Taya Karpinska🇺🇸
Sr. UX Researcher at Amazon
About Taya Karpinska
Sr. UX Researcher at Amazon
I’ve always been a bit of a serial career switcher and used to joke that I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. Before landing in UX research, I held roles in program management, learning and development, and vendor management.
I first learned about UX Research while finishing undergrad but thought it was too late to pivot, so I started my career as a business generalist in tech. With every role change, I got clearer on the work that energized me and the activities I wanted to prioritize on the day-to-day.
As a program manager, I often felt frustrated watching teams jump straight into solutions without hearing from the people we were building for. I became the one advocating to keep moving fast, but make time to talk to users, understand their needs, and uncover the real problems before deciding what to build.
Through these experiences in other roles, I built up my knowledge around UX research acumen, rigor, and methods. I also understood how to market transferable skills, like understanding the business and managing stakeholders, which helped me successfully transition and land in UX Research.
If my story resonates with where you are today, remember that you’re not alone, and it’s never too late to make a career change and try something new.
I’m always happy to connect and chat! Feel free to ask me about career changes, stakeholder management, resume feedback, and portfolio reviews.
Expertise
Sessions with Taya Karpinska
- Mentorship Session (30 min): Mentorship session
What mentees say
“Taya is an amazing mentor. She reviewed my resume with great attention to detail and shared thoughtful, practical advice on product and UX research careers. It was truly enjoyable talking with her, and I left the session feeling much more confident.”
“Thank you so much for your insights Taya! You were thoughtful, kind and specific with ideas and feedback. Grateful for our conversation.”
“Taya was incredibly insightful and supportive during our conversation. Her feedback on my resume and portfolio was practical and actionable, especially her emphasis on showcasing the impact of research and adding self-reflection in case studies.”