About Me: Principal UX Researcher


I am a passionate principal UX researcher with fifteen years of experience. Diligently democratizing user research, ethically employing AI, and energetically empowering teams with user-centric practices is my modus operandi. My expertise extends across a broad breadth of experiences. These include business analysis, founding a UX agency, and UX leadership at Tallwave, T-Mobile, Infosys, Ford, and Walmart. I have worked for clients in gaming, finance, and healthcare (among many other industries). As part of my pursuit of self-improvement, I am currently exploring applied mathematics through R. As I learn new things, I take care to share them with the team, leveraging my experience as a UX educator.
‍


Skills in Focus
‍

"Yan is a strong candidate for a UX Researcher role. He's very receptive to feedback and ensures that he has incorporated it to be stronger. His dual research and design experience makes him ideal to bridge the gap between the two practices."
- Megan Falzone, UX Researcher, Mentor, IBM

Contact me via:
‍

Me, Outside of Work
‍

  • Podcast host of Human-Centered AI (a labor of love) discussing new ways user researchers can use AI tools while observing AI ethics in the context of user research. Networks via the podcast with prestigious guest speakers.
    ‍
  • Fluent in English and Russian; conversational in Hindi; currently learning Farsi.
    ‍
  • Mentors junior to senior user researchers.
    ‍
  • Loves to read books in the genres of user research, science fiction, and fantasy.

  • Passionate about computer games, modding open-world games, and revisiting classic titles.
An sketched image created with midjourney of me standing in front of diagrams and stickies and holding a smart phone. I am wearing glasses, a short-sleeved blue polo shirt, and have a beard. It is a good likeness of me.
Illustrated version of me, presenting research


Applying AI to The Process


In my ongoing commitment to improvement, I have been pushing the boundaries of my user research work by adding methodologies from other areas:

LinkedinCELL: (347) 446 - 8226 Email: Yanvpersonal [at] gmail.com