I'm a User Experience Researcher and Designer, based in the SF Bay Area, drawn to understanding interesting informational, interpersonal, or technological problems.
Currently, I’m a first-year Masters candidate at UC Berkeley studying Information Management and Systems. Before going back to school, I was on research teams in enterprise and consumer spaces helping deliver delightful experiences.
Berkeley, CA 〰 Portfolio © 2023
As a Researcher and Designer, I aim to distill the information around us into impactful insights, designs, and experiences for our day-to-day-lives.
My Top Five StrengthsFinder ↗ Strengths —
INTELLECTION
DISCIPLINE
ACHIEVER
CONSISTENCY
RELATOR
ABOUT ME
I’m a Researcher and Designer based in the Bay Area. I tend to gravitate toward “why” questions rather than “how” questions, especially when mixed in with interesting informational, interpersonal, or technological problems. Currently, I’m a first-year Masters candidate at UC Berkeley studying Information Management and Systems ↗ with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction, while taking additional cross-enrollment MBA courses at the Haas School of Business ↗.
I have a research background and did some product research and strategy work in the industry before going back to school. Previously, I was an Associate User Researcher at Salesforce ↗ helping bring to life what the integration between Salesforce and Slack might look like post-acquisition ↗. Before that, while I was in undergrad, I was a UX Research Intern at HBO Max ↗, UC Davis ↗, and Salesforce ↗, where I got to understand problems of all shapes and sizes, for users from TV binge-watchers to Sales Reps.
I hold an undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science from the University of California, Davis; those years are where I first got to tinker around with the intersection of code, design, and research. I was also deeply embedded in leading and teaching the design community ↗ on campus so that UX education could more accessible outside the classroom. Lastly, I’m grateful to the teachers, co-workers, and mentors I’ve come across — I wouldn’t be here without having learnt from and had the support of others.
Email — cynthia_chen@berkeley.edu ↗
LinkedIn — linkedin.com/in/ccyn129 ↗
Resume — resume.pdf ↗
EXPERIENCE
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Freelance Design and Strategic Consultant, Various Clients
Oct 2023 — Now
Clients: Hyundai Motor Group, FreeWorld
Associate User Researcher, Salesforce ↗
Aug 2021 — Mar 2023
Informing the future of Salesforce-on-Slack experiences
UX Research Intern, HBO Max ↗
Oct 2020 — Dec 2020
Evaluating a new feature on the homepage, Recommended by Humans
Research & Insights Intern, Salesforce ↗
Jun 2020 — Sep 2020
Improving email communications for SMB Salesforce Administrators
Co-Founder / Co-President / Design Project Mentor, Design Interactive ↗
Mar 2020 — Mar 2021
Leading UC Davis' first design consultancy organization
Design Research Intern, UC Davis Center for Design in the Public Interest ↗
Feb 2019 — Jun 2021
Supporting community-centered design projects with Professor Susan Verba
EDUCATION
University of California, Berkeley
Aug 2023 — May 2025
Masters of Science (M.S.), Information Management & Systems
Graduate Certificate in Applied Data Science
University of California, Davis
Sep 2017 — Jun 2021
Bachelors of Science (B.S.), Cognitive Science
Minor in Computer Science
LIFE CURRENTLY
