Jennifer Bullard
Lecturer | Start-Up UX Advisor | User Experience Consultant & Founder at Yes Yes Know LLC
Technology
Education: SUNY Buffalo - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Boston, MA, USA
Biography
Yes Yes Know Founder, Jen Bullard, is a forward-thinking and innovative UX design consultant, startup advisor, lecturer, panelist and guest speaker. She has spoken at Cambridge Innovation Center, UXPA Boston, Startup Week Boston, Tech-Moms and has been featured on the Founder Connect Podcast with Elizabeth O'Neill.
With over 20 years of UX experience, Jen brings her expertise to audiences of product developers and designers, engineers and product managers across teams of all sizes. She provides clients with research-based, actionable strategies to integrate UX into their organizations, helping them identify the most user-friendly approach, target the right markets and more - all with a focus on human empathy.
Her successful track record proves she can work with teams at all levels to craft product strategy and drive it through to delivery.
Passion
Jen has an intense curiosity about human behavior and a knack for discovering mental models. This passion enables her to uncover important nuances around what users expect from a product and translate those insights into dramatic product improvements and sustainable growth.
She thrives in consultancy, where she finds there are always new problems to solve.
Jen is also passionate about women’s career development and women’s leadership. She attributes much of her professional success to being a “mom in tech,” having discovered that the tech industry offers a far better work-life balance than others she’s experienced.
Best Story
Starburst is a leading data access platform known for its ability to process, analyze and make massive amounts of data accessible. This complicated system meant onboarding clients to the platform took three hours.
Before Starburst Data launched its cloud-based solution, the organization partnered with Yes Yes Know for usability testing and product strategy to ensure customers could get set up and implement their data as quickly as possible.
Yes Yes Know conducted an initial round of usability testing to figure out why that iteration of the onboarding process was so lengthy. The reasons they discovered were infrastructure prerequisites, multiple skill sets and approvals required. This resulted in extended onboarding times, handoffs within the customer organization and a lot of handholding by Starburst Data employees.
Yes Yes Know’s objective was to speed up “time to insight” and ensure customers could start using the new features as quickly as possible. The team began testing one-, two- and three-minute maximums for the onboarding process.
Yes Yes Know tested the setup, the configuration and recorded time on-task. They identified points of friction and were able to implement improvements. From there, Starburst Data invited Yes Yes Know back for another round of usability testing.
By eliminating the complication of client-side configuration, Starburst Data was able to alleviate lengthy onboarding times and enable their users to focus on the value the Starburst solution offers. The results showed that the average onboarding time was now under three minutes.
Today, Starburst Data provides the fastest path from data to insight, from yes to up-and-running in three minutes or less.
Origin Story
Jen’s background layers a graduate degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on top of her undergraduate education in fine arts from SUNY Buffalo. At RPI, she had the unique opportunity to participate in the pilot program for a Master of Science in HCI, placing her at the forefront of this emerging field. Her time at RPI introduced her to other creative minds in tech, visual arts and psychology, which Jen credits with shaping her career trajectory.
Jen’s career took an unexpected turn when, like so many others, she was laid off in ‘08. With a small child at home, she embraced the opportunity to enjoy motherhood, taking on smaller gigs as a consultant to keep her skills fresh. This transition from a high-stress, full-time corporate job gave her more flexibility to set her own hours and with it: a better work life balance. Jen moved between consulting and permanent positions with high-tech, B2B software companies for a number of years before starting her business, Yes Yes Know, in 2019.
Time and again, she heard advice against it - that it was not a smart decision. They said that she should play it safe, because as a single mom she had responsibilities. They said she should get a stable and reliable director-level corporate job instead. But Jen chose to forge her own innovative path as a female entrepreneur and launch Yes Yes Know despite their cautions. Six years later, Jen and her consultancy team are thriving.
Running her own business has given her the freedom to build a unique culture and set her own terms. As the demand from new clients grew, Jen felt driven to build a team with diverse “superpowers,” in an effort to deliver only the highest quality products and services.
Today, Jen leads a team of researchers, designers, artists and developers and delivers the highest in quality design and development to Yes Yes Know clients. Jen credits the shift from “army-of-one” to “team-of-experts” to a neighbor, who once told her, “Never do anything yourself if you can afford to pay someone to do it who can do it better than you.”
Example talks
Testimonials
"Jen and her team at YYK helped us understand the non-obvious gaps in our user experience. Their work has enabled our growing team to make more user-centric decisions."
— Michael E. Gruen, Chief Technology Officer; Fund That Flip, Inc.
"Yes Yes Know? More like yes, yes, yes!"
— Administator; Harvard Kennedy School
Simplify the Complex, Amplify the Clarity
In this talk, Jen will dive deep into the field of user experience (UX) and the benefits of incorporating UX into your practice. We will specifically explore the different testing methodologies employed by user experience (UX) practitioners and when to use each one.
She will also examine the differences between accessibility and usability, outline the techniques available for assessing both and we will look at the pros and cons of different approaches. Attendees will get a deeper understanding of how to create an accessible and usable product - and how to choose between methodologies when funds are limited. Most importantly, we will explain how, in a world overflowing with software, the practice of UX makes life easier for all of us who need it!
Attendees will leave this session with:
● A clearer idea of everything that comprises User Experience Design.
● Key industry trends.
● A playbook for growing their skills in the UX discipline.
This talk can be given in-person or virtually as a presentation or used as contribution to a UX expert panel. It is ideal for students and designers, but Jen can personalize the talk for those who are generally tech-savvy and others who are curious about technology and usability.
Starting a Consultancy
In this talk, featured on the Founder Connect Podcast with Elizabeth O'Neill, Jen discusses her experience starting a design agency and insights on user experience and UI design, drawing from her background working with startups. Jen can also share expertise from her teaching experience at Northeastern and discuss the challenges and strategies she employs to manage her team and business development.
Jen will review:
• The inspiration for starting her company.
• The importance of user research and understanding cognitive psychological factors in design.
• Practical advice for founders (including the significance of knowing user needs and being ready to pivot.)
This talk can be given in-person or virtually as a presentation or podcast topic, and is ideal for future entrepreneurs, students, startup enthusiasts and team leaders.
UX (User Experience) Playbook for Startups
How can a cash-strapped startup make sure their user experience is competitive without breaking the bank?
The user’s experience is a crucial differentiator for most products – software included. For digital products to compete and stand out in a crowded field, they must be user-friendly and compelling. The terms “user experience” and “UX” have recently become buzzwords in digitally aware circles; but what do they mean? Are they meaningless fifty cent words that people can use to sell ideas, or do they carry real value? How much does the UX of an innovative piece of software matter when the marketplace isn’t saturated? Can novel technology carry a product that people struggle to use? And how long can a company afford to overlook user needs?
In this talk, the audience will leave with:
• The definition and an understanding of UX and what it means to produce user-friendly products.
• Different tactics for completing the most essential UX plays at each stage of startup funding.
• A glimpse of what UX efforts might look like at different stages of the startup journey.
• Strategies for how to prioritize different aspects of UX based on the varied factors affecting your target market.
This talk can be given in-person or virtually as a presentation or used as contribution to a UX expert panel. It is ideal for founders, engineers, designers, students and startup enthusiasts.
Emphatic Empathy: What is your problem?
What is your problem? Those four words can be the most obnoxious words on the planet. They can also be the most powerful.
When you ask someone about their struggles and listen to their response, you open yourself up to the possibility of becoming a problem solver. Technology can be an even more powerful tool when informed by empathy and well-honed listening skills; there is an art to asking about people's challenges. The best researchers will tell you that humans are notoriously bad at self-reporting. Sometimes the path to true empathy is listening through observation and watching rather than asking.
