My name is Matthew Hadick.
I am a technologist and tinkerer fascinated by how people interact with, learn from, and express themselves through technology.
Before shifting into research and design, I was an elementary school teacher. My classroom was filled with music, exploration, and thoughtful play. My students were encouraged to immerse themselves in creative experiences, to follow their curiosity, and to see technology not as a distraction but as a tool to unlock human potential and capture the magic of the moment.
I want to support the proliferation of technologies and experiences that embody the spirit of my classroom – designing for curiosity, immersion, and play, towards systems that respect human cognition and foster deep engagement.
My free time is spent on simple pleasures: the California coastline, bikes, books, and music. The best part is sharing it all with my wife Leah, our two boys – Matteo and Owen – and our poodles, Birdie and Louie.
My Research & Work
As a Master's student in Human-Computer Interaction at Iowa State University, my work has explored:
| Cognitive Accessibility & Inclusive Design | How onboarding and UI design shape accessibility in gaming and software |
| Flow State & Interaction Design | Identifying design principles that evoke immersion in video games |
| Ethnographic & Mixed-Methods Research | Studying real-world user behavior, particularly in educational and low-tech environments |
| Extended Reality UX & Experimental Interfaces | Investigating how 3D interfaces, haptics, and multimodal feedback shape interaction in XR |
| Learning Technologies & AI | Designing context-aware, ambient learning tools that integrate seamlessly into daily life |
| Gamification & Playful Design | Exploring how game mechanics can enhance engagement, creativity, and long-term retention |
Experience
Led design and research for accessibility-first product features for a multi-stakeholder e-learning platform serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, caregivers, case managers, and small business owners.
Increased first-session task completion from ~44% to ~89% (+45 pp) via six iterative prototype cycles with 25 participants; findings directly informed roadmap priorities.
Conducted WCAG-aligned accessibility audits and partnered with engineers to remediate high-severity issues, ensuring effective use with assistive technologies.
Advocated for and implemented a design system and inclusive pattern library, reducing design-to-development cycle times by ~20%.
Collaborated cross-functionally with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to translate research into shippable design solutions that improved onboarding and retention.
Spearheaded special projects spanning rapid prototyping, experimental interfaces, and concept testing to identify new growth opportunities.
Designed and co-created a custom digital tool with students during the COVID-19 pandemic (a live design-thinking lesson), increasing on-time assignment submissions by ~30% and improving peer-to-peer engagement.
Enhanced family communication loops, raising average parent response rates from ~60% to ~85%.
Developed a curriculum management system that improved interdepartmental collaboration and standards alignment in a fully remote environment; reduced time-to-materials by ~40% and remained in use post-pandemic.
Applied constructivist and experiential learning principles to technology integration, fostering autonomy, curiosity, and self-directed inquiry.
Balanced technology, socioemotional support, and home context to ensure equitable access for diverse learners.
Led mixed-methods UX research (surveys, interviews, behavioral analytics of 500K+ monthly users) to uncover gamer engagement patterns, content discovery habits, and community motivations.
Designed and tested information architectures for emerging game communities, improving navigation and reducing average content discovery time by ~20%.
Built scalable templates, onboarding guides, and design guidelines adopted by 50+ high-traffic communities, boosting contributor retention by ~15%.
Produced 100+ feature articles and content frameworks that supported player engagement and long-term community health.
Partnered with product managers, designers, and engineers to translate research insights into roadmap priorities and feature launches.
Championed community-first design practices that reduced contributor friction and aligned platform changes with real user needs.
Designed and A/B tested affiliate email campaigns for major retail brands including Walmart.com, Sephora, and GameStop.
Increased average campaign CTR from ~7.5% to ~10.2% (+36%) over six months through iterative layout, visual hierarchy, and copy refinements.
Implemented segmentation strategies that lifted open rates from ~18% to ~23% by aligning creative and offers to shopper behavior.
Optimized HTML templates and asset handling to reduce email load times by ~20%, improving deliverability and engagement on mobile clients common in 2011–2012.
Collaborated with marketing managers and engineers to establish test-and-learn cadences and weekly performance readouts informing creative direction.
Education
Relevant Coursework: Research Design; Design Ethnography; Qualitative Methods; Cognitive Psychology of HCI; Models & Theories in HCI; Digital Accessibility; HCI and Innovation; Virtual Environments, Virtual Worlds, and Applications; Human Communication with and through AI and Robotics