Experienced researchers who work as an extension of your team.

Progress integrates seamlessly with product, design, and engineering teams, bringing senior research expertise while adapting to your workflows, timelines, and ways of working. Whether you need a single usability study or an ongoing research partner, we adapt to the way your team works.

• Senior Researchers
  Work directly with experienced researchers who design, conduct, and present every study—from kickoff through final recommendations.

• Embedded Collaboration
  We integrate into your existing product, design, and engineering workflows, making research feel like part of your team’s process.

• Flexible Scale
  Need additional capacity or specialized expertise? We expand through our trusted network of senior collaborators while maintaining one consistent project team and point of contact.

Jon-Eric Steinbomer, Principal UX Researcher & Co-Founder

Jon-Eric Steinbomer is a Principal UX Researcher, educator, and Co-Founder of Progress UX Research with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations solve complex product and strategic challenges through qualitative research.

Working in the field long before UX research became a recognized discipline, Jon-Eric has helped shape its evolution while leading research for Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Dell, Walmart, Charles Schwab, Nissan, Thermo Fisher Scientific, startups, and public agencies. He is known for quickly mastering complex technical domains and delivering clear, actionable insights across AI, enterprise software, healthcare, financial services, transportation, civic technology, and consumer products.

Jon-Eric specializes in research where the stakes are high, the technology is new, or the path forward is uncertain. He believes the quality of insight depends on the quality of the conversation, a philosophy strengthened by his background in psychotherapy, which informs how he builds trust, uncovers underlying motivations, and translates human behavior into confident product decisions.

In addition to leading client engagements, Jon-Eric has taught UX Design Methods at General Assembly and served as an Adjunct Lecturer at The University of Texas at Austin, helping educate the next generation of UX researchers.

Jessica Sears Steinbomer, Research Director & Co-Founder

Jessica Sears Steinbomer is Co-Founder and Research Director at Progress UX Research, where she helps organizations turn customer insight into better products, stronger teams, and more confident decisions.

With more than 20 years of experience, Jessica has led research and strategic initiatives for Fortune 500 companies, startups, and public sector organizations across healthcare, technology, transportation, consumer products, and civic services. She is known for bringing clarity to complex challenges, building alignment among diverse stakeholders, and helping organizations translate research into meaningful action.

Jessica specializes in facilitating the conversations that move organizations forward. Whether leading discovery research, executive workshops, journey mapping, or cross-functional strategy sessions, she creates environments where people feel heard, ideas emerge naturally, and teams build shared understanding around their customers. Her ability to bridge diverse perspectives makes her especially effective in organizations where alignment is just as important as insight.

Jessica is co-author of The Heart of UX, a framework exploring the intersection of neuroscience, empathy, and human-centered design. She has taught UX research at The University of Texas at Austin and remains passionate about mentoring researchers while helping organizations build stronger, more customer-centered research practices.

Working at Progress

Positive. We work well together because we take time to connect and enjoy each other’s company. We especially like game nights, eating lunch together, and going to yoga.

Exciting.  We work with some incredible clients and sometimes get sneak peaks of products before they are released to the public. Each project comes with new challenges and new connections to be made.

Dynamic. We take on many roles. Sometimes we are project managers, sometimes researchers, sometimes video editors. Always, we are learning.

Healthy. We take breaks to stretch, run up and down the stairs, bounce on yoga balls, and take walks in the sunshine. We support each other in balancing work with life.

Impactful. In our small team, each member makes a huge difference. We pursue our individual interests in new clients, new methods, new ideas--anything large or small--and discuss it with the group. Each member helps co-create the company’s future.

Join Our Team!

If you are interested in working at Progress, please reach out to us at business@experienceprogress.com with any questions or to submit your cover letter and resume.

To learn more or to discuss your research project needs - please get in touch!