About Me

Summary
I design user experiences that help people enjoy their work and be productive. I work directly with clients to understand their goals, and then I meet their users to learn about and understand their goals. Using an iterative user-centered design process that involves users, clients, designers and developers, I design an interaction model that fulfills both the goals of the client while delivering an excellent user experience.

Background
I became interested in HCI in 2001 when I worked as an administrative assistant for Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County. The agency was small and didn't have access to a lot of technology resources. When I started working there, one of my tasks was to update the client 'database'. The client database was actually several Excel spreadsheets - one for 'littles' (children), one for the 'bigs' (volunteers) and one for matches between littles and bigs. Obviously, this was very inefficient and cumbersome. I was taking some introductory Computer Science classes at the time and I decided to apply my knowledge and build an Access database for the agency. This became my pet project, and it took up the entire year and a half that I worked there as I learned about the building of relational databases and interfaces. I realized that many non-profits have little access to technology equipment and experts, and that there was very little available in off the shelf software that was user friendly and geared to these types of organization. In the meantime, I was getting frustrated by my computer science courses because they weren't teaching me how to build practical, useful, effective applications for real people. I was more interested in understanding the problems that people have in finding information than in discovering the fastest search algorithm. I decided not to spend any more of my student loan resources on computer science courses and to look for a grad program that better fit my interests.

Education
My undergraduate degree is in Sociology. I was really interested in social inequality and theories about better ways for people to live together equally. I also loved the research process - especially the statistical analysis of quantitative data. I've always been really interested in computing, but it wasn't until I took and excelled in statistics that I thought I was up to it mathematically. After I graduated, I decided to take some computer science courses and learn what programming was all about. I took about twelve programming courses at DePaul? University in Chicago, until I figured out that I was far more interested in the people side of technology. Once I made this discovery, I enrolled in a Human-Computer Interaction program at Indiana University School of Informatics. At IU, I did a lot of work outside of my comfort zone. Because it was a design program, I did more art work than I had done since grade school. I still can't draw, but I have a deep understanding of the user-centered design process, and since I know my limitations, I use methods other than my own sketches to communicate design ideas!

Travel
A big part of who I am has to do with my love of travel and the places I've been. I think that traveling to new places and discovering different people and cultures is the best education a person can get. As a result of my experiences, I am more patient, understanding, adaptable, tolerant and appreciative. I try not to stereotype or make assumptions about the people that I'm designing for.

Some of my travel experiences:

Asia: I taught English in Japan for one year through the JET Program. This was an amazing experience. I made friends with people from English speaking countries all over the world, as well as with Japanese people. I even met my husband in Japan (he's from Louisiana). I faced a lot of challenges, including a lot of talking in front of people, which I was not at all comfortable with at the time. I got to visit many places throughout Japan, as well a take a two week trip to Thailand.

Europe: My first experience in Europe was a five week study abroad program based in London, called Great Cities London. This was an amazing undergrad experience. During the previous semester, the program included seminars on Chicago neighborhoods, culture, social problems and more. The four weeks in London consisted of lectures and tours on the history, culture, and politics of London. We got to visit housing projects, police stations, and other places where tourists don't go. My second trip to Europe lasted six months and was mainly in Leuven, Belgium. Unlike my previous travels, I didn't have demands on my time. I did some babysitting for cash, but mainly I traveled, visiting many places in Belgium, and some in Holland, Italy, France, Britain, and the Czech Republic.