“Jen Romano is the person you go to when you want something done, done efficiently, and done right the first time.”
Jen at the Centro de Innovacion, where she was the Opening Keynote Speaker at the IteraXion Conference, Santiago Chile. 2017.
Closing Keynote at FLUPA UX Days, Paris France, 2018
Speaking at the Privacy by Design workshop, Tel Aviv Israel, 2017
The UXPA 2016 Board, on stage at the annual UXPA conference, Seattle WA, 2016.
Jen Romano, Ph.D., is an award-winning UX Research Leader, with 15+ years experience: in industry, academia and government; as manager, director, and individual contributor; strategist and executor. Jen has made her way through some of the biggest and best UX orgs in the world (Facebook, Instagram, Bridgewater Associates, Principles by Ray Dalio, Fors Marsh Group), speaking, teaching and being a keynote speaker at top UX conferences in the world (e.g., UXPA, WUC, HCII). She founded UXR Coach to help people make their UX dreams a reality. With small, instructor-led workshops, courses, and retreats, and personalized 1:1 coaching, Jen offers ways for people to have renewed confidence and skills to grow as a UX Researcher. Her UXR Intensive Training Retreat in Hawaii (next one: Aug 4-10) helps people grow in their careers by gaining real-world experience conducting research in the field with real clients. She teaches at UC Berkeley and University of Maryland and has published more than 30 articles, chapters, and books, including Usability Testing for Survey Research (2017), Eye Tracking in User Experience Design (2014) and Modern Socio-Technical Perspectives on Privacy (2022).
Jen founded the mentorship program, webinar program, and short course program for the User Experience Professional Association (UXPA) and is a Board Member of the UX Quality Certification Center (UXQCC). She is the founder of the Research Challenge Workshop and is expanding her coaching business to include a network of coaches. She is past President of the UXPA, past President of the DC chapter of UXPA, past President of DC chapter of the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), past Director of Marketing and Communications for the UXPA, and past Membership Chair for the Pacific chapter of AAPOR (PAPOR). Jen holds a Ph.D. in Applied/Experimental Psychology.
Jen grew up in CT, spent about 10 years in Washington DC, then moved to San Francisco when she first joined Facebook. After a year, she moved to New York, and she currently resides in CT. When she is not working on improving the UX of products or writing about it, she is traveling the world, teaching her dog new tricks, hiking, biking, building things, and sabraging champagne.
Speaking engagements in 2024:
March 6: MASS (Mobile Apps and Sensors in Surveys), Washington DC, USA
June 24-27: UXPA, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Also see online classes Jen is teaching.
“Jen has an enthusiasm and can-do approach that makes those around her feel empowered and capable of jumping in to try new things, too. She’s one of the most skilled, accomplished, and approachable researchers I’ve had the good fortune to collaborate with.”
“An exceptional leader, one who balances precise delegation with a unique talent for fostering cohesion in strategy, sometimes with very incohesive groups.”
“Jen is a smart, talented, efficient, and successful leader, who leaves a lasting impression on all the people and organizations she works with.”
“Jen took the initiative to host and organize the first UX Summit at Facebook. It was an event that brought researchers and insights across the company together. Because of the event, our research team is closer, stronger, and more impactful. ”
“Jen is an effective leader and great colleague. While she is excellent at delegating and recognizing the strengths of others, you can also be confident that if Jen says she will take on a project or issue, it will get done, and done well.”
Speaking on a panel at the International Communications Association conference, Fukuoka Japan, 2016