👋🏻 Hi there,
My name is Zack, and I’m UX Researcher that empowers product innovation through deep collaboration.
My philosophy is that user research is a team sport that has the greatest impact when it breaks silos, works closely with diverse stakeholders.
I work with marketing teams, sales teams, customer support teams, as well as design, product, and engineering, in order to ensure research drives holistic organizational value.
About me
I'm more than your average user researcher, as someone that was homeschooled, I have always been a self-driven learner, continuously seeking growth & opportunities to learn more about how people interact with one other and the world around them.
At work,
I rally everyone around research.
I’m literally obsessed with collaboration.
I’m all about about the product.
I'm a soft skills aficionado.
Outside of work, I love
Spending time outdoors with my wife, Caitlin, & our two dogs, Hood & Wook
Korean gardening & the world wide food web
Performing long-form improv with friends
Getting fancy in the kitchen
Attending live shows🤘🏼 (Attended 20+ concerts in 2019)
My Approach
My process adapts based on the project, as there are always unique constraints and nuance.
Click on the following image to enlarge:
Endorsements
Maggie Wardell
Chief of Staff - FLYHOMES
“Zack is a creative, thoughtful, empathetic, and engaging leader. Any company would be fortunate to have him on their team, and I offer my highest recommendation!
As Flyhomes’ user researcher, Zack was committed to uncovering the motivations of our clients (and potential clients) at every turn. He was always quick to raise his hand and offer to source new data for external and internal improvements - from rolling out new products, to testing value props, to identifying ways for our teams to work better together. Zack approaches every problem/opportunity with deep customer-centricity and a hunger to learn; as a lifelong learner, his thirst for knowledge is contagious and admirable!”
Chris Fryer
VP of Design & Brand - FLYHOMES
“Zack isn’t just good, he is shockingly good. Each time he produced results something about it went above and beyond what I expected — what was shocking was how consistently he did that. He always delivers insights but is extremely proactive, ensuring that those insights have impact. He instinctively knows how to ensure that insights are documented in a digestible way and finds ways to ensure that his work is consumed by incorporating different mediums, message styles, and spotlights within broader company forums.
Zack constantly demonstrated a level of experience and expertise that I have only found in the most seasoned veterans. On top of that foundation, he never failed to bring a new method he had just learned about (he’s always learning) to uncover something about our customer or internal users that would have lied dormant had he not been with us. His passion for research exudes from him and is so infectious that cross-functional partners frequently and consistently sought him out before making big decisions.
If you want to learn about research, learn about your customers, or learn how research can make an impact, spend time with him. If you want impactful insights that will drive your business forward, hire him…asap.”
“Zack is a UX super star. His customer-driven insights made an immediate impact on our entire engineering, product and design (EPD) teams. He pairs strong customer empathy with an ability to pinpoint the most important customer problems for the team to go solve. One of my key learnings from working with Zack is how much earlier in the formation of a young EPD team I would invest in a role like his. Save yourself the trouble of trying to find “somebody like Zack” and hire him today - you won’t regret it!”
Meredith Han
VP of Product - FLYHOMES
Kelley Manuel
Director of Data Platforms - FLYHOMES
“Zack is a talented and passionate User Researcher who had a significant positive impact on our results during his time at Flyhomes.
Zack provided critical insights that drove our roadmap and feature development. His ability to create a research plan, execute appropriate research methods (interviews, surveys, etc), and synthesize insights into clear and engaging videos and presentations is the best I’ve seen. Many times his research resulted in a change in direction that significantly improved our product and customer experience.
Zack amplified his impact by driving a customer-centric culture at Flyhomes, creating education, excitement, and engagement around User Research. He consistently went above and beyond to improve the organization, including his leadership on the Employee Board and in our Leading Through Change series.”
“Zack is one of the most passionate User Researchers I’ve ever worked with & lucky for us, that passion translated into tangible results on the product team.
