Devices Design Group
UX Researcher
UX Researcher
Calibrating Alexa Latency Targets
to Human Perception
Incremental OPS prevented by fixing latency thresholds.
Engineering targets for Alexa were historically arbitrary. I led a multi-year research program to replace technical benchmarks with human-centered thresholds, directly linking millisecond delays to revenue loss.
Experimental Design: Psychophysics
Utilized a custom "Wizard of Oz" latency engine to manipulate response times with millisecond precision across 2,160 trials. This rigorous mapping identified the "High Satisfaction Threshold" at exactly 1000ms.
Strategic Integration: Economics
Partnered with Alexa Economics to integrate these perceptual thresholds into the Negative Value Action (NVA) model. We redefined "system defects" not as technical failures, but as any interaction slower than the 1000ms perceptual cliff.
NVA Model v4.2
Fig 2. Measuring Cognitive Load via fNIRS
Biometric
UI Benchmarking
Operationalizing "Clutter"
Stakeholders debated UI density based on aesthetics. I shifted the conversation to cognitive cost. Using fNIRS (functional neuroimaging), we proved that FireTV's UI density triggered significantly higher activation in the Left DLPFC (working memory) compared to competitors.
The Strategic Pivot
We optimized the Home UI to reduce cognitive load, resulting in increased engagement metrics and a simpler mental model for content discovery.
Multimodal AI
+ Hardware
Led end-to-end Human Factors strategy for the Echo Show portfolio. My research informed 50+ iterative design updates that improved the core user experience for 75M+ customers.
Reducing Astronaut Cognitive Load
Led Human Factors validation for next-gen medical workstations on the Lunar Gateway. Leveraged cognitive load analysis to redesign workflows, minimizing critical operator errors in high-stress zero-G environments.
Driver Retention Strategy in Brazil
Conducted foundational research in Brazil to inform global product strategy. Insights directly steered the driver app redesign, successfully reducing cognitive load and improving rental driver retention by 15%.
Trust in Semi-Autonomous Driving
"How does the car communicate intent?"
Conducted foundational research on passenger experiences in L2 vehicles. Findings guided critical improvements to the HMI (Human Machine Interface) that enhanced trust during automated lane changes.
Autonomous Handoffs
Defined Alert Modality standards for autonomous handovers, directly influencing internal design guidelines for L2 vehicles.
The Sound of Luxury
Operationalized the subjective experience of "quiet" by correlating acoustic sensor data with human perception.
Product Leadership & Human-AI Strategy
Own the strategic research roadmap for monetization, retention, and Human-AI interaction, reporting directly to the VP of Product.
Architecting Trust in AI
Architected the multi-turn interaction model for an LLM-powered agentic TV assistant. Defined response latency targets and addressed response ambiguity challenges through the creation of a "Trust & System Status" framework, ensuring users understand agent intent during complex tasks.
Boosting Subscriber Conversion
Directed research to identify specific friction points where users were abandoning the subscription signup flow. Partnered with leadership from Product, Engineering, and Design to streamline the path to purchase, directly driving a 17% increase in plan subscription conversion on Sling.com.