Team
Below is some information about the MEDRADicals, a team of five Master of Human-Computer Interaction students, who conducted various user research and usability evaluation sessions with the invetors at MEDRAD, in roder to create a prototype solution to their IP documentation needs.
Anastassia Drofa Described by most as quirky, analytical and animated, she tends to push the concept of ’Äúthinking outside the box’Äù past the walls of its box, tries to make complex obscure concepts accessible via clear exhaustive explanations, and does it all with a passion that borders on giddiness. Anastassia is currently pursuing an MHCI degree at CMU, planning to graduate in December ’Äô06. She graduated summa cum laude from the Honors College at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. There, she worked as an Instructional Technologist providing the support faculty members required to effectively integrate various technologies into their teaching and research methods. Seeing how much difficulty some highly educated people have with technology, she shudders at the thought of the struggles that average users face. Committed to fixing problems rather than just complaining about them, Anastassia is looking to become an integral part of dynamic interdisciplinary team dedicated to designing user-centered interaction experiences.
Peter Jones
Peter received his B.F.A. in Filmic Writing from the University of Southern California. Peter's work as a web designer and developer reflects his long-time interests in writing, photography and film. He is planning to graduate with a HCII Masters degree in August 2006 and is currently employed as a Senior Web Engineer and Design Specialist at MEDRAD, Inc. A Pittsburgh native and a devout follower of anything black-and-gold, Peter wants to change the world one HTML tag at a time and hopes to someday soon be able to beat his six-year-old at PlayStation.
Ben Koh
Ben received his BA in Computer Science from Duke University in 2002. Following his undergraduate education, he worked as a technical consultant for Accenture and as a web application developer in a fast-paced startup. His interests include ubiquitous computing, computer-supported cooperative work, and imagining how to combine the features of current-day products for usage in new applications. Outside of usability, he enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and making music. Ben is a full time MHCI student and expects to graduate in August 2006. After graduation, he hopes to apply what he has learned towards the design of innovative products that are easy to use while helping users achieve their goals.
Rachel Shipman
Rachel received her B.S. in Computer Information Systems from Colorado State University. After graduation she spent five years with Canto Software, makers of the digital asset management system ’ÄúCumulus’Äù, first in San Francisco and most recently in New York City. While at Canto she worked as a workflow consultant, plug in developer, and software trainer. She also managed the U.S. technical services team, including tech support for all North American customers. Working closely with internal and external customers gave Rachel insight into the frustrations of users faced with complex software systems. This inspired her to go back to school to learn how to improve usability through the study and practice of HCI methods. She is currently a full-time student in the Human-Computer Interaction Masters program and expects to graduate in August 2006. After graduation she hopes to work with a creative, interdisciplinary team to develop products that present a simple and pleasant user experience.
Ray Su
Ray graduated with a B.S. in Bioengineering with emphasis in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2002. Afterwards, he was a Research Programmer at UC Berkeley's PATH and GUIR research groups creating mobile and desktop applications. And most recently, he was a tireless software engineer and usability advocate at Quadramed Corporation, building web-based enterprise Health Information Management Systems to help merge the health care industry with information technology. Currently, Ray is pursuing a full-time Masters in HCI at CMU Human Computer Interaction Institute and expects to graduate in August 2006. Equipped with this knowledge, he hopes to join a creative design team bridging the gap between people and technology in innovative, usable, and desirable user experiences.