WHERE I AM NOW

I presently find myself with one foot in technology, one foot in design and one foot in user psychology. I realize that makes three feet, but that's just how it is...

WORKING WITH PEOPLE

I like people. Perhaps this is not so unusual; perhaps it even seems like a strange thing to say. But it took me a while to realize. Starting in my late teens, I worked in restaurants for a few years and realized that I like working with people and helping people. This experience was a huge asset when I made the transition into I.T. and found that the "people skills" I picked up in restaurants were every bit as applicable to working with computer users, whether helping them, or observing where they had difficulties with software, or working with them to design software for their needs. I never would have guessed that working in restaurants would make serve me so well in I.T....

ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN

In 1990, I decided to go back to school. I liked technology, design and making things, so I thought that I should study either architecture or industrial design. I decided on architecture, and studied at Temple University and at SCI-Arc. I did well at school (approximately 3.8 out of a possible 4.0), and in the 4 1/2 years that I studied, I learned quite a bit about design, problem-solving, observing users interacting with built products, and managing complex projects which required balancing conflicting priorities (among other things).

END-USER SUPPORT (AS ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH)

Starting in college, I was often the one people came to when they needed help getting their computers to do what they wanted. From there, I started working in I.T., and much of my job (especially at the beginning) was spent helping people use computers. I supported users at the university, in big corporations (like Disney) and in small to medium-sized business. I supported "power users" and neophytes, executives, administrators and designers, using spreadsheets, doing graphics, editing video, making CAD models, using everything from Microsoft products to Adobe products to proprietary applications.

In doing so, I really developed a feel for how people use machines: how they understand computers and applications, what they expect, where they have difficulties and why. Perhaps being the son of a psychologist helped me to understand them. In any event, it was an excellent opportunity to observe users and computer usability problems.

SOFTWARE PROJECTS

As I got more and more interested in I.T., I decided to take some programming classes at the local community college. I had studied a little computer science at Rutgers University years before, and it seemed like a good time to get back to programming. I studied C and Java, which came easily to me. Following a move to Switzerland, I got a job in which I was able to work in a team of Java developers working on a proprietary application for the company. I found myself drawn to issues of interface design and usability. Now, I am working on an Executive Master's in Enterprise System Development, focusing on J2EE development and Software Engineering, and will merge these skills with my interest in GUI development, Interaction Design and Usability.

To learn more about me, you could also take a look at my reading list or my CV.