Community Highlights: Meet Alizeh Winter of Winter Research

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alizeh Winter.

Hi Alizeh, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a creative dilettante. Music is my first love, going back to childhood, and by high school I was singing in punk bands. To support myself I started doing hair at 17, and from there I did it all: modeling, barista work, retail, makeup artistry, DJing, club promoting, photography, bartending. I’ve never been precious about how I make a living.
I’m most well known by my darkwave project Vore Aurora and the charity work I collaborated on with other artists in the goth industrial scene. To keep the freedom to tour on my own terms, I eventually opened my own salon studio in San Francisco. Starting a business meant building a website, and that’s where something unexpected happened: I fell in love with design and the behavioral psychology behind it.
That spark led to a UX research internship, where I joined a team that created an award-winning augmented reality game. From there I took a contract at a bank and kept climbing until I was a VP of Design Research, helping designers, copywriters, and engineering teams build world-class digital experiences in fintech. Five years of that and I was genuinely excited when the layoff came.
I spent the next year the way I wanted: touring on electronic drums and keyboards in a friend’s industrial band, cutting hair when I was back home in LA, learning to tattoo, and doing fit modeling work. But I’m in my 40s now, and the relentless grind of underground touring isn’t a long-term financial strategy.
So I took everything I learned in enterprise design and built something of my own. I run a research and design studio focused on research for mid level and enterprise companies that might not have a full research team or want to take someone on full time. I also offer fair pricing on website design for small business owners who don’t have a background in UX, SEO, or the fast-moving world of AI search. The kind of expertise that used to be reserved for companies with big budgets is exactly what independent businesses need most right now.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Everyone’s greatest struggle is time. For me it’s the time to learn everything I want to know, to chase whatever new obsession lights me up, and to slow down with the people I love most: my husband, my dog, my best friends.
In business, that’s exactly why most of my clients come to me. They know they need either deep research or just a functional website to drive business. They just don’t have the hours to figure it out, and I do. The landscape of work is changing faster than any other time in history. I put in the effort to stay ahead and want to help everyone around me get answers fast to become and stay profitable.

As you know, we’re big fans of Winter Research. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Winter Research exists on a simple belief: good design and real research shouldn’t be reserved for companies with enterprise budgets.
On the consulting side, I work with companies ready to go deeper. I specialize in UX research, behavioral psychology, and digital experience, figuring out why people do what they do online and removing the friction that stops them from doing it. That includes website audits, ADA and SEO compliance reviews, AI search optimization, and experience strategy. The kind of work that used to live exclusively inside enterprise teams.
On the design side, I work with small business owners who need a clean, professional web presence without the overwhelm, built with the same strategic thinking I bring to larger clients, not just a template dropped on a domain.
Nine years of enterprise experience, including VP-level work, means I bring a certain rigor to every engagement regardless of size. What I am most proud of is making that level of expertise accessible. Whether you are a small business owner ready to show up professionally online, or a large org that wants real answers about why your digital experience is not converting, the work looks different at each end but the standard never does.

What matters most to you?
Throughout my life, I’ve learned that my standards are incredibly high, regardless of the job or relationship. I’ve always been blunt, and every time I’ve softened myself for the sake of likability, I’ve been disappointed in the outcome. I’m excited to finally embrace this as a superpower, using the wisdom I’ve collected to wield discernment with intention.
I know when to jump in and get something done quickly, and I know when to hold out for the highest quality. I have many projects I’m proud of, but many more where I let myself down by letting “good enough” win when I knew what great looked like. Going out on my own gives me the freedom to be honest. If something doesn’t meet my standard, I’m able to say so, graciously.
That same honesty I hold myself to, I can extend to collaboration. I genuinely love helping others and I care about what matters to them. But at 2am, it’s just me and what I’ve made, and I have to be able to impress myself before anyone else.
Being a woman who has worked deeply in tech, music, and beauty is rare, and I’ve spent enough time shrinking myself to fit what each of those worlds considered professional. Breaking those stereotypes isn’t a side note to who I am, it’s central to it. I bring all of myself to the table, and that fullness is part of what makes my perspective valuable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://winterresearch.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alizeh.winter
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/30aD5L3P15ISBblWHuVpOu?si=cu2ITsHfRaOgz2qP2ZzHfg

Image Credits
d.chenault.photos, watermelonproductions310, yourethenight, alwaysjustinphotography