Matt Brown

 

Director of User Experience

New Haven, CT

Matt Brown

Director of User Experience

New Haven, CT

As a digital anthropologist-turned UX researcher, I’m driven by questions about how people interact with technology, media, and each other. At Marketade I have the perfect opportunity to apply my training in qualitative research methods in a way that makes a difference to real people. We answer practical questions that directly advance the goals of our clients by improving the experiences of their users. I firmly believe that collaboration is the key to high quality work.

Over the last 5 years, I led the charge to transition Marketade from a report-writing and -delivering machine to the collaborative, workshop-loving research and facilitation team that we are today. I would always rather teach a client to fish, and I equip my team with the tools to do the teaching. I do everything I can to ensure that the talented researchers on my team are able to build on each other’s strengths and complement the skills of our clients to achieve the best results.

Recent Work

  • Insurance — I led the design, launch, and growth of an ongoing research program to improve the web platform used by a Fortune 500 insurance company’s 8,000+ customer service agents. I built a growing panel of nearly 2,000 phone agents, and ran iterative research studies on a biweekly schedule, leveraging both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The program has received awards and recognition and led to similar research programs in other areas of the company.
  • Fitness Technology — I co-led a research project impacting the future product direction of a new smart home fitness device. I visited product owners in their homes across the country and observed them complete workout sessions on the device. I used recordings of these sessions to facilitate a 2-day workshop to develop user personas and journey maps which were distributed throughout the company.
  • Health Care — I provided strategic direction and support on a number of user research projects that Marketade led for a clinical trial participant registry over a period of 3 years. These projects included interview-based personas, registration flow usability testing, research referral dashboard concept testing, and UX reviews of a trial search feature.
  • Government — I served as the lead researcher for our research-based UX evaluation of a global economic organization’s data platforms. I designed the research, moderated many of the test sessions, and facilitated the on-site workshop.

Past Experience

  • My Master’s dissertation explored the topic of altruism and gift-giving on Reddit. I conducted online and in-person semi-structured interviews to explore the motivation behind generous behaviors towards strangers on the Internet.
  • I worked with the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee to design and launch a social media platform to enable collaboration and coordination for nonprofits across the city of Milwaukee.
  • I provided marketing and social media consulting for the nonprofit sector.
  • My undergraduate thesis analyzed the differences in user experience for radio and podcast listeners.

Education

  • M.Sc. from University College London, in digital anthropology
  • B.A. from University of Vermont, in anthropology (with minors in music, theater, and biology)

Outside the Office

  • I love exploring the various parks, trails, and festivals that New England has to offer with my daughter Bailey, wife Stephanie, and our dog Doc.
  • I am an avid podcast listener. A few of my favorites are Reply All, Startup, The Digital Human, Pop Culture Happy Hour, 99% Invisible, Boag World, and Manager Tools.
  • I am passionate about cooking and baking, and love to host dinner parties where I can try out new recipes for friends.
  • I am a music enthusiast, and play the guitar and piano, in addition to dabbling in congas, Indian veena, and Javanese Gamelan. I was a DJ for my college radio station.
  • I once spent a semester working on a goat farm, milking goats and making cheese.