I'm a Mixed-Methods Researcher and Service Designer with 9+ years of experience in researching, building, and launching products and services for start-ups, agencies, enterprises, and everything in between. Currently leading research at the International Monetary Fund.
UX Research Work
Longitudinal studies on how users interact with AI to find a new home
Team: Apartment List | Role: Lead Researcher
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Systems Thinking and Mapping to visualize complex processes at the IMF
Team: International Monetary Fund | Role: Lead Researcher
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Creating scalable operations at a Fortune 500 Company
Team: Camping World | Role: Principal Researcher
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Blueprinting how insurance delivers telehealth
Team: Medical Mutual | Role: Lead Service Designer
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Using a mixed-methods approach to address car dealer’s greatest issues with Manheim’s most lucrative product, The MMR tool.
Team: Cox Automotive | Role: Senior UX Researcher
With the Discovery and Ideation phases down, it was now time to validate and prototype the research-informed concepts
Team: Code D’Azur| Role: UX Researcher
Experience
UXR Work
UX Research and Service Design Lead - IMF
October 2024 - Present
UX Research and Service Design Consultant
May 2016 - Present
- Client - Trane Technologies [1 Year] Facilitated workshops that engaged senior stakeholders with user research and product strategy, demonstrating UX's value on a company-wide scale. Conducted in-person and remote research that led to an increase in user satisfaction by 30% in 2024, and won overall trust for UX as a practice.
- Client - Philips [5 months] Worked with a global retailer as a CX Strategist to uncover dentists' user behavior and motivations within the early stage of the product development lifecycle. Oversaw the planning and execution of 20+ in-depth interviews, and created deliverables that included actionable insights, a road map for tactical quick fixes, and multiple user journeys.
- Client - Microsoft [6 Months] Led a cross-functional team to enhance user flows for educators and students, utilizing Human-Computer Interaction principles to reduce friction across digital tools within 6 months.
Principal UX Researcher - Camping World
October 2022—June 2023
Senior UX Researcher - Cox Automotive
July 2021—October 2022
UX Researcher - NERIS (16personalities.com)
May 2016—July 2021
About
Hi, I’m Leeza. And, as you can probably tell from my website, I like to keep things simple. At work, that means:
- Clarifying even the most complex of problems so that every member of the team understands
- Delivering straightforward, actionable insights that lead to high-impact decisions that visibly raise the bottom line
Outside of the office, you’ll find me fumbling through my home renovation, stockpiling strange animal facts to shoehorn into future conversations, and just generally enjoying all the little joys of the world with my dogs.
Party tricks include:
- Aforementioned animal facts
- Generally bopping about and telling bad jokes
- Guessing your MBTI type within 5 minutes of meeting you
People ask me, “How do you do so much stuff?” and the answer is usually 1) I have no life, but more importantly, 2) If I don’t know the answer to something, I go and find it.