Amy is a mixed-methods UX researcher who makes websites and apps easier to use for diverse communities, including people with disabilities.

IBM Client Engineering

Mural discovery workshops with CVS Health and MCNA, IBM SaaS Console notification redesign, and an MVP resource guide for future designer interns — interdisciplinary Client Engineering work.

Same-day Pickup Experience User Testing

Moderated usability testing with eight participants on nordstromrack.com same-day pickup — task scenarios covered filtering accuracy, multi-store checkout, and pre-checkout pickup logistics, surfacing fulfillment and filter pain points.

Same-day Pickup Experience Recommendations

Stakeholder presentation deck translating pickup usability findings into recommendations for filtering accuracy, fulfillment clarity, multi-store checkout, and pickup logistics on nordstromrack.com.

In-person Shopping Experiences Survey

Independent survey in collaboration with Nordstrom Rack — seven respondents on in-person shopping and personal style discovery for shoppers unsure of their style, covering store experiences, challenges, and tools used.

In-person Shopping Experiences User Interviews (in progress)

Interviews in progress with survey respondents and other participants — semi-structured sessions on in-person shopping habits, style-discovery pain points, and whether tools or services help shoppers find their personal style.

Course Registration Research Plan and Survey

Research plan and survey on course registration for students with unmet expectations — 12 students reported openness to better planning tools, reliance on degree audits and official systems, and friction from time conflicts and course availability.

Assisted Driving Co-Design Research

Co-design research with a driver facing color weakness, astigmatism, and dry-eye vision loss — documenting dangerous situations with traffic signals, oncoming headlights, and anxiety about daily driving routines.

FashionXAI Research

Goal: understand pain points around purchasing clothing online when it comes to size and fit. Methods: Netnography.

Website Redesign Card Sorting

Two closed card sorts with 50 participants — Seattle regular riders and non-local non-riders — mapping how users categorize transit site content to inform Sound Transit's IA redesign.

Website Redesign Usability Testing

Six moderated usability sessions with Sound Transit riders on soundtransit.org — navigation buried too deep, label mismatches like Get to Know Us, and search used as a fallback when menus failed.

Website Redesign Stakeholder Interviews

Semi-structured interviews with Community Engagement, Technical SME, and Passenger Experience teams — surfacing internal perspectives on content ownership, navigation constraints, and schedule discoverability on soundtransit.org.

Website Redesign Research Report and Presentation

Capstone slide deck synthesizing GA4 analytics, card sorting, heuristic evaluation, usability testing, and stakeholder interviews into IA recommendations for Sound Transit's website redesign.

Website Redesign Research Presentation Video

Recording of the capstone stakeholder presentation — a video walkthrough of research findings and IA recommendations delivered to the Sound Transit digital web team.

AI in Healthcare Education User Interviews

Seven semi-structured interviews with healthcare students on generative AI in study routines — coding and thematic analysis surfaced how AI simplifies materials but traditional methods aid retention.

Dancers Survey (in progress)

This study aims to understand dancers' journeys — from when they started, to how their relationship with dance developed over time, to where it stands today. It focuses on what a typical dancer's journey looks like, how much these journeys vary, and the ups and downs along the way, if any.

It also explores what kinds of technological tools could support them along the way and if they are using any at the moment.

Blind and Low Vision User Interviews

Semi-structured interviews with 16 BLV participants on urban public art accessibility for Unseen City Canvases — prior art experiences plus design probes — submitted to ASSETS 2026.

Inclusive Design Lab Poster Presentation

Presented the Unseen City Canvases poster at HCDE Research Showcase and Create Community Day — summarizing BLV perspectives on urban public art accessibility for researchers and peers.

ARTennis

Wearable AR prototype utilizing real-time computer vision to enhance tennis ball visual saliency for low vision players — preliminary pilot evaluation published at UIST 2023.

Board Game Onboarding Survey

Survey of 45 board game players on how they learn rules, the challenges that slow onboarding — lengthy rules, lack of visual aids, difficulty understanding mechanics — and what support would help them get to the table faster.

Board Game Onboarding User Interviews

Semi-structured interviews with four board game players on learning rules in context — friends as teachers, rulebook IA pain points, and social pressure that slows onboarding.

Board Game Onboarding Fly on the Wall Observations

Fly-on-the-wall observation of three participants learning Hues and Cues without a pre-existing expert — watching rulebook friction, one person becoming the teacher, and play starting before rules were fully understood.

Board Game Onboarding Video & Showcase

Prototype demo video for RuleMate — an AR/VR board game onboarding concept showcasing visual rule guidance and interactive tutorials informed by the survey, interviews, and observations.

Amy has worked at Nordstrom Rack (improving the online pickup experience), IBM (leading discovery and empathy workshops), and Sound Transit (redesigning their website).

She is also a published researcher at UIST 2023 (AR/VR accessibility in sports) and currently working on AI accessibility in public spaces and art.

Beyond her main work, she builds communities from the ground up like the Cognitive Science Student Association (900+ members) and helps startups like SchedGo (AI scheduling tool) grow.

Outside of work, she dances, reads, and runs.

Thank you for visiting her page!

@cssaatucdavis

@wicsdavis

WiCS at UC Davis — Job Interviews Workshop promotional graphic

WiCS at UC Davis — Leetcode & Boba promotional graphic

WiCS at UC Davis — General Meeting #1 promotional graphic

WiCS at UC Davis — Board Applications promotional graphic

WiCS at UC Davis — Board Game Social promotional graphic

ASA x WiCS at UC Davis — Machine Learning Workshop promotional graphic

WiCS at UC Davis — Emotional Self-Defense Seminar promotional graphic

WiCS at UC Davis — Networking at Tech Conferences promotional graphic

@sachacks

@sched_go

Education: B.S. in Cognitive ScienceB.A. in UX DesignM.S. in Human-Centered Design & Engineering
Hard Skills: Design thinkingSurveyUsability TestingTree TestingUser InterviewsCard Sorting
Focus: AR/VRAIAppsWebsites
Soft skills: CommunicationEmpathy
Companies: IBMNordstrom RackSound Transit
Hobbies: MatchaOne PieceRunningReadingDancing