His in-depth knowledge and research analysis drove much of our roadmap. I was always impressed by the way he presented his research analysis. It’s one thing to create a document and quite another thing to curate an engaging presentation. His research methods, critical thinking skills & analysis helped our team digest the information and allowed us to take action.
Zack isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo.”
Andria Jannetti
Scrum Master - FLYHOMES
Elaine He
Product Manager - FLYHOMES
“During my time working with Zack at Flyhomes, I was always impressed by his great empathy for users, high quality user reports and dedication for the company mission. He is always passionate, curious and willing to contribute more! Zack is truly the best researcher I've ever worked with.”
More Recommendations
Randy Bapst
UX Research & Usability Expert - ANSWERLAB
“Zack assisted me in a UX research project studying the experience of networkers at remote networking events by helping to plan the scope of the project, conducting user interviews, and discussing research findings. I like his attitude. He has an insatiable appetite for UX knowledge and we often discuss top UX books as well. Every time we talk, I hear about a new UX volunteer effort he had the initiative to assist with. His level of commitment to seeing an effort through sets him apart.”
Frank Spillers
UX Expert - INTERACTION DESIGN FOUNDATION
“Zack has shown extraordinary potential to excel in the UX field. I am confident that Zack will provide value to UX design, research and innovation projects. He is skillful, independent, and knowledgeable, knowing when and where to seek help or answers to problems or questions that come up. He expresses his opinions in an engaging way and enjoys to be challenged.
He gives it his best, and better yet is full of enthusiasm, has the right drive, and genuine interest in UX.”
My Resume
Experience
February 2024 - Present
Freelance UX Researcher
Applause
Specializing in end-to-end research methodologies across diverse industries and for major clients, including FANNG companies.
Evangelized UX best practices to partners and stakeholders, fostering a positive design culture.
Utilizing usability testing, 1:1 user interviews, concept testing, survey development, competitive analysis, and discovery to gather insights and inform product improvements.
Built and nurtured cross-functional relationships, collaborating effectively with teams to achieve common goals.
Utilizing feedback platforms and tools such as Qualtrics to gather user feedback and insights.
October 2023 - March 2024
Freelance UX Researcher
Winston Francois
Specializing in end-to-end research methodologies across diverse industries. Successfully led and conducted comprehensive user research for clients, including a major financial sector project.
Collaborated closely with Product Management, UX Design, and other teams to plan, design, and conduct user research studies aimed at improving the user experience.
Employed a variety of research methodologies and platforms, both qualitative and quantitative, across site and app environments.
Uncovered and delivered clear, actionable insights to stakeholders, effectively communicating findings across regions and organizational levels.
Participated in regular research operations meetings to ensure alignment and collaboration across teams.
December 2021 - June 2023
UX Researcher
FLYHOMES
I played a key role at a tech-focused real estate organization, contributing to a brand refresh, conducting employee experience research that led to us implementing a new CRM, and revolutionizing the home search using AI.
Led user research to improve real estate services, conducting 25+ mixed method studies.
Developed an AI-driven home search, increasing conversion by 30%.
Collaborated with cross-functional teams on AI search feature, from concept to successful A/B testing.
Applied various methodologies for problem-solving, such as interviews and surveys.
Implemented insights for GDPR compliance, facilitated workshops, and drove strategic innovation.
July 2021 - December 2021
UX Researcher
HELPING HANDS COMMUNITY
During the pandemic peak, when 1 in 6 families faced food scarcity and restrictions hindered access to food banks, I enhanced a platform facilitating 'last mile delivery' to needy families. This involved optimizing the experience for food banks and drivers using Lyft and Uber APIs.
Led user research for a non-profit focused on providing volunteers & food banks with a platform to enable safe food delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Insights gathered from both quant & qualitative studies provided actionable recommendations that directly impacted brand strategy & feature development.
Took multiple research projects from start to finish.
