Julie A. Vera, M.A., M.S.

Lead UX Researcher | PhD Candidate (ABD) in Human Centered Design & Engineering

Seattle, NYC, & Remote

Domain Expertise: social media, crisis informatics, sensemaking, misinformation operations, platform logics, AI chatbots, recommender system evaluation

Mixed Methods: In-depth interviews, computational social science (NLP, text analytics), usability testing, survey design, contextual inquiry, analytical framework development

12+

Years Experience

75+

User Research Studies

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Portfolio

Blog

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Contact

Publications Julie Vera

For News Futures Workshop at CHI Conference '25 • April 26, 2025

Weatherfluencers

Julie A. Vera

For News Futures Workshop at CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '25), April 26-May 1, 2025, Yokohama, Japan. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 7 pages.

[TBD-arxiv]

As digital platforms reshape the time-sensitive news information consumption landscape, novel intermediaries have emerged to interpret complex data for public audiences. Weather livestreamers represent a compelling example of this transformation in weather news coverage. Through their real-time interpretation of radar data, these creators cultivate substantial followings by translating official National Weather Service data, radar imagery, and weather alerts into accessible formats while building audience rapport. This pa- per introduces the concept of weatherfluencers as a distinct subset of newsfluencers and examines their roles, practices, and obligations to their communities and the broader public. We explore how their activities illuminate key challenges and opportunities in designing platforms that support real-time collaboration around weather events. Additionally, we contextualize these developments within broader policy shifts, including proposals to reduce National Weather Service funding and privatize weather operations. This potential privatization creates urgent questions for HCI researchers about how to design platforms and systems that support critical weather information dissemination in an increasingly fragmented landscape. This research agenda underscores the importance of understanding weather information intermediaries as crucial actors in the evolving landscape of news creation, particularly as we face potential changes in institutional weather services.

#CHI2025 #Weatherfluencers #CrisisInformatics #Newsfluencers #Sensemaking

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UXR Project Julie Vera

Principal Investigator • Job Seekers

Case Study: Monster Career Advice Microsite

The Monster.com career advice microsite had been experiencing a steadily increasing bounce rate. Through targeted research studies, I discovered the issue wasn't with content quality as initially assumed, but rather with the visual design and information architecture, preventing a costly content rewrite and leading to data-driven redesign recommendations.

#UXResearch #Monster #Employment #JobSeekers #Microsite

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Publication Julie Vera

Published in CHI Conference '25 • April 2025

"They've Over-Emphasized That One Search": Controlling Unwanted Content on TikTok's For You Page

Julie A. Vera and Sourojit Ghosh

In CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '25), April 26-May 1, 2025, Yokohama, Japan. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 8 pages.

https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713666

This paper examines how TikTok users develop strategies to control and manage unwanted content on their "For You" pages. Through interviews with 24 participants, we reveal folk theories about TikTok's recommendation algorithm and document both the successful and unsuccessful strategies users employ to shape their content feeds.

#CHI2025 #TikTok #AlgorithmicCuration #UserControl #Sensemaking

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UXR Project Julie Vera

Principal Investigator • Job Seekers

Case Study: Monster Job Search Result Algorithm Optimization

This research project evaluated the perceived quality of job search results on Monster/Jobs.com and identified factors that impact user satisfaction. The findings led to algorithm optimization that improved search result weighting and significantly enhanced the user experience across multiple markets.

#UXResearch #Algorithms #Employment #JobSeekers #SearchResults

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Publications Julie Vera

For News Futures Workshop at CHI Conference '25 • April 26, 2025

How-To in Short-Form: A Framework for Analyzing Short-Format Instructional Content on TikTok

Julie A. Vera, D.W. McDonald, M. Zachry

Vera, Julie A., David W. McDonald, and Mark Zachry. "How-To in Short-Form: A Framework for Analyzing Short-Format Instructional Content on TikTok." Technical Communication 71.2 (2024): 5-25.

https://doi.org/10.55177/tc152088

Purpose: TikTok’s rise in popularity has invited creators across a broad spectrum of interests to contribute content to the platform, including non-expert, instructional subject matter. Previously, technical communication scholars have described ways to assess video instruction online, in relatively long-format lengths. Our project outlines a framework for assessing the video production qualities of instructional content across TikTok. Method: We performed a content analysis of existing frameworks and sets of heuristics for assessing long-format instructional videos. We then analyzed a set of instructional content found across the TikTok platform and analyzed them using previous frameworks. After comparing and contrasting, we developed a new framework for assessing short-format video instructional content. Results: After assessing long-format instructional video frameworks and instructional content found across TikTok, we found that many dimensions and heuristics from previous frameworks applied to short-format video. Unique to short-form video were the dimensions of tempo and level of detail, which describe the pacing of the video from a temporal perspective and the fidelity of instruction, respectively. Instruction on TikTok can take place without explicit step-by-step instruction.

