We believe that:

• Expert UX research provides the data needed for informed designs and more effective conversations.

• UX Research is at the heart of creating experiences that are useful, valued, and elegant.

• Creating a truly great product or service is not the result of chance or luck but is instead informed by evidence grounded in trusted UX research practices.

Leadership

We are a HUB Certified consultancy, founded in 2006 by two UX research pioneers with a combined 40 years of industry experience.

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

Jon-Eric Steinbomer is Co-Founder and Principal Researcher at Progress UX Research, where he helps organizations understand customer needs, emerging technologies, and complex user behaviors to inform product, experience, and business strategy. Over the past two decades, he has partnered with organizations including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nissan to design and lead research initiatives that strengthen the connection between the people building technology and the people using it.

Jon-Eric leads discovery research, usability studies, concept validation, and strategic insight engagements, helping teams reduce uncertainty, uncover opportunity areas, and make more confident decisions. He has extensive experience researching AI-powered products and emerging interaction models, helping organizations better understand user adoption, trust, workflow integration, and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in everyday work and life.

In addition to leading client engagements, Jon-Eric is an author, educator, and mentor. He has lectured at the University of Texas School of Information and taught UX Design Methods at General Assembly. His work is grounded in a deep curiosity about human behavior and a commitment to helping organizations build products and services that create meaningful value for the people they serve.

Jessica Sears Steinbomer, Research Director & Co-Founder

Jessica is a seasoned UX research leader, facilitator, and entrepreneur. As co-founder of Progress UX Research, she has spent nearly two decades helping organizations uncover customer needs, align stakeholders, and make more confident product and experience decisions through research-driven insight.

Jessica leads workshops, trainings, and strategic working sessions with product and UX teams, helping organizations strengthen collaboration, listening, and customer-centered decision-making. She is also a co-author of The Heart of UX, a framework for advancing research practice through the integration of neuroscience, empathy, and human-centered design.

Jessica has taught user research at the University of Texas at Austin and remains deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of research practitioners.

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!