Author Jes Koepfler, Nidhi Jalwal and Meghan Plank

Jes Koepfler has more than a decade of experience conducting user research and evaluation in the nonprofit, education, gaming, healthcare and other sectors. Jes applies her background in human computer interaction, information studies, and social psychology from her PhD at the University of Maryland to tackle complex research projects. In her role as Chief Researcher at a user-centered research and design firm in Philadelphia, she oversees a team of top notch researchers, pushing the boundaries of research methods and deliverables for every client.

Nidhi Jalwal believes that design is the act of attuning to observations and building empathy to create experiences that tell stories. She works as a Researcher at a user-centered research and design firm in Philadelphia. Nidhi has traveled and worked with different designers and artists in various communities and countries. Her first love was science and engineering, but she quickly shifted towards user experience which allowed her to marry a love for design with her natural ability to connect with people. She also co-conceived a start-up in India, before moving to the United States where she then attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Her previous experience includes doing user experience research and co-facilitating workshops in nonprofit and healthcare spaces.

Meghan Plank has always been fascinated by human behavior: the way we socialize with family and friends, the way we move and perceive our environment, and the way we interact with objects of our own creation. This early fascination with human behavior evolved into a passion for human-computer interaction and the application of human-centered research methods to design. Meghan is a graduate of Drexel University, where she studied Psychology and Entrepreneurship. She now works as a Researcher for a user-centered research and design firm in Philadelphia. Her previous experience includes research on child-computer interaction and behavioral intervention technologies for physical activity.