Welcome to my website!
I am open to new opportunities beginning in January 2026
I am currently completing a 6-month contract at Cash App as the UX Lead for Money Management and Credit Building. I am leading 0-1 iterative research on an alternative credit score product, beginning with a Phase 0 launch and accompanying research panel (survey and follow-up in-depth interviews). This position encompasses evaluative and generative research, leveraging AI tools to help me work smarter and not harder. To that end, I receive ongoing trainings in how to implement Chat GPT, Goose AI, G2, and Gemini into my work stream. I have had valuable opportunities to run studies with minors as well as adults who earn $60K or less per year – an underserved and vulnerable population within the banking industry.
Prior to Cash App, I fulfilled a 6-month contract as a Senior Mixed-Methods User Researcher on the Peacock team at NBC Universal. I drove personalization research for the Peacock Home Page through in-depth interviews that identified important mental models, jobs to be done, use cases, accessibility needs, and opportunities for future-state redesign. I also explored users’ reactions to, and expectations of, AI and algorithms.
I previously worked as the Senior Researcher on the Zelle team at JP Morgan Chase in New York. I worked in a Quad model, in close collaboration with my product, design, content, and tech partners. I ensured ongoing buy-in and alignment with these partners as I developed research plans that supported our key OKRs. My research directed the design of high-impact initiatives such as scam and fraud prevention for vulnerable populations, the ability to block bad-actors on Zelle, and the creation of a Zelle product landing page on the Chase interface. Throughout my book of work, I advocated for inclusive design practices and a careful consideration of accessibility needs. I feel strongly about the business case for more focus on accessibility, as the Baby Boomer generational cohort enters a period of exponentially increasing disability rates.
Before Chase, I gained a broad range of user research experience at the AnswerLab user research agency. I was embedded in an Amazon team for four months and I provided ad hoc support for Meta and LinkedIn for another six months. During this year, I delivered on over twenty research initiatives. Prior to AnswerLab, I worked for six months as the Qualitative Researcher at an online education platform for healthcare providers called HealthCourse. I worked in close collaboration with my Quantitative Research partner, to deliver reports for our key stakeholders that highlighted the impact of the curricula. I triangulated insights from online posts and from transcripts of Zoom discussions, which I coded through NVivo.
I entered industry after earning two Masters Degrees and a PhD. I lead research teams of undergraduates for six years during my Sociology Doctorate program. I trained them in qualitative coding, transcription, and thematic analysis. My academic research has had a considerable impact in the field, with over 800 citations from other academic publications to-date, numerous interviews with the press, and a book publication through Palgrave MacMillan. This experience is directly transferrable to my performance as a user researcher, as I am an experienced teacher of research methods, leader of junior researchers, public speaker, writer, and project manager.
To see examples of my work, please visit my portfolio through the User Research link at the bottom of this page. Password is available upon request.
I look forward to discussing my goodness of fit with your team soon!
Helana Darwin 