Research that drives decisions

Senior UX researcher with experience researching complex systems,
shaping product strategy, and exploring early-stage opportunities.

Featured Work

Two examples of how I use research to shape strategy, reduce
complexity, and guide product direction.

Making Complexity Manageable

A multi-phase research program to make a highly configurable product easier for administrators to learn, trust, and manage.

End-to-End Research

Measuring UX at Scale

Designing a company-wide, in-product UX measurement system for Brightspace

Quantitative Strategic Research

View all case studies

About Me

Thoughtful, Strategic, Practical

I’m a senior UX researcher with a strong qualitative foundation and practical experience using quantitative inputs like surveys, and experience measurement to inform product direction.

My work has focused on complex products where users need to complete high-stakes tasks correctly and confidently. Across roles, I’ve led strategic and evaluative research that helps teams clarify what matters, what to improve, and what to build next.

I’m especially drawn to ambiguous problem spaces where research needs to do more than generate insights — it needs to help teams make better decisions.

View Resume

Qualitative Depth + Quant fluency

Research Enablement

Storytelling

AI Integrated Processes

Strategic Influence

Ambiguous Problem Framing

UXR Mentorship

Ethnographic Fieldwork

UXR Program Execution

What I bring to the table

Connecting deep user understanding to
actionable product decisions.

Kind words from colleagues

"I had the pleasure of working with Laura during her our time together at D2L, both as a peer and direct manager. Laura has a deep understanding of the research process and applies it thoughtfully across the full research lifecycle. From engaging with ambiguous problems and selecting appropriate methods, all the way through to synthesis, insight generation, and clear communication of findings. She particularly good at informing critical decisions with evidence while remaining pragmatic about constraints and business context. Laura consistently operated with a high level of autonomy and judgement. She knew how and when to adapt approaches to best support product and design outcomes. Her work showed a high degree of rigour, but never at the expense of relevance or impact. Laura also did a fantastic job of representing research’s role within cross-functional teams. Laura would be an excellent addition to any organization looking for a senior researcher with a strong grasp of the craft, sound judgement, and the ability to deliver meaningful, actionable insights."

Dan Ehrlich

Manager, User Experience Research at D2L

Ready to build something amazing together?

I'd love to connect with you!

Email

laurawindhorst@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/laura-windhorst

Phone

(506) 229-4895

Research that drives decisions

Senior UX researcher with experience researching complex systems, shaping product strategy, and exploring early-stage opportunities.

Featured Work

Two examples of how I use research to shape strategy, reduce complexity, and guide product direction.

Making Complexity Manageable

A multi-phase research program to make a highly configurable product easier for administrators to learn, trust, and manage.

End-to-End Research

Measuring UX at Scale

Designing a company-wide, in-product UX measurement system for Brightspace

Quantitative Strategic Research

View all case studies

About Me

Thoughtful, Strategic, Practical

I’m a senior UX researcher with a strong qualitative foundation and practical experience using quantitative inputs like surveys, and experience measurement to inform product direction.

My work has focused on complex products where users need to complete high-stakes tasks correctly and confidently. Across roles, I’ve led strategic and evaluative research that helps teams clarify what matters, what to improve, and what to build next.

I’m especially drawn to ambiguous problem spaces where research needs to do more than generate insights — it needs to help teams make better decisions.

View Resume

Qualitative Depth + Quant fluency

Research Enablement

Storytelling

AI Integrated Processes

Strategic Influence

Ambiguous Problem Framing

UXR Mentorship

Ethnographic Fieldwork

UXR Program Execution

What I bring to the table

Connecting deep user understanding to
actionable product decisions.

Kind words from colleagues

"I had the pleasure of working with Laura during her our time together at D2L, both as a peer and direct manager. Laura has a deep understanding of the research process and applies it thoughtfully across the full research lifecycle. From engaging with ambiguous problems and selecting appropriate methods, all the way through to synthesis, insight generation, and clear communication of findings. She particularly good at informing critical decisions with evidence while remaining pragmatic about constraints and business context. Laura consistently operated with a high level of autonomy and judgement. She knew how and when to adapt approaches to best support product and design outcomes. Her work showed a high degree of rigour, but never at the expense of relevance or impact. Laura also did a fantastic job of representing research’s role within cross-functional teams. Laura would be an excellent addition to any organization looking for a senior researcher with a strong grasp of the craft, sound judgement, and the ability to deliver meaningful, actionable insights."

Dan Ehrlich

Manager, User Experience Research at D2L

Ready to build something amazing together?

I'd love to connect with you!

Email

laurawindhorst@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/laura-windhorst

Phone

(506) 229-4895

Research that drives decisions

Senior UX researcher with experience researching complex systems,
shaping product strategy, and exploring early-stage opportunities.

Featured Work

Two examples of how I use research to shape strategy, reduce complexity, and guide product direction.

Making Complexity Manageable

A multi-phase research program to make a highly configurable product easier for administrators to learn, trust, and manage.

End-to-End Research

Measuring UX at Scale

Designing a company-wide, in-product UX measurement system for Brightspace

Quantitative Strategic Research

View all case studies

About Me

Thoughtful, Strategic, Practical

I’m a senior UX researcher with a strong qualitative foundation and practical experience using quantitative inputs like surveys, and experience measurement to inform product direction.

My work has focused on complex products where users need to complete high-stakes tasks correctly and confidently. Across roles, I’ve led strategic and evaluative research that helps teams clarify what matters, what to improve, and what to build next.

I’m especially drawn to ambiguous problem spaces where research needs to do more than generate insights — it needs to help teams make better decisions.

View Resume

Qualitative Depth + Quant fluency

Research Enablement

Storytelling

AI Integrated Processes

Strategic Influence

Ambiguous Problem Framing

UXR Mentorship

Ethnographic Fieldwork

UXR Program Execution

What I bring to the table

Connecting deep user understanding to
actionable product decisions.

Kind words from colleagues

"I had the pleasure of working with Laura during her our time together at D2L, both as a peer and direct manager. Laura has a deep understanding of the research process and applies it thoughtfully across the full research lifecycle. From engaging with ambiguous problems and selecting appropriate methods, all the way through to synthesis, insight generation, and clear communication of findings. She particularly good at informing critical decisions with evidence while remaining pragmatic about constraints and business context. Laura consistently operated with a high level of autonomy and judgement. She knew how and when to adapt approaches to best support product and design outcomes. Her work showed a high degree of rigour, but never at the expense of relevance or impact. Laura also did a fantastic job of representing research’s role within cross-functional teams. Laura would be an excellent addition to any organization looking for a senior researcher with a strong grasp of the craft, sound judgement, and the ability to deliver meaningful, actionable insights."

Dan Ehrlich

Manager, User Experience Research at D2L

Ready to build something amazing together?

I'd love to connect with you!

Email

laurawindhorst@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/laura-windhorst

Phone

(506) 229-4895