About Me

I’m an independent Games User Researcher, with 10 years prior professional experience working as a User Experience (UX) Researcher at Facebook, NerdWallet, and YouTube. I’m newer to the games industry but definitely not new to video games – I’ve been gaming since the NES and Game Boy. Some of my favorite titles: Metroid, Mega Man X, Final Fantasy IX, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Outer Wilds, Alan Wake 2, 1000x Resist, and most recently, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. (You might be able to guess – I love great narrative, great sci-fi, and great music!)

I’m now putting my user research skills to work in the games industry to support indie teams who want to playtest more and ensure their game plays as well as possible so players enjoy it — but who are often stretched thin, working with limited budgets, and don’t have a person like me on staff.

I’m well-practiced in designing and running focused software tests with real people in the target audience from start to finish. I’ve spent my career working with cross-disciplinary software teams to align on their top worries or unanswered questions, gather relevant data through playtests and other studies, and synthesize it all into something that’s easy to digest and most of all, helpful! And if you’re in a pinch and don’t have time or budget for a playtest or study with players, I can still help — I’m experienced in evaluating how “usable” a digital product is and can do a usability review in less time!

Indies often work with tight resources, fast timelines, and a high level of creative risk. I aim to plug in just enough research at the right moments to help teams iterate confidently from a player-centered perspective. Collaborating directly with small and mid-sized teams means I get to work closely with the people actually making the game and spot where simple, practical fixes can boost clarity, flow, and player retention. It’s rewarding to help a team bring their creative vision to life while smoothing out rough edges that might otherwise trip players up — improving the game’s chances of success through stronger sales and word-of-mouth!