# Yunjia (Sabrina) Yao

> Sr. UX Researcher at Amazon

Location: Redwood City, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/yunjia

## Work Experience
### Sr. UX researcher @ Amazon
Jan 2022 – Present
Kindle Books

### Sr. UX researcher @ Amazon
Jan 2021 – Jan 2022
Alexa Essential & Connection

### UX Researcher @ Amazon
Jan 2019 – Jan 2021
Amazon Alexa HHO team

### Senior UX Researcher @ UserZoom
Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 | San Jose

### UX Researcher @ UserZoom
Jan 2017 – Jan 2019 | San Jose, CA

### User Experience Researcher @ Blue Owl Technology
Jan 2016 – Jan 2017

### User Experience Researcher @ Gobiquity Mobile Health
Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 | San Francisco Bay Area
Collaborated with the design & research lead and product manager to create research space for product design sprints

Contributed to the iterative prototype refining process by creating user scenarios, flows, and storyboards. 

Planned, recruited for, and conducted remote user interviews and usability tests to gain consumer insights

Compiled and shared research findings, including conceptual ideas and detailed design rationale, to both internal and external team members for the development of new product features

### Quantitative UX Researcher @ EDM Lab
Jan 2015 – Jan 2016
Mined students’ log file data in multiple web-based adaptive intelligent tutoring systems (ITS)

Investigated in machine-learned detector models for user navigation patterns linked with lower learning

Conducted comparative analyses in user behaviors across different ITS environments using R and SPSS

Generated recommendations for ITS interface design to reduce students’ improper online learning behavior

### Instructional Designer @ Reach the World
Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 | Brooklyn, New York
Built and taught a world geography course to a group of 3rd and 4th graders through an online communication platform 

Assessed students’ progress from the perspective of content mastery and their fluency in interacting with the platform 

Conducted surveys and formulated reports on what design features of the platform are most/least helpful for learners

### Product Analyst @ Teachley
Jan 2015 – Jan 2015
Conducted quantitative user research on a newly launched educational math game App, Addimal Adventure

Created distinctive user profiles using log file data and applied clustering and sequential pattern mining analyses 

Explored the relationships between students’ navigation patterns and their success in game using statistical models

### Research Assistant @ UCSD Cognitive Development Lab
Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 | La Jolla
Involved in a longitudinal study on the emergence of joint attention and early language development in infancy

Used video coding software to capture gaze fixation and shifts of infants and their caregivers during interaction 

Collaborated to create sustainable coding manual documentation for future coder training and research purposes

### Teaching Assistant @ UCSD Cognitive Development Lab
Jan 2013 – Jan 2013 | La Jolla
Planned and hosted weekly discussion sessions for a college-level introductory neuroscience course on human perception and sensation 

Prepared and managed supplementary learning materials on course website

Graded Students’ weekly lab reports and exams

### Research Assistant @ UCSD Brain and Cognition Lab
Jan 2012 – Jan 2013 | La Jolla
Involved in a psycholinguistic study exploring how ERP components N400 and post-N400 positivity reveal the mechanisms behind people’s failed predictions in sentence comprehension.

Conducted EEG capping on subjects, monitored the data collection process, and performed data analysis under supervision.

### Product Development Intern @ OfficialS
Jan 2012 – Jan 2012
Recruited both native and foreign users to test the beta version of a bilingual social network (www.tingdong.cn)

Designed, distributed, and analyzed questionnaires and interviews regarding users’ experiences with the website 

Acted as a liaison between the technical and design teams to improve aesthetic quality and functionality of the website

### Office Assistant @ China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation
Jan 2010 – Jan 2010
Communicated with selected schools across 23 national provinces through phone calls 
Organized the sending and arriving information of donation packages for students in the rural areas.


## Education
### Master of Science (M.S.) in Learning Analytics
Teachers College, Columbia University
Jan 2014 – Jan 2016

### Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Cognitive Science
UC San Diego
Jan 2010 – Jan 2014


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/yunjia-sabrina-yao-61b466103

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Source: https://flows.cv/yunjia
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/yunjia/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-03-25