Mixed-Methods Researcher for Product, Culture & AI

I design research that turns complex user behavior, cultural context, and product uncertainty into actionable decisions for digital services, AI tools, tourism campaigns, and community-facing systems.

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Snapshot of Professional Summary, Education, and Languages

Profile Photo of Wan Yeung

Professional Summary

Mixed-methods researcher specializing in UX research, product research, marketing research, and cultural studies. Experienced in usability testing, AI evaluation, stakeholder interviews, campaign sentiment research, and ethnographic fieldwork — bridging academic rigor with applied product and business needs.

Dedicated to turning complex user behavior, cultural context, and product uncertainty into actionable decisions.

Education

  • PhD Ethnomusicology, UCLA (2024)
  • MA Music (Ethnomusicology), Wesleyan University (2017)
  • BM Music, University of California, Irvine (2012)

Languages

  • Cantonese – Native
  • English – Near-native
  • Mandarin – Near-native
  • Hokkien – Competent

Research Portfolio

Selected anonymized contract research projects spanning AI evaluation, tourism experience research, workflow recovery, campaign sentiment, and reusable research systems. Client and product details are generalized because of NDA constraints; methods, metrics, and outcomes are included where public-safe.
AI Translation Evaluation for Classical Chinese Texts
AI Translation Evaluation for Classical Chinese Texts
Q2 2026  ·  AI Evaluation  ·  Product Research Consultant
Iterative evaluation of an AI-assisted classical Chinese translation tool across 13 builds — combining usability testing, model comparison, domain-expert review, and App Store build testing. Research informed production model selection, subscription quota calibration, and UI register alignment for a scholarly audience.
Usability Testing Model Comparison Human-in-the-Loop Evaluation Error Taxonomy App Store Build Testing UI Register Audit
13 iterative builds
10 models compared
10 testers
5,000+ words tested
View Full Case Study →
Testing an AI Trip Planner for International Tourism Audiences
Testing an AI Trip Planner for International Tourism Audiences
Q1 2026  ·  Tourism AI  ·  Product Research Consultant
Moderated usability and product research on a tourism website with an embedded AI trip-planning tool. International prospective travelers reviewed the site's category system, content, and AI planner via screen share. Findings surfaced mobile bugs, category confusion, information overload, and AI trust gaps.
Moderated Usability Testing Screen-Share Observation Task Completion Category Comprehension Testing AI Planner Interaction Testing
12 sessions (Wan)
~40 broader interview sample
8 friction themes identified
View Full Case Study →
Discovery Research for a Multi-Tier Reseller Platform
Discovery Research for a Multi-Tier Reseller Platform
2026  ·  Product Discovery  ·  Product Research Consultant
Founder-facing requirements research for a multi-tier authorized reseller network app. Discovery sessions and prototype walkthroughs externalized undocumented business logic, mapped the missing admin layer, and converted referral, authorization, verification, and payout workflows into buildable specifications.
Founder Interviews Prototype Walkthrough Workflow Mapping Requirements Elicitation Specification Validation
3 structured discovery sessions
300% membership growth since launch
0 → Live admin layer defined
View Full Case Study →
ERP/CRM Workflow Recovery for Retail Operations
ERP/CRM Workflow Recovery for Retail Operations
2026  ·  Workflow Systems  ·  Product Research Consultant
Stakeholder interviews, workflow mapping, and process audit to recover a failed ERP/CRM implementation for an international consumer goods company. The vendor had delivered mostly a frontend; backend logic was not wired and centralization had never happened. Mapped 6 workflows, identified 20+ issues, and delivered 45 recommendations — halting further spending on an unrecoverable system before more investment was lost.
Stakeholder Interviews Workflow Mapping Requirements Analysis Process Audit Journey Mapping
6 workflows mapped
5 stakeholders interviewed
20+ issues identified
Further losses avoided
View Full Case Study →
Tourism Campaign Impact and Destination Sentiment Research
Tourism Campaign Impact & Destination Sentiment Research
Jul 2025–Mar 2026  ·  Marketing Research  ·  Research Analyst
A multi-project research stream evaluating how residents, visitors, prospective tourists, and campaign audiences responded to destination messaging, tourism-development campaigns, creative ads, and place-branding concepts. I supported interview-based analysis — synthesizing transcripts, noting behavioral cues, and translating qualitative signals into campaign and stakeholder recommendations.
Moderated Interviews Transcript Synthesis Behavioral Cue Observation Message Resonance Analysis Sentiment Coding
4 audience groups
8 months duration
Residents · Visitors · Prospective tourists · Campaign audiences
View Full Case Study →
Building Reusable Research Systems for Client-Facing Product Studies
Building Reusable Research Systems for Client-Facing Product Studies
2025–2026  ·  Research Infrastructure  ·  Cross-Project
A cross-project case study on building reusable discussion guides, usability scripts, intake forms, reporting frameworks, and review processes across applied client projects. Infrastructure reduced setup time, improved stakeholder alignment, and made it easier for non-research stakeholders to explain needs, request changes, and act on findings.
Research Planning Template Design Reporting Frameworks Stakeholder Alignment
3 projects supported
6 toolkit components
Faster setup · Clearer alignment
View Full Case Study →
Cantonese Opera Lessons & Senior Immigrant Mental Health
Cantonese Opera Lessons & Senior Immigrant Mental Health
2025–Present | Community Music & Well-being
Explores how participation in Cantonese opera lessons impacts mental health and social connection among senior Chinese immigrants using a mixed-methods approach.
Methods: Validated surveys, participant observation, and qualitative interviews.
Status: In-progress.
Funded by UCLA Institute of American Cultures Research Grant
Pipa Iconography in Sinophone Media
Pipa Iconography in Sinophone Media
2025–Present | Visual Culture & Sinophone Studies
An exploration of how a widely circulated image of a pipa with a missing fret became the visual shorthand for Chinese lute music across Sinophone media. This project examines its cultural symbolism, authenticity debates, and how visual representations of instruments shape heritage branding and memory.
Methods: Archival analysis, visual culture study.
Status: In-progress.
Golden Star Company: Cantonese Opera LPs in the U.S.
Golden Star Company: Cantonese Opera LPs in Americas
2024–Present | UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive
San Francisco–based Golden Star Company, with a sister company in Hong Kong, distributed Cantonese opera LPs across the Americas. Archival letters (1947–1960) reveal networks of immigrant music consumption and the cultural role of recorded opera in diaspora communities.
Methods: Archival letter cataloging, metadata analysis, and cultural mapping.
Status: In-progress; analyzing distribution patterns.
Cantonese Opera Ecosystem in Hong Kong
Cantonese Opera Ecosystem in Hong Kong
2018–2024 | Hong Kong | Dissertation Research
Examines Hong Kong's Cantonese opera ecosystem amid post-1997 cultural shifts, focusing on tensions from the influx of mainland performers and practices into local traditions.
Methods: Multi-year ethnography (pre/during/post-COVID), virtual ethnography, musical analysis, archival research, and thematic analysis of interviews.
Status: Completed PhD dissertation (UCLA, 2024).
Funded by UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship; Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship; UCLA Dissertation Fieldwork Fellowship for International Studies; Hiroshi Wagatsuma Graduate Fellowship
Full Case Study
Nanguan Music in Taiwan
Authentic Nanguan in Taiwan
2018–2019 | Taiwan
Explores Nanguan music's movement between Southern China, Taiwan, and diasporic communities, focusing on shared heritage and evolving performance practices.
Methods: Ethnographic fieldwork, archival study, and comparative performance analysis.
Status: Fieldwork completed; findings presented at a regional conference and continuing toward publication.
Funded by UCLA–National Taiwan Normal University Taiwan Initiative Fellowship
Full Case Study
Improvisation and Tonal Aesthetics in Cantonese Operatic Songs and Naamyam
Improvisation and Tonal Aesthetics in Cantonese Operatic Songs and Naamyam (Hong Kong)
2015–2017 | Hong Kong | MA Thesis Research
Examines improvisation and tone-melody negotiation in Cantonese operatic songs and naamyam. Based on fieldwork in Hong Kong community music spaces, the study reveals how tonal aesthetics guide improvisation and shape cultural continuity.
Methods: Ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, and comparative analysis of performance practices.
Status: Completed MA thesis (Wesleyan University, 2017).
Full Case Study

