The Journey

​I came to the user experience through my academic work in linguistic anthropology. In my graduate career, I worked with the Arapaho linguistic community on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, collecting data for the digital lexical database and helping with the language reclamation efforts. Then, as a part of my Master's degree, I conducted a study examining the usability of the existing language learning platform for Arapaho and the implications of online language ideologies on communities with diminishing speakers. Although I did not realize it, my first user experience research project helped improve the online resources for learning Arapaho. 

​During my Ph.D. career, I focused on ethnographic research within the same community completing several field projects. My growing familiarity with the language and the cultural context led me to my dissertation research on the grammar of conversational storytelling. Besides doing the conversation analysis of the interactional data, I brought my findings back into the community to understand if they are accurate in speakers' perception. To some degree, one may say that my dissertation used usability methodologies in the interviews with native speakers. 

With my ethnographic research skills, experience with data analysis, and curiosity, I entered the field of UX confidently. My research has spanned from enhancing the student platform (Buff Portal) to contextualizing co-watching experience across a family of Facebook products to discovering the value of a virtual assistant for air-based critical care providers. My most recent endeavor is with a leader in medical technology, Johnson & Johnson, where I conduct tactical and strategic research to inform the development of an AI-powered chatbot for Global Services chapter.

Having stumbled into UX, I find myself responsible for spreading awareness of this line of work for other social researchers moving out of academia. Moreover, I put special effort into educating about UX research in my home state, Tatarstan, Russia, where very few Russian-language resources are available for UX beginners. Considering that UX professions will exponentially grow in the next century, it is my vocation to share my experience and knowledge with others.