Rohith Varma

I study how people get through the systems they depend on, and the gap between what they say and what they do.

UX Research · Austin
MS Human-Computer Interaction, DePaul University

Mixed-methods research across accessibility, behavior change, and augmented reality. Five studies below, each one carried from framing through to a recommendation somebody could act on.

Selected research2021 – 2025

01 Drivers failed to navigate an unfamiliar route from a static map. Every one of them completed it with guidance rendered on the windshield. A driving simulator built in BeamNG, five research phases run through it, and two AR head-up display concepts compared against a paper map. Method Mixed, 5 phases Participants 40 Duration 10 wk Year 2025

02 Blind and Low Vision users can place the order. It is the handoff at the door that breaks. An exploratory interview study of Blind and Low Vision users across browsing, customizing, paying, tracking, and the physical delivery handoff. Method Qualitative, interviews Participants 4 Duration 10 wk Year 2025

03 Four of five could not find what an extra bag costs. Most still rated the site easy to use. Six methods run against one airline website, from Nielsen's heuristics to a screen reader walkthrough, and the gap between what people said and what they did. Method Multi-method, 6 Participants 5 Duration 11 wk Year 2025

04 Nobody was short of motivation. They were throwing out every movement too small to count as a workout. Ten interviews and three days of activity logs each, laid out across a full day, and two concepts placed at the two moments the map said were worth the effort. Method Qualitative, interviews and logs Participants 10 Duration 10 wk Year 2024

05 First-time earners do not lack budgeting tools. They lack a reason to open them. Nine contextual observations and eight interviews with students and first-time job holders, and what happens when a tool built for a stable month meets the month people actually have. Method Mixed methods, 2 Participants 17 Duration 11 wk Year 2024