NICKOLAS FORSTEN
I thrive in situations where I can satisfy a quest to learn and discover, employ strategic thinking to solve problems, and help along the common goal by communicating with others.
EDUCATION
University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Engineering BUS - Sonic Interaction Design
AUGUST 2016 - AUGUST 2018
Interdisciplinary degree including coursework in Game Development, Psychology, Human Computer Interaction, and Hearing Science.
Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City
Music AS * Recording Technology AAS * Media Music AAS
JANUARY 2013 - MAY 2016
Music and Audio degrees come with many useful and transferable skills such as audio and video editing, communication, creative thinking, collaboration, and comfort working under pressure.
SKILLS & METHODS
Survey Design * Structured Interview * Think-Aloud Protocol * Observational Studies * Focus Group
Heuristics Evaluation * Competitor Analysis * Cognitive Walkthrough * Participant Recruitment
Persona Creation * Wireframe * White Boxing * AV Recording & Editing
SOFTWARE
MS Excel (conditional formatting, pivot tables, functions/formulas, vba) * Survey Monkey/Google Forms
SPSS/R * Unity/Unreal * Adobe Illustrator * Tableau * Cubase/Reaper/Protools
EXPERIENCE
Octothorpe, Salt Lake City — User Research Intern
JANUARY 2018 - JULY 2018
Conducted User Research to assist the iterative design process of a Virtual Reality mystery. Employed think-aloud protocol, observation, focus group, and interviews. Analyzed and reported data to the development team.
Timewind Llc, Salt Lake City — User Researcher
AUGUST 2017 - MAY 2018
Coordinated User Research from prototype to release for a 2.5 D game. Created a heuristic checklist and testing plan early in development. Used competitive analysis, repertory grid technique, modified review analysis, observation, and surveys to assist in the improvement of usability and player enjoyment of the game.
UofU Psych Dept, Salt Lake City — Volunteer Research Asst.
OCTOBER 2016 - DECEMBER 2016
Assisted Graduate student research through moderation of experiments.
SPECIAL INTERESTS
Inclusion * Accessibility * Advocacy