I conducted research including a Heuristic Evaluation using an advanced heuristic evaluator methodology I developed that includes a Likert scale evaluation of usability principles and a final grade chart; Competitive Analysis showing strengths and weakensses of competitors in our space with actionable takeaways, Customer Emotion Mapping overlayed with program KPIs, Low-fi Personas, Heatmapping analysis, internal interviews and Coach surveys, Pyschographic Studies in tandem with Kellogg University, remote unmoderated Usability Testing, Google Analytics data analysis, and a refreshed study of outcomes and device data to ensure our interface is focused on what works.

I lead and analyzed all of our pre-and-post launch testing including remote unmoderated user testing, interviews/surveys, heatmapping analysis, and plans for optimization testing company-wide using all sources of data available; and created actionable plans to improve our product based on my findings. I was able to learn important things about participants behavior and motivators.

I designed collateral for our new digital brand, including UI Kit, Icon Library, and Photography Mood Board. I supervised a production assistant who helped with creation of assets.

I applied neuroscience and psychological principles to predict and explain how our users think and act, and to help usher in real behavior change towards outcomes through effective interactions. My further was to evoke motivating emotions (benefits) and positively affect brain chemicals (dopamine and cortisol), promote feedback and engagement, provide social and physical context, ensure outcomes and reduce risk, and reduce cognitive load. I did this by studying why our users use our product and how their interactions could improve.

In order to create a sense of anticipation for our users, which would in turn generate excitement and increase engagement, I created visible and contextual goal and outcome simulation (goals building towards total (pie-hole visuals), body simulators, outcome simulators, activity trends and anticipated results), short-term goal achievement, and community support. I initiated a database of new facts for users to learn and fresh plan items or rewards from coach/system creates novelty which triggers hits of dopamine in the brain.

Here you'll see examples of reward upon success, instant goal effect, flattering and likable system voice and tone, community accolades, human contact (reduces cortisol), capacity to overcome challenges by investing in curiosity (dopamine), growth, learning, and development (Learning Center, robust Help Center, Did You Knows, and coaching) in order to create a pleasing experience for users.

The ideal phase of cortisol (the stress hormone) is the eustress stage is in the eustress stage. During eustress, healthy levels of cortisol facilitates action and drives behavior, which then over time changes beliefs (deeper ingrained). Healthy eustress is, in part, created by helping create anticipation and challenge. I aimed to do this through the following: Strategic coach intervention/ interaction, weekly progress reports, Action Center due dates, set goals, community accountability, and gamification/challenges; Eliminating barriers to remove the threat that turns eustress into distress. Adopting Loss Aversion techniques by making goals clearer to measure/read and therefore making goals not met more clear.

Through feedback opportunities, easier messaging interface, weekly progress reports, daily and monthly goal trends, Journal, robust community forum, and refreshed email strategy and design, we can increase engagement and promote a conversation from participant back to our system and coach.

Humans find identity, challenge, comfort and support through social comparison, competition, self-identity, and expression. This is an important part of a weight loss product because folks tend to compare and simulate based on their peers, and find their identity through emoting and expressing, so we wanted to ensure their peers and their larger community was easily accessible and affective in their experience. I departed from the company before I finished the Community feature so that is not well represented here.

The experience was well received by participants in all user tests. Lessons learned included the revamping of a 'dashboard' concept in native app versus how participants think of a dashboard on web, and I was able to focus in on features that were most appealing to users.

Users gave us feedback that they were frustrated with how confusing and overwhelming the application, the initial checklists, choosing a coach, and the program itself were. I got feedback through user testing and surveys that helped me refine this ux. It was important to create a connected experience between desktop, native app, and email in order to allow the participants to register, access, and learn from anywhere, as well as to guide them through the first steps like choosing their coach, and completing their forms. Here's a peek into a few of the new onboarding screens I created to help users through their new wellness program. It was well received in our user tests.

This feature included Search, all mail functions such as voice notes, SMS, filtering/sorting, favoriting, photo and emotion messaging, and more. It was a complicated and highly needed feature that I'm proud to have made as simple as I could. It was well received in our user tests.

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During my research it became clear that humans often think chronologically when it comes to goals, and that a planning calendar which overlays goals with appointments, activity, and progress would be the perfect solution to help our participants track and engage. This calendar would help users see their progress from a birds-eye view as well as from a micro-view, and they would be able to see how everything they're doing connects and progresses together in this one place; and ultimately, how all of their activity affects their outcomes.

My goal with these features was to give our users a one-stop-shop to get any questions answered and to learn more about the program and wellness. The aim of the Help Center was also to increase user autonomy and decrease company costs by lowering calls to our customer service department. Due to budget and time restrictions, I left the organization before I finished work on these features.

Studies have shown that participants who express their emotions reach their goals more often and more quickly. Studies have also shown that emoting in general is therapeutic and positively affects the emotion center of the brain, the amygdala. Due to budget and time restrictions, I left the organization before I finished work on these features, but the end goal was to give the user the ability to see their emotion overlays on all their goals/progress charts and graphs as well.

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Due to startup growing pains, there was a need for greater process that allowed UX to flourish inside an overseas Dev team with no Product Manager and no Tech Lead. I created Challenges & Solutions logs which housed and prioritized all ideas/features, a UX Wiki and Newsletter to share important UX News and materials, Process documents and lists in Trello and Google Docs, a Testing Optimization Planning to help get the company on board with testing and the strategy needed to make that happen, and I created and managed JIRAs for myself and the Dev team where UX was concerned.