VANESSA K VERDUGO

[ she – her – ella ]

I'm a UX Researcher bringing an anthropological lens and hospitality mindset that drive business decisions and the people those decisions reach.

About

With 6+ years across CX, service design, and UX research, I build research practices that shape product decisions from the ground up, from defining the right problem to ensuring the right customers are part of the conversation. At JPMorgan Chase, I pioneered the firm's first bilingual research framework through cross-functional education, advocacy, and research, opening the research process to millions of Spanish-speaking customers.

My approach is built around shared understanding between the customer, the research, and the business. I combine service design thinking with human-centered research methodology to surface core problems and build the infrastructure that keeps that understanding moving across teams.

Methods

  • Mixed Methods
  • In-Depth Interviews
  • Usability Testing
  • Survey Design
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Journey Mapping
  • Contextual Inquiry
  • Workshops

Specializations

  • Bilingual Research (Spanish/English)
  • Inclusive Design
  • Service Design
  • Financial Services

Tools

  • Dovetail, DScout
  • Figma, Maze
  • Miro, Qualtrics
  • R, UserTesting

Works

Building a Scalable Spanish Language Research Initiative

Company: JPMorgan Chase (2025) Role: Senior Associate UX Researcher Focus: Research Operations, Inclusive Design, Spanish-speaking Customers

Pioneered the firm's first standardized bilingual research framework, enabling 150+ researchers to conduct Spanish-language studies and expanding research reach to millions of limited English proficiency customers.

Research Ops Inclusive Design Bilingual Research Financial Services

Case study available upon request

Preventing Deceptive Patterns in Financial Products

Company: JPMorgan Chase (2025) Role: Senior Associate UX Researcher Focus: New Product Launch, Compliance, Sensitive Populations

Supported mixed-methods research for a new fee-based deposit product, identifying critical clarity issues to protect vulnerable customers from deceptive patterns. Research informed key design decisions and passed internal compliance review.

Mixed Methods Compliance Cross-functional Financial Services

Case study available upon request

Rethinking a Firm-Wide Digital Payout Strategy

Company: JPMorgan Chase (2026) Role: Senior Associate UX Researcher, Lead Researcher Focus: Generative Research, Cross-LOB Strategy, Financial Services

Led generative discovery research across six lines of business to understand low conversion, shifting the team from a solution-first approach to a shared, customer-centered problem definition that shaped the digital strategy.

Generative Research Cross-functional Strategy Financial Services

Case study available upon request

Derisking Customer Onboarding for a Firm-Wide Platform

Company: JPMorgan Chase (2026) Role: Senior Associate UX Researcher Focus: Discovery Research, Platform Strategy, Financial Services

Led research on friction in the customer onboarding process for a firm-wide data platform, surfacing findings for senior leadership that shaped the platform's discovery roadmap.

Discovery Research Stakeholder Alignment Platform Strategy Financial Services

Case study available upon request

Improving End User Retention at a SaaS Talent Mobility Company

Company: Relocity (2022) Role: Consultant Focus: B2B2C, Relocation industry, End-to-end experience design

Led cross-functional research to identify service delivery gaps and reduce drop-off rates for prospective buyers segment, resulting in 10% increase in client retention and improved processes org-wide.

Service Design Journey Mapping Stakeholder Interviews B2B2C

Case study available upon request

Improving the Mobile Web Search Experience for Canadian Explorers

Company: Yervana (2022) Role: Lead Researcher Focus: Mobile web, Tourism & Travel, B2C, Search design

Led 6-week research project to understand high bounce rates on mobile web search functionality, resulting in design recommendations and heuristic approach for search optimization.

Usability Testing Mobile Research Search Design B2C

Case study available upon request

Defining Research Strategy for MVP Launch

Company: In The Lab Apprenticeship (2023) Role: Solo Researcher Focus: Responsive web, Tourism & Travel, Discovery

Developed a comprehensive research strategy for mobile website build, including competitor analysis, user interviews, persona development, and iterative usability testing.

Market Research Persona Development Discovery Mobile

Case study available upon request

Incorporating Inclusive Practices for Older Adults in FinTech

Case Study: 4-week challenge — Design Award Winner with Forward (2022) Role: Bilingual Researcher, Designer Focus: Mobile app, Financial Services, Accessibility

Award-winning case study focusing on inclusive design practices for older adults in financial technology, emphasizing accessibility and bilingual user needs.

Inclusive Design Accessibility Bilingual Research FinTech

Case study available upon request