Michael Harris
voice 617.480.8780 fax 815.361.0992
For additional information
and examples, please see http://www.michaelharris.net
Objective
Create successful user-focused interactive systems, web sites, performance support, and events. Apply proven skills in user-centered systems engineering, information architecture, simulation, software development, media production, training, product development, management, marketing, and communication. Willing to travel (hold US and EU passports) and relocate.
Summary of Capabilities
· Create user-focused applications, interactives, simulations, web sites, and performance support systems.
· Produce compelling prototypes, demos, exhibits, videos, attractions, and games.
· Generate successful proposals, presentations, documents, and curricula.
· Design, build, market, and support profitable products and services $millions in revenue.
· Manage people, projects and programs.
· Track and apply new technologies; move ideas from theory to practice.
· Simplify complex ideas for presentation and training.
· Solve problems at all levels.
Skill Keywords
Adaptive Interfaces, Artificial Intelligence, Aviation, Biometrics, Collaboration, Computer Graphics, Consulting, Database Management, Decision Support, Digital Media, Emergency Medical Operations, Geographic Information Systems, Groupware, Human Interface, Medical Imaging, Natural Language, Performance Support, Radar, Satellite Imaging, Simulation and Modeling, Systems Engineering, Training, Usability, User Experience, Video.
Experience
2001 now Senior Engineer
DoT Research and Innovative Technology Administration,
Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
(www.volpe.dot.gov)
Cambridge, MA.
I design and develop advanced front ends and tools for FAA air traffic flow management (TFMS), and contribute to NextGEN, the comprehensive next-generation national airspace system. My web-based situation displays (WSD, CCSD) are in daily operational use at commercial, government and military sites worldwide, including Air Force One, the White House, the Pentagon, and all major airlines. I am currently building a next-generation air traffic situation display in Flash.
Some
Recent Achievements:
· My dynamic geometric projection sofware enables users to interact with accurate spatial data for any location on Earth. This feature is now operational in all ETMS front ends (TSD etc.), and has won several new international partners.
· I created an easily-understood depiction of convective weather forecasts and helped achieve its acceptance by government aviation and weather professionals. My design is now an operational standard and is in widespread use (see http://aviationweather.gov/products/ccfp).
· The TFMDI system makes real-time traffic flow data available in XML form to airlines and other industrial airspace users. I developed the data formats, wrote the software in Perl, arranged the complex network architecture, and wrote much of the documentation (see www.fly.faa.gov/ASDI/asdi.html).
Skill
Areas :
·
Computer graphics (2D and 3D) and geographic
projections.
·
Radar-based weather
detection and depiction (NOWRAD, CCFP, NCWF).
·
FAA ATC systems and procedures (Reroutes, Flow
Constraints, Alerts).
·
Aviation vocabulary, technology and regulations;
commercial air carrier operations.
·
Collaboration with FAA, air carriers, and Volpe
staff and contract personnel.
·
Web-based client/server
application development.
·
Software development in C, Perl, Flash, and
XML, on Unix, Linux and Windows.
·
Usability testing and
evaluation.
2000 2001 Director, User Experience
Discern
Communications, Inc., a spinoff of SRI International. (www.sri.com)
Menlo Park, CA.
Discern offered a commercial Natural Language (NL) platform for Internet applications. Users expressed their preferences and intentions via an intuitive dialogue interaction model, then received highly relevant and precise answers. The platform included a NL dialog engine supporting task and user models, query routing, rule-based filtering, and real-time information extraction.
Responsibilities:
· Planned, managed and executed strategy, analysis, design, development, and evaluation of user interactions with NL software products and tools.
· Shepherded and strengthened the relationship with Discern's first customer, BizWire.
· Designed and produced corporate and project support Web sites.
· Participated in fundraising and organizational development.
Skill
Areas: Natural Language Technology and Application, Job/Task Analysis,
Usability Engineering, Information Architecture, Web, Project Management,
Strategic Planning, Product Development, Marketing Support, User Experience,
Business Information Industry.
