I help companies turn what they learn from customers and stakeholders into recommendations they can use to improve products, positioning, and go-to-market decisions.
My perspective comes from working inside enterprise companies as well as advising them. I understand the difference between an ‘interesting’ finding and a recommendation a team can put into practice: the competing priorities, organizational constraints, and business questions that need to be resolved to get from insight to recommendation and then to action.
How I work
I start with your business goals. What do you need to decide, improve, or achieve? What do you need to understand better to make useful recommendations to guide that?
Those questions shape the research design, the people we listen to, and the kinds of conversations we have with them. I create room for participants to explain their experiences and choices, then probe for the needs, motivations, and tradeoffs behind their answers.
Analysis connects that input to the business question. I look for patterns and meaningful differences, examine assumptions critically, and translate what I learn into recommendations for you and your stakeholders.
When useful, I facilitate working sessions to help stakeholders interpret findings, understand and evaluate recommendations, and agree on what to do next.
Experience and perspective
At Northrop Grumman, NetApp, and Splunk, and through my consulting work, I’ve led customer research, executive briefings, and advisory boards that have influenced product direction, go-to-market strategy, and important customer relationships.
Working inside those organizations taught me how research is used, as well as what can keep it from being used well. I know that my recommendations need to address the decisions people are responsible for, account for the context in which they work, and make the implications and tradeoffs clear.
That experience informs how I work alongside consultancies and agencies and directly with enterprise teams today. I bring qualitative research, facilitation, and business analysis together to help teams develop a deeper understanding of their audiences and act on what they learn.
I earned a B.A. in International Relations from American University, an M.A. in Communication from the University of Arizona, and an MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. I’m a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association, a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), and a board member of the Customer Experience Professionals Association.
Have a business question that needs better evidence and useful recommendations? Let’s talk about your project.