I'm a UX researcher currently at Microsoft working on developer experiences for the Azure cloud platform. I love collaborating with product teams, helping them connect with customers, and using the insights we uncover together to improve experiences.
Collaboration is key. In my experience, research is most impactful when those who will act on findings participate in the research process. I aim to make it easy for stakeholders to build empathy by connecting them directly with customers.
I have experience in formative and evaluative research methods across stages of the product lifecycle, with a focus on qualitative work. While the methods used depend on the goals and constraints of the project, I frequently employ the following: interviews, digital observational studies, usability studies (moderated and unmoderated, remote and in-person), surveys, concept testing, and diary studies.
For more information, work samples, and to discuss opportunities for collaboration, get in touch: irina.smoke@gmail.com.
Microsoft
UX Researcher II
Sept 2020 - Present
Drive data into decisions across the product lifecycle by leading formative and evaluative user research projects for Azure developer experiences.
Conduct qualitative research using methods such as interviews, observational studies, usability studies (moderated and unmoderated, remote and in-person), surveys, concept testing, and diary studies.
Collaborate closely with product management, design, and engineering stakeholders to create clarity around research questions, articulate hypotheses, design and run studies, analyze data, translate findings into actionable recommendations, and deliver them to a variety of audiences.
Mentor junior team members. Provide feedback on research methodology and working with stakeholders.
Coach interdisciplinary teams in customer-driven engineering workshops. Present talk on customer interviewing best practices at division-wide new hire orientation 3x per year.
UX Researcher I
Oct 2019 - Sept 2020
UX Researcher via Aquent LLC
Oct 2018 - Sept 2019
GE
User Experience Designer
Sept 2013 - Oct 2018
User Research: Integrated methods such as field visits, customer interviews, and usability tests into the design process for power utility applications. Advocated for, planned, and conducted research.
Interaction & Visual Design: Created sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and polished visual designs for web and desktop applications. Designed elegant solutions in a complex, technical domain.
User Experience Design Intern
Jun 2013 - Aug 2013
TripAdvisor
User Experience Design Intern
May 2012 - Aug 2012
Design user interface for personalized restaurant recommendation system, including user flows, wireframes, and visual design elements
Developed front-end interface components using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
University of Washington
M.S. Human Centered Design and Engineering
2020
Cornell University
B.A. Information Science
2013
Juan Pablo Carrascal, Kelly Krout, Jacob Freiberg, and Irina Smoke. 2019. Gamifying UX Research at Scale. In Extended Abstracts of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play Companion (CHI PLAY '19 Extended Abstracts). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1145/3341215.3354646
Sungsoo (Ray) Hong, Minhyang (Mia) Suh, Tae Soo Kim, Irina Smoke, Sangwha Sien, Janet Ng, Mark Zachry, and Juho Kim. 2019. Design for Collaborative Information-Seeking: Understanding User Challenges and Deploying Collaborative Dynamic Queries. Proceedings of the ACM on Human Computer Interaction. Volume 3, CSCW, Article 106 (November 2019), 24 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3359208