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Resume

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Professional Experience

07.06 » 09.06
User Experience Consultant (Interaction design, visual design and production)
Avatar Imports, LLC // Santa Cruz, California

• Redesigned the existing Avatar Imports shopping experience to improve site navigation, usability, page layout and visual design
  { Revised site launches November 2006 » Examples available }

12.05 » 07.06
User Experience Consultant (Usability and interaction design)
Delivery Agent // San Francisco, California

• Redesigned the existing SeenON! NBC shopping experience to improve site navigation, page layout and increase traffic between SeenON! NBC and the NBC Universal Store websites   { Revised site launches Winter 2006 » Examples available }
• Redesigned the existing ABC TV Store shopping experience to improve overall usability, navigation, page layout and placement of media and advertising elements based on a previous heuristic evaluation   { Revised site launches Winter 2006 » Examples available }
• Conducted a heuristic evaluation and subsequent user testing study for Delivery Agent Inc. to evaluate target users' perceptions of existing product segmentation and general usability of web shopping experiences for ABC TV Store and SeenON! NBC

03.05
Video Editor
Supergroop Studios // San Francisco, California

• Edited multi-camera ethnographic video footage of video game play into short thematic vignettes for "Perform or Else! Why (and How) to Include Extroverted Play Design in your Game" - a lecture by Dr. Katherine Isbister at the 2005 Game Developer's Conference.

11.04 » 09.05
User Experience Consultant (Web production, testing, manual creation and training)
Mehraban Oriental Rugs // Los Angeles, California

• Managed the production and launch of the Mehraban Oriental Rugs e-commerce web application, serving as liaison between clients, design firm and development firm
• Worked with developers and clients on bug identification and resolution
• Identified and fixed navigation usability issues in design firm's original framed site design
• Wrote technical specifications for new features
• Created introductory Flash animation for site
• Defined the client's photo production process, from green-screen setup and lighting, rug image capture and management, to rotoscoping and image correction in Photoshop, semi-automated web image production, upload and management
• Developed manuals and Photoshop action scripts for photo production process
• Trained Mehraban employees on the photo production process and the use of the back-end e-commerce, email marketing and content management tools

02.02 » 03.05
User Experience Consultant (Ethnography and training)
Mitchell Family // Coeur d' Alene, Idaho

• Documented over 3 years of in-depth ethnographic and usability video footage of my brother Keith, a high-functioning 49 year-old male with cerebral palsy, mild mental retardation and numerous physical, emotional and behavioral issues
• The intention is to understand Keith's typical and potential-crisis scenarios to best design a mobile tool that leverages existing mobile- and web-based information and communication technology to assist Keith in becoming more independent, safer, healthier, happier and more seamlessly connected to his network of family members, friends and service providers
• Footage includes: mobile phone setup and training, mobile phone etiquette, goal setting, task completion, scheduling, transportation, decision making, budgeting, behavior modification, reminder games, medication monitoring, medical examinations, diagnoses and treatment management, surgical procedures, food preparation, anger management, personal-hygiene and self-care of wounds

11.02 » 11.03
User Experience Consultant
oneVillage Foundation and oneVillage.biz // San Jose, California

• Designed, developed and maintained the original oneVillage Foundation and oneVillage.biz websites
• Designed, developed and produced all oneVillage family identity, logos and info-graphics
• Co-authored company presentations and marketing documents
• Led a multi-disciplinary team of employees and outside developers in the conception of an integrated information and communication technology tool
• Developed Photoshop and HTML prototypes for a 'unified online profile' based on storytelling and profile-based automated matchmaking
• Assisted in the conception and definition of an international 'ecotravel' company intended to create jobs, identify areas for microinvestment and stimulate sustainable economic growth in developing countries

02.00 » 08.01
Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer
fatbubble Inc. // San Francisco, California

• Co-inventor on United States Patent 7,080,139: “Method and apparatus for selectively sharing and passively tracking communication device experiences” which enables users to capture comments and ratings about visited locations (on the web or in the real-world) and passively share/publish categorical threads of experience and activity with trusted others using their mobile device or computer
• Led a multi-disciplinary team of employees and outside developers in the creation of a web-based consumer rating and commenting application for instant messaging users
• Led development of the company's application from initial concept through creation of functional requirements, design and prototyping, user-testing and into development
• Conducted surveys and small focus groups to understand target audience
• Developed information architecture and user-flows for the application
• Designed and developed prototype application (using HTML and Photoshop) for user-testing and design specifications document
• Designed, developed and maintained fatbubble website (no longer active)
• Hired and managed outside graphic designer to develop the final look and feel of the fatbubble tool, display panels and website
• Co-authored all company marketing documents
• Co-developed and presented business plan to Silicon Valley investment community including VC/Angel "pitch" meetings with well known investors
• Pursued and secured seed-round financing from domestic and international investors

