Sean Tangco
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Mixed Method UX Researcher
&
Applied Ethnographer
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I excel at building relationships, empathizing with people's needs, and strengthening team morale.
As a trained applied anthropologist, I embed ethnographic methods into the research and analyses I conduct to triangulate the WHY behind human behaviors and attitudes.
Skills
User research
I'm effective at conducting end to end user ethnographic research projects, from managing stakeholders and research design to data collection and analysis as well as presenting actionable insights.
Analytics
I use various software tools to establish benchmarks for design evaluation as well as describing behavioral and attitudinal data sets.
User Testing
My UX testing skills range from diary studies and participatory design studies to concept testing and unmoderated A/B testing.
Story Telling
I facilitate the communication of research strategies and findings with individuals and large groups in both formal and informal settings.
Software
Qualtrics
UserTesting
Dscout
Excel
Airtable
Google Analytics
Figma
Optimal
SurveyMonkey
My select projects
Below are snapshots of my research process for select projects. Connect with me on LinkedIn for a full walkthrough of my case studies.
Goal:
Identify barriers to adoption and increase user awareness, understanding, and utilization.
Problem:
Low employee engagement and lack of perceived value for the productivity suite.
Responsibilities:
Lead research design, data collection and analysis, and developed recommendations.
Goal:
Identify high-value features to improve discoverability, usability, and user satisfaction.
Problem:
Underutilized features are confusing customers and occupying valuable UI space
Responsibilities:
Stakeholder management, research design, data collection and analysis, reporting
Goal:
Understand employee dissatisfaction with a knowledge discovery tool to improve usage.
Problem:
Declining Net Satisfaction Score and low user engagement with the tool.
Responsibilities:
Designed mixed-methods study, developed and presented actionable recommendations.
Investigating the Value Gap of Employee Experience Apps
Microsoft
Scope
Microsoft Viva, a suite of employee experience tools, was confusing employees who did not understand its value proposition.
My objective was to understand the barriers to adoption and develop strategies to increase awareness, understanding, and utilization.
Process
Affinity Diagramming: Analyzed survey data to identify initial themes related to employee perceptions of value.
In-Depth Remote Interviews: Recruited a diverse sample of employees to delve deeper into their experiences and perceptions.
Mixed Method Data Analysis: Combined quantitative and qualitative data to identify key themes and patterns.
Key Outcomes & Insights
Employees lacked awareness of Viva's purpose and full capabilities, perceiving the tools as irrelevant to their roles and experiencing usability and integration challenges.
Please reach out for a case study walkthrough for more key insights.
Lessons Learned
Tailored Communication: Value propositions that resonate with different user segments is crucial.
Addressing the Root Cause: This is key to developing impactful solutions that improve user satisfaction.
Early Stakeholder Alignment: Ensures research findings align with organizational goals.
Optimizing the Navigation and IA for B2B SaaS
Demandforce
Scope
The user interface suffered from underutilized features and reports signaling poor user understanding of these features.
My primary objective was to understand our users’ workflows and identify valuable features and meaningful terminology that aligned with their mental models.
Process
Analytics Deep-Dive: Using Google Analytics to benchmark user traffic (Image to the right)
Contextual Inquiry: Observed users at work to see behavioral patterns
Generative Card Sorting: Interviewed users to reveal language patterns
Evaluative Tree Testing: Tree tested and A/B tested two IA versions
Key Outcomes & Insights
The 12-tab navigation (top image) was changed to vertical design (bottom image) with 4 parent-level tabs and incorporated terminology in alignment with users’ mental models.
Please reach out for a case study walkthrough for more key insights.
Lessons Learned
Iterative Testing is Crucial: Leading to a refined and successful design solution
Mixed Methods Research is Powerful: Yielding a holistic understanding of the problem space
Stakeholder Collaboration Builds Momentum Quickly: Buy-in was established quickly and led to rapid implementation
Mixed-Method Study on a Knowledge Discovery Tool
Microsoft
Scope
Microsoft Viva Topics, a knowledge discovery tool, was experiencing a decline in employee satisfaction.
My objective was to uncover the root causes of this dissatisfaction and provide actionable recommendations to improve the user experience and drive adoption.
Process
Exploratory Analysis: Analyzed product telemetry data to identify pain points and usage patterns.
Remote Individual Interviews: Inquired about employee experiences and perceptions of the tool.
Diary Studies with Follow-Up Interviews: Explored deeper into real-world usage and challenges.
Mixed Method Data Analysis: Combined quantitative and qualitative data to identify key themes and patterns.
Key Outcomes & Insights
The tool could not gain user trust as it surfaced irrelevant and outdated knowledge recommendations. I recommended actions to enable more effective curation approaches.
Please reach out for a case study walkthrough for more key insights.
Lessons Learned
Early Validation of Research Methods: Adapting research plans based on initial findings is crucial for complex products.
Advocating for User-Centered Design: Consistent advocacy is essential with multiple stakeholders.
Build Cross-functional Stakeholder Relationships: ensures buy-in for research findings and facilitates implementation.
