Alumni Spotlight: Varun S Murugesan

Varun S Murugesan

Psychology, 2016

Lead UX Researcher, Best Buy, Richfield, MN

What does your professional work entail? What does a typical day look like for you?
I study how the 100,000+ Best Buy employees use technology, understand how to change employee behavior to help customers, and educate / mentor junior researchers to become more effective.
 
Which competencies did you decide were most valuable in your organization, field, and/or role? Why?
Applied Problem Solving - the real world has unique & financial challenges than a typical classroom study
Innovation & Creativity - must be able to come up with resourceful ways to study emotions, behavior and cognition
Oral & Written - must be able to simply, effectively and accurately convey your findings
What trends should students interested in your field be aware of? Are there any professional organizations, networking groups, or other resources you would recommend? Increasing people-centered thinking in businesses (via group psychology, anthropology, behavioral economics) & increasing amount of data

What is one piece of advice you would give to current students who are looking to pursue a similar path?
 Do one thing a day that is specifically for your future

Where can people find you and/or get in touch?
On LinkedIn and Instagram.