onboarding and providing easy access to process and system integrations for established employees.

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Toolbox

These are tools I utilize regularly.

Honing my craft and increasing efficiency and quality requires me to  always be open to learning and experimenting to utilize technology to optimize research.

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FigJam

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Endorsements

What people say about working with me 

"Heather is an invaluable collaborator and project leader ... always been willing to dive into a new, tricky question and new, tricky project."

- UX Research Manager 

 

"Heather has a unique ability to come up with ideas that are both creative and practical."​​

- UX Research Manager 

Heather's dedication to excellence and her incredible ability to communicate effectively with cross-functional teams have been truly inspiring.

- Colleague 

"Heather's ability to understand user needs and translate them into actionable insights is unparalleled."

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- UX Director 

Heather is expert at translating very complex, scientific concepts and techniques to simple, relatable concepts to Marketing, Insights, and Engineering staff, as well as, consumers.


- Client

"I was impressed by Heather's ability to quickly understand our products, as well as each of the medical specialty audiences and the way they speak about their information needs."  

 

-Client

Education

M.S.
Human Factors in Information Design 

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M.Ed.
Curriculum and Instruction

B.A.
Photography and Writing

Certificates

Prosci Certified Change Practicioner 

IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner

Let's Connect!

Heather Karlson 

 UX Researcher & Strategist

Based in Boston/Remote 

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