Research for well-being done right.
I help teams that care about their customers translate human complexity into actionable decisions
Hi, I’m Carina, a human behavior researcher. My personal research philosophy prioritizes collecting real, messy data, helping you view it from an unbiased lens, and translating the research insights into design choices supportive of well-being.
Good research represents voices as they are, without trying to change them. When people feel understood, they trust you more.
User Experience Research • Market Research • Customer Experience Research • Strategic Insights
Human behavior is complex
People are fickle. They contradict themselves, they change their minds, they people please, and sometimes they aren’t self aware. Collecting people’s real opinions can be scary because it may go against what you were hoping to prove. But avoiding this data and moving too quickly towards simplicity leads to the wrong decisions. Getting to know someone, contradictions and all, gets to the core of who they are and how you can really solve a problem for them.
That’s how we create something that people actually care about, fits into their lives, and meets a real need. I create a safe space for my participants to be vulnerable and share their lived experience without judgment. As an independent researcher, they tell me the things that they won’t tell you. You’ll know research efforts are working when you come out with new questions that you hadn’t though of before.
The cost of quick research with simple results is a product no one really cares about. I learn about unfiltered human experiences, even when they’re messy or hard to interpret, and I parse that complexity into something meaningful.
You’re too close to your product
I’ve found that when working with passionate or mission-driven companies, the desire to succeed can interfere with design and business decisions. Sorry, but YOU aren’t your customer!
Because you’re heavily invested, you know too much and you care too much! You know how things are supposed to work and what you want the outcome to be. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of using research to validate your well-founded, but not relevant, opinion. I’ve been asked to “prove” that a feature works or show that people believe a product is "[insert word of choice].” That’s not real data, and it’s a waste of your time, money, and research opportunity.
Research integrity is a non-negotiable for me. I’m not attached to a specific outcome - my attachment is to learning about and advocating for the people we’re building for.
As an unbiased outside resource, I help you zoom out and discover something new about the way your customers think.
Well-designed experiences improve well-being
Well-being means your end users are able to live their lives the way they want to. A problem is solved, they feel satisfied, empowered, excited, have autonomy, and have time to focus on what they care about. I work with teams that care about the well-being of the people they serve.
People want to know that you get them. You see their needs, and care enough to do something to help. When companies fully understand who they’re building for, they make decisions that make their customers feel understood. Customers that feel understood come back and tell their friends.
My research practice leads to a symbiotic relationship between you and your customers: their needs are met, and your business grows because of it.