RESUME

D'MARCUS GRAVES

SUMMARYUser Experience Researcher passionate about uncovering user needs, improving business workflows, and driving product innovation through research. Experienced in conducting qualitative and quantitative research, synthesizing findings into actionable insights, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance user experiences. Adept at aligning
business goals with user expectations to create intuitive and impactful solutions.

RESEARCH SKILLS & METHODS
 Research Tools: 
Qualtrics, UserTesting, Google Analytics

Methods:
Heuristic Evaluations, User Interviews, A/B Testing, Ethnographic Research,
Field Studies, Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation (RITE)

Data Collection & Analysis: 
Surveys, Usability Testing, Persona Development, Journey Mapping

Collaboration & Reporting: 
Stakeholder Presentations, Research Synthesis, Agile
Development, Confluence, JIRA, Azure DevOps

CERTIFICATIONS
Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner | IBM
UX Foundations: Research | LinkedIn Learning
Agile Foundations | LinkedIn Learning

EDUCATION
The University of Texas at Arlington
B.A. in Communication Technology, Minor in Marketing (Current)
 B.A. in Visual Communications, Minor in Communications Technology (2020)

Tarrant County College
 A.A. in Business Management (2016)

WORK EXPERIENCE
UX Researcher | DMK Graves, Dallas, TX
Dec 2018 – Present

● Spearheaded research for a new culinary private dining feature, identifying key usability
issues and market-fit opportunities.

● Collaborated closely with culinary clients to design products and services centered
around user needs to improve business processes.

● Conducted exploratory research to identify user needs by gathering insights on pain
points via user interviews, surveys, and heuristic evaluations of barriers to booking workflow.

● Established a research roadmap, prioritizing features based on user feedback, industry
trends, and AI advancements.

● Leverage AI to streamline various aspects of the UX process and insights to personalize recommendations.

● Established baseline before conducting UX research. Task completion rate: 55% (Users
successfully booking private dining) User drop-off rate: 40% (Users abandoning the
booking process before completion) and booking time 5 minutes on average.

● Synthesized qualitative and quantitative insights, streamlining the booking process and
reducing average booking time by 50%.

● Leveraged AI-driven insights to personalize the experience, enhancing user decision-
making and increasing engagement by 25%.

● Pain points identified through research showed that users struggled to locate the private
dining booking feature, had too many steps in the reservation process, and lacked
transparent pricing and availability information.

● The quantified impact of conducting exploratory research that identified key usability
issues led to a 23% increase in task completion and a 25% reduction in drop-off rates for
a culinary private dining feature.

UX Researcher | Capgemini - First Command Financial Services, Fort Worth, TX
Aug 2021 – Sep 2022

● Conducted user research initiatives to optimize Salesforce for financial advisors,
conducting in-depth user interviews, usability testing, and survey analysis using Qualtrics and Zoom.

● Synthesized qualitative & quantitative research insights, identifying pain friction points in
Salesforce Experience Cloud “Meeting Clients” workflows. This led to a 35%
improvement in task completion rates and a 25% reduction in time spent per financial
planning session, enhancing financial advisors’ efficiency.

● Conducted heuristic evaluations and usability testing, identifying key pain points that
informed a refined user experience for financial planning tools.

● Developed personas & journey maps based on research findings, helping cross-
functional teams better align product development with user needs.

● Presented research findings to PMs, stakeholders, and designers, leading to the
adoption of user-centered design strategies across the organization.

● Influenced product backlog prioritization by identifying key user pain points ensuring
research-driven enhancements were integrated into development sprints.

● After implementing research-driven UX improvements, the task completion rate for
Service Cloud Cases increased from 55% to 78%, up 23%.

Loss Prevention Analyst | Marriott International, Irving, TX
May 2023 – Present

● Applied UX research methodologies to improve emergency procedures and guest experience workflows.

● Conducted interviews and field studies to identify gaps in user interactions with safety protocols.

● Qualitative insights, including interviews and field studies, revealed that users struggled
to interpret safety policies, leading to inefficiencies.

● Quantitative insights, including post-research surveys and meeting attendance data,
showed increased comprehension and adherence.

● Designed monthly safety meeting pitch decks, applying UX research methodologies to
improve emergency procedure clarity.

● Conducted field studies & interviews, identifying pain points in safety workflows. This
resulted in a 40% increase in task completion rates and a 35% improvement in policy
adherence, enhancing security measures and guest experience.

PROJECTS & PUBLICATIONS
The UX Designer's Bible: A Guide to Crafting User-Centered Experiences, (2023)
– A comprehensive guide on UX methodologies and best practices.

From Death Row to Death by Chocolate, (2023)
 – Led design and layout research to optimize readability and engagement.

Grind Hard: The Music Game's Playbook, (2015) 
– Conducted user research to inform content strategy and accessibility improvements.

PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
User Experience Design (UX)
Product Design
Service Design
AI & Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
Business & Management Consulting
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