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Practitioner Profile: Hyorim Park
Brian Flaherty | Reading time: about 5 min
Hyorim Park is a Senior UX Researcher, supporting ESS — with a strong focus on HARP and MFT.
We sat with Hyorim and asked her about her work, HCD, and what makes her tick.
What’s a typical day like for you?
At 10:00 am I have a stand-up meeting. After that, I start my work as a UX researcher. I am responsible for all UX research work for HARP and MFT, so I followed what I planned for the day. Usually, I work on the research plans, conduct research, and documenting findings reports.
How does your job promote better practice of Human-Centered Design at CMS?
I work with the end-users of HARP and MFT, so I have chances to listen to their actual voice to improve the HARP and MFT user experience. Based on their actual needs and expectations, I help the HARP team and MFT team to build and better meet user needs. Consequently, my job contributes to better practice for CMS.
Is Human-Centered Design important? Why?
To make any application valuable and viable, it should be used by end-users. If end-users decide not to use something because of bad usability, the application or service cannot be used forever so that's why Human-Centered Design is important.
What do you feel makes Human-Centered Design unique?
Very small details create uniqueness.
Can you provide an example of HCD methodologies being applied to a project/program that has proven more successful than otherwise would have been had HCD not been applied?
For HARP and MFT, after launching these applications, we tested usability in the actual production environment. Before launching, we also do usability testing with prototypes. But testing with actual working applications in the user's context is really valuable to figure out areas should be improved.
What do you think are the best skills that you bring to your job?
Research planning to find the best way to figure out problematic areas and to provide recommendations to improve UX.
What are you happiest doing, when you’re not working?
Traveling, watching Netflix, and reading books.
Throughout your career, who is someone you admire, acted as a mentor, and/or changed the way you perform your job?
Indi Young and Jared Spool
The best piece of advice I've ever been given is...
...listen to end-users as much as possible.
On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…
...at church.
Which magazine would you take on a long flight?
A Newspaper.
If I weren't so damn good at my job, I'd probably be...
...doing some kind of work that requires more physical activity.
Cats or Dogs (or Other)?
I don’t like pets.
The most important thing I learned before I finished high school was...
...to be honest.
My favorite person, people, or thing(s) is...
...my mother, ice cream, chocolate, and fresh air in Autumn.
If I could invent a holiday, it would definitely involve...
...something related to sweet things like chocolate, ice cream, etc.
Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What did you want to be when you grow up?
A psychiatrist.
What is a cause or charity that you care about?
Anything related to supporting minorities especially children, women, and the Asian population.
:: THANK YOU FOR SHARING HYORIM! ::
Brian Flaherty
Brian is currently a Senior Design Strategist with the Human-Centered Design Center of Excellence (HCD CoE). The HCD CoE is an organization that impacts the way the CCSQ delivers policy, products and services to its customers. Brian has been a graphic designer for more than 25 years, and has been practicing human-centered design for 11. Prior to joining Tantus as an HCD Strategist, Brian spent 12 years as a Creative Director, Communications Supervisor, and HCD Practitioner at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory supporting classified and unclassified communications, primarily for the Department of Defense. Brian holds a BA degree from the University of Pittsburgh where he majored in Creative Writing and Public Relations. Brian is married, has a daughter just about ready to begin college, and considers two cats, two dogs, 26 chickens, three ducks, a crested gecko, and an Alpaca named Skinny Pete as his step children.