#TechnicalCommunication #short-form video #tiktok #multimodal #learning

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UXR Project Julie Vera

Principal Investigator • Job Seekers

Case Study: Monster "Swipe to Apply"

This exploratory usability study evaluated a novel "Swipe to Apply" job application paradigm that challenged traditional mental models of job seeking. The research revealed users weren't comfortable with swipe-based applying and helped prevent development of a product that didn't align with user needs. Unexpectedly, it also revealed user interest in interview preparation tools.

#UXResearch #Monster #Employment #JobSeekers #Apps

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Media Julie Vera

University of Washington • December 2023

Facts, Frames, and (Mis)interpretations: Understanding Rumors as Collective Sensemaking

Featured in this Center for an Informed Public publication about how social media users collectively make sense of ambiguous information during crisis events. The research explores rumor propagation patterns and identifies how framing and interpretative contexts shape the way misinformation evolves within online communities.

#Misinformation #CrisisCommunication #SocialMedia #CollectiveSensemaking

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Presentation Julie Vera

Boston Product Management Association • May 2023

Know Your User: Design Methods & Frameworks to Use Every Day

Delivered a practical workshop sharing UX research methods and frameworks that product managers can implement in their daily workflows. This presentation covered approaches to better understand user needs, prioritize features based on evidence, and integrate user insights into product development cycles.

Design Methods and Frameworks presentation

#UXMethods #ProductManagement #Workshop #UserResearch

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Privatization Concerns: The NOAA Crisis and Its Impact on Weather Information

March 30, 2025 Crisis Communication, Social Media

Recent developments have made the role of weatherfluencers even more critical. In February 2025, the Trump administration, through its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), initiated massive cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service (NWS) - firing approximately 800-880 employees including meteorologists, hydrologists, technicians, and scientists who build and maintain weather models.

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Weatherfluencers: How Storm Livestreamers Are Reshaping Crisis Communication in the Digital Age

February 27, 2025 Weather, Weatherfluencers, Critical Services

In recent years, a new breed of digital content creators has emerged on platforms like YouTube and TikTok: "weatherfluencers." These dedicated livestreamers provide real-time interpretation of severe weather events, translating complex meteorological data into accessible information for their growing audiences.

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Education

Ph.D. in Human Centered Design & Engineering

University of Washington, 2021-2025

M.S. in Human Centered Design & Engineering

University of Washington, 2023

M.A. in Sociology

Brandeis University, 2011

B.S. in Music

Northeastern University, 2009

Professional Experience

Graduate Research & Teaching Assistant

University of Washington, 2021-Present

Ph.D. UX Research Intern

Amazon (AWS), Summer 2022

Lead UX Researcher

Monster.com, 2018-2021

Full Curriculum Vitae

See it live on GDocs

About Me

I'm a Lead UX Researcher and Ph.D. Candidate (ABD, est. Fall 2025) with 12+ years of experience transforming organizations through evidence-based product development. My research focuses on human-computer interaction and social computing, with particular emphasis on crisis communication, misinformation on social platforms, platform logics and design, and issues of trust and safety, particularly those in extreme weather contexts.

Research Interests

My current research explores how people make sense of information on different platform environments, particularly on visual social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube. I'm fascinated by how everyday users develop strategies to navigate complex information ecosystems during times of uncertainty and crisis and how the general public comes does this work collectively. I'm also interested in how content creators navigate the challenges of reporting on this type of work.

Technical Skills

Research Methods: In-depth interviews, computational social science (NLP, text analytics), ethnography, contextual inquiry, usability testing, cognitive walkthrough, survey design and analysis, participatory design, diary studies, think-aloud protocols, A/B testing, statistical analysis, log data analysis, heuristic evaluation

Analysis & Synthesis: Analytical framework development, thematic analysis, affinity mapping, journey mapping, empathy mapping, research repository management, insights prioritization, Python (pandas, matplotlib, numpy) for social media data analysis

Research Operations & Tools: UserTesting, UserInterviews, Maze, Figma, HotJar, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Atlas.ti, Dovetail

Career Interests

I'm most effective at bridging the gap between the technical know-how of research and communicating those results to higher-level stakeholders. I excel in environments with little structure; #startuplife forever.

Get In Touch

I'm always interested in collaborative research opportunities, speaking engagements (I love podcasts, hint hint!), and connecting with fellow researchers. Feel free to reach out through any of the following channels:

jvera (at) uw (dot) edu LinkedIn linktree Bluesky

Research Collaboration

Currently seeking collaborators for research on crisis communication patterns across social media platforms. I'm particularly interested in social media creators who report on weather-related crisis events and those who spectate them. If you're working in this space or just interested in chatting about it, I'd love to connect.