The User Centric Team

Related Pages: Careers at User Centric, Global Services

Since founding User Centric in 1999, Managing Directors Gavin Lew and Robert Schumacher have seen their company of four employees grow ten-fold in both staff and revenue. This success comes from Gavin and Bob’s mutual desire to make technology work for people and their employees’ dedication to that principle. It is the entire team’s enthusiasm and commitment that has made User Centric a leader in the field of user experience.

Gavin Lew, Managing Director

As one of the company’s founders, Gavin has been instrumental in shaping User Centric as the premier firm in the industry.

Gavin’s 15 years of experience in corporate and academic environments have given him a strong foundation in user-centered design and evaluation. In addition to managing the company, he holds particular interest in mobile technology, healthcare, and global research projects.

Prior to co-founding User Centric, Gavin was president of an internet start-up, principal at a web development company, a member of Ameritech's Human Factors group, and Director at another user experience research consulting firm. He is a frequent presenter at national conferences and the inventor of several patents.

Gavin is also an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University. He teaches a graduate-level class on Usability Evaluation Methods.

Interesting Facts: Gavin is both a Star Wars and Lego enthusiast, which is easy to tell if you go into his office.
Qualifications: MA in Experimental Psychology from Loyola University
Q&A with Gavin Lew

Robert Schumacher, Managing Director

As Managing Director and co-owner, Bob has helped the firm grow from a small four person user research consultancy to one of the largest firms of its kind in the world, conducting more than 120 projects a year.  He holds several patents, and has written dozens of professional and academic papers. In 1996, Bob authored and released the Ameritech Graphical User Interface Standards and Design Guidelines which are still influential in both their form and content.  Bob developed an interest in improving user performance in high-workload environments.  He spent several years researching, designing, and testing enterprise applications for dozens of contact centers including several Fortune 50 companies.

More recently, Bob has been become influential in how usability is applied to health information technologies.  He has authored several papers on usability criteria in the EHR selection process.  Most recently he has been project lead in the development of a usability assessment protocol for the usability of electronic health records.  He has also conducted research and published several studies on the usability of and factors affecting adoption of PHRs.  

Bob is the editor of the just released Handbook of Global User Research published by Morgan Kaufman, serves as CEO of User Experience Ltd., the first foreign-owned user research firm in Beijing, China, and was one of the driving forces behind the formation of the UXalliance.  He has been invited to speak on user experience and user research at national and international conferences in North America, Europe and Asia.

In more than 20 years of professional experience, Bob has held technical and management positions at Bellcore, Ameritech, Belgacom, Universal Access, and User Centric.

Interesting Facts: Bob enjoys bicycling, “extreme cheese” and traveling—he has visited all 50 states and 30 countries.
Qualifications: PhD in Cognitive and Experimental Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Q&A with Bob Schumacher

Wendy Yee, Director

Wendy is a passionate advocate of leveraging user behavior insights to shape the design of user interfaces.

At User Centric, Wendy has led user research and UI design projects for technology, healthcare, finance, and marketing organizations. Her previous roles as a director at Human Factors International and as editor for web-related projects at Science Magazine have provided extensive experience in user-centered design and research.

She enjoys collaborating with clients to create next-generation UI designs for handheld and software applications and has conducted usability testing on FDA-regulated biomedical devices.

Interesting Facts: Wendy is very familiar with the chemical structures of caffeine and chocolate. She spends her evenings reading Curious George and Richard Scarry, although her preferred reading material is Businessweek and the Wall Street Journal.
Qualifications: SB in Cognitive Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, PhD in Neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Agnieszka (Aga) Bojko, Associate Director

Aga's expertise lies in the empirical evaluation of large- and small-screen interfaces and pharmaceutical labels. She has a special interest in the integration of behavioral and self-report measures with eye movement analysis.

Since joining User Centric in 2003, Aga has been responsible for developing the eye tracking practice at the company, led numerous multinational user research projects, and conducted studies involving medical devices and packaging, mobile phones, software applications, websites, and physical work spaces.

Aga has been published in books and professional journals, and presented at national and international conferences. She is an Associate Managing Editor of the User Experience Magazine and an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University, where she teaches a graduate-level class on Usability Evaluation Methods.

