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UX Research Portfolio

Duaa Gettani

Senior UX Researcher

Mixed-methods researcher with a decade of experience turning complex human behavior into clear product strategy. I've led research at Meta (WhatsApp), Block (Square), Lyft, and Google — helping teams build products across banking, mobility, and messaging that earn trust, drive growth, and work for people in the real world.

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Meta · WhatsApp · Block · Square · Lyft · Google

Speaking

Sharing research thinking on stages that bring together product and design leaders.

Duaa Gettani speaking on The Future of UX Research panel
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UXDX Panel · 2025

The Future of UX Research: Proving Value, Democratization, and Collaboration

In-Person Panel Discussion

Panelled at UXDX Community San Francisco alongside Joann Wu (Uber), Andrew Birgiolas (Sephora), and moderator Alex Burke (Optimal Workshop). Discussed how AI is reshaping UX research — helping researchers prove business value, align with stakeholders, and maintain rigour as research becomes more democratised.

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UXDX USA 2023 May 17, 2023

Standardising UX: A Roadmap for Success

Continuous Research · Main Stage

Explored how UX capabilities evolve as companies mature — demonstrating the approaches used to build out the UX function at Square, coordinate across disciplines, and optimise outcomes for product teams at scale.

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UXDX EMEA 2022 October 13, 2022

Empowering Researchers in Product Teams

Continuous Research · Main Stage

Panel discussion examining how to support decentralised UX researchers embedded in product teams — ensuring researchers have the support they need given the diverse skills modern research demands.

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Girl Geek X · ELEVATE 2023 2023

Career & Tech Talks

Virtual Conference

Invited speaker at the ELEVATE Virtual Conference, sharing expertise on career navigation and research practice within the tech industry.

Case Studies

Selected projects spanning product strategy, concept testing, and generative research.

Banking · Credit 2024

Expanding Access to Capital: Short-Term Loans

Block · Square

~70% of payment-active Square sellers were ineligible for Flex Loans. I led discovery research on a new short-term loan product to expand access to underserved sellers without increasing risk exposure.

My Role End-to-end research lead — scoping, recruitment, moderation, synthesis
Methods Semi-structured interviews · Concept testing · Prototype feedback
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How Might We

"Position short-term loans so they feel additive, not inferior — and align repayment models with different cash flow patterns?"

Mobility · Airports 2019

Fast Match: Rider Wait Status

Lyft

Fast Match was Lyft's dedicated airport pickup experience. I researched how to reduce uncertainty and cancellations without surfacing raw ETAs — fieldwork across three major airports.

My Role Principal researcher, Airports & Venues team
Methods Contextual interviews · On-site observation · Hypothesis-driven research
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How Might We

"Give users enough information to calculate their own wait time — without discouraging them from staying?"

Messaging · Monetization 2025

WhatsApp Business: Driving Monetization Through Trust

Meta · WhatsApp

Low-information business profiles suppress the monetization funnel. I led research to understand what trust signals prompt consumers to send that first message — the critical conversion event.

My Role Senior UX Researcher, Core team — end-to-end research ownership
Methods Qualitative interviews · Behavioral probing · Comparative evaluation
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Business Goal

Profile views → conversation starts → monetization. What makes a business trustworthy enough to message?

Trust · Identity 2024

Graduation Paths: Seller Identity Management

Block · Square

Sellers evolve from sole proprietors to LLCs and corporations — but Square had no path to support that transition. I led foundational research to inform the design of an Identity Dashboard.

My Role Research lead — cross-functional team across screener, interviews, and workshops
Methods Screener survey · Moderated interviews · Synthesis workshops
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The Problem

No seamless transition path existed from SSN-based accounts to EIN-based entities, creating compliance risk and seller frustration.

Academic Research

Graduate research at UC Davis exploring sustainable transportation policy at a global scale.

Thesis

Achieving Low-Carbon Transport in the Middle East & North Africa

University of California, Davis · MS Transportation, Technology and Policy

Analysed how transit investments improve mobility across income groups and reduce urban greenhouse gas emissions in the MENA region. Evaluated regional fuel and electricity trends, including the impact of subsidies and tax policies on transportation decisions.

🏆 Best Overall Poster — 2015 UC CONNECT Student Conference
Publication

Analysis of Modal Shift Potential and Impacts for Urban Passenger Transport Worldwide

UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies

Co-authored with Lewis Fulton and Rosaria Berliner. Examined modal shift potential across urban passenger transport systems globally, with implications for emissions reduction and sustainable mobility planning.

📖 Jastro Research Fellowship recipient — awarded for advancing knowledge in resource utilisation and conservation

Skills & Tools

A decade of practice across research methods, operations, and emerging AI-powered workflows.

Research Methods

  • Qualitative & mixed-methods research
  • Concept & usability testing
  • Generative & foundational research
  • Diary studies & longitudinal research
  • Survey design & A/B testing
  • Card sorting & mental model mapping
  • Contextual inquiry & field research

Research Operations

  • Research roadmap planning
  • Workshop facilitation (Crazy 8s, prioritisation mapping)
  • Vendor & panel management
  • Participant recruitment & sourcing
  • Executive readouts & stakeholder alignment
  • Cross-functional collaboration

Tools & Analytics

  • Qualtrics · Decipher / Forsta
  • SQL · Excel · RStudio
  • Tableau
  • ArcGIS · ArcCatalog
  • SAP

AI-Accelerated Research

  • Claude — analysis & synthesis
  • NotebookLM — knowledge synthesis
  • Outset — AI-moderated research
  • Claude Code — workflow automation

Get in Touch

I'm always open to connecting with researchers, product leaders, and teams working on meaningful problems.

LinkedIn ↗ Email Me Download Résumé