UX Researcher & Design Strategist

Bridging Research Rigor with Industry Impact

I apply cutting-edge UX research methods to engage stakeholders in interdisciplinary work, transforming complex problems into actionable strategies that drive sustainable, profitable growth.

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Academic Focus

Research Interests

My research bridges behavioral science, emerging technologies, and design methodology to create meaningful human-centered innovations.

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Behavioral Design

Integrating Self-Determination Theory and cognitive frameworks to design technology that supports intrinsic motivation. Exploring how interaction attributes affect long-term behavior change with emphasis on ethical design and user autonomy.

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AI-Enhanced Research Methods

Pioneering AI-human partnership workflows that compress research timelines from weeks to days. Developed synthetic persona generation achieving 90% validation accuracy while maintaining methodological rigor.

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Research Through Provocation

Structured early prototyping methodology that unveils hidden assumptions and accelerates stakeholder alignment. Manipulates interaction attributes to create controlled provocations that validate emerging technologies and transform rejection into ownership.

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IoT & Connected Systems

Challenging the assumption that all users want data optimization and smart technology integration. Research across smart home, IoT banking, and autonomous vehicles reveals psychological diversity requires persona-driven approaches to connected ecosystems.

Methodology

Research Methods & Approach

Combining academic rigor with industry velocity through mixed-methods research and strategic prototyping.

Mixed-Methods Architecture

Integrating quantitative validation with qualitative insights at scale

Jobs-to-be-Done Framework

Understanding user motivations and behavioral patterns

Stakeholder Co-Creation

Immersive ideation sessions and collaborative workshop facilitation

Behavioral Science Integration

Applying cognitive and behavioral frameworks to design decisions

AI-Augmented Analysis

Leveraging AI for faster insights while maintaining research rigor

Provotyping

Early low-fidelity prototyping that unveils hidden assumptions and accelerates validation

Prototyping Approaches

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Paper Prototypes

Rapid low-fidelity concept validation

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Digital Prototypes

Interactive high-fidelity mockups

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Functional Prototypes

Working systems for user testing

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Experimental Setups

Custom research environments

Background

About Me

Dr. Jaime Rivera

I'm a strategic UX researcher with a PhD in Design from Illinois Institute of Technology, where I developed pioneering methodologies for emerging technology validation. My career bridges academic rigor and industry velocity—from Fortune 500 companies like Harman International (Samsung) and JP Morgan Chase to startups like IXIS Digital—delivering research insights that drive measurable business outcomes including 30% UX improvements and 40% faster decision cycles. Based in Colombia with extensive US experience, I bring cross-cultural competency to global innovation challenges.

My approach embodies a fundamental belief: reality is not disciplinary—problems don't have professional labels. This interdisciplinary mindset combines industrial design creativity with doctoral research precision, behavioral science frameworks with strategic business thinking. Whether facilitating stakeholder workshops, conducting mixed-methods research, or pioneering AI-enhanced methodologies, I focus on translating complex user behaviors into actionable strategies that de-risk innovation investments and accelerate product-market fit. Beyond professional work, I'm passionate about fitness, biomechanics, building Japanese robot scale models (Gundam), history, and karaoke.

Education

PhD in Design, Institute of Design, IIT

Location

Bogotá, Colombia

Languages

Spanish, English (C1)

Specialization

UX Research & Service Design

Recognition

Publications & Awards

📚 Selected Publications

Research Mix Methods for Persuasive Technologies, Design provocations for long term behavior change

Research Poster, Persuasive 2018, Toronto, Canada

Authors: Rivera, Jaime. MacTavish, Tom.

Research through provocation: a structured prototyping tool using interaction attributes of time, space and information

The Design Journal, 20 (sup1), S3996–S4008, 2017

Authors: Rivera, J., & MacTavish, T.

User Experience Design for Contextually Persuasive Systems

Adjunct Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Persuasive Technology, Salzburg, Austria, 2016

Authors: Mactavish, T., Rivera, J., & Wynia, R.

🏆 Awards & Recognition

Fast Company - World Changing Ideas 2020

Honorable Mention, Transportation Category

Recognized for UMA project, an autonomous car concept for 2030 urban mobility.

Core77 Design Awards 2015

Winner Service Design Student Category & Runner Up Strategy & Research

For "Bridging the communication gap: A new touchpoint for pediatric asthma education in Emergency Departments"

International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2008

Bronze Medal, Research Category

MEDIVENT - Ventilatory Variables Measurement System

Colciencias-Laspau Ph.D. Scholarship

Colombian Science, Technology, and Innovation Program

Awarded full doctoral scholarship for PhD studies at Illinois Institute of Technology.