Meet the Team

Having worked with thousands of people in her career, including both clients and participants, Trinh has developed a passion for employing innovative methods to improve products and services and with a goal of helping users and companies be more successful and productive. She feels incredibly fortunate that she gets to help form and create experiences that will pleasantly surprise and delight people. Trinh, originally from Vietnam, holds a Master’s Degree in Behavioral Psychology from Bastyr University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Idaho.

On the personal side, Trinh is married and has two boys. She enjoys playing sports and participating in outdoor activities. She is also the co-founder of Smartie Pants, a nonprofit organization that supports local women’s charities.

A native of Manchester, England, Justin studied industrial design and technology and holds a MSc (Master of Science) in Ergonomics from Loughborough University. “I define the company’s strategy and engage with clients, but more than that I’m passionate about new technology and how particular trends affect the experience of all different types of users,” Justin says. A martial arts enthusiast, Justin holds a fourth­ degree black belt in Shotokan Karate.

Hailing from Britain originally, Andy completed an MSc (Master of Science) degree in Ergonomics and Human Computer Interaction at University College London before moving to the US in 2002. “As well as designing and running research studies for our many clients, I like to innovate new testing methods that help us answer customers’ research questions more effectively,” Andy says. “I love findings solutions to problems!”

Andy is a self­-described “petrol head” who has raced motorcycles and cars, although his main interest now is watching his three kids grow up.

Tom has been working in UX for over 30 years. It's something that he cares deeply about and is what drew him working at URI. He loves working with other researchers and sharing his experience to help others grow in the field. There are few things more satisfying than gaining business insights based on understanding customers. You are likely to find Tom with a (good) cup of coffee in his hand.

Ken is a Washington State native born and raised in Tacoma. He is an army veteran serving 10yrs in the military. Ken enjoys all things outdoors but his primary past time is fishing. In the winters he enjoys snowboarding and traveling to warm climates. Ken feels that being on the Recruiting team at URI is awesome because they are the point person between a bad, good, or great research project. It's the best feeling when a Researcher let's us know that the people we recruited for them were the exact right fit and gave them the intel they need to make their key business decision(s)!

Hailing from Arizona, Brooke earned a degree in Business Management from Arizona State University.

Brooke enjoys maintaining client and vendor relations and performing a variety of tasks at URI.

Brooke loves working in a busy office environment where multi-tasking and prioritizing is a must.

Brooke loves food, beer, and the outdoors - sometimes all at the same time!

Allison grew up in Morgan Hill, California. She received a degree in Psychology from UCLA and a Master of Science in Human Centered Design and Engineering from the University of Washington.

“I love being a researcher because it allows developers, designers, and other contributors to make informed decisions about their product,” Allison says. “UX research reveals the actions, thoughts, and needs of the user which in turn guide the product team to create something that best supports the goals of the user.”

When she’s not working, you might find her reading fantasy and sci-fi books or hanging out with her Standard Poodle Luna.

After majoring in psychology at California State University, Northridge, Margaret came to Seattle to pursue her Master’s degree in Human Centered Design and Engineering from the University of Washington.

Margaret is passionate about accessibility and community-building, and she believes that UX has the capacity to improve every aspect of our lives, from the computer software we use at work, to the websites that we browse for entertainment, to the mobile apps that we use on a daily basis. When she’s not working, you might find Margaret running, hiking, reading, or spending time with her husband and dog.

Ryan was born and raised in Seattle Washington and has always called it home. A year after getting his Psychology degree at the University of Washington, he went back to get his Master's in Human-Centered Design & Engineering after being inspired, or frustrated, by how difficult some of the tools and websites he uses have become.

In his free time, you can find Ryan eating ice cream, exploring new places to eat around the city, or playing his favorite video game, Dota 2. When he decides he wants to be a little more active you can catch Ryan biking around Seattle or playing basketball at his local park.

Jennifer is originally from New York state, where she completed a Bachelor’s degree in English at Cornell University in her hometown of Ithaca. She also attended the University of Washington, where she earned a Master’s in Library Science and Certificate in User Centered Design.

She moved into the UX industry after working for twenty years in the field of library and information science, including ten years with the Microsoft corporate library. She loves UX research because “it’s enormously gratifying to be able to make the connection between products and the people who use them.”

When not at work, Jennifer loves to spend time hiking, traveling and attending local arts events.

Andrew loves working with open source technologies and building tools that make a developer's life easier. When he's not working on code, you can find Andrew trying to keep up with his two active girls biking and hiking the Northwest and shuttling them to swimming and running events. At URI, Andrew uses his experience as a developer to help meet the increasing demand for usability studies involving cloud services, DevOps, and developer tools.

Pierre was born in Montreal, Canada and grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. He completed his undergraduate work with a B.A. in Psychology and double minors in English and Computer Science from Skidmore College in upstate New York. After moving to the West Coast in 2016, Pierre attained his M.S. in Human-Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington. Pierre works to support the voices of users in need so that their challenges are identified and remedied. In his spare time, Pierre is a gaming enthusiast who plays, collects, and designs tabletop games.

