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About Me
A spirited UX researcher, designer and developer. Passionate about solving real-world problems and creating new opportunities in human-computer interaction. Over 10 years of experience in virtual reality (VR), mobile/wearable computing, graphics and web design; this includes mixed-methods user research, user experience (UX) research, user experience design (UXD), and interaction design (IxD).
Received a Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction from Iowa State University in 2019; doctoral work was centered on the use of virtual reality to conduct user studies on mobile computing by situating users in replicas of real-world task environments. Received a bachelors degree in Computer Science from Benedict College in 2004. Proud to be an Iowa State Cyclone and a Benedict Tiger!
Most recent professional experience:
- User Experience Researcher at Intel Corporation. Conducted user studies in virtual reality, gaming, wearable computing and wireless computing. Held the role as the company’s first Virtual Reality Software Evangelist.
- User Experience Designer at VR Motion Corporation. Architected a high-fidelity virtual reality driving simulator and driver training software platform, as well as a VR car showroom experience.
- Oregon Story Board instructor and course content creator; also volunteered to present virtual reality to students and educators.
- A UX consultant for businesses looking to incorporate technology in new and creative ways to gain an edge in today’s competitive market.
To learn more about my professional background, check out the CV page.
Interests and hobbies include:
- Music production; Logic Pro is my DAW and I can work with a mic, an artist and an instrument or two.
- Tennis; I played in high school, college and I still enjoy playing competitively and teaching the game.
- Video games; I use to be pretty hardcore… that part of you never dies :).
- Kids and tech; I especially enjoy introducing young students to exciting technologies and opening their eyes to educational and career opportunities.
- Cooking; my dessert game needs work though.
Skills
User Research
Experience with a multitude of research methods and evaluation techniques centered on interpreting the behavior, motivations, and needs of users. Familiar with exploratory data analysis and mixed-methods techniques to draw connections between quantitative and qualitative data.
Prototype Development
Developed a variety of prototypes and proof-of-concepts to demonstrate novel computing experiences; these range from "Wizard of Oz" techniques to the creation of more mature interfaces that require software development and computer hardware know-how.
Communication
Of both the verbal and written variety. This ranges from stakeholder presentations to the publication of academic research and technical documents such as patents.
Team work...
makes the dream work. I enjoy working in diverse teams where I can learn from others and share my knowledge, skills and unique perspectives. I am always eager to pitch in on projects when I can have a meaningful impact.
“Jyn, I’ll be there for you. Cassian said I had to.” —K-2SO
Project Videos
(tap a video to see my work in action)
My doctoral work involved the design and use of a VR lab for user studies on a mobile computing task that involved digital map use and pedestrian navigation. This video shows my advisor, Dr. Les Miller, using the hands-free locomotion interface that we developed to travel through a 3D replica of an actual neighborhood; it is the setting for user studies that we conducted in the field.
I previously worked at Intel Corp. I was hired into their Rotation Engineer Program (REP), which was superbly managed at the time by Joseph Rascon. He recruited some of the most talented, creative, and diverse engineers and scientists that I have ever had the privilege of working with. The REP Class of 2012 presented a “special dessert,” which was the brainchild of my colleague, Ellann Cohen. Ellann and I used the Makey Makey Kit to prototype and “build” an interactive piano cake that could actually play music.
While at Intel Corporation, I explored a variety of VR applications in enterprise and consumer markets through a segment called VR Insider—big shout out to Mike Premi for making this happen (a great manager, partner and friend)!
This is a 360 video of a VR showroom experience that I designed and developed (using the Unity 3D game engine) for VR Motion Corporation—a company that is trailblazing VR solutions for the automotive/transportation industry. Once the video starts, click (or tap) & drag to look around the interior of the car.