Kelli Mijares​ joins UXRS at a Content Strategist

Kelli Mijares​ joins UXRS

We are excited to have Kelli join the team as a Content Strategist

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Before I transitioned to UX research, I worked as an architectural and urban designer and focused on neighborhoods and master planning. The challenging, and at times, frustrating, part of our work was ensuring that our projects weaved into the existing place—its people and its history. Anyone can create something beautiful and drop it on a map but the most rewarding part was integrating the voices of the community and the existing urban fabric. For me, my role as a UX researcher offers the same opportunity—I strive to understand how our designs and products can support our customers and best be integrated into their lives in a way that is conducive to their existing lifestyles.

2. What attracted you to get involved with UXRS?
I find the goal of UXRS to “make topics both approachable and actionable” incredibly compelling. There are not enough UXR resources that show researchers how to make our work digestible for the people we impact. For me, this is an opportunity to support a community of enthusiastic and like-minded individuals, interested in applying research to our daily work and, ultimately, democratizing the study of research. 

3. What was your favorite thing about UXRS and why?
The UXRS events! Recently, I attended “Challenging UX Research Norms” with Meena Kothandaraman and later referenced her work to better integrate research at my organization. And I could download the presentation and transcripts and watch the re-watch presentation videos to learn and absorb at my own pace, without worrying about a paywall. It’s also a nice coincidence that UXRS was started in Texas—my home state! :)
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4. What would you like to see in UXRS's future?
As a researcher who started as the sole researcher of my organization, I hope to support a community of research teams of one/first-researchers! I have been lucky enough to learn from others in this position and would love to see a group that supports the development of research within a larger organization.