Planned and conducted both agile and traditional user experience research for the Microsoft Teams (O365) organization. Conducted studies with IT admins, MS Teams owners, and end customers, using a variety of tools and methods, including in-person and remote interviews, lab-based methods, surveys, and multiple online UX tools and services (e.g., usertesting.com, userzoom.com, qualtrics.com).• Conducted end-user research across various MS Teams capabilities, including persistent group and 1-on-1 chat, document collaboration, online meetings, and the Teams mobile client.• Implemented and delivered across a broad range of UX vehicles, from agile “Flash Feedback” studies (single-day, speed-dating style studies with multiple researchers and participants) to single-handedly conducting complex competitive benchmark studies with multiple test machines (simulating multiple users in a meetings experience) and implementing both Microsoft and competitive services.• Provided the primary generative and evaluative research for a new and robust MS Teams administrative portal, couched within the Office 365 administrative experience.

Developed targeted technical marketing content for Cadence customers.• Managed and developed sales and marketing content, including coordinating and conducting source interviews, capturing scenarios and field activities, and writing case study documents.• Wrote and consulted on various technical white papers, presentations, and articles, covering a broad range of topics, e.g., cloud computing, core infrastructure optimization, and business-ready security.

Planned and conducted user experience research studies and provided recommendations for the improvement of a broad range of online services and products delivered by Microsoft’s Engineering, Community, and Online (ECO) organization. Targeted audiences included all levels of Microsoft customers, e.g., consumers, business and enterprise organizations, and partners and influencers.• Conducted User Experience studies and delivered specific recommendations to improve the UX of various support apps, online services, and portals, including the Microsoft Support site, Microsoft communities, Microsoft Premier Online, automated diagnostic and heal services, the MPN Portal, as well as complex Microsoft Support agent tools and CRM systems.• Conducted high-level scenario-based value proposition studies targeted at identifying customer acceptance of the scenarios used to prioritize Microsoft Services and Support 3-year planning.• Collaborated with data scientists in combining qualitative and quantitative data to identify and begin implementation of a $12 million cost savings opportunity among Xbox support agents.

Worked as a contract user experience researcher for Microsoft Corp. Conducted a wide variety of user research activities and research projects, including lab studies, focus groups, surveys, card sorts, among others. Much of this work continued as I accepted a full time position with Microsoft in May of 2012. (Please see that entry for a more thorough description.)

Wrote and consulted on targeted technical content—e.g., white papers, case studies, courseware and assessments—for Microsoft marketing organizations.• Wrote and consulted on various technical white papers and presentations targeted at Enterprise customers, covering a broad range of topics, e.g., cloud computing, volume licensing activation tools and services in complex environments, business-ready security, core infrastructure optimization.• Wrote and consulted on courseware and assessments for the Microsoft Partner Network.• Conducted heuristics reviews of the Microsoft Core Infrastructure University Optimization Site

Researched, developed, and championed the long-range (1-5 years) product visions and feature sets for Microsoft technical support online portals and services. • Drove change in a pre-existing product improvement model based on anecdotal evidence and hunches to a defined process of requirements development based on primary and secondary customer data representing actual customer needs and goals• Acted as the customer advocate on multiple key interdivisional, cross-functional business initiative teams, serving as a peer with leaders from marketing, service delivery, engineering, and executive management, driving large-scale business improvement/change• Personally conducted and led large ethnographic research projects, surveys, focus groups, customer and stakeholder interviews, secondary research reviews, and other types of qualitative and quantitative research

Managed a team of Customer Support Content Managers responsible for assessing ITPRO and Developer customer content needs and prescribing targeted Knowledge Base articles and online solutions for Microsoft server products• Drove a consistent strategy and process for ITPRO and Developer customer support content development using site usage and service request metrics, customer satisfaction data, and other forms of customer feedback• Regularly and successfully drove key cross-group/department content initiatives, e.g., the integration of customer support content with other Microsoft WEB portal content strategies (e.g., Microsoft TechNet and MSDN portals)

Managed a team of product designers, visual designers (including branding consistency), user experience researchers, and user assistance authors (technical documentation) • Drove the introduction of and User Experience Research and Design into the earliest stages of product planning for MS Exchange Server 2003• Co-facilitated the 2nd phase in a division-wide four-phase planning process for MS Exchange 2003• Personally led an eight-member team including leaders from software engineering, PM, test, and user experience research and design in developing the first set of customer scenarios and feature requirements for MS Exchange 2003

Managed a diverse set of centralized teams, including user assistance (technical documentation) design, usability, business analysis, internal software tools development, production, and editing• Managed multiple program managers assigned to key business initiatives directly related to changing the department business model, e.g., developed partner programs for generating supplemental product documentation and cost modeling of localization ROI• Personally drove and contributed to key division initiatives, e.g., engineered (1) a single process for developing and delivering Microsoft Server products across multiple international organizations and (2) a common documentation architecture used by both internal UA and external partners

Managed the MS Commerce Server and MCIS UA teams, including content development for both UA and product UI, editing, production, and build• Managed an existing UA team through the last five months of a turbulent product release cycle, bringing the product successfully to RTM and preparing for the next release cycle• Strongly contributed to a GM-directed management team initiative aligning objectives, processes, and commitments across a newly centralized international organization

Directed localization and internationalization of all Novell products, both software and documentation, for worldwide distribution into twenty-plus language markets• Directed the development, maintenance, and support of corporate tools and systems used by all technical publications departments and localization orgs. Worldwide• Successfully reorganized two disparate localization organizations (Novell acquisition of WordPerfect Corp.) into one centralized organization with common processes, strategies, and objectives• Refined vendor and partner relationships and introduced a product life cycle and active continuous improvement program, reducing all costs associated with product localization from 3.16% of total Novell expense in Oct. 1994 to 1.53% by June 1997