Hello! I'm Nicole
Lifetime learner driven to share knowledge, expertise and experiences through teaching and mentoring.
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Innovative, results-driven, technical product manager with a proven track record of developing exemplary user experiences that improve customer lives.
Extensive experiences in technology platforms, eCommerce, and messaging systems along with management experience driving global teams.
Dr. Nicole Lee Birdsall
DBA, MA, MBA
PROFESSIONAL & ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
Email:
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PAPERS
DOCTORATE DISSERTATION
JANUARY 2023
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The purchase process is undergoing a transformation. To provide a seamless and fast payment experience, payment companies have streamlined the steps in the purchase process for consumers. Digital wallets have aided this effort by requiring a consumer to set up a default payment method prior to purchase. During a purchase, the digital wallet simply uses the default payment method instead of requiring the consumer to choose a payment method for each purchase. By decoupling the payment method choice from the purchase process, will consumer payment behavior or what influences their payment method choice change?
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
DECEMBER 2019
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Digital wallets involve a change in consumer behavior. Previously, consumers handed over a physical form of payment, such as cash or bank card. With digital wallets, consumers identify themselves with a password, thumbprint, or face scan on their digital device to pay. As digital wallets change the physical act of paying, do consumers who use digital wallets have different behaviors from consumers who do not use digital wallets? More specifically, do consumers who use digital wallets transact more frequently than consumers who do not use digital wallets?...
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
APRIL 2020
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Digital wallets are an increasingly adopted means to store payment method information and make payments through devices for online and in-store purchases. Researchers have begun to explore the impact of digital payment methods and digital wallets on consumer behavior. This study expands on current literature, which provides evidence that consumers are more likely to increase spending when using digital payment methods and digital wallets. This study focuses on the impact digital wallet usage...
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Digital Wallet Impact on Personal Finances
LITERATURE REVIEW
DECEMBER 2020
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Cryptocurrency provides a means for consumers to pay merchants for goods and services without the need of banking institutions. Leveraging the current disruptive innovation theory, I set out to understand (a) if cryptocurrency is a disruptive innovation, (b) how might the disruptive innovation theory predict the trajectory for cryptocurrency adoption, (c) will the complexity of cryptocurrency impact the trajectory of cryptocurrency adoption and disruption, and (d) should the complexity of a disruption change the current disruptive innovation theory...
LITERATURE REVIEW
Disruption Innovation Theory and Cryptocurrency
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
DECEMBER 2019
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Smartphone devices have become a part of everyday life and are changing human behavior, including consumer behavior. Researchers have begun to explore the interaction between human and device, called cyberpsychology. However, research is in its infancy with a substantial number of gaps. This study focuses on smartphone notification impact on consumer urgency. The researcher leverages previous research on Signaling Detection Theory, SDT, and applies SDT to consumer interactions with marketing notifications on smartphones...
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Does Smartphone Device Signaling Impact the Urgency of Consumer Purchasing?
LITERATURE REVIEW
APRIL 2021
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In this research paper, I set out to understand the current literature and propose future research to address the primary research question: do emotionally intelligent people still have the ability to detect non-verbal cues in a virtual world? In addition, I explore the following secondary research questions: (a) does emotional intelligence improve if video is on, (b) does emotional intelligence improve with visibility of other people’s face and body, and (c) will more attendees hinder the ability to detect emotional cues on video conferencing?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Do Emotionally Intelligent People Have the Ability to Detect Non-Verbal Cues in a Virtual World?
THEORETICAL MODEL
2016
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The Birdsall Business Value Calculation, or BBVC, addresses three primary dimensions of the product work: (a) ability to implement the work successfully and sustainably, (b) customer value and willingness to pay for the feature, and (c) the implementation team’s excitement to create and the innovativeness of the feature. The BBVC also considers (a) implementation risk, (b) global impact, (c) company priority, (d) revenue and cost savings, (e) innovativeness, and (f) team effectiveness, which makes this framework unique from...
THEORETICAL MODEL
Birdsall Business Value Calculation, BBVC, Model
RESEARCH
AUGUST 2020
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I have designed a research data collection mobile app, called Rex, with a device data feature to enable researchers, in studies where applicable, the ability to easily allow participants to consent and share device data. The purpose of this study is to conduct a usability test to measure Rex’s ease of use, intuitiveness, and trustworthiness in order to encourage participation and minimize bias towards tech-savvy individuals...
