About the Usability and User Experience Community
Member Profiles: 2006

Edited by Susan Duncan, Membership Coordinator

• Meredith Bass
• John Freiberger
• Patricia Hallstein
• Heidi Hansen
• Sarah Irving
• Lisa Rowan

Meredyth Bass
SAS Institute

As a senior statistical writer at SAS, I am always interested in ways to improve documentation for our software users.  This includes finding the best ways to organize and approach the tasks I write about in online Help and User's Guides.  Plus, the more I work with developers and UI designers, the more I become aware of the ways that I can be an advocate for our clients to improve their overall experience with our applications.

I spent five years as a statistician and four more years as a programmer in medical research prior to becoming a statistical writer.  These experiences have been invaluable in giving me a more all-around understanding of the software development process.  I find that most of the ah-ha moments that I experience at work come when I think of ways to streamline a user task.  My hope is that learning more about usability will lead to more ah-ha's!

I've been married for just this side of nine years, and I'm a mother of two three-year-olds.  I enjoy journaling, knitting, and recently crochet.  I also belong to two cats.

John Freiberger
Technical Writer
Bosch Security Systems
Fairport, NY

I am a technical writer for Bosch Security Systems, and have worked in this position for the past eight years. I write, illustrate, and edit technical documentation (installation, programming, and user manuals) for fire alarm and security systems. I also write help files for our programming software. Occasionally, I venture into multimedia to develop training materials and other extras.

I stumbled into tech writing. I went to school to be an English teacher, but never got anything more than day-to-day sub jobs, a long-term sub position, and summer school. Not exactly the best ways to pay off student loans! I decided it was time to try other fields, so I applied for an opening as a tech writer, and voila, I got the job!

Some see our documentation as being "over-written," so I've been trying to find ways to communicate the highly technical content in a simple-to-understand manner. The need for translation has also forced my department to reduce word count and explore other alternatives, such as picture-based documentation. So, usability has become an interest of mine. I hope to learn as much as I can from this SIG, and hopefully share a tip or two of my own!

I am married with two daughters (5 and 3). I enjoy playing with my kids, staying fit (lifting, running, Taekwondo), and reading. I'm currently reading The Da Vinci Code, and eagerly awaiting the movie!

Patricia Hallstein
Consultant-information architecture & user experience design
patricia.hallstein@gmail.com

I am a user experience specialist, with a very broad background, including technical and marketing communication, Web-based information systems, project management and team leadership. I seem to be alternating between consulting and management phases in my career, first in Munich, Germany, and since 1997 in New York, then Seattle (Microsoft), and now back in New York. Clients and employers were Fortune 100 companies, startups, small and midsize companies, in Software, Marketing, Finance and Consulting. On a personal note, I love modern dance, theatre, literature, working out, hiking, sailing, and yoga.

Heidi Hansen
Tyler Technologies

I work for Tyler Technologies as a Technical Writer and have worked in the software industry since 1998. I started my career producing PDF user guides and tutorials for a company called Datalogics in Chicago. I then moved into online help (context-sensitive), embedded Help, usability, and PDF database schemas for a division of Tyler near Seattle. I have been a member of STC since 1996 and have volunteered in numerous positions for the Puget Sound community of the STC. I have also been active with the local SIGCHI (Special Interest Group for Computer-Human Interaction, ACM) group since 2001. To read my technical communication-related blog (where I have posted notes from an October 2005 presentation by Alan Cooper), visit www.loudcarrot.com/blogs/heidi.

Sarah Irving
Usability Engineer
bit10 ltd
Coventry, West Midlands, UK
www.bit10.net

I have worked for bit10 ltd as a Usability Engineer for the last 6 months.  I have a BSc Degree in Ergonomics and have worked in the field of ergonomics/usability for the last 10 years.

Currently at bit10 ltd (an internet solutions company) I am involved in the usability of websites, both with test participants and by expert review.  I also produce wireframes.

Lisa Rowan
Documentation Specialist
Availity, L.L.C.
Jacksonville, Florida
www.availity.com

Many in technical communications are familiar with the "I wear many hats" routine. One moment we're writers. The next, we're editors, graphic artists, business analysts, or usability experts. My story is no different. Usability has been an important part of every job I've had because it is intimately intertwined with communications. Aside from the obvious usability issues surrounding documentation, technical communicators must be able and willing to voice their thoughts and ideas about the usability of products we document. After all, what good is the usability of our documents if the products themselves are not usable?
 
I've held various technical-writing roles for 11+ years across many industries: semiconductor, telecommunications, insurance, and software. I have no academic education in technical communications, but fell into it naturally because of my interest in writing. Our small company has no formal usability department or budget set aside for large-scale usability training. Fortunately, my manager supports usability and periodically sends our team of Product Managers and me to training offered by Human Factors International. I look foward to hearing everyone's ideas and experiences with usability.
 
By the way, when I'm not working, you might find me, well, writing! Despite feeling drained by the end of the day, I try to do as much creative writing as possible. I also enjoy reading, being outdoors, and spending time with my loved ones.