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Hello! I'm Daniel
I am a Human Factors/ UX professional that specializes in de-risking complex, high-stakes software and hardware ecosystems by bridging human factors rigor with enterprise product strategy.
Currently a Lead User Experience Researcher at Google, I hold a Master’s degree in Human Factors from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Across eight years of leadership spanning enterprise technology, autonomous systems, agricultural machinery, and high-volume e-commerce, I have established continuous research pipelines, built quantitative launch gates, and driven multi-million-dollar product strategies.
INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
RESEARCH FOR GOOGLE'S HR SUITE OF TOOLS
Led quantitative and qualitative research initiatives supporting Google’s global GRAD program rollout and internal manager hiring platforms. Serving an enterprise user base of over 100,000 Googlers, I established continuous sentiment tracking pipelines (HaTS) and rapid 72-hour feedback loops. My work translated complex behavioral data into prioritized engineering backlogs, de-risking high-visibility software rollouts and aligning executive, product, and engineering stakeholders around empirical user feedback.
RESEARCH FOR THE HOME DEPOT'S ONLINE UX TEAM
Drove strategic UX research initiatives across 3 core digital product streams on HomeDepot.com, serving millions of weekly Consumer (DIY) and Professional (Pro) visitors. My work focused on identifying cart and checkout friction deadlocks, elevating cross-functional research rigor, and translating qualitative behavioral data into actionable product roadmaps that accelerated feature development and de-risked major web/mobile deployments.
The Home Depot
Intel
RESEARCH FOR INTEL'S HACKATHON WINNERSSpearheaded a targeted three-month research incubation program for eight winning finalist teams from Intel’s enterprise hackathon. To accelerate concept validation across eight concurrent, high-velocity initiatives, I instituted a hybrid leadership strategy, directing complex evaluative studies while establishing usability testing frameworks to train non-researchers on moderation best practices. This work de-risked market entry for early-stage technical prototypes and accelerated their transition into viable product roadmaps.
Cox Automotive
RESEARCH FOR COX'S DEALER AUCTION EXPERIENCE TEAM
Led a nationwide qualitative research initiative to evaluate operational workflow shifts across dealer auction sites following the 2020 pandemic disruption. By conducting in-depth contextual research, I synthesized complex field operations into an enterprise journey map highlighting emerging dealer behaviors, operational friction points, and digital adoption gaps. This strategic blueprint enabled product and executive leadership to optimize wholesale logistics, modernize dealer platforms, and streamline transaction workflows across more than 100 auction locations nationwide.
Corteva Agri-Science
RESEARCH FOR CORTEVA'S NEW AND IMPROVED HELP DESK EXPERIENCE
Spearheaded UX maturity and research governance initiatives for a global IT organization deploying an AI-powered conversational support platform and modernized enterprise support portal. Serving thousands of internal employees globally, I established the product team's first repeatable research pipeline, moving the team from zero percent research integration to a data-backed product roadmap. By embedding user feedback loops into agile sprint cycles, I enabled engineering leadership to validate AI model responses, reduce ticket resolution friction, and de-risk major software rollouts prior to production release.
The Home Depot
RESEARCH FOR JOHN DEERE'S INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS GROUP
Directed strategic human factors research across embedded machinery displays, B2B dealer portals, and customer-facing digital ecosystems. Applying advanced Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) principles to complex mechanical and software engineering challenges, I designed longitudinal research frameworks to audit dealer workflows, tracking micro-interactions like window changes and task switches using SPSS statistical analysis. By establishing objective System Usability Scale (SUS) launch gates, I protected dealer productivity and de-risked critical equipment setup workflows for farmers nationwide.
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
Graduate Researcher Assistant
RESEARCH IN USER EXPERIENCE (RUX) LAB
Usability evaluation for academic mobile and desktop-based websites. Use of a think aloud protocol for a web site evaluated by representative users. Usability studies through facilitating, note taking, and logging with software that could record and remotely observe user interactions
Graduate Research Moderator
RESEARCH ENGINEERING AND APPLIED COLLABORATIONS IN HEALTHCARE (REACH) LAB
Active researcher primarily involved healthcare teamwork and
telecommunication. Conducted thorough literature reviews on topics such as teamwork, errors, and decision making in medicine. Involved in the data collection and analysis of studies understanding team based communication and how different levels of telecommunication can affect team performance.
Graduate Research Lead
PILOT PERFORMANCE LAB
Led multiple teams of bachelors, masters, and doctoral researchers to coordinate research logistics and develop research outcomes.
Tailored our research approach to the constraints of our hardware
while still prioritizing data collection. Acquired experience recruiting participants, collecting data, and analyzing data using a variety of powerful statistical tools. Managed independent projects and collaborated with team members to tackle large projects
Graduate Researcher Assistant
GAMING-BASED EDUCATION AND ADVANCED RESEARCH STUDIES (GEARS) LAB
Gained proficiency utilizing video gaming systems and programs to host simulation-based research related to training development for both casual video game experience as well as military level training. Involved in the development of study design and led participants through research simulations. Adapted to the limiting space provided for research requiring the negotiation and collaboration between multiple research groups.
EDUCATION
2016-2018
Master's Degree (MS)
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY
Human Factors - GPA 3.89
Graduating May 2018
2012-2016
Bachelor's Degree (BS)
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY
Human Factors in Psychology
Graduated May 2016
TOOLS
SKILLS
Survey Creation
Research Design
Heuristic Evaluation
Literature Review
Remote Usability Testing
Card Sorting
Story boarding
Wire Framing
Moderating Interviews
Task Analysis (CTA/HTA)
FAVORITE ACADEMIC PROJECTS
HF Dept. Website Evaluation
Evaluated the usability of the Human Factors Department website for both desktop and mobile versions. Identify the areas that are successful and those that need improvement. Provided suggestions to improve the usability of the website
Current Students
Vs.
Prospective Students
Desktop
Vs
Mobile
Chart Types effect on Performance
The purpose of the present study was to compare the pilot’s response time to a stimulus using an electronic flight bag or paper charts. The results of the study indicate a significant increase in the participants’ response time when required to use paper charts instead of the iPad ®. Furthermore, pilots did not speed up their information processing times even after 15 trials with paper charts, indicating that it might take more practice to get back to proficiency with paper charts.
Tutorials Impact on Game Experience
Enjoyment and satisfaction are crucial to continued play and interest in video games. We conducted a laboratory-controlled experiment using Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to test the relationship between the tutorial and enjoyment of the game. Our evidence indicates there is a relationship for tutorials on knowledge and performance, but no impact on motivation, enjoyment, or satisfaction in an open-world role-playing game. Results were analyzed with a MANOVA, and the relationships were found using two different measures of enjoyment
Paper Charts
ForeFlight
Vs.
No Training Given
Enjoyment
Tutorial Given
