Summary
Twenty years experience in a self-owned consulting business and Fortune 500 companies conducting focus group research and product usability research (hardware and software); designing user-computer interfaces; creating and managing usability labs; rapid prototyping; developing research programs; increasing company awareness of ergonomics/human factors issues; and managing design and standards efforts. An established programmer, writer, lecturer, and presenter. Strong organizer.

Work Experience

Performance Research & Design

1993 - present

President
Consulting and training in Human Factors research and software design.

Prodigy Services Company

1987 - 1993

Program Manager & Manager, Development Support

1990 - 1993

Managed interface standards development and promulgation; department- wide software training program and online reference support; software development projects; coordinated external consultants.

Program Manager & Manager, Human Factors

1987 - 1990

Established and managed the Usability Laboratories, including facilities, research programs, and personnel. Tested PRODIGY software product.

The 3M Company

1979 - 1987

Human Factors Engineering Specialist

1982 - 1987

Senior Human Factors Engineer

1979 - 1982

Provided company-wide human factors product consultation, including usability, safety and liability, warnings, controls and displays, user documentation, etc. Internally marketed the services of the Human Factors group, creating an expanded awareness of human factors and usability issues.

University of Illinois

1976 - 1979

Research Assistant
Under Dr. Stanley N. Roscoe, investigated human visual accommodation and evaluated computer-generated landing displays in a GAT-2 simulator.

Other Experience

Associate Editor, Ergonomics in Design

since 1992

A new publication of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Chair, Consumer Products Technical Group (CPTG)

1987-1989

of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Duties included overseeing the biennial Interface symposium series.

Editor, cp news (quarterly CPTG newsletter)

1984 - 1986

Organized and chaired Interface 85

May 1985

The Fourth Symposium on Human Factors and Industrial Design in Consumer Products, St. Paul, MN. 220 attendees.

Founded Simsoft

1981

A company specializing in software for Commodore home home computers; created TaxWare a, tax preparation software for the Commodore 64. Successfully marketed the product and licensed it to a commercial publisher.

Presentations and Teaching

"Human Factors in Product Development" in The Concept Definition Phase of Product Development -- Gaining the Leadership Edge, Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, 1986.

"Product Design" in Industrial Ergonomics - A Factor in Productivity and Quality Improvement. Indiana Labor and Management Council, Inc., Indianapolis, IN, 1986.

Course instructor in Graphical User Interface Design for Weinschenk Consulting Group.

Selected Honors

George E. Briggs Dissertation Award, The Society of Engineering Psychologists, recognizing original research in engineering psychology.

1980

Best student paper award, annual meeting of the Human Factors Society.

1978

Dartmouth College: First place, John G. Kemeny Prize in Computing Applications.

1972