UX Researcher & Designer · D.Sc. Information & Interaction Design (HCI) · Maryland, USA

Turning evidence into experiences people trust.

I'm Olubukola — a mixed-methods UX researcher and designer with a doctorate in Information and Interaction Design (Human-Computer Interaction) and 6+ years translating user behavior into products that are more useful, inclusive, and effective across healthcare, education, and government.

What I bring

Rigorous research, clear communication, decisions that ship.

End-to-end UX research and design — from the first interview to the validated prototype.

D.Sc.Information & Interaction Design (HCI)
6+ yrsResearch & design experience
MixedQualitative & quantitative methods
4Industries: health, edu, gov, community
User interviewsUsability testingSurvey design Journey mappingInformation architecturePrototyping FigmaNVivoSPSSQualtrics
Featured work

A few projects from the lab.

What I do

Research that informs design — and design that respects research.

01

Discover

Interviews, surveys, and contextual inquiry to understand who I'm designing for and what stands in their way.

02

Define & design

Personas, journey maps, site maps, and wireframes that turn messy findings into a clear direction.

03

Test & refine

Prototyping and usability testing to prove the design works before anyone writes production code.

WireframingPersonasPrototyping InterviewingSurveyingJourney mapping Task analysisContextual inquiryContent inventory Site mappingUsability testing
Portrait of Olubukola Akanbi
About me

Research, design, and strategy.

I'm a mixed-methods UX researcher and designer with a Doctor of Science in Information and Interaction Design (Human-Computer Interaction). I help teams turn user behavior into products that are more useful, inclusive, and effective — across healthcare, education, government, and community organizations.

I care most about designing for vulnerable and underserved groups, where evidence-based research makes the biggest difference.

More about me

Have a project where users come first?

Let's work together
About

A researcher who designs, and a designer who never skips the research.

Information scientist by training, UX practitioner by calling — with a soft spot for the users everyone else overlooks.

Portrait of Olubukola Akanbi
My story

Helping people reach their goals.

My journey into design and research began with a simple belief: when information is accessible, understandable, and thoughtfully designed, it empowers people to make better decisions and improve their lives.

I earned my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Information Science and later completed a doctorate in Information and Interaction Design (Human-Computer Interaction). Throughout my career, I have been drawn to understanding how people interact with information, technology, and digital products — and how research can help create experiences that are more useful, inclusive, and meaningful.

My early work in libraries and usability labs introduced me to user-centered research and design. Since then, I have led and contributed to the redesign of websites, mobile applications, and digital services across education, healthcare, government, and community-focused organizations. My work has included user interviews, usability testing, survey design, journey mapping, information architecture, wireframing, prototyping, and translating research insights into actionable design decisions.

As a mixed-methods researcher, I bring expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research. I am proficient in tools such as SPSS, NVivo, Excel, Qualtrics, and Figma, using them to collect, analyze, and synthesize data into clear recommendations for product, service, and policy decisions.

My doctoral research focused on maternal health and digital information behavior, exploring how pregnant women seek and use health information throughout pregnancy. Today, I work at the intersection of research, design, and strategy, helping teams make evidence-based decisions that improve products, services, and experiences for the people they serve.

What drives me

Solving design problems creatively — for the people who need it most.

·

Equity in mind

I'm happiest designing for vulnerable and underserved groups, where careful research has the highest stakes.

·

Evidence over opinion

Strong analytical and communication skills mean I let real findings — not assumptions — drive the design.

·

Off the clock

When I'm not researching, you'll find me cooking, reading, or watching a good film.

Think we'd work well together?

Get in touch
Work

Selected case studies.

A look at projects spanning maternal health, education, public media, and research with underserved users.

9:41

Good morning

Amara

SECOND TRIMESTER

Week 24

Today's tip

Your baby can hear your voice now.

Home
Journal
Kicks
Profile
Case Study 01 · Maternal health · 2021

Designing pregnancy apps that actually support women

As lead UX researcher, I ran an explanatory sequential mixed-methods and co-design study to uncover why pregnancy apps frustrate the women who depend on them — surfacing pain points like sign-up walls, slow loading, unexpected ads, and incomplete tracking. The finding: no single app met women's needs, forcing them to juggle several at once. I translated this into recommendations for a more holistic pregnancy experience and for integrating health apps into gynecological care to improve adherence and outcomes.

Mixed methodsCo-designSurvey (n=59)Qualitative analysis
Read the case study
MHEC redesigned homepage
Case Study 02 · Education · Government

Maryland Higher Education Commission redesign

Rebuilt a PDF-heavy state education site around its six audiences — content inventory, card sorting with 30 users, and an audience-separated information architecture the client chose over the original.

Content inventoryCard sorting (n=30)IAPersonas
Read the case study
HABC usability testing — completion-time metrics
Case Study 03 · Housing · Usability

Housing Authority of Baltimore City — usability study

Led an eye-tracking usability study of the HABC website from a tenant's standpoint — moderating eight participants to uncover how jargon, layout, and load times blocked people from finding housing help.

Usability testingEye trackingModerationInterviews
Read the case study
Children-centered password design study
Case Study 04 · Children-Centered Design

Comparing graphical & textual passwords with children

Participatory research with children aged 7–13, comparing graphical and textual passwords to learn which they recall and prefer — designing with them, not just for them.

Participatory researchInterviewingUsability testing
Read the case study

CIAT

Covid-19 Information & Tracker

Case Study 05 · Mobile App · Public Health

CIAT — a COVID-19 information & tracker app

🏆 Winner of the USM COVID-19 App Challenge. A user-centered app to help Marylanders return safely to work — 14 user interviews shaping personas, wireframes, A/B and usability testing, and coded prototypes.

User interviewsWireframingA/B testingPrototyping
Read the case study

Traveling Money

Budgeting for financial inclusion

Case Study 06 · Mobile App · Financial Inclusion

Traveling Money — a budgeting app for undocumented immigrants

A research-led concept tackling privacy fears, language barriers, and financial literacy — using personas and literature synthesis to design budgeting that earns a vulnerable community's trust.

PersonasLiterature synthesisInclusive designApp concept
Read the case study

Want the full details?

Ask me about a project
Publications

Writing & research.

Peer-reviewed work and conference contributions.

2026

Enhancing Maternal Health: Addressing App Design Challenges to Improve Treatment Compliance During Pregnancy

HCI International Conference (July 26–July 31, 2026) — Conference Presentation

2024

Perceptions of pregnant women on mobile app design and information credibility

HCI International Conference (June 30–July 4, 2024) — Conference Presentation

Contact

Let's get in touch.

Available for new UX research and design work. Send a note and I'll get back to you.

Location

Rockville, Maryland, 20850, USA

Find me online

In iD
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