And then there is the question of tools. When I was completing my two years of Mellon doctoral research with young women digital makers and users in West Africa in 2013, and in previous years of research and publishing on marginalized digital makers and users in the US, I came to specialize in questions of digital diversity, globalization and empowerment. You can read more about this work here .

This work has helped me hone a special toolkit that allows me to dig into the question of WHO, which affects the HOW humans use technology.

Since that time, I have applied these methods and insights both to my work as a university professor, teaching on the intersection of tech and the social sciences, and in the world of tech, where I used mixed methods—most often grounded in cultural thinking—to understand user journeys, pain points and opportunities, and to imagine digital futures

Discovery
From first lines of code to iterative release, I strategize market and end-user discovery with highly technical product and users, hard-to-reach market segments, and complex challenges. My process has been successful for LightRail signage, camping apps, and SaaS alike.

Design Research

Rigorous, flexible and actionable research is my signature; my Mellon and NEH-award-winning skill set allows me to collect powerful insights from sophisticated programmers to first-time consumers and apply them throughout the product development cycle. An expert in crafting new methods.

Product Strategy

Spanning SaaS, Cloud, and AI product to government websites, I engage sales, C-suite stakeholders, and engineering partners to collect and synthesize frameworks and data for nimble product development. Careful, data-based GTM strategies.

Innovation

I bring rigorous, data-driven process to product teams. My sought-after thought leadership on human use of technology and innovation has merited keynotes with ProductWorld, CHIFOO, FutureTalks, and universities.