contact allison

To email me, simply complete this form.

Perhaps you'd like to find out the password for a protected post, learn about my ongoing projects, or invite me for coffee to chat about whatever it is that designers chat about. 

In any case, I would love to hear from you. Talk soon!

 


San Francisco
USA

203-722-0580

Portfolio of Allison V. Leach, a San Francisco User Experience Researcher and Strategist

Home

a l l i s o n v l e a c h

UX Researcher + Strategist


 
 
 

I am a curiosity-driven User Researcher who specializes in mission-driven experience design.

My philosophy of human-centered design thinking is highly inspired by creatives at IDEO and frog design.

Over the past 11 years, my design research experience has covered web, desktop, mobile, and more. More about me...

 






 
 

TESTIMONIALS

I hired Allison to institute and grow a UX research function at Doctor On Demand when our design team was outsized by product and engineering during a crucial time of company growth.

After 2+ years of working together, through a company merger and plenty of staff and priority changes, she remains steadfast in her pursuit for the essence of good and inclusive user experience.

Not only have her research insights and organization of thought help improve many facets of our products, she also made an impact in operationalizing research so that it’s second nature for peers on the team to come up with a research plan and execute on it. We are so grateful for the groundwork that she laid for research operations.
— Ching Hsieh, Senior Staff Designer for Included Health
Allison is an exceptional UX researcher who showcases strong technical skills and a collaborative and empathetic working style.

I witnessed her build up a strong research ops practice, level up other’s research skills, and design and deliver research studies that were instrumental to the business and user experience.

What specifically stood out about Allison is her advocacy for accessibility and inclusion. She helped to bring best practices to test for accessibility to ensure teams were equipped.
— Pam Jue, Staff Designer for Included Health
Allison excelled at executing research, as well as democratizing research, at Included Health. Her mentorship was crucial in empowering designers on our team to get comfortable using our research tool to get the feedback needed to move their design process forward.

If you’re looking for someone who has the drive and experience to make research a valued asset to the design and product development process, Allison is a great pick.

Her ability to collaborate and execute, as well as mentor and teach allow her to drive impact throughout an organization.
— Tony Kennedy, UX Manager for Included Health
At Included Health Allison stood out as an exceptional professional, showcasing an extraordinary blend of technical research skills and innovative thinking.

Her expertise in UX research is not just about gathering insights; it’s about deeply understanding user needs and translating them into actionable strategies that drive product improvements and user satisfaction.

One of Allison’s most commendable achievements was her initiative to launch our company’s initial research democratization efforts. She didn’t just create a program; she built a cross-functional movement, bringing together diverse teams to integrate user research into every aspect of our product development process.

This effort not only enhanced our product’s user experience but also fostered a culture of empathy and user-centered thinking across the company.
— Mahad Bullo, Staff UX Researcher for Included Health
Allison is a very strong team player and has delivered valuable insight to the business on a number of occasions. I’ve attended her reviews of Fusion workflows and have seen the work she put into customer surveys and analysis.

She is hard working, attentive, knowledgeable, dependable and drives for results.

She’s also a pleasure to work with and very supportive of her peers and colleagues, both within her own organization as well as across the rest of the business.
— Steve Hooper, Director for Autodesk
Allison is an execution machine.

She quickly engages with stakeholders to spin up user studies that are carried out swiftly. Testing is thoughtfully executed, and results are shared out immediately. Stellar share-outs with consistent and visually appealing presentations. She tenaciously follows up on impacts from user studies.
— Charles Haughey, XD Manager for Autodesk
She’s been a one-person research workhorse for us.

I’ve been very impressed with the quality of her reports and the sheer number of studies she’s been able to facilitate in support of the team. 
— Todd Nicol, Senior XD Manager for Autodesk
Her early insights provided the framework we needed to really dig in and understand the problems we needed to solve for.
— Amy Knobbs, UX Manager for Autodesk
The feedback gathered from her studies have allowed us to make specific roadmap decisions and deliver product functionality that has helped us increase usage for our simulation tools.
— Mike Smell, Product Manager for Autodesk
Allison is a hard-working, creative professional who brings a lot to any table.

Allison is just what our company needed to get back on track. She understands the marketplace and gives excellent advice. Highly recommended.
— Christophe Lereverend, Hightail