I am Rósa, a middle aged lady who lives in Stockholm with my husband of more than 30 years and a 14 year old son. PinkPuffin is the name I chose for my freelancing operation.
I am a social anthropologist with a PhD in Human-computer interaction from The Royal Institute of Technology, KTH in Stockholm and I have found my place in service design doing strategic design research and leading design teams. I have been freelancing since 2002.
I am fresh out of a Director of Product Insight role at Spotify where I built and lead a diverse and distributed team of user researchers based in seven locations in four different countries.
If you want to get in touch you can always call or text me using +46 70 3759585 or email me at rosa@pinkpuffin.com. You can also have a look at my LinkedIn profile.
I plan and conduct research activities, listening to and observing people, getting to know them, understanding what makes them tick and what makes them happy. Or mad.
I enjoy the documentation, analysis, finding patterns in the material and figuring out what to do with the patterns to make people's life a little bit better. Or more fun.
When not working hands-on with design I have worked as a design lead, building and leading distributed teams of visual designers, user researchers, data scientists and front end developers.
Sharing results with stakeholders and colleagues in the design process is a challenge that I, as so many others, have thought about a great deal.
What is most important is that the stakeholders and the design team participate in the research, analysis and synthesis to make sure the insights are firmly established and internalised in the organisation.
I use the mode of communication that works best for the task at hand and the recipients of the material. It can be mindsets, user journeys, or something entirely new.
I have planned and conducted research around the globe in Sweden (på svenska), around Europe, Asia and North & South America, on various subjects such as music streaming, health care, disability, economy and finance.
I have also led design teams in Sweden as well as distributed teams.
Please get in touch so we can discuss how we can work together. You can always call or text me using +46 70 3759585 or email me at rosa@pinkpuffin.com.
Scroll down for some project examples.
Leading PPX User Research at Spotify
I built and led a team of user researchers at Spotify. In January 2023 we were 17 in total.
The team was diverse, they had different personal, educational and professional background and varied in experience and seniority. They were also spread around Europe, based in seven locations in four different countries. Together we collaborated closely with all our stakeholders and conducted research with our beloved users.
My goal was to create a team where everyone felt important and valued. I wanted my leadership to feel like we were all in this together. I also wanted a team with laughter and lightness while taking our craft very seriously.
Testimonials from members of PPX UR
“I just wanted to say again how much I enjoyed having you as my boss and that you were a big reason I signed for the job back in 2022. You left a very clear and very positive mark on me, professionally and personally and I will often think about you and ask myself "what would Rosa do?" And then stop being too nice and agreeable and start being clear and tough and eloquent, and funny while doing it.” - AG
“I miss the amazing vibes you made space for in the UR team, it really was special 🌟🦭” - JL
“Rosa has a rare quality of making leadership feel like teamwork. Under her guidance, it never felt like there was this big hierarchy. She created an environment where everyone felt equally important, where our ideas and voices mattered just as much as hers. Rosa always offered feedback that was constructive but also encouraging, making us feel supported and valued.” - AW
Spotify-wide baseline usability evaluation
In close collaboration with other research leaders at Spotify, I designed a programme to measure the usability of Spotify on different platforms.
We designed a mixed method approach with both quantitative and qualitative research methods, a survey tracker to measure the prevalence and severity of the problems our users experienced and moderated usability evaluations. In the evaluation we tested both core tasks as well as the problems identified in the tracker to get an in-depth understanding of them.
The usability problems identified in the evaluations were added to a database with ownership assigned to ensure they were being addressed. Other findings were added to the survey tracker to understand their prevalence and severity.
Frequent mindsets when using Spotify
I led the work of creating mindsets for people who use Spotify on different platforms. I designed and led a series of workshops in which we analysed and synthesised the insights we had in our research repository.
The outcome of the workshop series was a number of mindsets that helped us understand how people might feel or behave in different moments and contexts. Mindsets help us design new experiences and improve existing ones. They show how people can move between different mindsets when their situation or context changes.
Mindsets are a foundation that should be combined with other methods, such as scenarios or user journeys, to further evolve and improve the understanding of how people want to use the product or system.
Spotify in the car
During my first years at Spotify I was responsible for all user research for Spotify’s car integrations. I conducted field research - diary studies and ride-alongs - to understand commuting by car and how people use audio entertainment while going to and from work. I also led remote research in Mexico to understand commuting a non-US context. When we felt we knew enough about commuting we turned our attention to non-commuters. Additionally, I conducted numerous usability evaluations - in lab and remotely - as well as driver distraction studies in a car simulator to understand how well our new car products and features were performing.
Besides supporting the teams already working on new and improved solutions, the research I conducted and led was - this is where mindsets were very helpful - instrumental when setting the strategy for Spotify in the car.
Research with Truck Drivers
In 2016 I was research lead in a global project for Volvo Trucks where I conducted user research with truck drivers in Sweden, France, USA and Japan. The purpose of the research was to understand how the drivers want to work on board the truck, to understand their attitude towards the truck as well as the the brand. Specifically, we wanted to understand how they used the equipment and digital interfaces on board the truck, as well as how they envision and hope to be able to use them in the future.
The project resulted in Digital UX Strategy Playbooks that included UX vision & design principles, personas and user journeys for Volvo Group, Volvo Trucks, Renault Trucks, Mack and UD Trucks. This project was conducted in collaboration with Veryday (now McKinsey Design).
The Path To… Better Life by Design: Designing for persons with disabilities in Singapore
I conducted a project in Singapore in collaboration with Veryday (now McKinsey Design). Together with DesignSingapore Council and National Council of Social Service (NCSS) we created and developed social innovations to improve everyday life for people with disabilities. By using inclusive design at the core of the design process, we gained crucial insights of how 24+ informants live, work and play.
I was the lead in the research phase of the project, planned and conducted all the field research in collaboration with local teams and different local charity organisations.
- Report: The Path to-better life by design
- Winner of an IF Design Award in 2017.
Treatment abroad
I conducted a project in Saudi Arabia in collaboration with Veryday (now McKinsey Design). Together with the Ministry of Health and Araamis consulting we researched the process of sending patients from Saudi Arabia abroad for medical treatment.
We used qualitative research methods and iterative research methodology through interviewing and collaborating with patients and employees. We identified a number of areas and ideas on how to improve the Treatment Abroad program to increase organisational efficiency and patient satisfaction.
Thank you for visiting! Don't hesitate to contact me. I am pretty nice (almost all the time).
Again. If you want to get in touch you can always call or text me using +46 70 3759585 or email me at rosa@pinkpuffin.com.