https://www.gracetranux.com/home daily 1.0 2022-07-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/d433b63c-28d3-4da7-8c79-7b35777b5970/Screen+Shot+2021-11-25+at+9.51.55+PM.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/14ac4a2a-0d21-4690-add6-0378d3569714/4.jpg Home - Increasing Conversion Rates InkbyMi’s founder made a post that went viral. Overnight, the company experienced rapid, unprecedented growth. I worked cross-functionally with InkbyMi’s sales and marketing, design, and photography team to conduct a competitive, cross-comparative analysis between Etsy and Shopify as e-commerce providers, and concluded that Shopify offered InkbyMi the scalability, customization, and resources to ensure customer loyalty that would match InkbyMi’s ever-growing consumer base and product line. My research insights ultimately helped to increase InkbyMi’s conversion rates by over 50%. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/1ae9e32f-2169-4b8c-9a01-1dfb45b5a2f6/Computer+Says+No.png Home - Increasing Ease of Use of the Canadian Government’s Online Spousal Immigration Application Platform What happens when the only pathway for Canadians to be reunited with their non-Canadian spouses is through submitting an application via a government platform that is not easy to navigate, and which puts applicants at risk of being flagged for fraud or misrepresentation? I was funded by the Canadian government to conduct research for this high stakes project. I use ethnography, usability testing, survey design and analysis, in-depth 1:1 interviews, and affinity mapping to explore ways of increasing ease of use of the Canadian government’s online spousal application platform and offer actionable insights to bridge educational, language, and income barriers to accessing one of Canada’s largest, most convoluted online immigration platforms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/22ff7c6c-d54a-460a-9314-d3ec3f9ae2b0/6.jpg Home - Optimizing Charity Platform Usability* In 2016, Remi Yusuf, a former professional NBA player, founded Be a 9th Wonder Foundation — a non-profit that provides youth with crucial mentorship, life skills, and sports skills development. I was honoured to have been approached by Remi to lead the user research for his charity’s platform, which has not been updated infrastructurally since the platform was first launched several years ago. Working with various stakeholders and board members, my research for this project draws on rigorous UX methods to explore ways to optimize the charity platform, making the charity’s mission statement clearer for those who wish to be a part of it. *Project currently in progress, with identifying details withheld until launch of website redesign. Please email me for further details. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/1638035762905-RUWIGYDFHWEKLNWWWWPN/paint.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/1638035832494-CBZ09W3WI39JN8WOMDKE/book.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/1638035869824-6KXYIQ1WCRP2IMOMUXQS/light.png Home https://www.gracetranux.com/resume daily 0.75 2021-12-06 https://www.gracetranux.com/storytelling daily 0.75 2021-12-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/1638149086701-0NNWMSHUFKGZFZ29K1I4/unsplash-image-fMD_Cru6OTk.jpg Storytelling - I’m a storyteller through and through. I believe that everyone has a story to tell, and that every story is important. I also firmly believe that at its core, quality research is about quality storytelling, grounded in and driven by a curiosity to unpack others’ stories and an ability to “read between the lines” to uncover their nuanced details. I find inspiration for my stories in everything, from traveling to my daily commute. Below are some highlights of my storytelling. They range in medium, content, and form, from blog posts to research articles to poetry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/d4b055ca-90b9-496e-b57a-323d9394b098/charcoalconsequences.png Storytelling Charcoal Consequences (or Love by the Morning Hotdog Stand) - a poem inspired by my participant observation on my daily commute in downtown Toronto https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/5e2a5d51-d1e1-4979-a22d-7267d287de53/Screen+Shot+2021-11-28+at+8.05.39+PM.png Storytelling A blog post and report from my participant observation of a stakeholder group (Vietnamese-American nail shop owners) impacted by the pandemic and Texas' changing legislation regarding business reopenings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/8db3832b-9dca-4797-8925-796714b210e9/Screen+Shot+2021-11-28+at+8.07.00+PM.png Storytelling My op-ed, featured in Canada's largest newspaper, The Toronto Star https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/d9bf275a-d9de-4008-8888-f3e7a7ccbf91/Screen+Shot+2021-11-28+at+8.08.47+PM.png Storytelling An excerpt from one of my blog posts: "Fish Sauce in Honey Jars" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/35b76d77-7984-478d-94ed-9a7007dd01c2/Screen+Shot+2021-11-28+at+8.08.03+PM.png Storytelling An article based on my 18-month ethnography of migrants' strategic use of migration technologies