Interesting Facts: Aga is actively involved in animal rescue as the Volunteer Coordinator and Adoption Counselor for the PACT Humane Society. She is also an avid rock climber.
Qualifications: BS in Psychology and Cognitive Science from the University of North Carolina, MS in Human Factors from the University of Illinois, MS in Human-Computer Interaction from DePaul University, certified by BCPE (Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics)

Martin Ho, Associate Director

Martin's interests lie in both UI design and user research within the retail and consumer goods industries.

He brings much experience in interviewing techniques to the arena of user research, along with extensive training and consulting experience in research methodology and quantitative analysis.

Since joining the team, Martin has conducted user research on consumer electronics, retail and financial web applications, and e-commerce websites. His recent work has concentrated around IA, UI design, and rapid prototyping for large scale web applications.

Martin is a member of many professional organizations, including APA, ACM CHI, and IXDA.

Interesting Facts: Martin is a passionate photographer who enjoys processing photos in the digital darkroom. He enjoys playing poker (the probability game, not the gambling game), and as a Maker's Mark Ambassador, Martin enjoys the occasional fine single malt scotch/whiskey.
Qualifications: BA in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Virginia, MA in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver

Heather Rakauskas, Associate Director

Heather's primary focus is the user research of small screen displays and handheld products. Much of her experience is with mobile phones; she has investigated the user experience of these devices through usability tests, evaluations, hybrid focus groups, surveys, and longitudinal studies.

While with User Centric, she has run and managed many large-scale projects and conducted user research on a variety of products including mobile phones and accessories, handheld medical products, websites, software applications, and IVRs for industries such as telecommunications, financial, travel, computers / electronics, medical and professional.

Heather is a member of HFES and UPA and has authored and coauthored various articles including, "The effect of visual momentum on learning hierarchical menu structures in small displays," for the 48th annual HFES meeting.

Interesting Facts: Heather is an avid collector of state quarters. She loves fried pickles and fried green tomatoes.
Qualifications: BS in Psychology from Bradley University, MS in Applied Psychology with an emphasis in Human Factors from Clemson University

Jessica Buttimer, Senior User Experience Specialist

Jess has a wide range of experience in applying usability evaluation and interaction design methodology to a variety of projects.

Before joining User Centric, Jess worked at Nuveen Investments as an Information Specialist and Programmer Analyst. At Nuveen, she designed a department intranet site, created and managed an education tracking database, and helped design, program, and iterate a new online CRM system.

While with User Centric, she has conducted user testing, card sorting, focus groups, expert evaluation, and eye tracking projects for many industries including communications, travel, healthcare, e-commerce, non-profit, energy, and media. She is a member of UPA and CHI.

Interesting Facts: Jess enjoys triathlon training, reading, and learning to cook vegetarian meals.
Qualifications: BA in Organizational Behavior from Millikin University, MS in Human-Computer Interaction from DePaul University

Piyatida Buranatum Haerr, Senior User Experience Specialist

Piya has a solid background in computer science and uses that training in her main areas of interest which center on mobile technology, e-learning environments and navigation systems.

Since becoming a member of the User Centric team, she has applied her experience to user research projects involving mobile phones, touch screen interfaces, consumer electronics, websites, ERP applications and call center applications. Piya has also worked on international testing in the United Kingdom.

She is a member of the UPA and HFES.

Interesting Facts: Piya has a cat named Bubba who is trained to sit on command and is currently working on shaking hands. She is also fluent in Thai and loves to travel.
Qualifications: M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction from DePaul University, B.S. in Computer Science with a Minor in Art from Northeastern Illinois University

Naseem Hasan, Senior User Experience Specialist

Naseem's expertise is in leveraging user-centered design solutions to improve the user experience of technology.

His background in user interface design and marketing provides him with a valuable insight into the design of products to optimize user experience.

Since joining the company, Naseem has applied usability testing, user interface design and information architecture on projects involving large-scale web sites / applications, mobile devices, business software applications and retail POS systems.

He is also a member of AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) and iXDA (Interaction Design Association).

