Cindy Kim-Ngan Lam

Cindy Kim-Ngân Lam

User Experience Researcher

About

Hello! I am a product and user experience researcher with a rich academic background in Learning Sciences, Education, Technology Design, and Cognitive Science. As a first-gen student who experienced transformative opportunities through education, I'm passionate about leveraging research to build educational products that drive equity, learning, and innovation.

I currently work at Google as a User Experience Researcher on the Learning & Education team to create engaging and fun learning experiences on Google Search, YouTube, and Gemini. I also hold in a Ph.D. in Education from Stanford University, specialized in Learning Sciences and Technology Design (LSTD) and Developmental and Psychological Sciences Program (DAPS). My dissertation research leveraged mixed methods to examine the role of technology in children’s learning, specifically how online communities create social opportunities that lead to interest and engagement in reading.

When I’m not in research mode, I alternate creative pursuits: dance, illustration, and music. My current fixation is dancing street styles, especially popping and whacking/waacking! I have performed with dance groups such as the Get Down Performance Team and Bayside Jam.

Selected Research

families’ distance learning during the covid-19 pandemic

When schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, this led to an abrupt shift to distance learning from home. This study used remote diary study methodologies to understand diverse families’ experiences with the transition to learning at home. This study identified not only families’ challenges and concerns, but also unexpected benefits and the ways they innovated and adapted for distance learning.

Social digital tools for reading engagement

Social technologies, such as online reading communities, enable new ways for users to learn and engage. This study examined that phenomenon using mixed methods including: social network analysis, cluster analysis, qualitative interviewing and observation. The mixed methods approach uncovered multifaceted insights on how elementary-aged students can use technology for interest-driven learning and social engagement around reading.

equitable technology for interest-driven reading

Educational technology can offer extraordinary opportunities to change learning, but it can also contribute to existing inequities. In this study, we collaborated with school district partners to investigate what technologies equitably support reading and how. This research surfaced insights on the importance of pedagogy, technology access, and family involvement in supporting equitable, interest-driven reading.