Human-Centered Design Researcher
Hi, I’m Mikaela!
I believe everything we create should have people at the center of it.
In fact, that’s exactly how I ended up here.
A mixture of relentless curiosity, a love for humanity, and an eye for design.
In my 6+ years of experience, I’ve had the pleasure of facilitating design innovation for a variety of Fortune 100 clients across tech, retail, automotive, healthcare, insurance, & finance.
PAST PARTNERS
Meta
•
Honda
•
Abercrombie & Fitch
•
Chase
•
Nationwide
•
Kohler
•
Ford
•
Stellantis
•
Crest
•
Hewitt-Packard
•
Instant Brands
•
Meta • Honda • Abercrombie & Fitch • Chase • Nationwide • Kohler • Ford • Stellantis • Crest • Hewitt-Packard • Instant Brands •
“Mikaela consistently guides projects, product decisions, and has delivered concrete results on our product experiences. The insights she’s delivered have been crucial for us to set direction as well as checking our assumptions against what our users really think and feel. Her collaboration in roadmapping has been necessary for us to build strategy and vision around user stories, their needs, and pain points.”
- Mutian Liu, Technical Lead @ Meta
“I worked very closely with Mikaela on multiple projects at Meta. During our collaboration, I've witnessed firsthand her ability to bridge diverse product areas and initiatives into a cohesive, mature E2E user experience. She's all about getting teams together for brainstorming, keeping everyone in the loop with the latest updates, and actively engaging a wide range of stakeholders to chat about what we're building and achieving. Her efforts not only enhanced the quality and consistency of our products but fostered a more effective, cohesive team environment. Beyond building great products and team culture, Mikaela also helped us get closer to our business goals and OKRs by scoping, executing, and presenting research with a strategic lens. She lines up her research perfectly with what we're aiming to achieve, opening new perspectives and empowering the team to make critical decisions with high confidence.
The most important skill I want to point out is that Mikaela genuinely loves what she does. Her enthusiasm and positive energy have made going into work a huge joy. I can confidently say that without Mikaela, we wouldn't be where we are today.”
- Yun Ji Chung, Product Designer @ Meta
“Mikaela plays a critical role in ensuring that our product development process is user-centered and informed by data-driven insights. Throughout planning, she is essential to guiding our decision-making process with the latest user research findings. She has a deep understanding of our users' needs and preferences and helps us prioritize features that will provide the most value to our users. She ensures that we are aligned with our users' needs and expectations and that our decisions are based on reliable research data.”
- Wilson Ng, Technical Lead @ Meta
“Mikaela demonstrates an unparalleled ability to independently shape research strategy by seamlessly integrating input across disciplines, resulting in comprehensive and insightful analyses that drive product innovation. Mikaela's ability to follow through on recommendations by partnering closely with engineering and product leaders is exemplary. She understands the importance of collaboration and communication in driving successful outcomes, and she consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that her research findings are effectively translated into actionable insights.
Mikaela has keen analytical skills that allow her to discern patterns and insights that might elude others, enabling her to uncover valuable insights that inform product development. She approaches each project with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that every aspect of the research is thoroughly examined and understood. She consistently advocates for the user's perspective, ensuring that their needs and preferences are prioritized throughout the product development process. Her commitment to understanding the user experience fosters empathy and drives meaningful innovation.
Furthermore, Mikaela's proficiency in asking hard questions challenges stakeholders to think critically. She fearlessly confronts assumptions and encourages stakeholders to consider alternative perspectives, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
Mikaela's exceptional research rigor, product-shaping abilities, and commitment to putting users at the center of her discussions make her an invaluable asset to any team.”
- Alexandra Shaw, UX Researcher @ Meta
