Jhovanna Perez is a research analyst at FutureBrand, part of McCann Worldgroup. She explores how changing consumer behaviors shape the future of experience design. She helps organizations uncover opportunities for design innovation by exploring questions such as how younger generations shop for beauty care products, what they expect from next-generation retail environments, how the candy shopping experience can be reimagined, and how the home buying journey can feel more human. Her research informs experience strategies and design decisions for brands including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Mars Inc, The Coca-Cola Company, and Intuit, helping them create more meaningful retail experiences and consumer touchpoints.

Prior to earning her master’s degree in Human Environment Relations, Perez practiced commercial interior design. She worked on a range of projects from higher education to healthcare design. These experiences gave her a strong design foundation, but they also reinforced her curiosity about how research informs design decisions.

Q. What attracted you to Cornell?

A. I earned my BFA in interior design from California State University, Long Beach. I loved design, but I wanted to understand why people experience spaces the way they do. In my work, I became more interested in the research behind design decisions, human behavior, and environmental psychology.

I spent several years looking for graduate programs that would allow me to explore those questions. At the time, many people suggested UX programs, but I knew I wanted something broader. I wanted to understand people across physical, digital, and service environments.

I looked at programs in the U.S. and abroad, and Cornell consistently stood out. I followed the program for years, connected with faculty and alumni, and saw graduates working in roles that aligned with where I wanted my own career to go. Applying to Cornell, and ultimately making the move, was something I had been working toward for a while.

Q. What does your work look like day to day?

A. I work at a design and innovation consultancy, partnering with brands to understand shopper behavior to improve retail experiences.  Recently we’ve expanded the work to other design experiences outside of retail. I design and conduct mixed-methods research using interviews, shop-alongs, contextual inquiries, surveys, concept testing, diary studies, and usability testing to understand how people discover, evaluate, and purchase products across physical and digital channels.

I also study how AI is shaping the shopping experience by exploring how consumers perceive AI-enabled retail interactions and how these technologies influence shopping. I work closely with clients and cross-functional teams to answer business questions through research and turn findings into strategic recommendations.

 

Posted on
08/04/2026
Author
Marisa LaFalce
Tags
Alumni

My Cornell experience has had a direct impact on the way I work today. It gave me the ability to take complex information from multiple disciplines, synthesize it into meaningful insights, and translate those insights into design and business strategy. 

Jhovanna Perez, M.S. ’23

Q. What was your master’s thesis about?

A. I investigated how AI-generated dynamic digital storefront displays in retail environments influence consumer behavior. I designed and developed a digital twin — a 3D virtual retail environment — and conducted an experimental study with 150 participants to examine how a dynamic visual display, compared with a static image display, influences consumers' shopping experience, their perception of the retail environment, and their engagement with the brand. The research explored how this type of visual experience can inform the design of retail environments and the use of dynamic digital displays to enhance brand experience.

Building on this work, I collaborated with my advisor, So-Yeon Yoon, professor in the Department of Human Centered Design, and Woo-Bin Kim, assistant professor at Chung-Ang University (South Korea), to extend my research into a further study, which was published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

Q. How does your Cornell education shape your work today?

A. At Cornell, I wanted to explore design through the lens of research, so I took as many research-focused courses as I could and got involved in projects across digital, product, spatial, and omnichannel experiences. I wanted to experience different research methods and analytical approaches to better understand human behavior across design contexts.

Through these projects, I realized retail brought everything together. It's a fast-evolving field that sits at the intersection of design, consumer behavior, marketing, technology, and the built environment. It allowed me to apply different research methods while studying how those elements shape the shopping experience.

That experience has had a direct impact on the way I work today. It gave me the ability to take complex information from multiple disciplines, synthesize it into meaningful insights, and translate those insights into design and business strategy.

By the time I graduated, I felt well prepared to enter industry with a broad, interdisciplinary perspective that I continue to apply in my work today.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share?

A. One of the most valuable aspects of my Cornell experience was the opportunity to work across research labs, disciplines, and industries. I applied human-centered design methods in a wide range of contexts from VR and healthcare research to retail innovation and consumer behavior.

My work has been presented at design conferences and I continue to collaborate with So-Yeon Yoon and Jalessa Reed, assistant professor in the Department of Human Centered Design.
I’m excited to continue bridging industry and academia through research and professional engagement. I look forward to the opportunities that 2027 will bring to further connect with the retail and design research community, including conferences such as NRF Retail's Big Show, Shoptalk, and EuroShop.

I hope that this experience will motivate current and prospective H.E.R. master’s students to pursue research and careers at the intersection of experience design, consumer research, and data analytics.