Hello, I'm

Jacob Benedict

User Researcher & Human Factors Engineer

From spacecraft displays to sportsbook apps—optimizing human-machine interactions through data and design. Specializing in usability testing, cognitive psychology, and complex system optimization.

Jacob Benedict
Biography

About Me

I am a researcher obsessed with the "Why" behind user behavior. With a background bridging safety-critical aerospace environments and high-velocity consumer products, I bring a unique perspective to User Experience.

My approach combines the rigor of Human Factors engineering, learned while working on NASA crew displays, with the agility of modern product discovery. Whether reducing error rates in a lunar lander simulation or streamlining the live-betting flow for millions of users, my goal remains the same: designing intuitive experiences grounded in cognitive psychology.

Professional

Work Experience

User Researcher II

Sep 2024 - Present
BetMGM · Jersey City, NJ
  • Lead Research Strategy: Spearhead user research for the Sportsbook app, ensuring features like live betting and data visualization meet user needs through iterative, data-informed design.
  • Strategic Impact: Drive the product operating model transition and execute discovery research that shapes the long-term product vision.
  • Cross-Functional Leadership: Facilitated UX workshops for two consecutive years at internal product summits and presented findings to leadership.
  • Community Engagement: Featured speaker at the "Friends of Figma" event hosted by BetMGM.
BetMGM App UI

User Researcher

Apr 2022 - Sep 2024
BetMGM · Jersey City, NJ
  • Validation & Discovery: Collaborated with designers and product managers to conduct validation research, directly improving the Sportsbook UX.
  • Feature Development: Executed discovery research that defined the requirements for key product features prior to development.

Human Factors Engineer

Sep 2019 - Apr 2022
Aegis Aerospace (MEIT) · Houston, TX
  • HLS Display Development: NASA human factors display lead working with multiple companies prototyping displays for the Lunar Lander contract. Bidded display guidelines and prototyping with astronaut crew.
  • Orion Display Design: Worked with subsystem teams to design Orion crew displays, ensuring compliance with strict safety and usability guidelines.
  • Orion Display Evaluations: Conducted Human-in-the-Loop evaluations in cockpit simulators measuring workload, error rates, and usability.
  • Awards: Received Aegis STAR Award (2019, 2021) for outstanding peer-recognized performance.
NASA Orion Cockpit Concept

Intern

May 2019 - Sep 2019
KBR, Inc. · Houston, TX

Evaluated spacecraft design compliance with NASA human factors standards and assisted in simulator-based usability evaluations of flight software.

Human Factors Engineer

Jan 2019 - May 2019
AVESCA · Central Florida

Provided external human factors consulting services, constructing survey instrumentation and directing localized focus groups.

Graduate Research Assistant

Jan 2018 - May 2019
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Operated in RUX (Research in User Experience) and GEARS (Game-Based Education & Advanced Research Studies) labs conducting eye-tracking and mixed-reality user evaluations.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Fall 2017 - Spring 2019
Pennsylvania State University · Erie, PA

Investigated spatial cognition, eye movements, and wayfinding inside virtual environments using head-mounted displays.

Academic

Education

M.S. Human Factors

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Specialization in aerospace usability, quantitative analysis, and design verification.

B.S. Psychology

Penn State University

Focus in Human Factors Psychology, research methodology, and cognitive workload.

Scholarly Work

Publications & Research

Article

The Intuitiveness of Gesture Control with a Mixed Reality Device

Nov 2019 · Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Annual Meeting
Article

Usability Testing of a Virtual Reality Tutorial

Nov 2019 · Proceedings of the HFES Annual Meeting
Article

An Eye-Tracking Analysis of a Restaurant Menu

Nov 2019 · Proceedings of the HFES Annual Meeting
Paper

Flow Immersion, Presence, Emotion, & Workload in Virtual Reality vs. Traditional Games

Sep 2018 · Proceedings of the HFES Annual Meeting
Paper

The Relationship of Eye Movement, Workload, and Attention on Learning

Sep 2016 · Proceedings of the HFES Annual Meeting

Gesture Control in Mixed Reality

Investigated target-selection latency and usability of gesture control mechanisms on the Microsoft HoloLens.

Methodology: Task performance modeling, NASA-TLX workload analysis.

Website Usability & Heuristics

Conducted heuristic audits and usability testing protocols on a series of non-profit platforms.

Methodology: Nielsen's Heuristics, Think-Aloud, System Usability Scale (SUS).

VR Wayfinding & Navigation

Examined pathfinding efficacy and cognitive mapping accuracy inside desktop and immersive environments.

Methodology: Eye-tracking, spatial orientation metrics, SPSS data analysis.

Connect

Get In Touch

Have questions about user research, safety-critical displays, or complex consumer designs? Let's chat.