Dr. Dara Cunningham Email & Phone Number

Denver, Colorado, United States

Founded ActivitySystems to provide expert experience research services to high-profile clients across various industries, including technology, healthcare, aerospace, and digital services.Led research projects for clients such as Effective, Boeing, and HealthEdge, applying user-centered design principles to improve digital and physical product experiences.Developed comprehensive research plans tailored to client needs, employing a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including user interviews, usability testing, surveys, and contextual inquiries.Conducted experience research across diverse sectors, including healthcare, government, aerospace, and digital products, to gain deep insights into user behavior and inform strategic design decisions.Collaborated with cross-functional teams of product managers, designers, engineers, and policy experts to ensure user needs are integrated into product development and service delivery.Communicated research findings and recommendations effectively to stakeholders, driving user-centered design improvements and fostering innovation.Managed multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring high-quality deliverables that align with client objectives and enhance user satisfaction.

Palo Alto, California, Us

Principal Researcher for ValueOps Software (Rally, Clarity, and Value Stream Management) in Broadcom’s Agile Operations Division (AOD)Implemented a research practice across multiple enterprise software offerings, SaaS and On Prem. Led a small but growing research team in research, design strategy, and product innovation projects to improve enterprise customer experience. Focus on SAFe Agile project management and product management at scale. • Transformed customer experience by spearheading generative research on planning processes and Rally's tools, culminating in a product roadmap that guided feature enhancements for the following year.• Delivered data-driven design recommendations by harnessing strategic mixed methods research, integrating both qualitative and quantitative insights from usage analysis and customer feedback.• Launched retroactive, feature-based product usage analytics dashboards to enhance data visibility and drive strategic decisions.• Contributed support for leadership acquisition of ConnectAll for enhanced third-party software integrations into Rally, focusing on Rally/Clarity project and product management integrations, following research into customer software integration needs.• Contributed future product innovation ideas including AI integration across ValueOps software offerings.

San Francisco, Ca, Us

Research and Service Design Director, Strategic Mixed Methods Research Analytics and Product InnovationConsulted on and led research, service design, and product innovation projects in energy and efficiency solutions, eLearning, banking, COVID, enterprise customer experience, global manufacturing, and retail transformation. Notable clients included Google, Johnson Controls (ADT), Citi, and eCollege.• Led global enterprise-scale B2B and B2C research, service design, and product innovation projects.• Guided product design feature prioritization and strategic direction.• Trained the User Experience Research team in lean UX research strategies and tactics, enhancing team efficiency and methodological rigor.• Conducted comprehensive qualitative and quantitative research, employing a range of tools and techniques for data collection and analysis, informing product innovation and strategy.• Established an international cross-functional design collaborative, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, and developed a qualitatively coded research catalog to streamline research processes.

Mountain View, Ca, Us

Google Cloud via Globant - Mixed Methods User Experience Researcher for G Suite Migrate product design. Research insights led to the project being deprioritized for further development.• Developed and managed a qualitative research catalog for G Suite Migrate, enhancing research accessibility and insights through a coded, searchable repository using Dedoose.• Led training sessions for the User Experience Research team on utilizing Dedoose for qualitative coding, significantly improving the team's research capabilities and efficiency.• Spearheaded the use of a coded research insight repository for rapid digital affinity mapping, streamlining the process of identifying user patterns and insights.• Organized and facilitated cross-functional design collaboration workshops, bringing together teams from Customer Support, Data Science, Engineering, Product, and Design, and successfully transitioned these collaborations to a digital remote environment.• Directed the prioritization and design of feature improvements for G Suite Migrate, focusing on small to medium business (SMB) user needs, and played a key role in conceptual user research and A/B testing, contributing to the product's iterative and evolutionary design process.

Denver, Co, Us

User Experience Research and Design Lead for enterprise-wide clinical systems design in DaVita’s Mobile Community of Excellence (MCOE)• Led user experience research and design for enterprise-wide clinical systems, conducting comprehensive evaluative research for applications like Clinic Without Walls, Hospitals Without Walls, DaVita Medical Group, and DaVita CareConnect, employing analytics and heuristic evaluations.• Directed generative user research to understand the needs of new and additional cross-platform users, including clinical staff, physicians, and patients in home, pediatric, and nocturnal dialysis, contributing significantly to the product design's iterative and evolutionary process.• Established and managed a UX Research and Content team, creating a structured process for accessible user research data collection and documentation, ensuring research findings directly informed design and development actions.• Implemented innovative methods for presenting research findings and strategic recommendations to stakeholders, enhancing decision-making processes and stakeholder engagement in product development.• Developed and delivered comprehensive training and workshops on user experience research and design, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the organization.

Denver, Colorado, Us

Consulting Contract through my consulting company, ActivitySystems, working on a contract at Effective for DaVita User Experience Research and Product Design.Researched dialysis clinics, their roles, tasks, common applications, activities, and workarounds. Analysis of qualitative research data applied to the development of journey maps, process flows, workflow inventory, and personae. • Conducted in-depth generative user experience research within dialysis clinics, identifying key roles, tasks, common applications, activities, and workarounds, which informed the design and improvement of enterprise clinical systems products.• Led and executed a series of SME interviews, both face-to-face and remote, along with ethnographic studies and contextual inquiries across multiple dialysis centers, gathering critical data for product development.• Facilitated focus groups and workshops with DaVita corporate stakeholders, employing research presentation techniques and affinity diagramming to translate findings into actionable insights.• Produced comprehensive user experience documentation, including a 150 page Experience Guide and 50 Journey Maps, to direct the design and content for future state scenarios of clinic and enterprise-wide software systems.• Received high praise from the client for the research deliverables, which were considered a significant investment return by DaVita, highlighting the impactful and strategic nature of the user experience research conducted.

Arlington, Va, Us

Consulting Contract through my consulting company, ActivitySystems, working on a contract at Jeppesen for Boeing Airline Operations Alerting and Notification Software Conceptual Design.• Conducted comprehensive user experience research within airline operations centers, uncovering detailed insights into roles, tasks, applications, activities, and workarounds, which directly informed the conceptual design of Boeing's Airline Operations Alerting and Notification Software prototypes.• Led a team through the development and facilitation of extensive internal and external SME interviews and ethnographic studies, providing foundational data that shaped early-stage, proof-of-concept software design.• Executed a competitive analysis, lab simulations, and a range of design deliverables including static and interactive wireframes, co-design workshops, task analyses, user flows, storyboards, an ethnographic system map, and user interface specifications.• Played a pivotal role in building the user experience product design team, guiding early-stage software design and recruiting visual design staff to enhance interface design, contributing to the creation of a mission-critical, complex, and innovative software project.• Functioned as a UX evangelist and user advocate, training project leadership on user experience, data-driven design, and appropriate research methods for the conceptual prototype phase, which culminated in obtaining stakeholder approvals and moving forward with research proposals.

Golden, Co, Us

Human Factors Engineer NREL Data Analysis and Visualization (DAV)• Spearheaded a comprehensive usability study and successive data-driven redesigns of the OpenEI wiki, significantly enhancing its collaborative features and boosting contributions from the public and targeted user groups over a five-year period.• Initiated and led the entire project lifecycle for the OpenEI usability study, transforming it into a resource with over 300,000 informative and usable pages through continuous research, design, facilitation, analysis, and documentation efforts.• Managed detailed research roadmaps and timelines.• Conducted extensive training sessions for stakeholders and moderators on usability testing and validation methods.• Utilized a variety of tools and methodologies for research and analysis, including face-to-face interviews, various survey platforms, usability testing software, and analytics tools.User Experience Research Lead Solar Tools Usability Study• Orchestrated and executed a comprehensive usability study for NREL's six principal solar tools.• Designed and led multiple user surveys and usability testing sessions, which included tasks such as recruiting and screening participants, facilitating test sessions, and thorough analysis and documentation of findings, culminating in a detailed ~175-page usability study report.• Functioned autonomously in proposing, planning, executing, and documenting all phases of the usability research.• Successfully managed research timelines and secured stakeholder approvals.UX Research, Content and Design Lead Smartgrid.gov Information Clearinghouse and Library Project• Developed a comprehensive online library dedicated to Smart Grid and electric grid modernization.• Analyzed and wrote abstracts for a vast array of documents.• Applied best practices and procedures in research and content management.• Implemented effective processes for the description, categorization, and retrieval of digital resources.

