Olivia Harold
I've always been fascinated by human understanding, and how we attempt to generalize and apply our own understandings to the whole. This led me to study Cognitive Science and Philosophy at the University of Connecticut where I discovered my love of research and attempting to solve some of these questions.
My academic research career was varied and interdisciplinary, but revolved around language and development. Concurrently with my undergrad studies I worked in a lab as a research assistant investigating Artificial Grammar and group coordination. My first job after graduation was in a laboratory that researches Bimodal Bilingualism and language development in Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs). Here, I had the privilege of working alongside Deaf researchers and parents and learn a functional amount of American Sign Language. From there I moved to a larger laboratory with many on-going projects, largely focused on the science of reading. I conducted hundreds of EEG studies involving Dyslexia, Phonological Awareness, and Autism. Although I loved quantitative research, I became frustrated with the lack of application to products or experiences. I decided to change my path and become a UX Researcher.
I believe that cognitive processes can direct the design process, even though those processes are a mystery themselves. I can scope already investigated issues with secondary research, conduct controlled usability testing to test assumptions, all while considering team dynamics. Over the past year I have worked closely with a diverse cohort of 30 including designers and engineers. I'm eager to adapt my rigid and quantitative background to the creativity of qualitative UX research.