ALIYAH

WINFREY

STAFF UX RESEARCHER &
STRATEGIST

A woman with long, wavy black hair, smiling, wearing a black t-shirt, small earrings, a delicate necklace, and makeup, standing against a black background.
A woman with long wavy black hair, smiling, wearing a black t-shirt, gold necklace, and earrings, against a black background. 
ABOUT ALIYAH

I'm a Staff User Experience Researcher shaping product strategy by connecting deep human insight to business imperatives. My interdisciplinary approach spans academic mixed-methods research, community-centered work with nonprofits, and now global consumer tech and enterprise SaaS at companies like Google, Microsoft, and Auth0 by Okta. This journey has sharpened a dual expertise: tactical execution in unraveling complex user problems and the strategic instinct for building research systems that scale insight and de-risk critical business bets.

I translate nuanced user behaviors into actionable frameworks that align cross-functional partners, championing a research vision that looks beyond usability to decode the latent behaviors driving long-term adoption. What matters most is ensuring products are built not just for users, but around them. Through mentoring teams and embedding methodological rigor across organizations, I work to democratize research practice and ensure we're building for everyone.

  • Microsoft logo featuring four colorful squares (red, green, blue, yellow) and the word 'Microsoft' in gray text.
  • Google logo with multicolored G on a white background
  • Okta logo with a circular, segmented design next to the company name in lowercase letters
  • Logo with a black abstract leaf design to the left of the word 'auto' in black lowercase letters.

Featured Work

Search & Organization ML Search
Google Photos, 2022

Illustration of five people analyzing data and charts in a high-tech research center with the words "Centralized Research Knowledge Hub" at the top left.

Centralized Research Repository
Microsoft, 2021

Illustration depicting diverse women discussing digital security, with focus on password protection, device security, and facial recognition technology.

Global End-User Sentiment Article
Auth0 by Okta, 2025

Illustration of a team of four people working together at a table with computers and documents, analyzing data and graphs on large screens, promoting the Auth Rapid Research Program.

Auth0 Rapid Research Program
Auth0 by Okta, 2025

Cover of a publication titled "Visual Arts Research," volume 47, issue 92, summer 2021, edited by Jorge Lucero, Laura Hetrick, and Sarah Travis from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Remembering Black Girlhood Using Tactile Motion
Academic Publication, 2021

Laptop displaying a webpage with a video thumbnail of two young girls smiling and standing in a school or community center.

Information Architecture Restructure
UXR Consultant, 2019

RESEARCH APPROACH

I design research systems that shape product vision and scale research practice, making research a strategic driver rather than a validation function.

  • Strategic Foresight: I work with teams to look beyond the immediate roadmap, anticipating how users and markets will evolve. My foundational research helps organizations identify emerging opportunities and de-risk major investments early.

  • Scalable Research Systems: I create infrastructure that democratizes insight across organizations through rapid research programs, centralized repositories, and self-service frameworks maintain quality while increasing velocity. The goal: enable teams to make rigorouse, user-centered decisions independently.

  • Executive Partnership: I partner with product, marketing, and design leadership to translate user narratives into business strategy. This means aligning stakeholders on investment priorities and crafting multi-year strategies that secure resources for research initiatives.

  • Thought Leadership: I believe in growing the practice together. Through mentorship, methodological innovation, and sharing what I learn, I help teams navigate new challenges from AI to evolving digital identity.

    At its core, I see research as a strategic advantage that turns deep user understanding into products that shape markets.

Toolkit

  • Dovetail
  • Figma
  • Lucidspark
  • Qualtrics
  • Tableau
  • UserTesting.com
  • DScout
  • Heap
  • Looker
  • Miro
  • Confluence
  • Notebook LM

Portfolio available upon request

A curated selection of detailed case studies is available upon request. Please reach out to discuss my research process and impact.