Kristin Romero, MDes
Lead UX Researcher & Design Strategist
βοΈ 6+ years of experience combining a unique blend of agile research, design creativity, and strategic pragmatism to drive human-centered impact βοΈ
Specializing in
𧩠complex, end-to-end generative research
π± taking products from 0-to-1 with confidence
π€ agile, cross-functional collaboration
π human-centered design for positive impact
Experienced in
β’ agency and in-house research & strategy
β’ evaluative research studies
β’ B2B, B2C, & enterprise software environments
β’ digital, physical, & experiential product R&D
β’ financial, civic, geospatial, healthcare, & e-commerce tech
β’ designing for environmental & social impact
β’ research project management
β’ building research processes
β’ workshop facilitation
β’ mentorship
TESTIMONIALS FROM RECENT COLLEAGUES
Kat Brown
Lead Design Strategist, NAX
"For anyone looking to bring a whip-smart, tenacious, and curious person on to their product team, I cannot reccomend Kristin enough."
Stephanie Reaves
Product Manager, NAX
βBeyond her core research responsibilities, Kristin was always willing to support the product work stream comprehensively, even stepping into traditional product manager roles when needed. Her versatility and dedication were instrumental to our success.
I highly recommend Kristin for any role where strategic insight and meticulous execution are valued.β
Michael Theuringer
Head of Product, NAX
"Kristin's expertise extends beyond traditional research domains. She has a keen understanding of systems design and human incentive structures. This holistic perspective allows her to develop strategies that go way beyond addressing surface-level issues but create real and lasting impacts by reshaping underlying dynamics.
Believe me, you'd want her to think about your toughest problems. I know I do."
Katie Crawford
Head of Design, NAX
"Having had the pleasure of managing Kristin directly for about a year, I can confidently say she's truly remarkable. Even with limited resources, she finds solutions and lays out their impacts with precision. Her insights are invaluable, guiding our teams toward success.
Kristin's collaborative nature and commitment to excellence make her an invaluable member of any team lucky enough to have her."Sam Christian
Lead Product Designer, NAX
"Kristinβs refreshingly meticulous style, along with the way in which she pays close attention to detail in how research is gathered, how interviews are conducted, and how requirements are translated, is considerably remarkable.
This has been one of the most semantically organized, efficient and consistent experiences Iβve had in my entire design career."
WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORK WITH ME
π Leadership Qualities
π Leadership Qualities
π Leadership Qualities
π Leadership Qualities
βοΈ Tools
βοΈ Tools
βοΈ Tools
βοΈ Tools
βοΈ Skills
βοΈ Skills
βοΈ Skills
βοΈ Skills
MY EXPERIENCE
CASE STUDIES
RESEARCH & STRATEGY
Helping coffee traders and farmers respond to impending deforestation regulation
π©βπ» Lead UX Researcher, Lead Design Strategist, and Project Lead
Problem: Coffee traders faced challenges in complying with new legislation that threatened fines amounting to 8% of their total global revenue.
They needed a solution to incentivize farmers in their supply chains to move away from deforestation as a method for maintaining crop yields.
New Feature Set Development
Enterprise Software
Environmental and Social Impact
Geospatial Insights and Insurance E-commerce
Remote
RESEARCH & STRATEGY
Improving the in-office experience for clinician users of an epilepsy treatment and monitoring software
π©βπ» UX Researcher and Design Strategist
Problem: Clinicians were increasingly dissatisfied with the time required to find, analyze, and adjust data on the Clinician App during appointments.
Usability Testing
B2B
Healthcare/MedTech
Remote/In-Person Research and Testing
RESEARCH
Uncovering key pain points of target users for a new, art-backed financial lending product
π©βπ» Lead UX Researcher
Problem: A new financial lending concept needed to understand the needs and pain points of their target users before moving forward with development.
MVP Validation
B2C
Fintech
In-Person Research
RESEARCH
Gauging how effectively a new e-commerce platform for sustainable construction materials solves the problems of procurement managers
π©βπ» Lead UX Researcher
Problem: An early-stage e-commerce venture lacked the understanding of problem-solution fit necessary to move forward with development.
Problem-Solution Fit Testing
B2B
E-commerce
Remote Research
RESEARCH AND STRATEGY Enabling civil engineers to manage water-related projects more efficiently
RESEARCH AND STRATEGY Enabling civil engineers to manage water-related projects more efficiently
RESEARCH AND STRATEGY Enabling civil engineers to manage water-related projects more efficiently
π©βπ» Lead UX Researcher, Lead Design Strategist, and Project Lead
Problem: Civil engineers struggled to stay organized, efficient, and streamlined during water-related projects.
New Feature Development
Enterprise Software
Environmental Impact
Γivic Tech
Remote Research
GRADUATE WORK
Samples of work produced during my graduate studies
π©βπ» UX Researcher and Design Strategist
Trauma-Informed Design
Social Impact
Design Ethics
RESEARCH & STRATEGY
Helping coffee traders and farmers respond to impending deforestation regulation
π©βπ» Lead UX Researcher, Lead Design Strategist, and Project Lead
Problem: Coffee traders faced challenges in complying with new legislation that threatened fines amounting to 8% of their total global revenue.
They needed a solution to incentivize farmers in their supply chains to move away from deforestation as a method for maintaining crop yields.
New Feature Set Development
Enterprise Software
Environmental and Social Impact
Geospatial Insights and Insurance E-Commerce
Remote Research
RESEARCH & STRATEGY
Improving the in-office experience for clinician users of an epilepsy treatment and monitoring software
π©βπ» UX Researcher and Design Strategist
Problem: Clinician dissatisfaction with the time required to find, analyze, and adjust data on the Clinician App during appointments.
Usability Testing
B2B
Healthcare/MedTech
Remote/In-Person Research and Testing
RESEARCH
Uncovering key pain points of target users for a new, art-backed financial lending product
π©βπ» Lead UX Researcher
Problem: A new financial lending concept needed to understand the needs and pain points of their target users before moving forward with development.
MVP Validation
B2C
Fintech
In-Person Research
RESEARCH
Gauging how effectively a new e-commerce platform for sustainable construction materials solves the problems of procurement managers
π©βπ» Lead UX Researcher
Problem: An early-stage e-commerce venture lacked the understanding of problem-solution fit necessary to move forward with development.
Problem-Solution Fit Testing
B2B
E-Commerce
Remote Research
RESEARCH AND STRATEGY Enabling civil engineers to manage water-related projects more efficiently
π©βπ» Lead UX Researcher, Lead Design Strategist, and Project Lead
Problem: Civil engineers struggled to stay organized, efficient, and streamlined during water-related projects.
New Feature Development
Enterprise Software
Environmental Impact
Γivic Tech
Remote Research
GRADUATE WORK
Samples of work produced during my graduate studies
π©βπ» UX Researcher and Design Strategist
Trauma-Informed Design
Social Impact
Design Ethics