Consulting & Other Work

Cultural Heritage Consulting
Archival and exhibition consulting for Cantonese opera heritage projects, including metadata design and cultural storytelling for NGO fundraisers.
Cultural Heritage Consulting
Archival and exhibition consulting for Cantonese opera heritage projects, drawing on Golden Star Collection and multimedia contributions to cultural fundraisers.
Forensic Musicology Consulting
Provides expert analysis of music for legal, copyright, and policy cases in the U.S. and Asia.
Forensic Musicology Consulting
Ongoing consultancy work offering comparative music analysis and expert testimony for cultural and legal cases.

Skills & Methods

Product & UX Research
Usability Testing Concept Testing Workflow Mapping Journey Mapping Stakeholder Interviews Task Completion Observation Research Planning Product Requirements Analysis
Mixed-Methods & Marketing Research
Survey Design Interview Moderation Thematic Analysis Campaign Sentiment Research Message Resonance Testing Destination Perception Research Behavioral Cue Observation
AI Evaluation
Model Comparison Human-in-the-Loop Evaluation Error Taxonomy Translation Quality Rubrics Prompt/Output Comparison AI Trust & Usefulness Evaluation
Cultural & Qualitative Methods
Ethnography Archival Research Oral History Visual Culture Analysis Cultural Mapping Community Engagement
Tools & Outputs
Research Reports Stakeholder Readouts Dashboards Discussion Guides Usability Scripts Insight Frameworks Python Excel SPSS REDCap

Affiliations

Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM)

Society for Asian Music

International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM)

American Musicological Society (AMS)

California Copyright Conference (CCC)

Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP)