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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

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.
• 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.
• 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