Eric Richards Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

Conducted research on an engagement with the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs to identify opportunities to improve Illinois veterans’ experiences when accessing benefits and services. Research insights helped inform a strategic roadmap for the organization.

Color delivers convenient and equitable healthcare products and services for millions. I joined Color during the COVID-19 pandemic while they were playing a critical role in delivering technology and infrastructure for COVID-19 testing services. I acted as a hybrid user research ops specialist and user researcher, including: • Leading generative, evaluative, and accessibility user research studies to inform the rapid development of various healthcare products and services• Partnering with product designers and other researchers to plan unmoderated and moderated usability tests, physical prototype tests, surveys, and 1:1 interviews• Standardizing user research processes, tools and templates for the company• Recruiting diverse user research participants with inclusion and equity in mind

Skylight is a digital consultancy using design and technology to help government agencies deliver better public services. At Skylight, I:• Led generative and evaluative user research on a cross-functional product team working with a large federal agency to launch a new digital product• Created research plans, interviewed users, socialized insights, and streamlined research by standardizing processes and establishing best practices• Conducted task-based usability tests, concept tests, foundational interviews, and contextual inquiry • Partnered with product managers and stakeholders to track product metrics, identify opportunities for research, and plan field research• Started as one of the company’s first interns, moved into a full-time role. Provided guidance to later interns.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Led exploratory research projects to investigate ideas for new government services with 18F, a technology and design consultancy within the federal government as a part of the 2019 cohort of Civic Digital Fellows through Coding it Forward• Conducted foundational user research on an engagement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to inform the development of a new online tool for incoming college students

Greater San Diego Area

Conducted website audits, supported client-facing UX research studies, and synthesized market research at an experience design and innovation consultancy

Created research plans, conducted interviews, and synthesized research data for various design research studies and initiatives for the UCSD Design Lab and UCSD Protolab. Primarily focused on applications of human-centered design within civic contexts. Part of the organizing team for Design for San Diego 2017 and 2020 (https://d4sd.org/).

Collaborated with various city department leads to create the first Citizens Academy, a multi-week program where citizens can better understand how city government functions through interactive workshops and presentations. Served as an introduction to thinking about the different ways people interact with government.

B.S. Cognitive Science, Human-Computer Interaction And B.A. Design For Social Innovation

Activities and Societies: Design for America (President), Global TIES, UCSD Design Lab, ProtoLab, Changemaker Steering Committee, Career.

Engineering And Design For Sustainable Environments

Spent a summer learning about applied human-centered design and humanitarian engineering in Amman, Jordan. Engaged with local NGOs.