Welcome to The Deep Groove

Like Liam Neeson’s character in Taken, “I have a very particular set of skills.”

Hi! I’m Sarah, a former punk rock kid turned quantitative research leader who's built a career doing one thing exceptionally well: measuring human experiences.

First, an intro. I am a UX research leader who has worked across industries like financial services, travel, ecommerce, social media and advertising. So far, my career has had two major acts. In my first act, I spent a decade in academia as a social psychologist specializing in the psychology of trust. In my second act, I’ve grown as a quantitative research leader in big tech, spending time at PayPal, Expedia, and Meta.

The defining trajectory of my career journey has been developing a deep groove as a specialist. My academic research career built my solid foundation of expertise in quantitative methodology, trust, and human psychology. My UX research career has been marked by an increasingly specialized focus on experience measurement.

Here's the thing about being a specialist: it gives you a perspective that nobody else has. While others spread themselves thin trying to be everything to everyone, I've spent years carving out a deep groove in experience measurement. And now, I'm ready to share what I've learned.

The Deep Groove alternates between two themes:

1. The Craft of Experience Measurement

   • Framework development that can actually scale

   • Cross-disciplinary collaboration secrets

   • Getting buy-in (even from the toughest skeptics)

   • Practical tips you can use immediately, whether you're in product, analytics, or design

2. Career Guidance

   • How to turn your uniqueness into your superpower

   • Why being a specialist isn't limiting (it's liberating)

   • Authentic career growth

As a specialist, I’ve also had a unique career journey. Anyone who knows me well would say that taking the unbeaten path is a big part of my personal brand. After all, I spent my formative years as a free range, homeschooled, proudly weird wannabe punk in Austin, Texas.

Being a specialist means that by definition, I’m not a generalist. I’m not the right fit for every job. I have a spiky point of view. Sadly, I spent many years seeing my uniqueness as a liability and trying to sand down my edges, often at the expense of what made me special. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time it held me back.

Now I know better. Those spiky edges? They're features, not bugs. And if you're reading this, chances are you've got some edges of your own that deserve to shine.

Let's get started.

Ready for more? Check out today's article: 5 Reasons You Need Experience Measurement