Kate Yen, User Research Assistant Kate grew up in Taiwan before moving to Seattle to complete her undergraduate degree at the University of Washington. Her academic research experience focuses on examining family’s interactions with technology. Kate strives to help users feel in control of the interactive systems they use and is especially interested in advocating for users with different cultural backgrounds. In her free time, you can find Kate cooking healthy meals, tasting different kinds of tea and playing the cello.

Kit was born in Washington DC and grew up in the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) area. He studied Psychology, Professional Writing, and Neuroscience at Miami University in Ohio. After finishing his undergraduate degree, Kit moved back to Washington DC and worked as an editor and science writer for the Association for Psychological Science. Then, he moved to Seattle to get his Masters in Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington and began working on design research. Kit is passionate about empathy in design and tackling complex environments with grounded research. In his free time, you can find Kit practicing martial arts, reading about psychology and the human condition, playing board games with friends, and snowboarding the mountains!

"Originally from Minneapolis, Megan studied French & Italian literature at the University of Minnesota. After a year of teaching English in the French West Indies, she pursued her master's in Journalism at New York University. Her curiosity about people and how they navigate the world brought her to UX. When she's not asking questions, Megan enjoys traveling, reading, and practicing yoga."

"Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Kennya is a former teacher with a background in psychology. After a few years in teaching, Kennya found herself with a desire to improve student engagement and traditional education through technology and discovered UX. She is currently working on her M.S. in Human-Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington. Transitioning into the UX field appealed to her because it embodies many elements of teaching and psychology, including empathy, a user-centric approach, and understanding the needs and motivation of others. In her spare time, Kennya enjoys playing video games, watching horror movies, spending time with her two cats (Zeus and Odin) and finding the best vegan foods in town with her husband."

Abbey studied the English language in college and then applied that to a technical career. She has worked in a variety of industries and loves to learn new ways of communicating around complex topics.

Originally from China, Lucas Hou completed a BA degree in Mass Communication at Humboldt State University, followed by an MA degree in Journalism at Emerson College, before earning a Ph.D. in Communication and Information Science from University of Alabama. His academic research focused primarily on user behavior and preference, such as information seeking, news gathering, and social media usage. Lucas is extremely passionate to apply his research abilities to make real-life contributions, in terms of enhancing user experience and product performance. On his free time, Lucas love to do exercise, play Xbox, and share quality time with his domestic longhair Nina.

Born in NYC, raised in the Greater Seattle area, Gunter loves being outdoors hiking, skiing, or climbing. His favorite part of being an analyst is being able to discern patterns and behaviors from digits, to understand people and make an impact in their lives.

Jonathan is from McMinnville, Oregon, and went to school at Oregon State University for computer science, although he remembers his time at the Oregon State University Open Source Lab much more fondly. Some of his hobbies include contributing to open source projects, playing (and sometimes making) video games, and setting up his own "home lab" made up of an assortment of older and used computers. In his job he likes that he can help improve cloud software that he is also using at home, and being able to learn a wide range technologies in the process.

Mike is a Pacific Northwest native who graduated from Western Washington University with degrees in Psychology (BA) and Experimental Psychology (MS). He enjoys board games and video games, watching/playing soccer, travelling, enjoying the outdoors, and generally taking it easy with friends and family. He likes puzzles and figuring out how things work, so being able to dive into the numbers and figure out the story behind how and why people do what they do is always interesting and one thing Mike loves about being at URI!

Allison is from Kansas originally but was drawn to the PNW by its vast outdoor beauty. She spends most of her free time sailing and fly fishing. Allison has a degree in Sociology and Anthropology from University of Puget Sound and has recently studies User Centered Design in UW's program. She was drawn to the UX Industry because it falls at the intersection of her interests in research, technology and psychology.

Angie is a Jersey girl and have been residing in the PNW since 2019. She went to school on an Indian reservation (Ramapo College). Some of her hobbies include cooking, painting, exploring new places, and is a huge fan of sports. Angie loves research because she loves making sense out of chaos and ambiguity.

Jonathon is a recent college graduate from Western Washington University with a degree in Communication Science and Disorders. He enjoys working with others to provide outstanding customer service! He was drawn to work at User Research International because the company provides a supportive environment to learn and thrive as a team! Outside of the workplace, he trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Elite BJJ of Redmond!

If he’s not at URI, one can often find him on the mats!

Sigal grew up in Israel. Before moving to the US, she was drafted to the IDF for a couple years as a sergeant in the Airforce. Sigal earned a degree in Art History and Glass from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She believes that there is always a place to grow and explore new opportunities in life and we should always look to learn more from others. She loves that, at URI, we’re continually making changes based on fantastic feedback from our participants.

She’s is currently studying coding languages. When she is not busy, Sigal enjoys exploring the beautiful outdoors of the Pacific Northwest and spending time with family and friends.

Kirstin joined URI in 2016 and enjoys helping match great participants with UX studies. She thinks UX is important as “it creates a more enjoyable and easy to understand experience for users of all types of technology.” Having graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a degree in Interior Design, Kirstin has also helped her team at URI by using her design skills to create business cards, newsletters and more!