In this talk, Jen will identify why empathy is important in product design. The audience will leave with:
• A better understanding of the value empathy brings to product development.
• Tips on how to use empathy in user research.
• Strategies to incorporate the results of empathy-led research into your product development efforts.
This talk can be given in-person or virtually as a presentation or used as contribution to a UX expert panel, and is ideal for product-led business leaders, product owners, software engineers, technologists, designers, researchers, students and startup enthusiasts.
Speaking Engagements
Advancing Your UX Research Maturity: A Practical Framework
User Experience Leadership and Management
Tech-Moms Guest Speaker
Startup Week Boston 2024
Founder Connect Podcast
2024 UXPA Boston Conference
Market Strategy + UX Mastery - Cambridge Innovation Center
2018 UXPA Boston Conference
2017 UXPA Boston Conference
Featured Video
When it comes to payments
I sometimes get paid for speaking
Topics
Best Story
Starburst is a leading data access platform known for its ability to process, analyze and make massive amounts of data accessible. This complicated system meant onboarding clients to the platform took three hours.
Before Starburst Data launched its cloud-based solution, the organization partnered with Yes Yes Know for usability testing and product strategy to ensure customers could get set up and implement their data as quickly as possible.
Yes Yes Know conducted an initial round of usability testing to figure out why that iteration of the onboarding process was so lengthy. The reasons they discovered were infrastructure prerequisites, multiple skill sets and approvals required. This resulted in extended onboarding times, handoffs within the customer organization and a lot of handholding by Starburst Data employees.
Yes Yes Know’s objective was to speed up “time to insight” and ensure customers could start using the new features as quickly as possible. The team began testing one-, two- and three-minute maximums for the onboarding process.
Yes Yes Know tested the setup, the configuration and recorded time on-task. They identified points of friction and were able to implement improvements. From there, Starburst Data invited Yes Yes Know back for another round of usability testing.
By eliminating the complication of client-side configuration, Starburst Data was able to alleviate lengthy onboarding times and enable their users to focus on the value the Starburst solution offers. The results showed that the average onboarding time was now under three minutes.
Today, Starburst Data provides the fastest path from data to insight, from yes to up-and-running in three minutes or less.
Origin Story
Jen’s background layers a graduate degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on top of her undergraduate education in fine arts from SUNY Buffalo. At RPI, she had the unique opportunity to participate in the pilot program for a Master of Science in HCI, placing her at the forefront of this emerging field. Her time at RPI introduced her to other creative minds in tech, visual arts and psychology, which Jen credits with shaping her career trajectory.
Jen’s career took an unexpected turn when, like so many others, she was laid off in ‘08. With a small child at home, she embraced the opportunity to enjoy motherhood, taking on smaller gigs as a consultant to keep her skills fresh. This transition from a high-stress, full-time corporate job gave her more flexibility to set her own hours and with it: a better work life balance. Jen moved between consulting and permanent positions with high-tech, B2B software companies for a number of years before starting her business, Yes Yes Know, in 2019.
Time and again, she heard advice against it - that it was not a smart decision. They said that she should play it safe, because as a single mom she had responsibilities. They said she should get a stable and reliable director-level corporate job instead. But Jen chose to forge her own innovative path as a female entrepreneur and launch Yes Yes Know despite their cautions. Six years later, Jen and her consultancy team are thriving.
Running her own business has given her the freedom to build a unique culture and set her own terms. As the demand from new clients grew, Jen felt driven to build a team with diverse “superpowers,” in an effort to deliver only the highest quality products and services.
Today, Jen leads a team of researchers, designers, artists and developers and delivers the highest in quality design and development to Yes Yes Know clients. Jen credits the shift from “army-of-one” to “team-of-experts” to a neighbor, who once told her, “Never do anything yourself if you can afford to pay someone to do it who can do it better than you.”
