Hi, I'm Marj! (pronouns: she/they).

I'm a product-focused UX Researcher, Project/Product Manager, and a Computational Media PhD student in the Alternative Learning Technologies & Games Lab at UC Santa Cruz.

I have experience with research methods, such as interviews, usability testing, and surveys. I do research that uncovers pain points throughout the customer journey and generates new design ideas. I have conducted surveys to understand user experience of games and cloud computing technologies to influence product roadmaps and design and compare with competitors in the market.

Empathy should be at the heart of everything we do to understand users! I study games in grad school because they emphasize the engagement and enjoyment of the player experience. My PhD work is in game design research --
I'm interested in exploring how challenge design relates to player experience in games. Specifically, (1) How emotional challenge design relates to reflective and meaningful player experiences; (2) How sociality in games impacts challenge; and (3) How performative challenge design relates to various aspects of player experience.