If she’s not at Disneyland, you might find Kirstin creating jewelry, reading or travelling to other fun destinations.

Ceylla grew up in Issaquah, WA. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology where she learned the value of research. She was first exposed to the field of UX during her undergrad but has been more inspired to be involved in the field these past couple years! She strongly believes in the benefits of UX and the importance of user research in helping shape products that are truly catered to the consumers. When she’s not at work, Ceylla enjoys traveling, enjoying the beautiful scenery here in the Pacific Northwest, and most importantly being surrounded by great company and good food.

Chad is originally from Texas and studied Psychology at the University of Texas. Before joining URI, Chad worked as a research assistant in the UX industry. In his free time, he enjoys nature parks and exploring different parts of Seattle.

Christina graduated from the University of Washington Bothell with a B.A. in Interactive Media Design. Having a background in project management, she's had experience in the production of video games and software. Christina has a strong passion for tech, media, management, and user research. She especially loves working with a team and understands the importance it provides in the UX field. Outside of work at URI, she enjoys playing video games, reading, and spending time with her family and dog.

Tom was born in Tucson, Arizona and moved to the northwest to escape the heat. He made his way to URI because of the positive environment and people as well as wanting to make an impact on the products and services that millions of people use every day. In his spare time, he is often drawing, reading comics, or watching cartoons.

Kathryn is originally from Michigan but moved to Seattle with her boyfriend in 2015. She was drawn to URI because of the positive environment and has been interested in User Research for a while. In her spare time she likes to hike, take road trips, read books or comics, watch new shows, and hang out with her dog.

Kevin was born and raised in the Greater Seattle Area. He attended the University of Washington Bothell, graduating with a degree in Interactive Media Design. Kevin has a strong passion for technology, media, and design. Outside of work at URI, he enjoys playing basketball, collecting sneakers and doing photography.

Drew grew up in the greater Seattle area and attended Woodinville High School. After, he joined the U.S. Army and served four years in Savannah, Georgia. In his free time he likes to shoot, play video games, and take road trips.

Julie grew up in Kirkland, and recently graduated from American Public University System with a Bachelor's Degree in English. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing and traveling.

Dillon is originally from California, he graduated from Fresno State with a B.S. degree in Business Administration with an option in Computer Information Systems. Dillon joined URI to help contribute to the growth of the company, having a passion in business development, project coordination, project management, and technology. Working at URI gives him the opportunity to help contribute to the growth of business internally, while simultaneously helping clients improve their businesses externally, by improving their products through our research projects. On Dillon's free time, he likes to explore Seattle, attend Mariners games, and keep up with the latest technology.

Nick is a 2016 UW Interactive Media Design Alumnus. His favorite hobby is Photorealism drawing, and learning how to paint with oil. What intrigues Nick about working at URI is having the opportunity to help our clients recruit a diversity of potential participants to test out their prototypes.

Paramdeep grew up and currently lives in Everett, WA. He attended the University of Washington Bothell and graduated with a degree in Interactive Media Design. He was drawn to URI because of the inviting work culture and learning more about the world of user research. His hobbies include playing basketball and photography.

Aspen was born and raised in West Seattle. She graduated from Western Washington University with a BS in Psychology. Aspen really enjoys hiking, and reading/writing somewhere near the water in her free time.

Beth graduated from The Evergreen State college in 2019 with her BS/BA and has landed at URI because she loves data. Her hobbies include playing video games, watching sports, and swing dancing.

Brad is a Seattle area native that graduated from Bellevue College with a degree in Information Systems. He joined the URI team back in April of 2017 with a strong passion for technology, securities, and software development. Bringing users and developers together to create amazing products is one of the best parts of the job for Brad. UX Research is such a crucial part of the development cycle and he is excited to be in this space with a company that has such a fun office culture.

Outside of work, Brad is a huge sports fan that loves to get out golfing and fishing when he can. His passion for technology doesn’t stay at work as he is always keeping up on new technology and video games.

Spending most of her life on the Eastside, Emma considers herself a native Washingtonian. She has always had an interest in market research and psychology, studying marketing at Bellevue College. “I really enjoy meeting new people and love being able to interact with our research participants and clients,” Emma says. “As the first face people see when they come into our office, I have the opportunity to make sure that our participants have a very positive experience”.

In her spare time, Emma enjoys drawing, trying out new recipes in the kitchen and visiting the local stand-up comedy hotspots.

Emily grew up in nearby Woodinville, WA. She brings several years of customer service and data management experience to the team and finds joy in creating a wonderful customer experience. Emily majored in French and International Studies as an undergraduate and most recently earned her MBA from Seattle University. Outside of work she is an avid traveler, an enthusiastic home cook and loves going on adventures with her dogs!

Taylor was born and raised in Bellevue WA. He graduated with ATA degree in cyber security from Edmond's community college. In his free time he enjoys collecting comic books, playing video games, hanging out with friends and cheering for his favorite sports teams Seahawks, Portland Trailblazers and Seattle NHL Hockey.