Industry Research

In tech, I have demonstrated impact and experience in:

• Designing products that meet Gen Z’s modern information needs

• Evaluating the role of GenAI in information seeking journeys

• Understanding the user generated content ecosystem from the creator and consumer perspective

• Improving ads and business products for enterprise consumers

My breadth of qualitative and quantitative research skills includes:

Diary Studies, Usability Testing, Remote Research at scale, Subject Matter Expert Interviews, Focus Groups, Unmoderated Testing at Scale, End-to-End Evaluation, Card Sorting, Journey Mapping, Participatory Design

I translate my passion for user centered design when working with cross-functional stakeholders including product management, engineering, design, and data science partners. I am committed to presenting research findings to senior stakeholders in both a rigorous and fast-turnaround manner to influence product roadmaps and design direction.

Graduate Research

In graduate school, I directed four multi-year research programs focused on designing and enacting equity across design settings.

I led research focused on bringing virtual reality to incarcerated youth, understanding how dyads of families conduct online search and brokering, and iterating HCI curriculum for a Master’s program. I published papers in highest impact HCI journals (ACM, CHI, DIS) and earned Top 1% recognition on multiple papers:

• Roldan, W., Lee, K.J., Berhe, L., Nguyen, K., Strickler, S., Yip, J.C. (2021) Disrupting Informal Computing Education: Teen-led Co-design in Libraries. ACM Transactions on Computing Education.

• Roldan, W., Li, Z., Gao, X., Strickler, S.K., Hishikawa, A.M., Froehlich, J., & Yip, J.C. (2021). Pedagogical Strategies for Reflection in Project-based HCI Education with End Users. Proceedings of the 2021 Designing Interactive Systems Conference.

• Roldan, W., Gao, X., Hishikawa, A.M., Ku, T., Li, Z., Zhang, E., Froehlich, J., & Yip, J.C. (2020). Opportunities and Challenges in Involving Users in Project Based HCI Education.

• Vossoughi, S., Jackson, A., Chen, S., Roldan, W., & Escudé, M. (2020). Embodied Pathways and Ethical Trails: Studying Learning in and Through Relational Histories. Journal of the Learning Sciences. 29:2, 183-223, DOI: 10.1080/10508406.2019.1693380

• Roldan, W., Vanegas, P., Pina, L., Gonzalez, C., & Yip, J.C. (2019). The Role of Funds of Knowledge in Online Search and Brokering. Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) 2019, Volume 1 (pp. 160-167). International Society of the Learning Sciences.

• Pina, L., Gonzalez, C., Nieto, C., Roldan, W., Onofre, E., & Yip, J.C. (2018). How Latino Children in the U.S. Engage in Collaborative Online Information Problem Solving with their Families. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 2(CSCW), Article 140, DOI: 10.1145/3274409 [h5-index – 56, Acceptance rate – 26%]

• Roldan, W., Hui, J., Gerber, E. (2018). University Makerspaces: Opportunities to Support Equitable Participation for Women in Engineering. International Journal of Engineering Education. Vol. 34, No. 2(B), pp. 751-768, 2018

National Science Foundation Funded Projects:

Reflection in engineering education with Co-PIs: Dr. Jennifer Turns & Dr. Cindy Atman

Mixed methods research to develop and validate survey instruments that will allow students to provide their perspective on the knowledge gains arising from engaging in a reflection activity and record their reactions to engaging in reflection activities. In the first phase of a three-year NSF grant, we are conducting interviews with undergraduate students about their reflective practices. My role on this research team is to understand how undergraduates engage with reflection.

Online Search and Brokering in English Language Learning Families with Co-PIs: Dr. Jason Yip & Dr. Carmen Gonzalez

Field study to understand how children of Latino American English language learning families search, translate, and broker online information. Funded by the Google Faculty Research Award, we seek to better understand how immigrant families access information online. My role on this bilingual and interdisciplinary research team is to analyze data from in-home visits with 22 Latino families to understand digital family collaboration within English language learner families.

Other Projects: