Daniel Aparicio

Experience

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  Christopher Newport University

  Jan 2015 - May 2016

  Research focused on the application of welfare tradeoff ratios in decision-making processes of pro-health behaviors, morality, and workplace interactions. Duties include: assisting in the development of ideas, models and theoretical framework for research projects regarding health psychology; assisting in the development and presentation of conference papers; collecting and entering data. Research focused on political affiliation and disgust, the Side-Effect Effect, welfare tradeoff ratios, and viewpoints on police use of force. Duties include: assisting in development of ideas, models, posters and theoretical framework for research projects; data collection, input, and analysis for studies; assisting in the development and presentation of conference papers. Setup and disassemble A/V and furniture for campus events.

  • Psychology Research Associate for APLABS (Applied Psychology Labs)

    Jan 2015 - May 2016

  • Psychology Research Associate for ACE Labs (Adaptation, Cognition, and Evolution)

    Sept 2014 - May 2016

  • Event Staff

    Jan 2015 - Sept 2015
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  Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

  May 2015 - Aug 2015

  Human Resources Intern

  Provide administrative support including employee records management, filing and archivingAssist with orientations, policy development and staff event planningParticipate in evaluation of current Human Resources processes and implementation of improvements to streamline and gain efficiencyAssist with benefit plan renewals and Open EnrollmentMake recommendations and updates to the staff intranetCreate position description templates and format existing position descriptionResearch and analyze best practices in Human Resources; assess current or proposed programs and initiatives against best practices; recommend and develop new programs to meet departmental objectives Show less

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  Full Sail University User Experience Lab

  Feb 2017 - Feb 2018

  User Experience Researcher

  Designed and conducted 20+ usability tests and playtests on 8+ video game titles and commercial products for studios such as Wargaming.net, THQ Nordic, Creative Assembly, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Methodologies included: Large scale playtests, usability playtests, Think Aloud, Focus Groups, Surveys. Expert Analysis. Conducted research on the origin and impact of video game immersion on players and wrote a thesis on immersive video game design as well as create a new questionnaire to assess immersionCreated a new psychographic questionnaire aimed at discovering preferences for roles, settings, pace of gameplay, and style of combat in video gamesCollected and analyzed data from qualitative and quantitative studies to create in-depth reports for developers utilizing Qualtrics and VocalizeProvided suggestions and insights for clients to improve their product’s overall design, including higher user engagement, more effective tutorials, improving UI, etc.Credits include: Fade to Silence, Pagan Online, World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, Total War Arena, Runegate Heroes. Show less

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  Epic Games

  Feb 2018 - Mar 2019

  UX Lab Analyst

  Moderated and observed qualitative user experience playtests for Epic Games’ products & published titles (Fortnite, Unreal Engine 4, Battle Breakers, Spyjinx, Spellbreak, Epic Games Store). Methodologies included: Usability playtests, Large scale playtests, Benchmarking, Surveys, Think Aloud, A/B TestingCollect and analyze results from qualitative studies and surveys to create in-depth data driven reports for designers and developersConduct and write competitive analyses and expert reviews comparing aspects of Epic Games’ products to other popular products within the market. Assist in the creation of user surveys aimed at understanding player sentiment around various products Show less

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  Tobii Pro

  Jun 2019 - Sept 2019

  Data Collector / Data Analyst

  Worked for Tobii Pro Insight on a contract basis performing data collection and data analysis roles for user research studiesConducted user research studies for external clients through the use of eyetracking glassesAssisted in survey creation for upcoming research studies