Interesting Facts: Naseem likes playing and watching soccer. He also enjoys music and has been known to DJ the occasional charity event.
Qualifications: BS in Commerce with Marketing, MS in Human-Computer Interaction, both from DePaul University

Korey Johnson, Senior User Experience Specialist

Korey's background is in research design, methodology, and analysis. He is particularly interested in the usability of user authentication mechanisms, and is the co-inventor of a patent-pending graphical user authentication mechanism.

Prior to joining the company, Korey was an intern for the Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) team of DaimlerChrysler Research and Technology North America where he evaluated driver distraction, navigation systems, and icon design.

With User Centric, Korey has worked with clients in a variety of industries on projects related to medical packaging, mobile device UI, IVR design, and website / web application UI design. He has experience conducting and analyzing summative usability tests as well as focus groups and tests of a more qualitative nature.

Korey is an active member of HFES and has published and presented several papers at HFES conferences.

Interesting Facts: Korey grew up in Boise, ID and is an avid reader.
Qualifications: BA in Psychology from Lewis and Clark College, MS in Psychology with an emphasis in Human Factors from University of Idaho

Melinda McElheny, Senior User Experience Specialist

While Melinda is focused on research in the healthcare and not-for-profit domains, a favorite aspect of her work is researching and learning about new fields through participants and clients.

She has past experience in many areas of human factors and ergonomics including office environment design, aviation human factors, and surface transportation research.

Melinda has participated in a wide range of healthcare projects at User Centric in including the shadowing of hospital staff, focus groups, medication label and device instruction booklet design, and usability testing of devices, websites, and software. She has also led a hands-on workshop pertaining to user research methods in healthcare at the 2007 World Usability Day.

She is a member of IxDA and HFES, and has co-authored multiple papers and presentations.

Interesting Facts: Melinda plays on an alumni kickball team and the User Centric volleyball team. She also volunteers for the Lakeview Pantry in Chicago.
Qualifications: BS with Honors in Design and Environmental Analysis with a concentration in HFE from Cornell University, MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering (HFE Program) from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Mike Murphy, Senior Information Architect

Mike has been both a developer and a designer, and is proficient in reducing the tension that can develop between designers' ideas and developers' practicalities.

Prior to joining User Centric, he worked with Time Warner Cable in software development, co-owned and managed a Web design firm, and designed a podcasting Web service and recording software.

While working with User Centric he was one of the creators of several patented concepts, and has created designs for Web sites, applications, and packaging for various enterprise companies.

Interesting Facts: Mike enjoys tedious hands-on art undertakings, and is an active contributor to the blocks-and-Play-doh school of design with his kids Nora, Abby and Quinn. He works from a home office in Bethlehem, PA.
Qualifications: BA in Computer Science and Visual Art from Rutgers University

Kristin Adamczyk, User Experience Specialist

Kristin has a special interest in assistive technology devices and software designed for children with disabilities, specifically autism.

She has a strong background in computer science and has also been a usability consultant for an online culinary website.

While with User Centric, Kristin has worked with a number of different clients employing usability testing, eye tracking, user interface design, and user research to various applications and products.

She is also a member of UPA, HFES and CHI, and a reviewer of conference papers.

Interesting Facts: Kristin has been an avid singles and synchronized figure skater and coach for many years, competed in Nationals for synchronized skating and is involved in the Athletes Advisory Committee for U.S. Figure Skating.
Qualifications: BS in Computer Science and E-Business Certificate, both from Lewis University, MS in Human-Computer Interaction from DePaul University

Ani Jovanova Arrizon, User Experience Specialist

Ani is a strong believer that design shouldn't happen in a vacuum, which is the reason she joined User Centric where design is always informed by user research.

Ani's previous experience has been centered around interface design and user research for websites and web applications. Prior to joining the company, Ani worked for Webitects where she took part in a contextual inquiry study and produced design concepts for improving presidential campaign software. She also worked at the Usability Testing and Evaluation Center (UTEC) at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) where she ran and managed a variety of usability studies for financial, medical, and other types of websites.

Independently, Ani managed the web aspect of an award-wining project which involved creating a wireless communication device coupled with a social networking website targeted to tween girls.

Ani is a member of IxDA, and IAI.

