Sarah Kirk
'True interactivity is not about clicking on icons and downloading files, it's about encouraging communication.' -Edwin Schlossberg
Explore My Work
Dive into a collection of impactful projects that highlight my strengths as a UX researcher, specializing in creating user-centered strategies that drive impactful design and business decisions. My expertise includes developing detailed personas to enhance empathy-driven design, uncovering barriers to improve user experiences, and leading research strategy workshops to align teams and inform product roadmaps. I thrive in roles where I can foster collaboration, mentor emerging talent, and deliver actionable insights through testing and validation. These case studies reflect my passion for blending research rigor with cross-functional teamwork to create meaningful, data-informed solutions.
CORPORATE-WIDE PERSONAS
Creating corporate-wide personas requires developing an overarching, unified set of user archetypes that align with the diverse needs and goals of the organization.
USABILITY VS BARRIERS
Led comprehensive discovery research, mockup testing, and validation research to support the development of a new Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) product.
MENTORING AND TRAINING
Mentoring has been a consistent thread and a deep passion of mine. For me, mentoring isn’t just about sharing expertise—it’s about making an impact.
UX RESEARCH STRATEGY WORKSHOP
A collaborative session designed to align stakeholders on research goals, priorities, and methodologies for a project or product.
DESIGN STUDIO
A collaborative workshop where participants—often from cross-functional teams—generate and share design ideas to solve a specific problem.
Skills & Tools
I bring a diverse set of UX research and design skills focused on creating user-centered, data-driven solutions. By combining strategic thinking with a deep understanding of user needs, I drive impactful, evidence-based design decisions that enhance both user experiences and business outcomes.
USER UNDERSTANDING METHODS
Personas
User Profiling
Journey Mapping
Surveys
Cognitive Interviews
Card Sorting
Focus Groups
UX RESEARCH TOOLS
UserTesting.com
Mural/Miro
ContentSquare
Dovetail
EVALUATION METHODS
Prototype Testing Usability Testing
Wireframe Testing
Heuristic Evaluation Desirability Testing Satisfaction Survey System Usability Scale Kano Survey
REQUIREMENTS GATHERING
Task Analysis
Innovation Games
Contextual Inquiry
Feature Mapping
Design Sprints
Design Studios
Research Strategy Workshops
PROTOTYPING TOOLS
Axure
UXPin
Balsamiq
Figma
Resume
As a seasoned professional with a proven track record with mentoring and collaboration. I have successfully created two UX departments, driving innovative user-centric solutions. I have led large-scale research projects for SaaS and IaaS. My commitment to fostering a collaborative environment has empowered cross-functional teams to achieve outstanding results, while my passion for mentoring has nurtured the next generation of design talent. This blend of leadership, creativity, and teamwork underpins my approach to delivering exceptional user experiences and impactful business outcomes.
Research Manager - BSI Group
In this role, I conducted comprehensive mixed methods research that included personas, customer workshops, wireframe testing, surveys, and interviews to uncover user needs and challenges. I led participant recruitment efforts, ensuring high-quality insights, and synthesized findings through deep data analysis using tools such as affinity diagrams and problem statements.
To prioritize solutions, I applied desirability, viability, and feasibility scoring. My research insights were communicated through clear and actionable reports that drove product improvements. Additionally, I designed and facilitated workshops and testing sessions, promoting collaboration across teams. A strong advocate for mentoring and training, I provided guidance to team members to foster growth, knowledge-sharing, and improved research practices.
Senior Lead Researcher - Lumen Technologies
In this role, I led the research and design efforts for a suite of eight cloud infrastructure products, ensuring alignment with both user needs and business goals. I facilitated cross-functional collaboration, working closely with development teams, stakeholders, and subject matter experts to drive organization-wide improvements in productivity and workflows.
Through design sprints, design studios, and journey mapping workshops, I guided teams to innovate and prototype effective solutions for complex challenges. I spearheaded persona development initiatives, empowering SMEs to create and apply personas for strategic planning and roadmaps. Additionally, I conducted UX analysis and reporting, delivering actionable insights to support user-centered design decisions. A strong advocate for mentorship and training, I elevated junior UX team members and product teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and UX excellence.
Product Designer - Monsanto
I directed research and design efforts for a suite of five products that supported all pricing and marketing activities within the organization, ensuring solutions aligned with business needs. I applied mixed methods research to gather comprehensive user insights and conducted task analysis sessions to accurately document user requirements. By leading design sprints and design studios, I drove innovation and efficient design collaboration with development and business partners.
I ensured UI consistency across products by utilizing a centralized design language, enhancing the overall user experience. Additionally, I designed and tested innovative visualizations for analytics and KPI measurements, improving data-driven decision-making. Through mentorship and training, I strengthened the capabilities of junior team members, fostering a culture of growth and continuous improvement. Extensive cross-functional collaboration with stakeholders, SMEs, and development teams ensured alignment and successful project outcomes.
Senior Usability Engineer - Elsevier Inc.
I led usability testing facilitation, ensuring thorough evaluations of user experiences and interfaces across multiple projects. Through mixed methods data analysis, I synthesized insights from usability tests, heuristic evaluations, card sorting, surveys, contextual inquiries, and task analysis to drive user-centered design improvements. I established and maintained UX methodology continuity, promoting consistent practices across projects for high-quality experiences. In addition to managing up to seven projects simultaneously with 2-5 resources per project,
I developed UX standards and guidelines, including an interaction pattern library, to support consistency and scalability. My role also included mentoring and evaluating junior team members, fostering their growth and enhancing team expertise.
Team Lead Senior Usability Engineer - CitiMortage Inc.
I trained, mentored, and evaluated junior team members, fostering their professional growth and enhancing the team's capabilities. I oversaw the selection and analysis of data gathered through various mixed UX research methods, including heuristic evaluations, surveys, task analysis, desirability surveys, journey mapping, card sorting, contextual inquiries, and usability testing.
By maintaining methodology continuity across multiple projects, I ensured consistent, high-quality user experiences. In addition, I managed up to 10 projects simultaneously, supervising 5-10 resources per project to ensure timely delivery and successful outcomes. I also developed detailed use cases and functional specifications, aligning design and development with both user needs and business objectives.
About
Hi, I'm Sarah, a UX researcher with over 25+ years of experience. I thrive on solving complex problems and uncovering deep user insights. Understanding users and translating their needs into meaningful solutions is not just my expertise—it's my passion.