Paul Townsend

About Paul Townsend

Hello, I’m Paul Townsend! I am an insightful UX research and design leader, a skilled…

Experience

1. Lead Ux Researcher for Hbo Max

   Warner Bros. Discovery

   Oct 2023 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   As Lead UX Researcher, I drove strategy and execution of product research that strengthened HBO Max and WBD’s global streaming platforms, from scalable frameworks to innovative interactive features.My contribution: I strategized and led in-lab and remote studies using both qualitative and quantitative methods across an international audience. I built alignment across global research teams and vendors, and synthesized findings into actionable design and product recommendations. Impact: My research directly shaped feature roadmaps and interaction models across playback, discovery, growth and commerce which drove global rollouts.KEY PROJECTS- HBO Max Co-Viewing | Mixed Qualitative + Quantitative + AI Research- HBO Max Olympic Features | Product Innovation ResearchOTHER WBD PROJECTS- Every 4 to 6 weeks I immersed in new topics, built stakeholder relationships, and led research to evaluate product ideas using mixed methods. Topics included: Interactive sports, Olympic experience contextual inquiry, sentiment signaling, advertising and integrated shopping, subscription and onboarding innovation, watch-experience feature prioritization, and much more.

Education

• University of Michigan

  Master of Science (M.S.), Mechanical Engineering

  1992 — 1993

• University of Michigan

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Mechanical Engineering

  1989 — 1992

• University of Washington

  Master’s Degree, Human Centered Design & Engineering

  2014 — 2017

Skills

• Business Case Modelling
• User Interface Design
• Rapid Prototyping
• Corporate Strategy Formulation
• Business Analysis
• Vendor Management
• Research
• Software Project Management
• User-Centered Design
• User Interface Prototyping
• Project Portfolio Management
• Idea Generation / Brainstorm
• Process Improvement
• Card Sorting
• Program Management
• Surveying
• Affinity Diagramming
• Business Case Development
• Requirements Analysis
• Cross-Functional Coordination
• Semi-Structured Interviews
• Survey Research
• User Experience Testing
• Contextual Inquiry
• Strategic Visionary
• User Experience Design
• Negotiation
• Data Analysis
• Data Visualization
• Survey Design
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• User Experience
• Wireless
• Telecommunications
• Analysis
• Usability Testing
• User Research
• Paper Prototyping
• Team Leadership
• Structured Interviews