Mike Katz Email & Phone Number

Las Vegas, Nv, Us

Redwood City, Ca, Us

Lead Global UX Research team of 40 Researchers and Managers across 4 countries, delivering industry-leading insights for EA’s billion-dollar franchises and enhancing experiences for over 100M players across various game genres in HD and Mobile, including Shooters, Sports, Racing, Action, Role Playing, Open World, and Simulation verticals.Drove 30%+ improvement in metrics related to sharing, learning, safety, and efficiency by spearheading initiatives starting in 2020 to remove friction points and drive team effectiveness due to geographic & personnel heterogeneity — maintained momentum amidst COVID-19 pandemic and workplace changes.Developed a “Jobs to be Done” model to streamline and standardize cross-functional insight activities, and produced a comprehensive handbook of recommended practices across the development lifecycle to maximize product quality.

Redwood City, Ca, Us

Led global UX Research teams supporting multiple game genres across HD and Mobile. Supported games cater to 100M+ players and include billion dollar franchises such as The Sims, Apex Legends, and Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes.Co-created innovative research approach with Market Research and Data Science colleagues to understand which attitudinal drivers most impacted subsequent player behavior, informing direction for the Apex Legends’ team seasonal strategy.Spearheaded co-design project to enhance key development tool for Sims 4, garnering widespread acclaim from Designers for significantly improving workflow & user satisfaction.

Led team of 10 Researchers to enhance overall Facebook experience, reduce usage barriers, and improve app quality/navigation to increase global engagement among growth audiences.Initiated Max Diff & Thurstone methodologies to optimize push notifications & perceived usefulness and mitigate low CTR.Enhanced Researcher alignment with Product Leadership goals through formal collaboration meetings and increased the perceived value of Accessibility research by framing it within an ROI context.

Chicago, Il, Us

Directed and scaled the UX Research team from 1 part-time Researcher to a robust team of 5 full-time experts, supporting all consumer- and merchant-facing Groupon products.Established 2-stage usability lab and secured a dedicated UX Research budget, enhancing in-depth user testing and analysis.Launched and spearheaded “Voice of the Customer” Program, synthesizing and prioritizing customer pain points across multiple data sources, and collaborated with the Head of Mobile to integrate solutions into the product roadmap.

San Jose, Ca, Us

Oversaw multiple UX Research teams to enhance Buyer conversion, Seller efficiency, site simplicity, and marketplace trust. Areas of focus included My eBay, Identity, Cart, Checkout, Post-Sale Experience, Online Customer Support, and Trust.

San Jose, Ca, Us

Led global research efforts for initiatives aimed at improving buyer conversion, seller efficiency, site simplicity, and trust in the eBay marketplace. Designed and executed multi-method research programs across lab, field, online, and mobile environments, driving product innovation throughout the lifecycle. Pioneered innovative research methodologies, including survey-based experiments, hybrid qualitative-quantitative concept testing, and longitudinal participatory product design to inform strategic decisions.Authored a coffee table book featuring key Buyer and Seller insights across the customer journey, with a foreword by John Maeda (former President, RISD), which Product Directors incorporated into strategic planning.Led multi-phased research and design project for Seller Dashboard, co-designing solutions with Sellers to directly understand their pain points, resulting in a redesign of a high-inertia interface and an improved Seller experience.

Sunnyvale, Ca, Us

Spearheaded comprehensive research initiatives across Sports, Health, Finance, Games, News, Movies, Music, and HotJobs (Careers), driving insights that shaped product strategy. Directed 4 Researchers, enhancing user experience and product improvements for Mail, Photos, and Real-Time Communications.Applied a range of formative and summative research methodologies to identify unmet user needs, steer strategic product innovation, accelerate prototype iteration, and spur long-term user engagement and usage.

Ph.D., Psychology

B.A., Cognitive Science