Interesting Facts: In her spare time, Ani likes to play tennis, explore new places, and listen to the latest Euro dance tunes.
Qualifications: BS in Internet Communication and MA in Information Architecture both from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Todd Diemer, User Experience Specialist

Todd comes to User Centric with a wide range of skills including user research, multimedia design and production, and technology education.

He has also spent extensive time in West Africa and Southeast Asia. This gives him a unique perspective on how designs are perceived in emerging markets and the implications of design beyond the intended user.

Prior to joining User Centric Todd worked on developing online teaching resources for higher education faculty members and technology education programs for students in developing nations.

Interesting facts: Todd is an avid cyclist and follower of Rugby Union.
Qualifications: BA in telecommunications with a focus on design and production from Indiana University, Bloomington. MS in Human Computer Interaction from DePaul University.

Thomas Green, User Experience Specialist

Tom is interested in accessibility issues, international user research and how people experience music on the Internet. His primary area of expertise is in user-centered research of Enterprise Software.

Tom has been involved in the telecommunications and banking industries where he specialized in application support and development and client management.

While with User Centric, he has conducted usability testing in China and led and participated in global projects with other UXA partners. Tom has experience with different products and applications for industries such as technology, telecommunications, transportation, and finance.

He is a member of UPA, AIGA, and IxDA and co-authored a paper for HFES 2008.

Interesting Facts: Tom spends his spare time listening to Radiohead, playing golf and spending time with his family including his two daughters.
Qualifications: BBA in Finance and Marketing from Marquette University, MS in Human-Computer Interaction from DePaul University

Jared Jeffers, User Experience Specialist

Jared is proficient in gathering and analyzing qualitative data. He brings in experience from the fields of education and sociology.

His background in ethnographic methods has provided him with a wide range of skills that can be applied to user experience research.

Since joining the User Centric team, Jared has been involved in digital camera and television studies, helping companies improve their products.

Interesting Facts: Jared enjoys staying active by cycling and playing soccer. His favorite book is Moby Dick.
Qualifications: BA in Social Anthropology from University of Michigan, MA in Social Science with focus on political anthropology from University of Chicago

Kerrie Owens, Visual Designer

As a visual designer, Kerrie looks to improve on the usability of applications and products from a graphics perspective, involving color, contrast, placement and style.

She's most interested in constantly evolving User Centric’s work to compete with the most modern aspects of software and web design. Kerrie is also interested in incorporating movement through graphics and animation to create interactive environments that are easy to use.

Before joining the User Centric team, she worked for Lucent Technologies doing interface design and standardizing icons and software. She was also with Human Factors International for 6 years as a Visual Designer. While with User Centric, Kerrie has worked on projects for various companies involving Web sites, interactive table examples and package design.

Interesting Facts: Kerrie is a self-professed animation junkie and loves to cook. She plans on getting better at designing cakes — already she has made a Playstation handheld (PSP) cake and sushi-shaped cupcakes.
Qualifications: BA in Fine Arts with a specialization in Computer Graphics from College of New Jersey, MA in Computer Animation from The School of Visual Arts in New York

Kirsten Peters, User Experience Specialist

While finishing her industrial engineering degree, Kirsten fell in love with human factors and ergonomics.

She discovered that her engineering problem solving skills are perfectly suited for creating interesting research projects, analyzing data, and assisting in the design of unique design solutions. Kirsten especially enjoys working on projects involving motor learning and control and human factors of industrial and manufacturing settings and video games.

Prior to joining UC, she worked with Firestone as an Industrial Engineer and also at Caterpillar and Yahoo! as an intern. Kirsten is a member of HFES as well.

Interesting Facts: Kirsten likes to spend her spare time hiking and biking and exploring the outdoors and she enjoys visiting Wildlife Parks and Zoos wherever she travels.
Qualifications: BS in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University, MS in Human Factors and Ergonomics from San Jose State University, Certified Associate Ergonomist from Oxford Research Institute

Jennifer Belmont, User Experience Analyst

Prior to joining User Centric, Jennifer was a freelance qualitative researcher involved in various projects related to consumer packaged goods and electronics. She brings in experience from the fields of marketing and persuasive communications.

Her background in market research has provided her a framework to examine the attitudinal context of usability issues.

Since joining User Centric, Jennifer has been involved in a range of studies, including user perception and comparative analyses.

