Howdy! I'm
Melinda McClure Haughey, PhD— a founder, researcher,
and developer
based in Seattle.
With experience spanning startups, research, and complex systems, I design and build resilient, human-centered technologies — translating ambition into structure and ideas into real-world solutions.
Currently taking on a couple of short-term projects — let's work together. Book a call
Your Go-To Tech Gal
I build the systems, automations, AI agents, and integrations that make everything click into place. A hands-on technical partner and consultant who jumps in fast, figures out what's broken or missing, and ships workflows that actually work. Lately that's a lot of AI: custom agents, LLM-powered automations, web scraping and data pipelines, and the glue code that connects your tools. From stitching together MVPs to scaling internal systems. Available for short-term consulting and contract projects. References from prior projects available on request.
My experience spans:
AI & Automation: custom agents, GPT / Gemini / Claude integration, web scraping & data pipelines, prompt engineering
No-Code & Systems: Airtable, Webflow, Notion, Zapier, Make, Typeform
Business Tools: Zoho Flow, Hubspot, Salesforce, Slack, Discord, Stripe
Data & Dev: REST APIs, Python/JS scripting, SQL/Postgres, Azure, Rust
Spreadsheets & Dashboards: Excel (incl. VBA/macros), Tableau
Analytics: GA4, GTM, Amplitude, custom tracking setups
I’m the Co-Founder and CTO of Proxi
Proxi Interactive Maps was born from a need in my own neighborhood—to make local knowledge visible, shareable, and easy to navigate with maps. What started as a side project became a venture-backed company now supporting thousands of organizations—from tourism boards to neighborhood groups—in creating custom maps that boost event turnout, support local businesses, and connect people to the places that matter most. I led the company through Techstars Seattle, raised capital, built and scaled the team, and now serve as CTO and lead developer.
Today we're evolving Proxi from a tool into an outcome. Alongside the self-serve map builder, we now offer more advance map builds, managed event "passport" campaigns, and community calendar and management tools, so organizations get the results (turnout, engagement, local economic impact) without the busywork.
UX Research That Connects Insight to Strategy
I help founders and teams understand what’s working, what’s not, and where to go next—through fast, focused, and actionable research.
I design and run independent UX evaluations to test your product with real users, uncover friction, and surface insights that inform both design and business direction. Whether you're looking to validate a new flow, understand user drop-off, or stress-test your onboarding, I bring a clear process and usable outputs—not just a pile of notes.
Available for short-term contract projects. References from prior projects available on request.
My methods include:
Usability Testing: “Are people getting stuck? Why aren’t they finishing onboarding?”
I run structured sessions to observe how real users interact with your product—surfacing points of friction, confusion, and missed expectations. You'll walk away with specific fixes and design priorities.
Heuristic Evaluation “Can you just take a look and tell me what’s off?”
I review your product against established usability principles to quickly spot obvious (and not-so-obvious) issues. This is especially helpful before launching or reworking a feature.
User Interviews: “What do my users actually care about—and what are we missing?”
I conduct and synthesize interviews to help you understand motivations, barriers, and needs—turning qualitative input into clear, strategic takeaways for your team.
I specialize in turning findings into momentum—connecting the dots between user feedback, product priorities, and broader business goals. I deliver clear, structured insights through decks, reports, or even light design recommendations—whatever helps your team move.
Past clients and employers include early-stage startups, Accenture, Dell, Meta, and the U.S. government—where I focused on evaluating digital tools for end users, often in high-stakes or complex environments. If you're launching a product or rethinking an experience, I can jump in quickly and help you see it through your users’ eyes.
Teaching & Service
I teach Human Centered Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington's Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE), helping undergraduate UX design and research students turn messy early ideas into something real.
Beyond the classroom, I stay close to my community — advising on digital innovation, serving on entrepreneurship and tech committees, and supporting the next wave of founders, especially women.
Teaching
- Lecturer, Human Centered Entrepreneurship — University of Washington (HCDE)
- Guest lectures, workshops, and courses on entrepreneurship, human-centered design, and journalism
Service
- University of Washington — Future of Entrepreneurship Committee
- Committee Member, EvergreenHealth Digital Health & Consumer Innovation Committee (digital advisory)
- Speaker, Logan Symposium — UC Berkeley (misinformation & journalism)
Advising & Mentorship
Through mentorship, public speaking, and advisory work, I support early-stage founders — especially women and underrepresented founders — through the messy early moments of building a company, often while balancing family, caregiving, or the invisible load of everyday life. I offer honest, practical feedback grounded in experience: candor balanced with care. Founding is hard, and my goal is to make it a little less lonely and a lot more doable.
