Hi, I'm Charlese.
Happiest where data, design, and product collide.

I'm a user researcher who's happiest where data, design, and product collide.

My path here wasn't a straight line. I'm originally from the Philippines, where I studied Statistics and spent more than a decade working in data analytics. When I moved to Helsinki, breaking into the job market was hard, so I made a decision that reshaped my career: I went back to university to study Business IT, focusing on Digital Service Design, UX and software development. That intersection between statistics and UX is exactly what led to my role at Zalando as a Quantitative User Researcher. Working where data and design meet is still where I'm at my best.

At Zalando I worked across e-commerce research, from data-driven segmentation to studies that shaped how the platform serves its whole customer base. I also supervised two working students on research operations. Now I lead UX and player research at Metacore Games, where I built the research function for Merge Mansion from the ground up and manage a researcher on the team. I like both sides of this work equally: running the research myself, hands-on with the data and the players, and building the practices that let research scale and stick.

What I love most is mixing analytics with empathy – digging into what players and customers say and do, figuring out why, and making sure their voices actually shape decisions. There's nothing more satisfying than watching an insight turn into a real improvement.

I care deeply about diversity, equity, and inclusion. It's part of who I am, and it shows up in how I approach research and the kinds of spaces I try to help create. I also believe in always keeping at the craft: I've sharpened my toolbox with training in areas like MaxDiff and big data, and lately I've been experimenting a lot with how AI can make research faster and more useful, from building an AI-queryable insights repository to rethinking parts of the workflow.

Outside of work, you'll usually find me playing badminton, binge-watching several series at once, cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, crafting something random, or playing board, card, and mobile games, sometimes all in the same week.

Fun fact: my analytical brain struggles with choosing favourites. I prefer nuanced rankings.