Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
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CAROLYN CARO VERA

Los Angeles

Summary

  • Interdisciplinary thought leader adept at translating findings and empathy into design strategy that drives products forward without forgetting the end user.
  • Trusted strategic partner known for leading complex studies from end-to-end through project management and collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Experienced in both qualitative and quantitative methods, applying mixed-methods approaches to uncover actionable insights and strengthen decision-making.

Overview

9
9
years of professional experience

Work History

SENIOR UX RESEARCHER

PULSE LABS
08.2024 - 07.2025
  • Led high-impact research on AI-powered productivity chat bot for a global FAANG platform with 2B+ users, managing diary studies that shaped feature prioritization, exposed critical demographic bias, and secured a year-long contract extension with 8+ additional studies to continue research on the product.
  • Spearheaded research initiatives to identify opportunities for improvement of an internal AI-powered user research platform, focusing on aligning the products with client needs and feedback. Executed a product evaluation of the user research platform with six clients, findings yielded product improvements that deliver faster, more actionable insights aligned with client needs.
  • Drove an internal UXR roadmap to guide research efforts on company products. Led the process to strengthen internal tools involving product enhancements to improve data accuracy and efficiency of products, enabling clients to validate product ideas faster, scale research, and make confident, insight-backed decisions.
  • Mentored junior researchers, providing guidance in research methodologies, stakeholder engagement, and project management, empowering them to take on greater responsibilities and scale team capacity.

UX RESEARCHER

META (INSTAGRAM)
08.2022 - 07.2024
  • Drove impactful contributions to product development by pinpointing key factors driving underutilization of product features. Proposed solutions that led to improvements to Creator monetization and guidance products and the strategic prioritization of new features.
  • Collaborated closely with cross-functional stakeholders to formulate a comprehensive roadmap for understanding gaps in monetization products. Verified alignment with strategic objectives and facilitated the seamless execution of roadmap initiatives.
  • Prioritized research plans in dynamic environments, aligning actionable insights with 50+ stakeholders to drive data-informed decisions. Directed and prioritized research initiatives amidst rapidly evolving conditions.
  • Oversaw and executed third-party vendor projects from inception to completion with seamless coordination and timely delivery, maintaining high-quality standards throughout the project lifecycle.

PRINCIPAL UX RESEARCHER

LOS ANGELES METRO OFFICE OF EQUITY AND RACE
03.2021 - 03.2022
  • Conducted in-depth analysis of diverse data sources, including user surveys, focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and demographic data, to shape agency wide equity strategies. Resulting equity initiatives enhanced positive benefits and mitigated negative impacts for historically marginalized communities in transportation planning, policy, and research for historically marginalized communities.
  • Designed and executed a survey with 50 employees to gage staff requirements for a new Community-Based Organization (CBO) Database. Survey results supported the identification of variables incorporated into the database and informed the team’s priority.
  • Led stakeholder interviews and focus groups to gather insights to drive the development of agency-wide equity initiatives. Findings impacted Customer Experience, and Employee Professional Development teams, embedding equity practices into core programs and operations.
  • Developed curriculum for agency-wide training on user research methods to implement a new User Testing Policy. Training increases staff’s understanding of equity strategies in the data collection process and user testing approaches for policy, programs, and projects.

PRINCIPAL UX RESEARCHER

FEHR & PEERS
05.2017 - 02.2021
  • Standardized data collection of socioeconomic demographic data, community assets, and CalEnviroScreen scores to enhance the effectiveness of community engagement strategies.
  • Produced participatory-design workshops to understand end-user needs and perspectives of proposed public works investment projects. Translated technical data findings into accessible and actionable insights for audiences. Workshops resulted in finalized public works designs and greater community acceptance of proposed changes.
  • Conducted an ethnographic study of eight bus lines across Los Angeles to understand travel behaviors of diverse ridership. Observational data guided the development of the LA Metro Gender Action Plan.
  • Developed an intercept survey experiment to understand the transportation needs of residents in South Los Angeles. Survey insights helped refine traffic collision data analysis methods and public works project recommendations.
  • Managed $2.8 million project focused on developing effective strategies for equitable public engagement for a transportation agency. Final deliverables centered on participatory design techniques to ground truth secondary traffic collision data sources, and provided procedures for qualitative community data collection methodologies.

Graduate Student Researcher

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EQUITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
04.2016 - 05.2017
  • Collaborated within an interdisciplinary research team to establish a mixed method study project examining demographic shifts in South Los Angeles.
  • Applied advanced coding methodologies to analyze stakeholder interviews, uncovering pivotal insights to impact philanthropic investments in grassroots community organizing campaigns.
  • Conducted thorough literature reviews to contribute to the production of high-impact research focusing on racial, economic, and social justice issues.

Education

Master of Urban and Regional Planning - Concentration in Transportation Planning

UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
Los Angeles, CA

Bachelor of Arts - Ethnic Studies and Chicana/o Studies, magna cum laude

University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

Skills

  • Mixed Methods
  • User Empathy
  • Project Management
  • Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration
  • Moderation
  • User Persona Creation
  • Journey Mapping
  • Survey & Analytics

Timeline

SENIOR UX RESEARCHER

PULSE LABS
08.2024 - 07.2025

UX RESEARCHER

META (INSTAGRAM)
08.2022 - 07.2024

PRINCIPAL UX RESEARCHER

LOS ANGELES METRO OFFICE OF EQUITY AND RACE
03.2021 - 03.2022

PRINCIPAL UX RESEARCHER

FEHR & PEERS
05.2017 - 02.2021

Graduate Student Researcher

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EQUITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
04.2016 - 05.2017

Bachelor of Arts - Ethnic Studies and Chicana/o Studies, magna cum laude

University of California, Berkeley

Master of Urban and Regional Planning - Concentration in Transportation Planning

UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

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CAROLYN CARO VERA