URSULA GREEN
SENIOR UX PROFESSIONAL
UX Process & Strategy | User Research | Interaction Design
15yrs+ Experience | PhD in HCI
EXPERIENCED SENIOR UX RESEARCHER & INTERACTION DESIGNER
About Me
With a passion for researching and designing brilliant digital products that users will love, I have over 15 years’ experience in user research and interaction design, as well as a PhD in web usability.
Having worked in both client-side and agency environments, I have led a UX team and have hands-on expertise in user research, interaction design and optimisation throughout the lifecycle. I have worked on a range of initiatives in finance and publishing, as well as working on the early development of landmark products such as BBC iPlayer and the first paywalls on FT.com.
SPECIALITIES
UX PROCESS, STRATEGY & TRAINING
Creating UX processes/ strategy, lean UX, design sprints, integrating UX within an Agile environment, leading and developing a UX team.
BEHAVIOURAL RESEARCH & MODELLING
Usability testing (full lab, guerilla testing, online remote testing, eyetracking), surveys, diary studies, focus groups, ethnography, card sorting, personas, journeys, mental models, AB testing, CRO, Optimizely.
INTERACTION DESIGN
Design/sketching workshops, wireframes, mockups/ prototypes, information architecture, Axure, Balsamiq, Visio, Photoshop, paper prototyping.
PORTFOLIO: EXAMPLE PROJECTS
USER TESTING: LAB, GUERRILLA & ONLINE
Throughout my career I have moderated over a thousand hours of user testing sessions. I have frequently used guerrilla user testing (with on street recruitment and broad demographics), lab based in-depth sessions including eyetracking and online asynchronous testing using UserTesting.com.
USER RESEARCH, PERSONAS & MODELLING
As an experienced user researcher I create surveys, run focus groups and diary studies to develop user personas focussed on audience goals. Example projects included tech buying personas, gamer personas, personas for a major national military site and for an online TV platform. These have then fed into further card sorting, modelling and information architecture projects.
WIREFRAMES, PROTOTYPING & IA
I design rapid prototypes/ wireframes for all platforms with a focus on testing design hypotheses. Tools I have used include Axure, Balsamiq, Visio and paper sketches. Example projects have included Black Friday Deals templates, Mobile Phone Deal Price Comparisons, a Photography Club Member's Portal and many more.
WORK EXPERIENCE
My Career
USER EXPERIENCE LEAD, ST. JAMES'S PLACE WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Jul '18 - Apr '20
Introduced user research processes and led UX projects in a FTSE 100 organisation. Line managed four User Researchers and Interaction Designers. Projects primarily focussed on tools to support financial advisers run their businesses, to increase their efficiency and to provide a better service to their clients.
HEAD OF USER EXPERIENCE, FUTURE PLC
Jun ‘16 – Apr ‘17
Led a team of five UX Designers tasked with optimising user experiences across Future Plc’s market leading websites, such as Techradar.com, Gamesradar.com and PCgamer.com, as well as the in-house built CMS.
USER EXPERIENCE LEAD, INNOVATION, FUTURE PLC
Jan ‘16 – Jun ‘16
Led and delivered UX on a number of projects including Ecommerce, broadband price comparisons, a price comparison app/chrome plugin and the launch of a memberships portal for Future’s photography magazine subscribers.
USER EXPERIENCE LEAD, ECOMMERCE, FUTURE PLC
Aug ‘14 – Jan ‘16
Responsible for all UX on Ecommerce projects and affiliate programmes across Future’s media portfolio. Key initiatives included the expansion of an affiliate programme across sites such as Techradar.com, Gamesradar.com and T3.com, the development of a specific mobile phone price-comparison store and initial work on a price-comparison app. Working in an AGILE environment, I delivered lean UX activities from user testing, wireframing and prototyping to ABn testing, CRO, user research and persona development. I was also line manager to a Graduate UX Developer.
BUSINESS INSIGHT MANAGER, FUTURE PLC
Apr ‘12 – Aug ‘14
Provision of Business Insight to support Future’s corporate and commercial strategy development, bringing together insights, data and research from across Future’s business as well as from external sources to support product development and to identify/develop commercial opportunities.
INTERNATIONAL MARKETING & RESEARCH MANAGER
Feb ‘08 – Apr ‘12
Project managed and took budgetary control of all marketing & research activities for Future’s International Licensing department.
SENIOR USABILITY CONSULTANT
Aug ‘05 – Nov ’07
Principal consultant on multiple user experience projects across web, interactive TV, software and mobile platforms with clients including: BBC, Microsoft, FT.com, Dennis Publishing, Prudential, Sainsburys, E.ON, BT, The British Army, MINI, eBay, PayPal, and the Audit Commission. Oversaw output from consultants in project teams and mentored junior consultants. Developed user-research processes and resources to ensure consistency of approach across the consultancy.
RESEARCH EXECUTIVE, BBC
2004-2005
Managed audience research projects for the BBC’s Schools, Science & Nature and Lifestyle websites as well as Bitesize interactive TV.
EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
PHD, COMPUTER SCIENCE (HCI), CITY UNIVERSITY, LONDON
2001-2004
Investigated usability of educational websites through a series of user-testing experiments. Published journal and conference papers. Taught HCI to Undergraduate and Masters students.
BSC COGNITIVE SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
2:1. First-class dissertation in Human Computer Interaction.
1997-2001
GET IN TOUCH
Got something you’d like me to work on? Or want more details of my CV/portfolio? Contact me today.
