Work History

Rock Hollow Studios Interaction R & D 2005 - present

Responsibilities include business planning and development, communications, networking, on-line business service evaluations, ethnographic and user expeirence research, design evaluations, customer relationship management, case study investigations and write-ups, mentoring.

Project work: Project managed a portal user experience research and design project team, planned and implemented user research to inform portal concept designs, facilitated collaborative participation among a global team of marketing program managers, conducted work practice interviews with potential portal users, generated concept designs for partner portals, wrote portal functional specifications, mentored a web designer and project manager.

IBM Lotus, Product Design Group, 2001-2005

• Planned and conducted several user experience tests of emerging collaboration software
• Conducted work practice research with middleware administrators
• Managed site visits with high profile customers
• Pioneered new ways of receiving and acting on user experience feedback
• Identified pain points and opportunities for improvement with existing collabration software
• Facilitated the formation of an ad hoc team of experts to collaborate on designing and developing a software deployment portal
• Researched and wrote user profiles, customer profiles, user scenarios and personae

Verizon Laboratories, Concept Design Group Waltham, MA, 2000-2002

• Ethnography of home office work
• Ethnography of home media enthusiasts on-line hobbies
• User Experience Field Test of the Verizon Video on Demand Service

Microsoft, Mobile Electronics Product Unit, 1997-2000

• Planned and conducted "a day in the life" work research with 20 mobile professionals
• User experience tested emerging PDA devices, the Auto PC and Windows CE software
• Joint contributor to two user interface design patents for the Auto PC
• Field study of blackberry pagers in use

Hogskolan i Karlskrona/Ronneby Sweden, 1995 and 1996 (Department of People, Computers and Work)

Visiting lecturer and conducted workshops in ethnography, activity research and video interaction analysis

Apple Computer Advanced Technology Lab, Learning Research Group, 1995

Documented and analyzed summer computer camp activities for Apple Advanced Technology Learning Group

Interval Research Interned with the Qualitative Market Research Group, 1994-1995

• Observed and photographed teen culture at Lollapalooza Concerts for Interval Research
• Created a database of photo documentary images of teens interacting with computer kiosks in the Electronic Carnival and enjoying themselves around the Lollapalooza venues

Xerox PARC, Interned with the Hardware and Computer Science Labs

• This is where I was introduced to work practice research; ubiquitous computing, multi user dungeons were under investigation
• Wrote a paper called The Use of Artifacts as Tools for Learning
• Wrote a paper called Iceberg: Thinking Together about Organizational Change
• Collaborated to produce the first Xerox PARC Art Show
• Facilitated a roundtable on Interdisciplinary Collaboration with Vera John Steiner and PARC scientists
• Interviewed and shot video documentary footage with the artists and scientists who were involved in the first season of the Xerox PARC Artist in Residence Program

University of California, Santa Cruz, 1991-1994

• Studied psycho-biography, cultural psychology and aesthetic education
• Conducted observational learning research with kindergartners and computer camp students in CA
• Research assistant Psychology, Professor Emeritus, Pavel Machotka
• Teaching assistant, Sociology Professor Craig Reinarman

Wings for Learning Educational Software, 1991

Customer service call center and visual concept design

Lucas Films in San Rafael, CA

Worked as a production assistant to the costume designers for the movie Tucker

Founded Visual World Design, 1980-1991

• Designed, printed and painted fabrics for interior design and clothing, designed a line of clothing
• Coordinated costumes for Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra and participated in the Tokyo Music Festival.
• Painted costumes for a horror movie in LA
• Painted and showed oil and acrylic paintings
• Designed costumes for George Coates Performance Works in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Curated contemporary art shows at Bucci’s Café in Emeryville, CA

Apprentice fabric designer at Zoo Ink Screen Print, 1970

• Attended printing and sculpture classes at the California College of Arts and Crafts
• Worked as a dish washer and waitress at the Rock Ridge Café in Oakland, CA
• Studied African dance.

Attended University of Oregon, 1972-1977

• Studied physiological and experimental psychology chemistry and avant garde art and film.
• Animal Caretaker, Experimental Psychology Research Labs
• Professor’s assistant, Theater Department
• Did my senior research project on divided attention with Michael Posner.