Research Experience
humans, machinations, power, and privilege
I center my research process around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion frameworks.
Identity Research
I am currently a user researcher on the Identity team at Facebook where I lead research on the Contextual Views workstream. I work closely with cross-functional partners, and conduct research using usability tests, concept tests, dairy studies, 1:1 in-depth interviews, focus groups, ethnography, participatory design, among other methods. I have experience with various user segments in domestic and international markets.
You can access my research program portfolio here.
Mobile Dating Apps Research
This project started at intersection of race, gender, and technology and the fluid state of being constituted and being undone by one another. It is in this state of vulnerability that relationships are initiated, through technology that these relationships are shaped and facilitated, and within the constraints of social expectations that these interactions are able/allowed to occur. As life becomes more mediated and interactions more facilitated through technological means, focusing on relationships facilitated through dating apps is illustrative of the ways in which mobile technologies are changing the way we communicate with one another.
The mobile dating app study I conducted is an exploratory study which utilizes qualitative interviews to examine the intersection of mobile dating apps, race, gender, location (i.e. diaspora and transnationalism), and the creation of desirable selves. Twenty straight Asian men who use or have used mobile dating apps (specifically, but not limited to, Tinder) were asked about their experiences on mobile dating apps as well as their impression management strategies in creating effective dating profiles. Results suggest that, although the design of mobile dating apps creates many barriers for Asian men, Asian men utilize a number of strategies to create desirable selves to combat these barriers, though not without difficulty. These results are interpreted through the lens of (geo)location, race, and gender.
Expert Interviews and Gamification for Engagment
The goal of the this study was to discuss the affordances and constraints of gamifying mobile dating apps regarding designing, motivating and retaining engagement by prioritizing voices of those who were reported to have some of the most difficulties on mobile dating apps: Asian men. For this study, I laid out arguments against non-critical design choices for gamification strategies (i.e., arguments against manipulative and exploitative design). I conducted 10 in-depth interviews with individuals who worked in the game industry to have conversations on the gamified aspects of mobile dating apps. With their feedback, which included the ways in which current designs may have negative impact on self-esteem and/or decrease user engagement, I analyzed the drawbacks of mobile dating apps that prioritized usability at the expense of inclusivity. As a part of my discussion, I utilized participant suggestions for more inclusive design strategies, such as random encounter strategies and opportunities to win badges.