Jennifer O'Connor

Hello! I am a veteran research and strategy consultant with 30 years of experience (20+ years in UX research alone) transforming voice of customer insights. I have enjoyed officially and unofficially mentoring many over the years, including helping individuals obtain new skillsets as well as successfully moving to UX research careers. I am told my communication skills, relationship building and strategic mindset are key differentiators in the way I approach my consulting practice and deliver value to my colleagues and clients.

As my career began in marketing communications, I started using market research to understand my audience needs and ways to improve programs to meet those needs. I then became involved in UX research with the popularization of the Internet in the ‘90s, including joining a team that developed BestBuy.com. Since then, I have aided the development of countless websites, mobile sites, apps, tools, products and other assets.

I leverage a variety of formative discovery-based techniques to guide project development depending on the need (such as stakeholder research, contextual inquiry / ethnography, heuristic evaluation, competitive assessment, diary studies, persona development, journey mapping, etc.). And evaluative techniques, including extensive usability testing (wireframe / concept / prototype, live site and/or app, mixed method, multi-platform, accessibility-specific, moderated in-person or remote, unmoderated, etc.)

I am a Certified Usability Analyst (CUA) through Human Factors International (HFI), and my Master of Business Communication thesis through the University of St. Thomas, MN was focused on website user experience. I am a long-term member of numerous professional associations such as User Experience Professional Association (UXPA) Minnesota, Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association and the nationally-based Insights Association. I have held management positions at leading companies, such as Best Buy, Medtronic and Ceridian, as well as various interactive agencies before focusing on consulting. I look forward to working with you!