Erika Spoden

About Erika Spoden

I am a classically-trained UX researcher with 10+ years of experience finding strategic answers to tricky questions. I advocate for users; define best design-thinking practices for teams; and streamline qualitative and quantitative data into actionable solutions for stakeholders. I\'m a consummate storyteller with a good eye for finding the compelling threads in user feedback and spinning them into a transformative narrative. I’m passionate about the human experience. This makes me a talented interviewer, able to ask the questions that get to the heart of research problems, and then present the insights of others in a way that encourages positive change. I can take a single quotation and build a meaningful project out of what it reveals. I have awareness and insight when it comes to seeing all the angles and facts and crafting them into narratives. I have been a deliberate and observer-prone anthropologist throughout my professional lives as a content strategist, professor, and even postal worker. I’ve had a diverse professional history in part because I never want to stop learning and excelling at cultivating new expertise. I enjoy being both the voice for reason and the catalyst for change in team environments. I love being the one who brings what I’ve learned to the table, whether it’s how to reach new customers, how to redesign a product with users in mind, or how to make fluffier challah.My favorite research explorations include-My interdisciplinary M.A. thesis on WWI trench poetry-My work to reach more parents on behalf of Encompass-My involvement with the Kitsap Humane Society as a volunteer website re-designer-My continuing contributions as a guest on the FilmWonk podcast Few things drive me more than getting to the heart of a problem and then being able to solve it, one human connection at a time.

Experience

1. Lead Ux Researcher

   Quillbot

   Nov 2023 — Present

   As a Lead UXR, I\'m responsible for directing user research across the QuillBot web app as well as the QuillBot Extension. I work with teams to provide insight into their questions about QuillBot users; design research projects to test and explore concepts; and most importantly, I connect with QuillBot users to know how we can better let their writing shine.

Education

• University of Iowa

  B.A., English, French

• New York University

  Master’s Degree, English Literature (British and Commonwealth); Gender Studies

Skills

• Books
• Teaching English as a Second Language
• Creative Writing
• Usability Testing
• Interviewing
• Public Speaking
• Intercultural Communication
• Literature
• Research
• User Experience
• Proofreading
• English
• Curriculum Development
• Curriculum Design
• User Research
• Teaching
• Tutoring
• Editing
• Customer Service
• Interaction Design
• Writing
• Microsoft Office
• Classroom
• Publications
• French
• Usability