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  PikPok

  Sept 2019 - Mar 2022

  Leading and managing the User Research team at PikPok:In my tenure at PikPok, I have grown the User Research team from 2 researchers, to 8 total, including establishing the Market Research department, and hiring an operations manager to assist with the recruitment and management of user testing proccesses. I expanded the research methodologies beyond usability testing to include: large scale playtests, diary studies, several types of surveys, heuristic evaluations, interviews, and more.---Led and managed the combined user research and market research team of 8 and directed research strategy for all of PikPok’s 7+ development and live operations projectsExpanded PikPok’s research beyond usability testing to a wide range of methods and developed cross-team initiatives to make PikPok increasingly data-driven (i.e. Concept testing research, longitudinal studies, player interviews, MaxDiff, Factor Analyses, Conjoint, and more)Worked closely with studio leadership to understand goals and strategies at both a company and development team level to identify upcoming research opportunities for all game projectsEstablished the Market Research department, and grew the research team from 2, to 8 members.Facilitated the planning and execution of user research studies across multiple projects throughout the project life cycles such as: playtests, usability tests, player interviews, surveys, etc.Presented user research study findings to relevant stakeholders and discussed ways to improve the overall user experience.Built awareness, buy-in and feedback channels for products in development, to the wider studio.Provided research expertise and assistance to other departments as needed (Marketing, Art, Production, etc.) Show less Worked as a team of two to manage research planning and strategy for 7+ game projectsDesigned, moderated, and observed user research studies for PikPok's development teamsPresented user research study findings to relevant stakeholders and discussed ways to improve the overall user experience (increasing enjoyment, resolving issues found, etc.)Worked directly with production teams to identify upcoming research needs for new updates and prioritizing them within our user research scheduleCreated surveys aimed at discovered player sentiment and working in conjunction with Analytics team to disseminate findings and create reportsRecruited participants for upcoming user research studies and managing the playteser databaseManaged the user research testing lab and ensuring equipment is up to date and functioning properlyProvided research expertise and assistance to other departments as needed (Marketing, Art, etc.) Show less

  • User Research Manager

    May 2021 - Mar 2022

  • Experienced User Researcher

    Sept 2019 - May 2021
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  Virtually Human

  Mar 2022 - Sept 2022

  Lead UX Researcher

  Led and managed the user research team for Virtually Human StudioConducted qualitative and quantitative research including discovery-focused, co-design, usability testing, interviews, mixed-methods, and focus groups for concepts and prototypes.Synthesized and analyzed qualitative and quantitative research data to inform design decisionsCollaborated with product managers and engineering managers to develop user-centric solutions using a combination of qualitative user feedback and quantitative dataCollaborated with data teams to improve the quality of research findings through combining qualitative and quantitative dataAudited and suggested improvements for products to improve user experience qualityManaged participant recruitment and user tester databases Show less

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  Applause

  Sept 2022 - Feb 2023

  Senior UX Researcher

  Worked as a part time freelancer on a project to project basisDefined, planned and conducted user research studies for clients through Applause's Platform. Primarily worked for clients within the Game IndustryDelivered reports and presented compelling insights to the Product and Design team clientsProvided actionable feedback to guide Product and Design team decisionsDeveloped, innovated and evangelized user research best practices, especially those related to game user research methods Show less

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  Activision

  Jan 2023 - now

  User Research Project Manager

  Leading the management, planning, and staff assignments for all research projects within the User Research team of 30+ staffManaging 8 members of the research team and supporting their career growthDeveloped a Project Management Information System to track and manage project status, balance project prioritization, staff assignments, project performance, and alert system to inform management of potential issues with study planning or executionCollaborating with Research Operations and the Telemetry & Tools sub- teams to improve study planning, execution, and analysis proceduresOverhauled and manage the end-to-end research study process including: study planning processes, lab procedures, document storage, templates, best practices, and moreDeveloping and leading the research strategy and study execution for Activision's mobile titles: Call of Duty Mobile, and Warzone MobileCollaborating with the Player Insights team to perform cross-disciplinary research studies for development teams (i.e. Longitudinal studies, player interviews, motivational surveys, etc.)Assisting with the research strategy and planning for cross-project and platform-wide UX/UI research projectsCollaborating with developers in finding ways to increase user research impact for their game projects Show less