Developed under a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant for the US Air Force, the Combat Airspace Visualization and Planning System (CAVAPS) was designed to provide pilots with higher fidelity mission planning tools for the next generation fighter. Built on top of legacy software (the Portable Flight Planning System), CAVAPS provides pilots with 3D imagery in order to effectively and efficiently preview missions.

Originally a DOS-based application built for NASA to assess fitness for duty, the Critical Tracking Task (CTT) is a simple yet powerful tool for evaluating the cognitive and psychomoter abilities of an individual. Research has shown that the CTT is sensitive to various impairments including: alcohol, marijuana, and drowsiness.

To properly train and assess drivers of all experience levels, the Driver Assessment and Training System (DATS) was designed as a front end to the commercially availabled driving simulator, STISIM Drive. DATS allows users to create profiles, manage lesson plans, and practice driving scenarios on STISIM Drive.

As part of a UI design group at Carnegie Mellon, we were tasked with creating systems that can help people change their personal behavior with respect to choosing lifestyles and products that are gentler to the planet, specifically, in this case, with respect to making housing choices. In order to create a system that accurately reflects the requirements of users during the housing search, we analyzed data from a Contextual Inquiry (CI) with a user who collaborated with future roommates on a wiki site in order to document findings and communicate effectively. The contextual inquiry process provided us with a better understanding of the individual's needs, desires, and current approaches to finding housing, so that our system could seamlessly integrate into the structure of his work. [pdf]

Also while at Carnegie Mellon University, I teamed with a group of four other HCI students to evaluate the usability of NativeAccent, a web-based speech training application that employs a learning management system along with CMU's SPHINX speech recognition technology. NativeAccent is intended to improve intelligibility issues with non-native English speakers, whether they be students or international employees at call-centers. Our semester long project employed a variety of industry-standard Usability Evaluation Methods including Contextual Inquiry, Keystroke-Level Modeling, Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive Walkthrough, and Think-Aloud Usability Studies. For further information review our final report, which documents our findings on the usability of NativeAccent for the Carnegie Speech development team. [pdf]

As part of the Basic Interaction Design course at Carnegie Melon University, my team of three HCI students performed preliminary user research (shadowing and directed storytelling) to discover the emotional and informational needs of wine drinkers. Our goal was to provide a personalized web experience that would provide a valuable wine-purchasing transaction. Our final design allowed casual wine drinkers to locate and purchase local wines based on their current wine preferences. The project was completed over the course of three weeks and resulted in an HTML prototype. [prototype]

LiveAlbum helps families capture, manage, store, share, and retrieve family mementos related to children's activities. It is accessible through a number of devices such as a digital wall, mobile phone or picture frame. Through embracing and empowering the family members who are living together and connecting them with those that are temporarily or permanently away, LiveAlbum builds trust, belonging, and togetherness.

LiveAlbum was the product of rigorous fieldwork, synthesis, needs validation and a video sketch production. [process book]