About
I got into UX research because I wanted to understand why people do confusing things with technology. Turns out, the technology is usually the confusing part.
For years, that meant running usability tests, conducting interviews, and translating what people actually need into what product teams could build. Standard UX research work. Good work.
Then LLMs showed up and everyone started calling them "game-changers" while simultaneously having no idea how to use them responsibly. I watched people ship AI features that looked impressive in demos and failed immediately in real use. I watched companies panic-adopt AI without asking if it solved actual problems.
I also felt that panic myself. The "what if I'm obsolete" dread that comes with every new technology wave.
So I did what I always do with confusing things: I started taking them apart to see how they work.
I built my first LLM tool for heuristic evaluation at JP Morgan Chase. Then a thematic analysis assistant. Both got rolled out company-wide to UX professionals. Not because they were clever AI demos, but because I tested them until I knew they actually worked.
That's when I realized: the skill isn't using AI. The skill is knowing when something's ready to ship and when you're just hoping it works.
Now I build AI tools for real problems, write about what I'm learning, and try to start conversations about what's actually worth building. I'm puzzle-obsessed, testing-obsessed, and probably more fun at dinner parties than this bio makes me sound.
What I Do
JP Morgan Chase
UX Research Strategist, Operations Team
January 2023 - Present | Austin, TX
I pioneered the firm's AI adoption strategy for UX research. That meant building specialized LLM tools for Thematic Analysis, Heuristic Evaluation, and Fraud Detection, then deploying them to UX professionals across the organization.
The work isn't just building tools. It's proving they actually work before anyone uses them. I developed the 5×5 testing framework: 5 runs for consistency, 5 scenarios for accuracy. It's simple, but it's the difference between "this looks good" and "I know this works."
I also led design system validation research—stakeholder interviews and 30+ hours of user testing that resulted in 50% faster task completion and measurably improved user confidence.
How I Work
I'm not interested in building AI tools that look impressive. I'm interested in building tools that actually solve problems.
That means asking "what job needs doing?" before writing any code. It means testing obsessively before shipping. It means admitting when something doesn't work instead of convincing myself it's "good enough."
Context engineering over prompt engineering.
You don't need the perfect prompt. You need the right information. I'd rather spend 10 minutes finding good documentation than an hour trying to word a request perfectly.
Test everything, trust nothing (at first).
The 5×5 framework exists because I refuse to ship things based on hope. 5 runs to check consistency. 5 scenarios to verify accuracy. Simple, repeatable, effective.
Learn publicly, build openly.
I write about what I'm stuck on, not just what I've figured out. The shift from "wanting to be right" to "wanting to get it right" changed how I work. I'd rather admit I don't know something than perform expertise I don't have.
The puzzle is the point. Solving it obsessively is just how I work.
Before This
Charles Schwab
Lead UX Researcher
2020-2022 | Austin, TX
Led usability evaluations and content research that improved user understanding and accelerated content-first design. Identified friction points in client verification that resulted in a +90% fraud prevention rate and $26M quarterly cost avoidance.
HEB
Customer Experience Manager
2017-2020 | Austin, TX
Managed customer experience initiatives and knowledge transfer across the organization.
Education & Certifications
- AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations — Anthropic
- Certificate of Persuasive Communication — eCornell
- Certificate of Statistics — eCornell
- Enterprise Design Thinking Co-Creator — IBM
- AAS in UX Design — Austin Community College
Outside of Work
When I'm not building AI tools or writing about UX research, I make music.
Listen hereWhat's Next
I'm building tools for UX practitioners, writing about what actually works, and figuring out how to teach this stuff without adding to the AI hype noise.