General 2 — Jen Saville | UX Research + Strategy

Jen Saville STRATEGIC UX RESEARCH
Ann Arbor, MI | jensaville.uxr@gmail.com |Portfolio available upon request

ITHAKA, Ann Arbor, MI

ITHAKA is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to improve access to knowledge and education for people around the world.

Senior User Experience Researcher | 2022-Present

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Directed UX Research for a new business initiative, overseeing the entire process from product definition to launch. Utilized ethnographic studies, concept tests, surveys, and early adopter programs. Managed junior team members and research operations. Achieved over 10 million page views on JSTOR Shared Collections since January 1, 2021.
Managed the creation of a “health metrics” dashboard for monitoring KPIs for a new business initiative.
Co-led a digital transformation program automating holdings data transfer and upload to an external discovery partner site. This impacted 6,000 higher education institutions, enhancing accessibility for millions of users and saving an estimated 156,000 hours of manual work for libraries.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Embrace a leadership role across the organization to ground roadmaps and major product decisions through an empathic understanding of customer needs;
Lead product teams in developing a product vision, bringing clarity to ambiguous problem spaces;
Identify business opportunities based on customer needs and experiences, providing guidance to the business regarding product and service portfolio;
Demonstrate measurable impact on product and design decisions rooted in research outcomes;
Communicate proactively within the product organization, speaking the language of design and business, and able to connect the emotional needs of the customer, the product, and the org;
Scale UX research via the democratization of the research process, tools, and support.

ITHAKA, Ann Arbor, MI

User Experience Researcher | 2018-2021

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Led UX research for system migration to JSTOR’s new administrative site, yielding 12 key improvements benefiting over 10,000 users.
Co-developed an administrative usage dashboard concept with users from 26 higher-ed institutions through collaborative research sessions and interviews.
Successfully converted a UX-skeptical executive into a UX research evangelist by showcasing the impact of user-informed decisions on product strategy through inclusivity and collaboration.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Led generative contextual inquiries with digital archive & special collections librarians to deepen understanding of technical workflows, use goals, pain points, and unmet needs;
Managed foundational and evaluative research studies for system migration for JSTOR’s new administrative site, which resulted in 12 key improvements that impacted over 10,000 users;
Established trusted partnerships and gained support from business leaders, marketing, customer support, and technical teams through inclusive UX research education and demonstrated impact;
Quantified user behavior using metrics including usability test scores, survey results, AB testing, experience scorecards, satisfaction ratings, and usage statistics;
Produced research artifacts that describe design research efforts, timelines, and outcomes;
Utilized storytelling to enhance user empathy while aligning with business goals;
Championed UX processes through education and facilitation of design thinking activities.

Premera Blue Cross, Mounthlake Terrace, WA

Premera Blue Cross is a leader in health insurance in the Pacific Northwest serving 2+ million members.

Design Researcher | 2017-2018

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Led foundational research to develop an AI-powered conversational user interface for Premera’s first chatbot which won the HIMSS Microsoft for Healthcare Innovation Award for Patient Experience at Premera Blue Cross.
Orchestrated and executed a benchmark usability study for the member website, overseeing synthesis and effective oral and written communication of the findings.
Shaped the information architecture of the newly designed Premera Blue Cross member website through unmoderated informational architecture research studies, employing card sort and tree test activities to align website navigation with user mental models.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Conducted a benchmark usability study for the member website, leading the synthesis and articulation of findings both orally and in written form;
Devised unmoderated informational architecture research studies for website redesign, employing card sort and tree test activities to ensure website navigation aligned with user mental models;
Pioneered foundational and experimental research for the development of a conversational UI for Premera's inaugural chatbot.

Jennifer (Saville) Giblin Freelance Research & Design

A consulting business that served individuals, start-ups, and large corporations alike.

Research & Design | 2008 - 2017

Actively consulted and freelanced with a diverse clientele, spanning individuals, start-ups, and various organizations.
Provided expert UX research consultation to enhance end-user experience for technical product managers at Microsoft, particularly focusing on interactive dashboards.
Offered comprehensive graphic design services for websites, videos, photoshoots, branded materials, presentations, and UX artifacts, aligning with and supporting brand and business goals.

EDUCATION

M.S. Human-Centered Design & Engineering University of Washington, Seattle, WA
B.F.A Graphic Arts College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI

SKILLS, TOOLS, TECHNIQUES