KIR K R OD GE R S
UX & Design Research
E: kirkus@gmail.com
C: 719.330.8405
Education
Wayne State University / MA
• Behavioral and cognitive neuroscience.
• PhD Candidate (ABD)
• Studied age and spatial navigation
Shipped
• Jedi: Fallen Order
• Apex Legends Seasons 2+
• Google Stadia
• Google Stadia Controller
• Google Project Stream
• Google Help
• Zoosk Online Dating (iOS & Android)
• Halo 4 & DLCs (Xbox)
• Halo: Spartan Assault (MS Surface)
• Kinect Sports: Rivals (Xbox)
• VEGA Conflict (iOS and Android)
Skills & Tools
• Communication with executives
• Research design & method selection
• Communicating actionable findings
• Consensus Building
• Mixed-methods approach
• Behavioral statistics
• Data visualization
Condense fact from the vapor of nuance; inform thoughtful design.
Experience
Electronic Arts / Advanced UX Researcher, 2019 - PRESENT
Led all research efforts for Respawn. Proposed and conducted a comprehensive research
schedule for Jedi: Fallen Order that measurably improved player metrics and contributed to a
successful game launch (82 Metacritic). Built and socialized a process for conducting research
on Apex Legends that enabled user feedback on extremely aggressive product timelines.
Drove research methods approach for EA UXR overall. Introduced a benchmark process to
help iterative research results in context against previous titles and competitors. Proposed
and socialized a framework for designing and assessing highly desirable cosmetics. Both of
these approaches have been taken up across multiple EA studios. Provided methods and
career mentorship for multiple junior resarchers.
Google Stadia / UX Mad Science, 2015 - 2019
Scoped, planned, and hired a team of scientists to conduct foundational perceptual research
informing the successful launch of Google’s game streaming experiment Project Stream &
Google Stadia. Research informed product viability, defined key metrics of product success,
and placement of large-scale technical infrastructure.
Led all human-facing (market, packaging, design, human factors, ux) research for the Google
Stadia Controller. Defined target specs for hardware components and informed design
principles for the product overall. With ID, persuaded Product to invest in multiple iterative
functional prototype and rapid evaluation rounds to validate and improve design concepts,
resulting in a comfortable & high-quality design.
Zoosk / User Research Lead, 2014-2015
Originated and built out a user research program at a mid-stage startup focusing on online
dating. Led both generative research to inform product direction and evaluative usability on
all Zoosk apps.
As buying users became more expensive, built and socialized a data-informed user segmenta-
tion to help a data-first company transition to a user-first philosophy, allowing for sustainable
profitability based on organic growth.
Additional UX Research Roles:
KIXEYE / UX Researcher, 2013-2014
Microsoft via RedTech / Contract UX Researcher, 2011-2013