Hello, I'm
Jacob Benedict
User Researcher &
Human Factors Engineer
Specializing in usability testing, cognitive psychology, and optimizing human-machine interactions. Currently improving user experiences at BetMGM.
Experience
Sep 2024 - Present
User Researcher II
BetMGM · Jersey City, NJ
Leading user research for the sportsbook app, ensuring features like live betting and data visualization meet user needs through data-informed design. Presented at 1 internal product summit, and ran a workshop for 2 years at a product summit. Also presented at a Friends of Figma event hosted by BetMGM. Helped lead the product team into the product operating model, executed discovery research, involved in yearly and long term vision, and conducted field research.
Apr 2022 - Sep 2024
User Researcher
BetMGM · Jersey City, NJ
Collaborated with the design team and product managers to conduct validation research for
improving the user experience on the sports book.
Conducted discovery research to help guide the vision and development of sports book
product features.
Sep 2019 - Apr 2022
Human Factors Engineer
Aegis Aerospace (MEIT) · Houston, TX
Display Design: Work with various subsystem teams to help design
Orion crew displays, and to ensure displays follow requirements, and follow
display usability guidelines.
Display evaluations: Design and conduct Human in the loop user
evaluations to evaluate the usability and overall design of the onboard with
crew members. These evaluations range from simple static display evaluations, to
utilizing flight like simulators. Crew workload, error rate, and usability
ratings were the primary measures of the display evaluations.
HLS Display Development: I was the NASA human factors display
lead working with multiple companies prototyping displays for the Lunar Lander
contract. These duties included working with the bidding companies as well as
other NASA teams to design displays for each system. Conducting initial
prototype evaluations with crew, and presenting the results.
Aegis STAR Award 2019, 2021: The STAR award is an award that
recognizes individuals for outstanding performance based on peer submissions
throughout the year.
May 2019 - Sep 2019
Intern
KBR, Inc. · Houston, TX
As a member of the human health and performance team at Johnson space center I read technical documents in order to evaluate compliance with human factors requirements. I also assisted in human in the loop testing of the Orion displays and control system as well as other hardware for the spacecraft.
Jan 2019 - May 2019
Human Factors Engineer
AVESCA · Central Florida
AVESCA is a small human factors consulting company in Central Florida. Duties included creating online surveys and conducting focus groups.
Jan 2018 - May 2019
Graduate Research Assistant
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Worked in both the Research in User eXperience Lab (RUX) and the Game-Based Education & Advanced Research Studies GEARS lab. As part of these labs I designed , ran, and presented several research studies. There ranged from user experience of everyday items as well as emerging Augmented and virtual reality devices. Other tasks included IRB training, developing surveys, analyzing data in SPSS, and presenting research at national research conferences.
Fall 2017 - Spring 2019
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Pennsylvania State University, Erie, The Behrend College,
Visualization Assessment and Training Lab
Helped develop studies related to cognition and wayfinding using technology. The primary studies I was involved with utilized eye tracking, a secondary used Pokémon go and gps tracking. Duties included run participant sessions for studies, assist in writing grants, analyze data in SPSS, assist in training research assistants, and presented research at 5 research conferences (1 international, 2 regional, and 2 national)
Education
M.S. Human Factors
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
B.S Psychology, focus in Human Factors Psychology
Penn State University