michael kennedy

At Veracode I created a new foundation for a research practice and paved the way for user research to impact product strategy. To do this I focused on the following

• Repeatable, Anticipatable Research and Design Thinking Exercises
• Provided Guidance and Frameworks for Research to empower UX and PM peers
• Established two way street of empathy and narrative documentation in team process that allows Veracode to identify opportunities in iteration.

At IBM Security I took on a hybrid role embedded within a product called Resilient. I delivered high fidelity interaction design and conceptual prototypes while also conducting user research for a best-in-class enterprise cyber security product.

• Conducted formative user research with enterprise clients worldwide
• Facilitated Design Thinking exercises with senior product stakeholders
• Supported transition to a modular design system, and contributed to its growth

Conducted research at scale for a large suite of consumer web applications including HostGator, BlueHost, and Constant Contact. Coordinated globally with Agile teams in many locations.

• Large Scale Ethnographic Field Research & Journey Mapping for future visioning
• Usability testing, quantitative and qualitative mixed methods
• Data Science and analytics of product performance

As User Experience Researcher at Constant Contact I conducted hundreds of usability tests and on-site interviews with users of an online marketing tool. I developed a passion for User Centered Design and Design Thinking, loved participating in Innovation Jams, and enjoyed the camaraderie of a large team of user experience practitioners. It was a dream job!

• The contextual inquiry model I helped put in place continues to be utilized widely by the organization
• Usability testing from lean studies to full scale benchmarking efforts
• Design thinking facilitation, diary studies, and many other methods

Comprehensive UX curriculum including courses in:

Measuring the User Experience,

Managing the User-Centered Design Team,

Testing and Assessment Methods,

Ethnography and Field Research,

Advanced User Interface Design

Web design, research and creative writing, speech and language, and television and film production.