Currently: Principal UX & HF Researcher at Motional

I have been working in the intersection of design, tech, business, and research for the past 10 years. I enjoy being a part of shaping products and services grow from the ground up. Whether that means working with an internal team to figure out a solution to an existing or new customer problem in the form of improving upon an existing service, or trying to invent as we go and figuring out just how best to support a remote agent conduct several radiology scans at once or in my current case, a remote agent monitor and support a self-driving car when it gets stuck.

I am a logistics powerhouse and love to make studies happen, whether in-person laboratory studies or online mechanical turk HITs. I participate from study design, recruiting, moderating sessions, analysis, and finally in presentations to stakeholders. Currently I’m working on adding to my quantitative skillset by refining my skills in SQL, R, and Python so I can work with larger datasets. I am comfortable using some of the above (R & SQL) already and can structure qualitative datasets, come up with my own coding schemas, and do descriptive and basic inferential statistics as necessary. I’m also familiar with using G*Power and looking at effect and power when determining sample sizes necessary for different kinds of research approaches.

I like to cross boundaries so that’s why you see many different industries. Whether Class I medical devices, patient education web platforms, government contracting projects, Military incubators (Kessel Run), automotive & tech (self-driving cars), you name it. I’ll learn the regulations necessary to get the job done.

Expertise

  • Qualitative user research, product research, experimental design; highly skilled in applying deep understanding of user needs towards the creation of innovative and satisfying solutions for customers.

    • Methods include a mix of formative and summative: MTurk HIT studies, 1:1 and small group interviews (remote and on-site), desk research leveraging multiple secondary resources, experimental design and human subjects testing, usability studies, heuristic and expert analyses.

  • Rapid prototyping experience using wireframing and prototyping tools such as Balsamiq, Axure, Sketch, Framer, Mural, and Invision.

  • Love for mapping large workflows and pathways (clinical, military, and consumer focused), sharing research insights with multiple stakeholders with decks, recommendations, mock-ups and wireframes

  • Strong in designing outputs that get to the “so what” to serve multiple stakeholders with different functions, focusing on improving organizational communication and design while leveraging research insights to improve processes and protocols

 
Sara Garver

Past Work:

  • Lead Researcher for all Digital (and Practice Lead) in Oral Healthcare at Philips

  • User Experience Researcher in the UX group & Cognitive & Behavioral Science Group at Draper Labs (June 2016 - December 2018)

  • Operations & Research at Woods Creative (May 2015 - June 2016)

  • Lead UX Designer and Customer Specialist at ThriveHive (October 2013 - September 2014)

Education

MS in Human Factors in Information Design from Bentley University 2017

MBA in Strategy & Entrepreneurship from Simmons College  2012

BA in Art & Urban Studies from University of Virginia 2009