Hi there, I’m Mary!

I am currently on a much-needed travel break across Europe; from Copenhagen to Croatia! I’m taking time to refocus on my values, experience new cultures, and simply enjoy the small things in life (with a glass of wine or two). I am looking for new opportunities/collaborations beginning in early June 2024.

I was most recently a Senior UX Researcher at LinkedIn, bringing user insights to the Feed and Creator teams through a mix of qual and quant methods. I was fortunate to learn from a world-class research team and impact experiences that are used by 1 billion people all across the globe.

Prior to LinkedIn, I was a Senior UX Researcher at EmployBridge, one of the largest light industrial staffing companies in the U.S. As the first researcher, I helped build the UXR practice from the ground up. Most of my research projects focused on setting up the foundational knowledge of our three target user groups while establishing processes and vendor relationships enabling us to grow and scale. I also had the opportunity to mentor and train two junior researchers who joined the team shortly after me.

My UX career started as a UX Strategist at Eight Bit Studios, a digital product agency based in Chicago. My role spanned product strategy, user research, and experience design for the client partners we engaged with, as well as, Eight Bit’s products. I loved the close-knit team and exposure to different problem spaces I experienced at Eight Bit.

I haven’t always worked in the field of UX, but every role I’ve held previously has played a part in getting me where I am today. I’ve worked as a digital merchandiser in online retail, a customer success manager in fin-tech, and a brand eCommerce manager in consumer products. Despite a variety of job titles and responsibilities, my roles have always been about enhancing the customer experience.

Seven years ago I realized I wanted to have a greater impact on the way people interact with tech; primarily enhancing people’s experiences with digital products. I quit my job, moved to Chicago, and refocused my career path on informing design and product solutions to tough problems rooted in compassion, creativity, and curiosity.