Not ready for a full engagement? Join the AI Adoption Circle: a small advisory group for product teams navigating trust, evaluation, and adoption.
Most products don’t fail because the technology is weak.
They stall because the human layer goes misunderstood.
Research reveals what users need, but findings degrade across every handoff : from insight to brief to spec to backlog to shipped feature. By the time it reaches the product, the signal is gone.
AI outputs are technically accurate but emotionally destabilizing.
Activation feels unclear, so value takes too long to surface.
Metrics measure activity, but not trust, confidence, retention, or internal advocacy.
Growth compounds when people feel confident, understood, and willing to bring others in.
I work at that layer: where interpretation becomes adoption, and adoption becomes advocacy.
“Doesn’t get any better than having one of our key internal stakeholders propose that we replicate the work. Clearly, the value was found. Game changing, actionable insights to drive growth!”
Uncovering Learner Behavior Patterns in AI Coaching Interactions
Directed AI-powered classification of thousands of unstructured learner responses to understand how people engage with an AI dialogue coaching platform. Built classification pipelines using the Anthropic API and Claude to automate insight extraction, developing custom taxonomies and scoring models that mapped behavioral patterns across a five-category framework. Identified six distinct audience segments based on how learners approached skill practice, which informed how the platform framed tasks and delivered feedback. Designed the evaluation methodology from scratch, including golden dataset development, synthetic test data generation, and diagnostic analysis of AI feedback instances that revealed the highest-impact areas for system improvement.
Outcome: 6 AI coaching activities launched meeting 95%+ classification accuracy; error taxonomy integrated directly into system prompts, redirecting engineering investment toward highest-impact improvements; behavioral segmentation adopted as the framework for all future activity development; analysis workflows reduced insight cycles by 50%+; 80% user satisfaction at pilot
AI-Powered Analysis · Unstructured Data · Audience Segmentation · Classification Pipelines · Behavioral Research
Connecting Three Service Siloes That Shared the Same Customer
Synthesized a year of prior research across three business units, interviewed home sellers, and facilitated service blueprinting workshops to map the full seller journey for a digital real estate platform. Delivered current-state and future-state blueprints with a validated five-phase journey framework.
Outcome: 10 service failure points identified; platform repositioned as a trusted resource earlier in the seller journey; cross-sell moments mapped to specific pain points between pathways
Real Estate · Service Design · Enterprise Systems · Journey Mapping
Improving Child Care Access for Eligible Families
Conducted discovery research for a digital platform connecting Detroit families with child care assistance. Led caregiver journey mapping, multilingual listening labs, and provider surveys to understand both sides of the marketplace and identify where the platform could deliver immediate value.
Outcome: Narrowed platform scope from comprehensive tool to focused provider discovery and eligibility screening — the two pain points where families needed the most help
Civic Tech · Discovery Research · Marketplace Design · Accessibility
Building a Coalition with Research & Shared Evidence
Mapped Detroit's collaborative workspace landscape, fielded a 770-person community survey, and developed neighborhood feasibility scoring to help a coalition of seven organizations align on a shared services strategy. Research revealed the client's role needed to shift from brand owner to operational partner.
Outcome: Seven organizations aligned around an evidence-based plan; research package supported a joint $12M funding ask; concept reframed from "coworking" to neighborhood workspace rooted in community needs
Community Development · Multi-Stakeholder Alignment · Strategic Research · Place-Based Design
“
Mary is a legit badass UX Researcher. Rarely do you have the privilege to work alongside someone who brings the heavy research and results that she does.
”
—Senior Designer
I work at the layer where human interpretation determines whether products succeed. Teams bring me in when:
You’re building AI features and can’t tell whether they’re actually helping.
The model performs well, but users hesitate, override, or disengage. I surface the gap between technical accuracy and human confidence and translate that into design and product direction.
Adoption is slower than expected.
Usage metrics exist, but trust has not formed. I identify where clarity breaks down, where expectations misalign, and what is preventing users from relying on the system.
Your product has multiple stakeholders and competing realities.
Workflow-heavy systems often assume how people work instead of observing how they navigate constraints. I map lived behavior and surface friction points that stall momentum.
You've done the research, but it didn't make it into the product.
The interviews happened. The synthesis was solid. But somewhere between the readout and the next sprint, the nuance was lost. I help teams structure research outputs so they survive the translation into product decisions; and stay accessible as the product evolves.
You’re navigating AI product decisions and want a thinking partner.
Sometimes you need a quick diagnostic, a sounding board, or a room full of peers who understand what you’re working through. The Trust & Adoption Audit gives you a clear-eyed read in one week. The AI Adoption Circle gives you ongoing strategic support alongside people doing similar work.
My work connects qualitative depth to roadmap decisions, especially in AI-enabled, regulated, and high-stakes environments where trust drives adoption.
I typically work as a fractional research and product advisor, joining teams at the point where interpretation, trust, and adoption shape roadmap choices.
Ongoing · Group format · Limited to 12 members
A small, curated advisory group for product leaders, researchers, and designers navigating AI adoption, evaluation, and trust challenges in real time.
Twice a month, we meet live. You bring the problem: a feature that isn’t landing, an evaluation approach you’re unsure about, a stakeholder conversation you need to prepare for. Then we work through it together. Between sessions, you have async access to the group and to me.
This includes:
Two live sessions per month (90 minutes each)
Hot-seat consulting on your real challenges
Frameworks for AI evaluation, trust design, and adoption strategy
A private Slack community for ongoing questions and peer support
A small group, no more than 12, so the room stays useful
$175/month for founding members (limited spots available)
1 week · Fixed scope · Fixed price
When something feels off, like users aren’t activating, engagement is flat, or an AI feature isn’t being trusted, you don’t always need a full research engagement. You need a clear-eyed read on what’s happening and where to focus.
The Trust & Adoption Audit is a one-week diagnostic. You share your product analytics, onboarding flow, and a handful of user sessions. I review everything, identify where trust, clarity, or confidence is breaking down, and deliver a short written diagnostic with prioritized recommendations your team can act on immediately.
You walk away with:
A written diagnostic identifying adoption friction points
3–5 prioritized recommendations tied to your roadmap
A 30-minute walkthrough call to discuss findings
4–6 weeks
When adoption stalls, AI behavior feels uncertain, or teams lack clarity on what users are experiencing, we run a targeted diagnostic.
This includes stakeholder interviews, user conversations, and workflow analysis designed to surface the interpretation gaps driving friction.
You leave with:
A clear articulation of what is happening and why
Prioritized recommendations tied to roadmap
A decision framework your team can continue using
Ongoing engagement
When experience decisions influence roadmap, risk, activation, retention, or expansion, I work alongside product leadership as a senior partner.
This often includes:
Clarifying which questions actually require research
Structuring research outputs so they persist in the product workflow: decision frameworks and structured artifacts that teams reference throughout development
Closing the loop between what research finds and what actually ships, so insight doesn't decay across handoffs
Advising on AI evaluation standards and quality thresholds
Identifying adoption risks before they surface as churn
Facilitating cross-functional alignment around user insight
You get senior research leadership without adding permanent headcount. You also get continuity. I stay close enough to understand context and shape decisions over time.
“Mary excels at drawing deep insight from any audience. She never loses sight of the broader business challenge. And, she does all this with lots of laughter.”
Sarah Westrom, Independent consultant