to merit admission past state borders https://www.gracetranux.com/about daily 0.75 2021-12-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/627491ef-b1bd-4241-9c6c-becbdde0d951/gracebio.jpeg About - A Bit About Me ‍ FROM STORYTELLING & ASKING “WHY” TO UXR My journey as a UX Researcher and social scientist began from 3 childhood hobbies: storytelling, asking "why," and teaching myself how to code to make my virtual Neopets' storefront more engaging (thank you, Neopets!) With 10+ years of extensive and rigorous research experience under my belt, I have a demonstrated and proven track record of helping a diverse range of start-ups, charities, and larger organizations and companies realize their full potential through data-driven research and design to deliver empathetic insights with accelerated impact and results. Having refined the art of asking "whys," I enjoy applying my unsatiated curiosity about the human condition and passion for learning to improve the lives of others through thoughtful, human-centered research. ETHNOGRAPHY & QUALITATIVE METHODS ARE MY BREAD & BUTTER As the daughter of refugees and published author, my interest in the social sciences stemmed from my passion for understanding how people from all walks of life and cultures experience technology and how those experiences shape their lives. his became especially clear to me when, the year before my Ph.D. program began, my best friend and I backpacked through various parts of Europe and Asia. As I interacted with locals and befriended fellow travelers at the hostels we stayed in, I was struck by how differently people around the world engaged with technology, and the capacity for various technologies to mediate their everyday lives. As part of my Ph.D. program in Criminology and Sociolegal Studies, I designed and managed an award-winning 18-month ethnographic field research project across Canada, US, and Vietnam on human decision-making and technologies of migration. ‍♀️ WHAT DOES CRIMINOLOGY HAVE TO DO WITH UX? As a trained criminologist, I have extensive experience conducting international and cross-cultural research on and with highly complex systems and vulnerable, marginalized populations, from high-security prisons and serial killers to perpetrators of marriage fraud. In other words, I understand the importance of conducting rigorous research in a way that respects the stories and experiences of people from all walks of life and deciphering their needs, wants, and motivations and translating them into actionable insights without judgement. I’ve been awarded over $120,000 in research grants and scholarships by various institutions to support my research endeavors. During my doctoral training, I transcribed 85+ interviews, 1,500+ hours of participant observation, and informal interviews. So why the transition from academia to UX? My training as a social scientist and researcher on a wide breadth of human-centered research projects helped me develop a strong appreciation for and understanding of the iterative research and design process. I excel in multi-disciplinary, cross-functional collaboration, working across different teams to manage and self-drive projects that cater to and balance both user and stakeholder needs with finesse. UX enables me to leverage my analytical, creative, and extensive research skills to make others' lives better. What user experience research challenges are you facing? Feel free to drop me a line! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/c76c56e3-acb5-42fc-bbb7-3297c9c74281/gracebio3.jpeg https://www.gracetranux.com/portfolio daily 0.75 2021-12-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/87c3436d-8970-4fed-8a15-8f52ed176c46/6.jpg Portfolio - Optimizing Charity Platform Usability* Be a 9th Wonder Foundation — Card Sorting and Usability/Prototype Testing to Inform Platform Redesign and Information Architecture of Established Charity Methods Used: Survey Creation, Design, and Analysis, Unmoderated Thinking Outloud, Card Sorting, User Personas, Usability Studies, Journey Mapping *Project currently in progress, with identifying details withheld until launch of website redesign. Please email me for further details. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/8967cc07-22c7-4920-a28b-747fd6ccad60/Computer+Says+No.png Portfolio - Increasing Ease of Use and Platform Application Completion Canadian Government's Online Immigration Application System - Analysis of Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship (IRCC) Spousal Visa Application Platform Methods Used: Ethnography, Participant Observation, Survey Creation, Design, and Analysis, Shadowing, In-Depth 1:1 Interviews, Contextual Inquiry, Persona Creation, Journey Mapping, Affinity Mapping https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/619eff538a1d1a3a4bdc12e2/66747e8b-5e05-4b76-befe-d2e197140c42/4.jpg Portfolio - Increasing Conversion Rates InkbyMi — Cross-Comparative Analysis of User Purchasing Decisions via Etsy vs. Shopify Storefronts Methods Used: Remote A/B Testing, Comparative Analysis, Persona Creation, Card Sorting (Literally!), Remote Usability Studies, Remote Prototype Testing