Nelle Steele
Anthropologist and User Experience Researcher for product and service development
- Role
- Founder and Principal at Nelle Steele Research, Llc
- Location
- Seattle, WA, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Nelle Steele
I turn deep customer insight into strategic product decisions—and I\'m currently experimenting with AI for qualitative analysis (Claude Code, NotebookLM, and other emerging tools are showing promise): Design and lead research programs that align cross-functional teams, inform product strategy, and deliver actionable insights. I specialize in early-stage innovation and complex problem spaces where understanding humans deeply makes the difference: 11 years of mixed methods research with Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, FujiFilm Sonosite, and others—including:· AI devices (consumer/SMB research for Phase 0 products)· Wearables (scaling qualitative and quantitative methods to understand pain points)· Coaching (guiding innovation team to develop visual frameworks for customer storytelling)· Drone delivery (ethnographic studies for service development)· Medical devices (multi-country research shaping ultrasound\'s future)· Voice of Customer programs (helping startups scale customer understanding): 14 years in UX research at Microsoft + anthropology training that helps me see patterns others miss :\"Valuable insights.laser focus on goals.significant impact\"|\"Instant impact\"|\"Like playing—we brought the best out of one another\"Eternally curious. Motivated by learning, action, and empowering teams.Let\'s talk! nsteeleresearch at gmail dot com
Experience
Founder and Principal
Sep 2014 — Present · Seattle, WA, US
Driving product innovation through exploratory mixed methods research—ethnographic, evaluative, and survey work that shapes product development, concept creation, and strategy.AI experimentation (2024–present): Actively testing AI-assisted qualitative analysis tools for anthropological research, both independently and on client projects. Early results show real promise for scaling insight generation while maintaining analytical rigor.[See experiments: nsteeleresearch.com/experiments]My approach: Connect business goals and technical possibilities to human needs through research that uncovers opportunities, refines design ideas, and creates user experiences that delight users, and actually work.My Clients: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, First Street, Providence Health, Meta, FujiFilm SonoSite, among othersLearn more:
Education
Brown University
BA, Cultural Anthropology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
MA, Cultural Anthropology, MA, Industrial Relations
Skills
- User-Centered Design
- Prototype
- Collaboration Tools
- Enterprise
- Kenya
- Observation
- Concept Testing
- Card Sorting
- Agile User Experience
- Mobile Devices
- Decision Support
- Microblogging
- Diary Studies
- International Research
- Data Visualization
- Productivity
- Brazil
- Project Management
- Storyboarding
- Korea
- Surveys
- Prototype Testing
- Cognitive Walkthroughs
- Interviewing
- Scenario Creation
- Interviews
- User Experience Research
- Millennial Generation
- Baby Boomers
- Information Workers
- Visual Storytelling
- Finland
- Team Building
- Affinity Diagramming
- Ethnography
- Social Networking
- Small Business
- Qualitative Research
- India
- Usability Testing
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