02.99 » 02.00
Lead User Interface Engineer
Customer Experience Innovations Center
Scient Corporation // San Francisco, California

• Third person hired into Scient's creative department (Customer Experience Innovations Center), helping to build the group to over 200 high-caliber creative people within first year
• Co-authored and developed sections of the Scient design approach
• Hired and managed outside design firms and contract developers
• Served as customer experience architect, information architect, UI designer, and liaison between clients and teams of visual designers, web animators, front-end technologists and back-end programmers to communicate and implement user-centered design considerations for high-visibility e-business and e-commerce web applications
• Involved across development life-cycle from early brainstorming, naming and branding exercises, user requirements gathering and participatory design sessions through iterative usability testing and functional testing
• Designed and prototyped user-flows and UI components for e-commerce web applications such as BenefitPoint and Sephora
• Designed and conducted usability evaluations of Scient web applications and web-related deliverables, translating user insights into potential design opportunities/solutions for clients and communicating such solutions to other product designers and engineers

02.97 » 01.99
Interface Design and Usability Engineer
Web Externals Design and Development Group
IBM Corporation // Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

• Served as creative director and liaison between IBM website clients and teams of visual designers, web animators, and programmers to communicate and implement user-centered design considerations for high-visibility segments of the IBM corporate web space
• Monitored the consistency and overall end-product quality, fit and finish across a number of high-visibility external IBM product and service websites
• Awarded for making significant impact to the usability of the IBM external web standard
• Designed and conducted usability evaluations of IBM software products, web-based applications and websites
• Designed and prototyped UI components for web server and content management software
• Analyzed usability data and communicated findings via summary reports for IBM clients

07.94 » 09.96
Creative Director/Multimedia Developer/Interface Designer
Software and Multimedia Products Group
American Research Corporation of Virginia // Radford, Virginia

• Served as creative director and liaison between management and teams of video/graphic artists and programmers to communicate and implement user-centered design considerations across all products
• Managed the development of interactive multimedia and computer graphics software for medical and behavioral applications sponsored by the federal government
• Managed the filming and editing of video and art/animation development
• Promoted to lead designer/developer of graphical UIs for multimedia software products
• Designed and conducted usability and efficacy evaluations of multimedia software products
• Organized content and edited scripts for multimedia productions
• Recruited and supervised personnel, including acting talent, for multimedia productions

Education

Doctor of Philosophy
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Human Factors Option with Human-Computer Interaction Concentration
Virginia Tech // Blacksburg, Virginia

Dissertation (Sponsored by American Research Corporation of Virginia)
"The effects of embedded question type and locus of control on processing depth, knowledge gain, and attitude change in a computer-based interactive video environment."

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Master of Science
Psychology
Human Factors Option
University of Idaho // Moscow, Idaho

Thesis (Sponsored by General Motors Research Laboratories)
"Determining effective display format and content options for in-car moving-map navigation and information systems."

Bachelor of Science
Psychology Major
Music Minor
University of Idaho // Moscow, Idaho

Patent

United States Patent 7,080,139
Issued: July 18, 2006

Application Number: 09/841,475
Filed: April 24, 2001

“Method and apparatus for selectively sharing and passively tracking communication device experiences”

Inventors
Darren P. Briggs, Nashville, Tenn. (US)
Brady O. Bruce, San Francisco, Calif. (US)
Michael W. Mitchell, San Francisco, Calif. (US)
Emile L. Reed, IV, San Francisco, Calif. (US)

Assignee
Fatbubble, Inc., San Francisco, Calif. (US)

Abstract
The present invention includes methods and devices for passively tracking and selectively sharing user experiences with communication devices, including computers, web-enabled telephones, and PDAs. User rating or comments on their experiences can be captured. Particular aspects of the present invention are described in the claims, specification and drawings.

Background
The Internet has opened up new channels of communication and vectors of influence over decision-making. Web sites, peer-to-peer technologies, e-mail and instant messengers are new communication technologies, which have major impacts.

Advertisers and marketers have shown great interest in the influence of these new technologies. However, it is difficult to observe the channels of communication or vectors of influence using traditional market research methods.

Users of the new communication technologies have been particularly quick to embrace instant messengers.

Users desire new ways of sharing with friends the experiences they have and discoveries they make using the new communication technologies. Therefore, there is an opportunity to introduce a new technology, a method and device which provide a new way of sharing experiences, potentially allowing advertisers and marketers to study channels of communication and vectors of influence at the same time.

References

Provided upon request.