Stories and Science—

that’s how I define design research. My work mixes validated best practices from cognitive research, measurement tools that support critical thinking and unbiased reasoning, and creative activities to discover new solutions. Impactful research is curating human stories and sharing diverse voices in a way that provides structured data, inspires empathy, and helps product teams remember who they’re building for. What a study looks like changes with every question; there’s no one-size formula for every problem.

I want to build a future that brings joy.

Like many people in user experience, I’m here because I want to make a difference. Design has so much power to do that, and I believe research is critical to effective, empowering design. For me this means getting to the root of an experience: how users’ perceptions shape their sentiment, the role of emotion in the task, the impact of culture on user needs. My favorite projects are the most “squishy,” the ones that require assessment of user actions, emotions, and environments. I thrive on challenging questions, and I enjoy mixing methods to do so. Whether I am drawing on my cognitive science background to measure the impact of product changes on user perception, or leveraging years of industry experience to evaluate and prioritize workflow pain points, I do my best to provide thoughtful (and thought-provoking) takeaways.

My first projects in the UX field were focused on collaboration and “user in the loop” systems that balance autonomy with giving the user information and control. While the domain has changed from government agencies to living rooms and kitchens, I’m still focused on keeping the user central in the autonomous system. Our robots need to fit into our human lives — the environments we shape for ourselves, and the messy, intertwined routines that shape our time — for things to run smoothly. (Just ask my cat.) It takes more than an understanding of automation: there are nods to cultural values, regional architecture, and interior design trends in how we live with robots (and robots live with us).

Robots: our co-pilots, cleaners, and sassy best friends.

The human imagination for technology fascinates me: robots have become so ingrained in our vision of the future that science fiction authors guide the characteristics of what we feel we need to make a robot succeed. Because we expect robots as part of our technological future, sometimes we forget to question if they’re really meeting our needs. It is important to me that, as we automate, we center diverse voices to understand how new technology can be helpful, useable, and empowering. I hope to design experiences that account for our lived realities so well that they just fit, like new characters in novels of our lives.

I have my share of adventures learning from humans! Take a peak at some moments from research past.

a woman kneels on the floor with a teenager, both looking at a small tablet. A small robot is on the ground drawing a heart on a large sheet of paper.

North Shore, MA.

I love my work with iRobot’s STEM outreach program! Some of my favorite moments are watching kids light up when they get the robot to do something new.

Two women stand in the front right corner of the frame, a large garden and royal palace behind them.

Munich, Germany.

My first international project at iRobot explored the role of green space in German households. Pictured here exploring historic grass.

An old city square with white stone buildings. In the foreground, a yellow frame is in focus.

Tartu, Estonia.

I presented work as part of an international military conference here in 2015.

A selfie of two women, one of whom is Lauren. The are in front of rows of chairs, set up for an event.

Amsterdam, Netherlands.

I attended Ladies that UX events here while traveling back and forth to the XebiaLabs NDL office. Pictured with my colleague, a Ladies that UX organizer.

Lauren's feet standing on a street with a stripe of cobblestones running through the center. This is the location of the Berlin wall.

Berlin, Germany.

Working with other researchers is always a privilege, but walking Berlin with a native on the way to our home visit was a unique way to hear stories of the city and how history is still felt by its inhabitants.

A group of people stand in a hotel lobby, smiling and talking.

Boston, MA.

Organizing XebiaLabs’s first user round table was an incredible experience, but perhaps the most fun was premiering our user panel logo on stickers.

Lauren's face and shoulders are in the center of the frame wearing a sweater based on Star Trek TNG science uniforms. The corner of the shot has a Zoom caption with her name and title.

Zoom, Home (MA).

After Roomba i3 launched I participated in a video discussing the work that went into the robot design. This was an internal project, and it was neat getting to share our process across the org.

The window of the Musee D'Orsay: a large antique clockface from behind. the city of paris is visible through the clock.

Paris, France.

I don't know if my high school French teacher would be pleased or horrified, but Paris was the first time I was able [attempt] to ask users questions in a different language (although still with help from our translator).