Heather Ashley, Mlis
About Heather Ashley, Mlis
Heather Ashley, Mlis, serves as a User Research Coordinator at Webflow, where she collaborates with various teams to develop effective research plans. Her background includes roles in user experience research and library science, supported by multiple degrees and certifications in related fields.
Current Role at Webflow
Heather Ashley serves as the User Research Coordinator at Webflow, a position she has held since 2022. In this role, she collaborates cross-functionally with Designers, Product Managers, Engineers, and Marketers to develop effective research plans and screening processes. Heather also acts as a liaison between the Insights team and CRM vendors, managing platform training, regular check-ins, and contract renewals. Her focus includes enhancing research operations to improve the experience for both participants and researchers.
Previous Experience
Heather has a diverse background in user experience and research roles. She worked at HelloFresh as a Research Librarian from 2021 to 2022 and at Queen's Web as a User Experience Designer from 2020 to 2021. Prior to these roles, she was a User Experience Researcher at EquityMultiple in 2020 and a User Research Assistant at RR Donnelley in 2021. Additionally, she held the position of Media Librarian at Paramount from 2005 to 2018, accumulating 13 years of experience in media and research.
Educational Background
Heather holds a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from Pratt Institute. She also completed a Bachelor's Degree in Communication and Media Studies at Ithaca College. To further her expertise in user experience, she has obtained multiple certificates, including User Experience Design Immersive and Web Design from General Assembly, as well as User Experience Design from Skillcrush.
Unique Skills and Contributions
Heather possesses a unique ability to integrate her library science expertise with user experience research and operations. This skill enhances the discoverability of research studies through innovative taxonomy development. She plays a crucial role in strengthening relationships with Enterprise customers by organizing and conducting research interviews that focus on problem areas such as A/B testing. Her continuous efforts in refining research operations contribute to improved experiences for both researchers and participants.
Early Career Experience
Heather began her career as a Production Assistant at MOPO PRODUCTIONS, INC. in 2001. She also worked as an Office Assistant at WeiserMazars LLP for five months in 2004-2005. These early roles provided her with foundational experience in production and office operations, which she has built upon throughout her career in user research and experience design.