About | Nancy

Get to know me!

UX Researcher with experience in enterprise SaaS and strategic consulting, most recently leading research at ServiceNow.

Previously studying Cognitive Science and Media Studies @ UC Berkeley, I look at complex technology through a human lens to connect user psychology with business strategy.

How I drive impact

I experiment with AI to speed up research and build my own tools, while always keeping humans at the center of my processes.

Collaboration is core to my practice. As a researcher, I always make sure to loop cross-functional stakeholders into the process early to capture constraints and build a shared vision.

I believe true impact requires triangulation. I've paired qualitative insights with quantitative data, and secondary research so every recommendation rests on evidence from more than one source.

I focus on delivering practical, business-aligned recommendations that engineering, design, and client teams can immediately execute.

What drives me is seeing research change what gets built. I value curiosity, candor, and follow-through, and I'm happiest when a user's story becomes the reason a team makes a better decision.

About Me

Nancy Nguyen

Based in SF Bay Area

🎓 Graduated from UC Berkeley

- BA in Cognitive Science

- BA in Media Studies

🎨 Certified in UX/UI Design @ DesignLab

How I would describe myself

My Toolkit

📍consultant-turned-UX researcher

Previously an analyst at ZC Consulting, I understand the importance of learning the business goals, team constraints, and connecting insights to real business outcomes.

Working with businesses like Sony Pictures Television to develop marketing strategies strategy has taught me to truly think like the client: what tradeoffs are they weighing, what's going to move the needle.

✨My Hobbies

What keeps me inspired

Music is a constant in my life, ranging from classical to techno. I’ve played the cello and piano for years, though I no longer perform. It’s a craft I’m incredibly proud of. When I need a screen break, I spend hours painting or playing online games with my family.

How I stay active

Depending on the season, you can usually find me at the climbing gym or up on the slopes. Lately, I’ve also been hitting the driving range and learning how to golf, a challenging new skill that’s definitely keeping me on my toes.

I bring the same deep focus to my hobbies that I do to my work, whether I’m analyzing usability test data, navigating a black diamond run, or trying to fix my golf swing.

My Research Process

Four stages I move through on almost every project

How I clarify with stakeholders

🎯 The essential first step: understanding what decisions the study needs to inform

Conducting stakeholder interviews — I prepare a discussion guide to uncover roles, objectives, needs, and KPIs, so I can connect insights to business outcomes, delivering meaningful and measurable impact
Digging past the ask — Stakeholders sometimes already have a solution in mind, and it's tempting go with it. But I've learned to pause and ask why first, so I actually understand the problem before jumping into research.

Building a roadmap — I prioritize what to study next by weighing impact vs. effort, team goals, and timing

How I socialize research

📣 Socializing isn't a one-time presentation. It's a continuous loop of communication.

Mapping stakeholders early — To make sure the right people get the right level of detail, I group teams into buckets (core team, executives, and adjacent teams) and tailor the messaging by what they need to know.
Scheduling a kick-off call— Before research starts, I align all stakeholders on goals, scope, and success criteria.

Establishing cadence — I share updates regularly and often invite teams to observe interview sessions, so stakeholders stay informed throughout the study and insights land while decisions are still in motion

How I connect the dots

🔎One source tells you what people say. A few together tell you what's actually true.

Triangulating data — I combine qualitative and quantitative data so no single source carries the whole story.
Looking for convergence — When two sources agree, it's not automatically proof, sometimes it's just because of how I asked (e.g., a leading question). So I check why they agree, not just that they do.
Trying to prove myself wrong — It's the difference between "I found a pattern" and "I found a pattern, tried to break it, and it held." Actively looking for contradictions means I walk into every readout more confident

How I enable activation

🚀A final deck isn't the finish line. It's the starting point.

Pairing findings with a clear next step — Whether that's a recommendation to act on or context to inform future decisions, I make sure stakeholders leave knowing what to do with what they just heard.
Scheduling a disposition meeting — After a readout, I bring PMs, designers, and engineers together for a workshop to align on what's accepted, deprioritized, or deferred, and what's feasible given the timeline
Documenting decisions — I keep a clear record of what was decided and who owns it so nothing gets lost