RESEARCH
Usability Study of a Data Collection Mobile Application for Mobile Device Research
LITERATURE REVIEW
APRIL 2021
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In this literature review, I focused on six cyberpsychology academic textbooks, which were chosen due to their (a) focus on cyberpsychology, (b) coverage of various disciplines within cyberpsychology, and (c) subject matter experts.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature Review of Cyberpsychology
LITERATURE REVIEW
DECEMBER 2020
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I explored current literature to understand how consumer spending may change post-COVID-19 and how that may impact the U.S. economy. The current literature supports the following conclusions: (a) consumers will continue to spend as long as unemployment does not become permanent, (b) consumer consumption and sentiment decline is likely temporary, (c) changes in consumer priorities and spending behavior are likely to be permanent, and (d) there will be new consumer segments going forward.
LITERATURE REVIEW
U.S. Consumers Spend After the COVID-19 Pandemic
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2019-Present
Global Product Management
Pricing Analytics and Science, Pricing Experimentation and Promotions
PAYPAL
Responsible for developing innovative pricing solutions and tools that leverage industry, competitive and transactional data to enable the business to optimize pricing and improve profitability.
Product Owner for Pricing Analytics and Science Scrum Team: developed and evolved the pricing science product strategy and vision to expand the platforms pricing intelligence and AI capabilities as well as the pricing experimentation and promotional platform; managed and prioritized the product backlog to maximize business value across the pricing science, pricing engine, data warehouse, and pricing tools scrum teams; conducted various discovery activities including designing, building and iterating on prototypes for customers to provide early feedback on new pricing tools
Mentor product managers and engineers on team dynamics, leadership, interpersonal skills, pricing psychology, and consumer psychology
Established and led best practices and team efficiencies for Scrum Teams and Product Managers across the entire Pricing Domain Team, which included developing and facilitating training, research new tools and methods, and testing new tools and processes within my own Scrum Team
2017-2019
Manager, Global Product Management
Product and Item, Buyer Experience
EBAY
Responsible for driving buyer conversion on eBay’s item experiences through the key buying decision influences including price, payment methods, shipping, taxes, and returns
Chief Product Owner for the Buyer Experience View Item and Product Pages: responsible for evolving the shopping experience to help buyers easily understand the total product offering from price of the product to shipping costs and taxes; established the vision for the total offer across the View Item and Transaction Flows; developed the roadmap and prioritized the features and iterations for the offering across the services, view item, product and transaction scrum teams; managed and worked with cross domain teams across the organization including Payments, Taxes, Returns, Advertising, and Shipping to expand the View Item functionality; leveraged usability and a/b testing to gain customer insights to influence the vision and roadmap
Product Owner for View Item Scrum Team: developed a story map from the vision and roadmap; created and managed a groomed and prioritized backlog for the view item scrum team backlog
Managed a team of product managers and provided mentoring for product managers across the organization
Established best practices and team efficiencies for the Buyer Experience Product Management Team, which included facilitation of training sessions
2014-2017
Manager, Global Product Management
Pricing, Promotions, and Subscriptions
EBAY
Responsible for the Global Pricing, Promotions, and Subscriptions Platform, and new revenue technology innovations
Chief Product Owner for Pricing: responsible for being the voice of the customer (understanding the key pain points, goals, motivations, etc.), developed product vision for the entire pricing and promotions platform supporting eBay seller fees, created and prioritize the product backlog across multiple scrum teams, developed and managed innovation processes, managed and provided transparency for stakeholders and management through meeting forums, regular communications, wikis and product roadmaps.
Product Owner for Plutus Pricing Configuration Platform and Services Scrum Team: worked directly with customers to understand needs and wants, developed user stories, created and prioritized the scrum team product backlog, and developed roadmap/product iterations
Coached a team of product managers including helping them through the transition to Scrum
Represented and presented the greater Pricing Team (Fee Management, Configuration, Promotions, and Pricing Operations) vision and asks in the eBay rolling planning process
Led the greater Monetization/Commercial Models Team through Waterfall to Agile transition
EDUCATION
2019-2023
Doctorate in Business Administration, DBA
GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY
Doctorate in Business Administration
Primary Field of Study: Convergence of Cyberpsychology and Consumer Behavior
2012-2014
Master of Arts, Psychology
GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY
MA Psychology
Concentration in Industrial and Organizational Behavior
Graduated with Highest Honors, 4.0
2001 - 2003
Master of Business Administration, MBA
GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY
MBA
Concentration in Marketing
Graduated with Honors
1994 - 1998
Bachelor of Science, Operations Management and Information Systems
NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
BS Operations Management and Information Systems
Study Abroad, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, England, 1997 - 1998