Caitlin Bowler

29 Wyatt Street · Somerville, MA 02143 · caitlin.bowler@gmail.com

Hello! Caitlin here. Thanks for visiting!

I do human-centered research to shape business strategy, product design, and program implementation. Lately, I've been doing a lot of visual design too. I'm deeply committed to effective design processes based on a culture of open sharing, constructive critique, and collective learning.

  • Colleagues describe me as knowledgeable, creative, and collaborative; someone who brings insights and ideas to every challenge.
  • I enjoy translating across boundaries - fields, departments, perspectives - to increase understanding and alignment within and across teams.
  • I deliver high quality outcomes with a “get-it-done” attitude and, ideally, some laughter!

Reach out. Let's talk!

Work

Experience Research, Strategy & Design


The ability to think through challenges from multiple viewpoints is the throughline of my career -- be it in urban planning, instructional/course design, or experience research and design.

At Activate Care (a larger startup) I do research, design, and content strategy (& copy writing) for projects for Medicaid beneficiaries participating in resource navigation and self-efficacy programs. I've worked on a range of projects in provider platform and client-facing software, internal and external communications, and operations.

At ICF I was UX Researcher on a year+ project to redesign an agency's data archive for the public. See the detailed case study here: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA) Website Overhaul

Experience

Experience Design Manager

Activate Care

Manages design projects through conception, development, and delivery in close collaboration with Product and Engineering. Does visual design through project lifecycles. Continues to plan and lead research activities on a project-by-project basis.

  • 7 enhancements implemented, including a major upgrade to platform messaging.
  • 15 enhancements currently in design.
  • Developing platform design system (based on React-Bootstrap) in close collaboration with engineering. Storybook is our frontend repository.
May 2024 - Present

Lead UX Researcher

Activate Care

Planned and lead generative research projects with our clients, Medicaid beneficiaries, Community Health Workers, and individuals who use assistive technology to access the web. Delivered findings and insights to teams across the company. Also planned and executed a range of usability testing projects, both moderated and unmoderated, to drive user-centered design decisions.

  • Planned and led six large, open research projects (see Learning).
  • Regularly delivered desk research on a range topics with impact on user experiences.
  • Regularly ran preference and usability testing (see Preferences & Usability).
  • Implemented processes and documentation systems for the UX research practice, including a "nugget"-based system based on the Polaris model.
  • Socialized the value and tactical benefits of UX research throughout the design and development lifecycle.
August 2021 - May 2024

UX Researcher & Curriculum Developer

ICF

Conducted qualitative customer experience (CX) research to improve customer experience across federal agencies and organizations. Developed training to enable senior leaders to understand and embrace a “people first” mindset, equipping them to be effective advisors of customer experience improvement efforts and to cultivate high quality experiences for customers outside and inside their organizations.

Client agencies included:

  • Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
  • Internal ICF cross-divisional knowledge management discovery process
June 2019 - July 2021

Research Associate

Harvard Business School

Co-developed content for a semester course on human-centered approach to product, service, experience, and business model innovation development. Crafted pedagogy that positioned the qualitative approach to user experience research as a valuable complement to rigorous, quantitative analyses of business questions.

  • Co-designed and ran Design Thinking & Innovative Problem Solving (2012-2019)
  • Co-designed and ran Managing with Data Science (2015-2019)
  • Co-authored 15 HBS case studies, including ones on approaches to innovation at frog design and Phillips, as well as the development of a data science practice at Target (see Publications).
  • Co-authored book chapter, "Design Thinking and Innovative Problem Solving" with current HBS Dean Srikant Datar on the human-centered design course (see Publications).
March 2012 - June 2019

Urban Planner

ICON architecture, inc.
  • Authored key sections (approach, scope of work) for 8 major planning proposals submitted to MassDevelopment, Boston Redevelopment Authority, City of Providence, RI.
  • Conducted context and site analyses, capacity studies, zoning analyses, and developed alternatives.
  • Authored 8 major benchmark and final reports.
  • Produced graphics, including analytic maps, diagrams, site plans, and renderings.
June 2008 - March 2012

Education

University of Pennsylvania, School of Design

Master of City & Regional Planning
Urban Design

Panorama (Planning Journal), Editor

August 2006 - May 2008

Williams College

Bachelor of Arts
History, Art History

Varsity Ice Hockey, Co-Captain

August 1998 - June 2002

Skills

Research & Design

Software

Personal Qualities

Publications

Bowler, Caitlin and Chris Gillis. "Enabling Health Equity Through Inclusive Product Design.” Activate Care Blog, November 2023.

Datar, Srikant M., and Caitlin N. Bowler. "frog design." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Case 118-707, November 2018.

Datar, Srikant M., Rajiv Lal, and Caitlin Bowler. “Royal Philips: Designing Toward Profound Change.” HBS No. 118-017. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2018.

Bowler, Caitlin. “Note on Data Visualization & Effective Communication.” HBS No. 118-114. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2018.

Datar, Srikant M., and Bowler, Caitlin N. (2015). “ Design Thinking & Innovative Problem Solving. ” In Shaping Entrepreneurial Mindsets: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Leadership Development, edited by J. Canals. London: Palgrave Macmillan.


Find a full list of publications here.

Bookshelf

These are titles that I refer to regularly or that have had a deep impact on how I think about the world of research and design.

I'll be adding a sentence or two about why each is on the list soon.