Interesting Facts: Jennifer enjoys soccer, culinary arts, and international pop music.
Qualifications: Jennifer has an MS in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a BA in Journalism from Columbia College

Rylan Clark, User Experience Analyst

Rylan is passionate about user-centered design because technology is supposed make our lives easier, not more stressful. Most of his research background is rooted in aviation and decision support tools, but he has interests extending into many fields of human factors.

Rylan is an active member of HFES and has published and presented at HFES conferences.

Interesting Facts: Rylan values the outdoors, pursuing better fitness, and reading science fiction/nonfiction.
Qualifications: B.S. in Psychology and M.S. in progress from the University of Idaho for Experimental Psychology with an emphasis in human factors.

Amanda Schmutzler, User Experience Analyst

Prior to joining User Centric, she was a research assistant in the Systems Engineering Research Lab at California State University, Northridge where she was involved in various projects regarding user interface design.

She is an active member of HFES and is currently working towards her Masters in Human Factors and Applied Experimental Psychology. 

Interesting Facts: Amanda enjoys playing softball and snowboarding.
Qualifications: BA in Psychology and a Minor in Child Development from California State University, Chico, MA in Human Factors and Applied Experimental Psychology from California State University, Northridge (May 2011)

Jane Lea Smith, User Experience Analyst

Jane Lea brings to User Centric an extensive background in research and program design within the education and nonprofit sectors.  In her previous roles, she specialized in conducting detailed assessments and in analyzing thought processes to ensure program accessibility.

Since joining the User Centric team, Jane Lea has assisted in projects involving enterprise software, healthcare products and website development.

Interesting facts: Jane Lea loves to travel and considers the 18 countries she’s already visited, along with her fluency in French, to be a good start.  In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, reading and cooking healthy meals for her family.
Qualifications: BA in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego; MS in Special Education from National University

Jacob Zweig, User Experience Analyst 

Jacob has extensive experience in applying both design principles and research methodology to a wide variety of projects.

Prior to joining User Centric, he was a research assistant at the McGill University Human Motivation Laboratory where he was involved in various research projects grounded in self-determination theory. His background in the field of social sciences has provided him with valuable investigative and quantitative analysis skills.

Since joining the User Centric team, Jacob has been involved in a range of projects including both design and testing.

Interesting Facts: Jacob enjoys playing hockey and tennis. He likes gadgets and fixing things.
Qualifications: BA in Psychology from McGill University

Dena Baginski, Administrative Receptionist

As User Centric’s first point of contact, Dena cheerfully assists clients and consultants, wearing many hats to make sure testing runs smoothly.  She has a BA in Communication from Quincy University.

Jeff Byrd, Usability Lab Technician

Jeff makes the impossible possible when it comes to setting up test labs.  Utilizing his wide range of IT experience and applying it to the user research environment, his tech support always exceeds client and consultant expectations.  Jeff has a BS in Operations Management Information Systems from Northern Illinois University and hopes to one day play middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears.

Barbara Dzikowski, Administrative Accountant

Barb handles all things accounting and happily acts as a general go-to person for the team. She has a BA in International Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and hopes that her love of travel and languages will guide her through many future adventures.

Catherine Hwang, Office Manager

Catherine is at the heart of User Centric.  Managing all project sourcing and human resources she knows the who, what and where of all consultants at all times.  Contact Catherine via email (chwang@usercentric.com) or phone (630.320.3900) for sales or proposal inquiries.

Pamela Stoffregen-Gay, Marketing Manager, User Centric Press Contact

Pamela enthusiastically manages marketing, public relations and social media for User Centric.  She has a BSBA in Marketing and International Business from Drake University and lives and dies by how the Bears play.  User Centric Press inquiries email pstoffregen@usercentric.com or call +1.630.320.3922.

Aimée Reif, UXalliance Marketing Manager, UXalliance Press Contact

Aimée develops creative and strategic marketing, public relations, branding, and social media campaigns for the global user research network, UXalliance. She has a BA in Journalism/Advertising from Indiana University and dreams of visiting all 20 countries in the alliance one day.  UXalliance Press inquiries email aimee@uxalliance.com or call +1.630.320.3910

Global Consultants

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