Michael Margolis

I accidentally learned the basic principles of human-centered design in grad school, when I studied ecological anthropology and the unintended consequences of big development projects like the Trans-Amazonian Highway. It's essential to deeply understand the people your design will affect. After all these years, I still bring an anthropologist's "outsider perspective" to my fast UX research for startups.

Michael joined GV in 2010 as the first UX research partner at a venture fund. He has conducted over 200 research studies for GV startups, including Slack, Flatiron Health, Foundation Medicine, Gusto, Bluebottle Coffee, Nest, Lime, and Uber. As part of the design team, Michael has boosted conversion, tested new concepts, streamlined experts’ workflows, and validated product-market fit for hundreds of startups.

In 2006, Michael started at Google as a staff user experience researcher, where he conducted research for Gmail and Google Talk, led the UX research team for Google Apps, and managed Google’s UX team in Seattle. Prior to Google, Michael spearheaded user research at Walmart.com, helping build new online and cross-channel businesses. In a previous life, he produced educational software at Electronic Arts after starting out as an editor at The Learning Company.

Michael earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology from Stanford University. After many years in the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael is living happily ever after near Seattle.

Michael writes about his research work for startups at medium.com/@mmargolis. His approach to user experience research was also highlighted in the New York Times bestselling book, Sprint.