Dan Zola
UX Research & Product Leader

Dan Zola is a user experience research expert.Ex-MTV, ex-IQVIA, Dan has spent his career improving the user experience within numerous industries, including healthcare, software-as-service, telecom, television, and more.He has led UX Research at Sway UX, an award-winning user experience research & design agency.Dan's research & product leadership has improved user engagement for many best-in-class organizations including: Bayer, The National Institute of Health (NIH), Xerox...and currently Google.

UX Research for Google

Dan is thrilled to be currently conducting UX Research for Google. Via Akraya, he is part of a wonderful team, executing rapid research of, by, and for Google software engineers.With a focus on AI software, Dan leads research engagements -- compartmentalized, two-week sprints -- aimed at improving the workflow and increasing efficiencies for Google software engineers.

Head of UX Research @ Sway UX

Spearheaded user-centered research and design initiatives tailored to a variety of clients, with a focus in the healthcare industry.Led comprehensive research and design efforts for hospitals and biopharmaceutical clients, focusing on solutions that enhance operational efficiency and improve patient interactions.While at Sway, Dan went on to win several Digital Health Awards, and Davey Awards for his agency work.

Digital Strategy Director @ IQVIA

Led patient-facing digital strategy for the largest contract research organization on the planet.Responsible for driving patient engagement and clinical research participation for a variety of therapeutic areas, including: Diabetes, depression, oncology and more.Optimized digital comms for more than 2 million patients, increasing engagement by 120% year-over-year.

Digital Product Director @ MTV

Digital production lead for one of the world’s most recognized and influential brands. Managed the MTV.com production team to oversee all multiplatform content for MTV’s television series, including "The Osbournes," "The Hills" & "Cribs"Managed a team of 8 to deliver compelling digital content, leveraging strategic oversight and leadership to achieve exceptional results, driving viewership.

UX Researcher @ Bandwidth

Led the adoption of UX and user-centric design to a telecom VoIP company used by Google, Zoom, AWS and more.Improved customer satisfaction net promoter score by 155% in just 8 months.Winner of the company's Transformation award for changing the way they incorporate UX research into their product development.

Lead Instructor @
General Assembly

Dan had the privilege of sharing what he's learned over the course of his career, teaching students in the UX Design Immersive course at General Assembly. Here's what some of his students had to say:

  • "Dan's lessons were gold. Completely packed with wisdom and insights I could often not write down fast enough. That paired with his warm nature and a good sense of humor made him really approachable and relatable. His feedback was always the most in-depth and nuanced one which I always appreciated and thought enhanced the quality of the whole course. Thank you, Dan!"

  • "Dan was fantastic. He really inspired me to work hard, and believe in myself. He was really thoughtful in the advice he gave me. He was always willing to help me and hop on a call even though he has a pretty tight schedule every day."

  • "Dan the man! His insight into the real world of design is invaluable. I've loved hearing his stories about certain topics, it really helped solidify concepts in my head."

Dynamic Speaker

Dan has spoken at conferences and meetups, teaching UX research best practices to teams at:• NAPSEC
• Concentric
• All Things Open
• Launch Chapel Hill
• Relias Learning
• Conversion Conference
• Document Strategy Forum
• Duke University, Fuqua School of Business
• North Carolina State Government Business Analysts

Team Leader

Dan is a seasoned UX research & product design leader with a proven track record of delivering innovative digital experiences.He is an advocate for the user and a champion for his team.Dan is open to new opportunities where he can leverage his strategic expertise to drive user engagement and strategic growth.