Example talks
Testimonials
"Jen and her team at YYK helped us understand the non-obvious gaps in our user experience. Their work has enabled our growing team to make more user-centric decisions."
— Michael E. Gruen, Chief Technology Officer; Fund That Flip, Inc.
"Yes Yes Know? More like yes, yes, yes!"
— Administator; Harvard Kennedy School
Simplify the Complex, Amplify the Clarity
In this talk, Jen will dive deep into the field of user experience (UX) and the benefits of incorporating UX into your practice. We will specifically explore the different testing methodologies employed by user experience (UX) practitioners and when to use each one.
She will also examine the differences between accessibility and usability, outline the techniques available for assessing both and we will look at the pros and cons of different approaches. Attendees will get a deeper understanding of how to create an accessible and usable product - and how to choose between methodologies when funds are limited. Most importantly, we will explain how, in a world overflowing with software, the practice of UX makes life easier for all of us who need it!
Attendees will leave this session with:
● A clearer idea of everything that comprises User Experience Design.
● Key industry trends.
● A playbook for growing their skills in the UX discipline.
This talk can be given in-person or virtually as a presentation or used as contribution to a UX expert panel. It is ideal for students and designers, but Jen can personalize the talk for those who are generally tech-savvy and others who are curious about technology and usability.
Starting a Consultancy
In this talk, featured on the Founder Connect Podcast with Elizabeth O'Neill, Jen discusses her experience starting a design agency and insights on user experience and UI design, drawing from her background working with startups. Jen can also share expertise from her teaching experience at Northeastern and discuss the challenges and strategies she employs to manage her team and business development.
Jen will review:
• The inspiration for starting her company.
• The importance of user research and understanding cognitive psychological factors in design.
• Practical advice for founders (including the significance of knowing user needs and being ready to pivot.)
This talk can be given in-person or virtually as a presentation or podcast topic, and is ideal for future entrepreneurs, students, startup enthusiasts and team leaders.
UX (User Experience) Playbook for Startups
How can a cash-strapped startup make sure their user experience is competitive without breaking the bank?
The user’s experience is a crucial differentiator for most products – software included. For digital products to compete and stand out in a crowded field, they must be user-friendly and compelling. The terms “user experience” and “UX” have recently become buzzwords in digitally aware circles; but what do they mean? Are they meaningless fifty cent words that people can use to sell ideas, or do they carry real value? How much does the UX of an innovative piece of software matter when the marketplace isn’t saturated? Can novel technology carry a product that people struggle to use? And how long can a company afford to overlook user needs?
In this talk, the audience will leave with:
• The definition and an understanding of UX and what it means to produce user-friendly products.
• Different tactics for completing the most essential UX plays at each stage of startup funding.
• A glimpse of what UX efforts might look like at different stages of the startup journey.
• Strategies for how to prioritize different aspects of UX based on the varied factors affecting your target market.
This talk can be given in-person or virtually as a presentation or used as contribution to a UX expert panel. It is ideal for founders, engineers, designers, students and startup enthusiasts.
Emphatic Empathy: What is your problem?
What is your problem? Those four words can be the most obnoxious words on the planet. They can also be the most powerful.
When you ask someone about their struggles and listen to their response, you open yourself up to the possibility of becoming a problem solver. Technology can be an even more powerful tool when informed by empathy and well-honed listening skills; there is an art to asking about people's challenges. The best researchers will tell you that humans are notoriously bad at self-reporting. Sometimes the path to true empathy is listening through observation and watching rather than asking.
In this talk, Jen will identify why empathy is important in product design. The audience will leave with:
• A better understanding of the value empathy brings to product development.
• Tips on how to use empathy in user research.
• Strategies to incorporate the results of empathy-led research into your product development efforts.
This talk can be given in-person or virtually as a presentation or used as contribution to a UX expert panel, and is ideal for product-led business leaders, product owners, software engineers, technologists, designers, researchers, students and startup enthusiasts.