Lead UX Researcher · Denver Metro

Turning complex human behavior into clear product direction.

8+ years across healthcare, financial services, e-commerce, and enterprise consulting, with a clinical background that shapes how I listen, probe, and build trust with the people I study.

Mixed Methods Jobs-to-be-Done Stakeholder Alignment
Portrait of Stephen Dickens

About

I help product teams understand the "why" behind user behavior, and turn that understanding into decisions people actually act on. My research spans in-depth patient interviews, financial advisor workflows, and e-commerce navigation, and I started my UX career on the consulting side, advising B2B SaaS clients like WorldPay and UiPath on product strategy. The throughline across all of it is the same: uncover what's really happening, then tell that story in a way stakeholders can't ignore.

Before UX research, I trained as a clinical behavioral therapist. That background shows up constantly: in how I build psychological safety in an interview, read behavioral patterns across sessions, and stay grounded when a conversation gets emotionally complex.

Strengths

Strategic Planning

Aligning research initiatives to business objectives so every study earns its place on the roadmap.

Methodological Versatility

Qual, quant, or both: I pick the approach the question actually needs, from JTBD to large-scale surveys.

Stakeholder Collaboration

Building partnerships across design, product, and engineering so findings turn into shipped decisions.

Impact Measurement

Connecting research to business metrics (conversion, task completion, satisfaction) to prove the value.

Research Leadership

Mentoring researchers and designers, and building the operations that make research repeatable.

Featured Work

Financial Services · Usability Study

Bridging Knowledge Gaps: Schwab's Learn Section

70% missed the primary CTA
Healthcare · Usability Study

Setting Up Auto Refill: Humana | CenterWell

88% positive reception
E-commerce · Field Research

Curbside + In-Store Pickup: Bass Pro | Cabela's

6 retailers benchmarked
Healthcare · Survey Design

Listening at Scale: Sitewide Provider Survey

~20,000 responses
B2B SaaS · Competitive Usability Study

Benchmarking a Developer Experience Against the Competition

100% task completion