I’m Mary and I’ve worked in user experience and user centred design since 2002.
I started out with a degree in experimental psychology, followed by a PhD in human-computer interaction. In the 24+ years since, I’ve built up extensive knowledge and practical experience.
Central government (GDS processes), big corporates, small businesses
All project phases from discovery or conception through alpha and beta to live
First user researcher in a company, and joined teams of different sizes and maturity levels
Thousands of hours of user research sessions, with all the associated planning, preparation, synthesis and reporting
Planning and coordinating research programmes
Supporting junior or isolated researchers, as well as designers and product people, to do good research and be fulfilled in their careers
Short and long, contract and consultancy engagements
Barefoot qualified business and personal coach, committed to the ICF (International Coaching Federation) code of ethics
I thrive on variety and challenge: I enjoy arriving in a new context, picking projects up quickly and delivering quality.
Read more about my experience on LinkedIn or contact me for a chat.
About me
How I work
The best user research is collaborative.
It works best when we’re not just passing work back and forth, but thinking together about the questions that need answering and what good decisions look like. That means taking a bit of time to understand each other - how you work, what you already know and where the gaps are, and how I approach research and problem-solving. It means touchpoints along the way to ensure we stay aligned. The better our mutual understanding, the more focused, useful and actionable the research becomes.
I’m happy to take the lead.
Collaboration’s great when it’s possible, but I can also take a project away and get on with it. You may not have the time or capacity to be closely involved and not every situation allows for deep collaboration. Sometimes what’s most useful is simply having someone you trust to run with it, keep you informed and bring back clear, actionable findings without adding to your workload.
My goal when I coach and mentor researchers is ultimately to make myself redundant.
The aim of coaching and mentoring isn’t to create long-term dependence, but to build confidence, judgement and good habits so people feel able to handle similar challenges on their own. Over time, I want the support to fade into the background because the capability is firmly in place within the individual.
Coaching doesn’t have to be about day to day project work. It can also cover big-picture topics like career progression, work-life balance, stakeholder management or managing overwhelm.
I’m user centred in every sense.
As a user researcher, I’ve spent my career helping organisations become more user-centred. The same ideas shape how I work with my clients. That means starting with you: understanding what you're trying to achieve, how you like to work and what kind of input will be genuinely useful. Rather than expecting you to fit my process, I adapt to yours. That might mean mentoring over a series of sessions, embedding in your team for a project, delivering research or providing independent advice when you need it.
Testimonials
"Mary is someone I could bring in quickly to run focused, high-quality research without any fuss or ramp-up. She manages stakeholders with ease, keeps everyone aligned, and delivers clear, actionable insight you can immediately use. Efficient, reliable, and consistently strong in what she produces.”
Aoife Ni MhorainDirector of Product Design“I've worked with Mary multiple times and she is one of the best researchers I have worked with. She brings great attention to detail, creativity and steadiness to her work, even in difficult situations whether that's a tricky brief or difficult stakeholders. If you're looking for a research partner who will bring both craft and pragmatism to your project, I would highly recommend Mary.”
Darci Dutcher
Senior Director of Product Design and Research
My clients have included:
Private sector:
Government departments:
