Researcher | Marketer | Brand Strategist

About


Former competitive figure skater turned researcher and strategist born and bred in the Chicago burbs. I have a passion for design, understanding user behavior, and bringing impactful product experiences to life.


Me, Switzerland, and the snow

Me, Switzerland, and the snow

About me

After starting my career as a graphic designer, I found myself becom­ing frus­trated with the lim­i­ta­tions of the work. Good design is much more than making something pretty; it has the poten­tial to improve lives and make a positive impact on the world around us. My pas­sion lies in under­stand­ing what users truly need and apply­ing a designer’s men­tal­ity to cre­ate solu­tions that meet those needs. This is what moti­vated me to push beyond graphic design to research and strategy.

Today, you can find me working with a diverse group of designers, developers, data scientists, and business folks designing software solutions to help address complex technology challenges.

My other interests include rock climbing, yoga, skiing, cooking, and collecting classic vinyls. I enjoy traveling the world in search of my next best meal. So far, my favorite trip was a 2-week food and adventure excursion across Japan with my family.

A few of personal goals for this year are to improve my wheel pottery skills, speak more German, and spend more time climbing than falling.


My Process

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Core Competencies

User Research: Conducting qualitative and quantitative research studies including interviews, unmoderated and moderated usability testing, surveys, card sorting, diary, heuristics, concept evaluation,  ethnography, heuristic evaluation, literature review, co-design, and focus groups.

User Journey Mapping: Creating user journey maps to visualize user interactions with products and identify pain points.

UX Strategy & Roadmapping: Defining and implementing UX strategies aligned with business goals and user needs

Prototyping & Wireframing: Creating low-high fidelity prototypes and wireframes to visualize and communicate design ideas.

Product Management Owning product backlogs, prioritizing tasks, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver successful products.

Project Management: Effectively managing project timelines, resources, and budgets, ensuring seamless project execution and achievement of project goals.


My Tools

Jira, Asana, Figma, Sketch, Miro, Adobe CC, Qualtrics UserZoom, Optimal Workshop, UserTesting, DScout

Additional Skills

Team leadership and mentoring, Data analysis and visualization, Business understanding, Stakeholder alignment, Workshops, Agile methods, Presentations, UX and visual design principles.


What others have to say about me...

 
Landen’s artistic skill set along with her passion for understanding consumer needs and wants translates into simultaneously insightful and beautiful work product.
— Riley West, Events Marketing Professional
One of Landen’s greatest strengths is her ability to get people to work well together.
— David Sheffield, Data Scientist at Intel
Landen’s ability to translate the consumer narrative into clear and compelling visualizations allows everyone to get on the same page, quickly. She distills insights down to their core with a clean, graphic approach.
— Nicole Goad, Director of Audience Intelligence at People Pattern