Denver, Colorado, Us

Authored Building Inhabitant Feedback: Creating a Reflective Practice for Environmental Design Using Activity Theory • Developed and applied Reflective Activity Systems Theory on a study of the Buckley Air Force Base Colorado Army National Guard (COARNG) Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) in Aurora, Colorado. • Utilized RAST in the design of Socio-technical Environments for Evolutionary DesignCU “Sustainable Lighting” and “Building Automated Systems”• Co-authored Chapters for Green Resource GuideUniversity of Colorado (CU) Comfort and Energy Use Survey• Developed, facilitated, supervised and analyzed text (SMS and MMS) and online surveys of CU students. • Tested viability of conducting surveys via text messaging and willingness of participants to contribute information about their comfort and energy useCU Greening the Grid – The Case of the Platte River Power Authority (Fort Collins), Holy Cross Energy, and Denver’s XCEL Energy • Evaluated each utility’s current energy demand by type, conducted material flows and lifecycle analysis, assessed strategies to green the grid, assessed the built environment and how it may affect the greening process• Determined possible urban planning and design strategies to reduce urban electric demand, identified policy pathways to diminish electric demand, and investigated social actors who can affect changeCU Exploring Architectural User Centered Design Techniques Using 3D Models • Designed, facilitated, and analyzed IRB approved study to compare user evaluations of building model simulations with user evaluations of buildings in situated 3D walkthrough building simulation and study building inhabitants. • Results exposed fundamental issues with energy modeling scenarios that became a foundation of dissertation research.Co-taught Big Data, Rapid Prototyping, Ecology & Design, History and Theory of Architecture, and Social Factors for Architecture.

Developed curriculum, acted as Course Lead and Faculty Mentor. Wrote curriculum and taught Web Design, Website Development, Web site Tools, E-Commerce, Introduction to Multimedia Using Adobe Flash, Project Management, Interactive Scripting for Web Pages, Web Marketing, and Advanced Scripting for Interactivity.

Continuous Advancement and Promotion with the following positions:Consultant to the Chief Academic OfficerDirector of EducationCorporate Curriculum ManagerAssistant Director of EducationProgram Director - Information Technology Professional ProgramInstructor - Information Technology Professional Program• Successfully led the accreditation process for multiple campuses, involving detailed audits, staff training, and coordination with accreditation bodies, demonstrating expertise in regional, national, and local educational standards.• Served as the Interim Academic Dean at the Dallas Fort Worth Campus, overseeing academic administration and contributing to strategic decision-making during a pivotal period.• Designed and launched a PeopleSoft site for accreditation documentation and a SharePoint site for faculty, enhancing organizational efficiency and communication within academic departments.• Directed the Education department, managing over 8 program directors, 100 faculty members, and 1,300 students, demonstrating strong leadership and the ability to oversee large-scale educational operations.• Pioneered the online education program, developing numerous online courses and implementing innovative student recruitment campaigns, significantly expanding the institution's educational offerings and reach.

Dual Phd, Cognitive Science And Design & Planning

Master Of Science - Ms, Data Science

Master Of Arts (M.A.), Education: Information And Learning Technologies

Bfa, Graphic Design And Advertising

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Cognitive Science