Hi, I’m AJ Ece Karakus.

I’m a Senior UX Researcher advancing accessible and inclusive products at D2L.

📍 Kitchener, ON

Shaping product direction together

I shape research across the product lifecycle, from emerging needs to concept evaluation, partnering with cross-functional teams to turn users’ goals, workflows, and constraints into insights that guide strategy, priorities, and design decisions. Involving stakeholders from planning through synthesis builds shared understanding, confidence in the findings, and alignment around the path forward.

Advancing accessibility practice

I lead D2L’s Accessibility UX Research Charter and coordinate accessibility-focused initiatives across the research team. I advocate for the meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities and users of assistive technologies, grow our accessibility participant community, and develop ways to evaluate accessibility earlier in the design process.

Strengthening research practice

Beyond research studies, I improve UX Research operations by creating processes that increase the quality, efficiency, consistency, and scalability of our work. I also mentor researchers, strengthen research capabilities across the team, and communicate findings to audiences ranging from product teams to senior leaders.

My multidisciplinary perspective

My academic background combines Psychology, Computer Engineering, and a master’s degree in Systems Design Engineering. It helps me approach product challenges through three connected lenses: people, technology, and the systems surrounding them.