Collaborated on a daily basis with designers, engineers, researchers and product managers in improving the customer experience.
Increased feature adoption rate by 33% by ensuring new features solved real user needs.
July 2021 - December 2021
UX Researcher
CODE FOR AMERICA
Contributed to the research, design, and successful implementation of a new virtual conference, focused on accessibility and inclusive product design.
Conducted user interviews with multiple subject matter experts, using those insights to influence the strategy and overall design of our event.
Successfully collaborated with designers and product managers in a tight timeframe, while working with with limited resources.
Feb 2021 - April 2021
UX Researcher & Event Organizater
Redesigning the Vaccine Registration Experience: 3-day HACKATHON
Launched a successful hackathon event in just 60 days.
Facilitated weekly meetings with other students.
Designed an interactive site for participants/teams to use via Coda.
Conducted user interviews with prior attendees & organizers.
Moderated the entire event.
Recruited judges.
Facilitated standup sessions with each team.
Introduced judges & announced the winning team.
March 2020 - April 2021
UX Researcher Practitioner
UCLA EXTENSION
Worked in large diverse teams, leading all user research efforts from beginning to end on projects for Jeep, Airbnb, The City of LA, and more.
March 2018 - March 2020
Assistant General Manager
LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN
Conducted qualitative research, including user interviews, to determine the reason for decreased sales and customer satisfaction.
Worked with diverse managers across the district to compile a report for HR and our district manager.
User research findings led to product changes that increased our stores total sales by 30% for 3 consecutive months.
Education
Bachelors in Film & Communication from CSULB, June 2016.
- Additional courses in business, marketing, retail strategy, promotions, project management, organizational behavior & more.
User Experience Certificate from UCLA Extension, April 2021, awarded with distinction.
Associates in Behavioral Science - included ethnographic research, Norco College, 2011.
Associates in Media & Communications, Norco College, 2011.
Associates in Philosophy, Norco College, 2011.
Top 10% achiever on Interaction Design Foundation, described by Forbes as ‘Ivy League Level education in UX, Product Design or Human-Computer interaction’.
Member of an elite UX service design-intensive from Frank Spillers, one of Interaction Design Foundation’s top experts.
Certificates
Qualitative Research Methods: Data Coding and Analysis, MITx Online.
Qualitative Research Methods: Conversational Interviewing, MITx Online.
Conducting Ethnographic Interviews, Frank Spiller’s UX Inner Circle.
Prototyping Product-Service Systems, Frank Spiller’s UX Inner Circle.
Getting Journey Maps & Personas Right, Frank Spiller’s UX Inner Circle.
Improving Collaboration with UX Teams, Frank Spiller’s UX Inner Circle.
Service Blueprinting, Frank Spiller’s UX Inner Circle.
Inclusive Design, Frank Spiller’s UX Inner Circle.
User Advocacy, Frank Spiller’s UX Inner Circle.
Accessibility: How to Design for All, Interaction Design Foundation.
Gestalt Psychology & Web Design, Interaction Design Foundation.
Tools
• Figma (Figjam)
• Sketch
• Adobe XD
• Sequel
• Miro
• Mural
• Optimal Workshop
• Zoom
• Keynote
• SurveySparrow
• SurveyMonkey
• Hubble
• Fullstory
• Google Analytics
• Microsoft Office
• Confluence
• Adobe Creative Suite
I’m tool agnostic, so if you don’t see something listed here, reach out! It’s likely I’m familiar and can get up to speed in no time.
• Ideation
• Ethnographic Research
• Service Blueprints
• Personas Research & Design
• Prototyping
• Collaboration
Proficiencies
• Qualitative Research
• Quantitative Research
• Survey Design
• Agile UX
• Storytelling
• Service Design
• Workshop Facilitation
• Problem Solving
• Pen & Paper
Let’s Connect!
Email
Zackdrivesuxinsights@gmail.com
Phone
(562) 336-4225