# Anya Osborne, PhD > UX Researcher & Designer | Human-Centered Innovation in Games, Social XR & Emerging Tech | PhD in HCI Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/anyaosbornephd I’m a UX researcher and design strategist with over a decade of experience exploring how people interact with emerging technologies, particularly in gaming, social VR, and AI-powered creative tools. As a Senior UX Researcher in the Social Emotional Technology Lab at UC Santa Cruz, I led multiple interdisciplinary projects focused on immersive collaboration, including an NSF-funded initiative studying social VR. I’ve conducted research across 10+ VR and XR platforms, run in-headset user studies with 150+ participants, and translated qualitative insights into actionable design outcomes, resulting in 8+ peer-reviewed publications and 20+ presentations at international conferences. In previous roles, I’ve built UX research functions from the ground up (MANU Game Maker), contributed to AAA gaming titles (Call of Duty: Black Ops 4), and designed serious games for learning and public impact. My career path has spanned academia, startups, and industry, primarily targeting the support of accessible, emotionally resonant, and user-driven technological design solutions. I bring a hybrid lens of psychology, HCI, and game systems thinking, always working to align user needs with product strategy and innovation. I’m very drawn to mission-driven teams working at the edge of interaction design and immersive media, including social computing, XR technologies, immersive fitness experiences, and experimental formats like podcasts and R&D prototyping. ## Work Experience ### Lead Design Researcher – XR Collaboration @ Baskin Engineering at UCSC Jan 2017 – Jan 2024 | Santa Cruz, California, United States The Social Emotional Technology Lab (SET Lab) is an interdisciplinary HCI group within the Computational Media department at UC Santa Cruz. The lab investigates interactive technologies that support physical, social, and emotional experiences through human-computer interaction. My work focused on leading multiple projects (most notably an NSF-funded initiative), exploring the design and evaluation of immersive collaboration in social VR. ➤ Led a multi-year NSF-funded project focused on collaborative interaction in social VR environments ➤ Directed 7+ mixed-methods UX research studies across consumer and enterprise VR/XR platforms ➤ Designed and conducted remote user studies with 2000+ participants ➤ Investigated pain points in in-headset team meetings ➤ Analyzed qualitative data to generate insights for prototyping and innovation ➤ Created 2D design assets, user flows, and wireframes to visualize design opportunities ➤ Delivered actionable research findings through journey maps, reports, and mockups for stakeholders ➤ Mentored 5 junior researchers and facilitated 7 in-headset VR workshops with external partners ➤ Co-authored 8+ peer-reviewed publications and presented at 20+ international conferences ➤ Supported instruction of 100+ students in game design and design research methods ### Product Design Strategist – SaaS @ MANU Video Game Maker Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | Moscow, Russia As the company’s first UX researcher, I developed a foundational research strategy for an AI-powered no-code game engine. Focused on improving onboarding and early-stage user adoption. ➤ Conducted usability tests, interviews, benchmarking, and heuristic evaluations to identify friction ➤ Delivered research insights that led to a 20% increase in new user retention ➤ Created wireframes (Figma) and collaborated cross-functionally to integrate findings into design ➤ Wrote 80% of the bilingual user manual (GitBook) to support users' onboarding ### Systems Designer – AAA Multiplayer @ Treyarch Jan 2017 – Jan 2017 | Santa Monica, CA Worked on the multiplayer design team for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, supporting design exploration for competitive PvP experiences. ➤ Developed early user journeys and concepts for PvP interaction systems ➤ Created wireframes for player stats, leaderboards, and maps on PS4 and Xbox using Adobe Illustrator ➤ Participated in internal playtests and design feedback sessions to improve flow and usability ### Game Designer and UX Researcher – Serious Games @ Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | Lansing, Michigan Area Conducted research and prototyping for educational and VR games, contributing to client-funded projects focused on financial literacy, fitness, and player motivation. ➤ Synthesized findings from cognitive psychology and HCI to shape design decisions ➤ Co-led the design of a multiplayer VR exergame, showcased at 3 conferences and published at CHI Play ➤ Created visual prototypes in Unity 3D, Sketch, and Adobe CC; collaborated on playable builds with engineers ### Video Game Producer – Web Game @ Playvision Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 | Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation Led the launch of a multiplayer fashion game (Lady Popular) in Eastern Europe, combining user analytics with creative production. ➤ Directed localization and marketing campaigns; optimized using DAU, retention, and ARPPU metrics ➤ Managed Agile sprints and team recruitment to accelerate delivery and scale production ### Associate Video Game Producer – Console Games @ Creat Studios Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 | Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation Worked across production and UX research for mobile and console titles, including Mushroom Wars. ➤ Co-managed the production of a massively mobile multiplayer online game, Mushroom Wars. ➤ Maintained publisher communications; prepared localization updates in 8+ languages ensuring the game’s UI compatibility. ➤ Conducted player research and prototyping to guide feature prioritization and UI updates. ### Associate Program Manager – Online Safety @ Mind Candy Ltd. Jan 2012 – Jan 2013 | St. Petersburg, Russia ➤ Drove a program initiative on online safety at one of the world’s largest kids/teens virtual gaming sites (Moshi Monsters); authored a 200-page report on child safety in virtual worlds. ➤ Informed feature development for player moderation and safety systems. ### Game Design Strategist – Mobile Games @ Creative Mobile OU Jan 2011 – Jan 2013 | Estonia, Tallinn Contributed to remote research support for several mobile games, focusing on gameplay systems and design balancing. ➤ Conducted design research for 4+ mobile titles (Bad Blood TCG, Genetics, Drag Racing Bike Edition, and Drag Racing Nitro Nation). ➤ Created game mechanics and ranking systems based on player data. ### Associate Program Manager and Forensic Imaging Trainee @ ICMEC Global Jan 2011 – Jan 2012 As an Atlas Corps Fellow, I supported cross-agency research on child internet safety and led design work in a highly specialized forensics environment. ➤ Conducted international policy research on child safety and online games, supporting cross-agency partnership efforts between ICMEC and Eastern European NGOs; created an educational game product design document for awareness campaigns. ➤ Completed training in age progression imaging; one composite used in FBI case. ## Education ### Doctor of Philosophy - PhD in Human Computer Interaction University of California, Santa Cruz ### Doctor of Philosophy - PhD in Computational Media, Human Computer Interaction University of California, Santa Cruz ### Master of Arts - MA in Game and Interactive Media Design, Serious Game Design Michigan State University ### Master of Arts - MA in Sociology Saint Petersburg State University ### Master of Science - MS in Psychology Saint Petersburg State University ### Bachelor of Science - BS in Psychology Saint Petersburg State University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/anyaosborne - Portfolio: http://www.anyaosborne.com/ --- Source: https://flows.cv/anyaosbornephd JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/anyaosbornephd/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13