VANESSA K VERDUGO

[ she – her – ella ]

I'm a UX Researcher bringing an anthropological lens and equity-centered approach to regulated products and sensitive populations.

About

I'm a UX Researcher at JPMorgan Chase with 6+ years across CX, service design, and UX research.

I build research infrastructure for products serving millions of customers, from establishing processes and frameworks to conducting discovery research that shapes product strategy. Recent work includes building firm-wide research capabilities and leading discovery research for complex financial products.

My approach combines service design thinking with rigorous research methodology. I focus on asking the right questions, understanding core problems, and building systems that enable teams to move fast.

Methods

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

Specializations

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

Tools

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

Works

Building a Scalable Spanish Language Research Initiative

Company: JPMorgan Chase (2024-2025) 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

Improving End User Retention at a SaaS Talent Mobility Company

Company: Relocity (2022) Role: Consultant (Research & Service Design) 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