2000 Chief Technical Officer
Wired
Retail Network, Inc. (http://tinyurl.com/yuhqtg) Atlanta, GA.
Wired Retail Network built products and services combining Internet and brick-and-mortar retailing. Interactive and broadcast services were delivered through kiosks in malls and through the Internet.
Responsibilities:
· Devised and executed technology strategy and architecture.
· Led the development of public kiosks, Web-based interactive systems, an extranet control suite, a narrowcast advertising network, and a corporate Web site.
· Built, installed and tested kiosks and infrastructure.
· Formed and nurtured technology and content partnerships.
· Participated in fundraising and marketing.
Skill
Areas: Software, Hardware, Web, Kiosks, Usability Engineering, Information
Architecture, Project Management, Strategic Planning, Alliance Building, Product
Development, Business Development, Marketing, User Experience, Retailing Industry.
1999-2000 Director of User Experience and Project Manager
Eggrock
Partners, Inc. Concord, MA.
Eggrock delivered
eCommerce implementation and Application Service Provider (ASP) services
tailored to mid-market companies.
Responsibilities:
· Proposed and executed several successful eCommerce projects (www.brassring.com, www.worldoil.com, etc.) using a user-focused approach.
· Formed and nurtured relationships with development partners.
· Developed strategies and processes for realizing profitable new products and services.
Skill
Areas: Career Development Industry, Petroleum Industry, eCommerce, Job/Task
Analysis, Usability Engineering, Information Architecture, Alliance Building,
Project Management, Software, Web, Marketing.
1998-1999 Project Lead and Information Architect, Javalon Project
Arthur
Andersen Consulting LLP. (http://tinyurl.com/yw6h9m) Atlanta, GA.
Javalon is a kiosk- and Web-based enterprise support system developed for a consortium of real estate investment trusts. Javalon enabled around-the-clock interaction with prospective and current residents. I guided user interaction design and led front-end development.
Responsibilities:
· Formulated and negotiated user interaction strategies and tactics.
· Led the development of the Web-based front end.
· Built, installed and tested the kiosks, intranet and infrastructure.
Skill
Areas: Rental Realty Industry, Software, Hardware, Web, Kiosks, Usability
Engineering, Information Architecture, Project Management, User Experience.
1990 1998 Senior Consulting Analyst and Executive
Producer
NCR/AT&T Human Interface Technology Center (HITC)
(www.ncr.com) Atlanta, GA.
The HITC was formed to
meet customers' needs through the application of new human interface technologies.
Solutions were achieved through a user-centered design (UCD) process,
in which user needs and expectations guided design and development decisions. At its peak, the HITC comprised over 90 scientists
and engineers representing expertise in cognitive engineering, graphic design,
data mining, image understanding, artificial intelligence, intelligent tutoring,
and new I/O technologies. I was a
founding staff member.
Responsibilities:
· Planned and led an Adaptive Dynamic Interfaces program, creating systems that learn to fit their users ("The machine, not the user, changes behavior").
· Created and led a Multimedia / Digital Media Group, producing services and tools for internal and external clients.
· Developed and delivered many successful self service, training and performance support systems.
· Designed and built a "corporate theme park" as well as marketing centers, A/V and digital media facilities.
· Tracked and analyzed advanced human interface technology.
· Produced mission-critical demos, videos, presentations, and events.
· Was the first Webmaster for the Centers Web site.
Major Projects:
· The NCR Financial Knowledge Lab in London is a "corporate theme park" built to generate foresight and promote learning about financial consumers. It includes interactive exhibits, research facilities, collaboration support, and a deeply integrated infrastructure. I was co-leader of the multinational team that created the Lab, with a $7M budget. I developed the interactives and the infrastructure, which included passive biometrics (iris, fingerprint and hand geometry recognition) and invisible tracking (eye scanners, proximity card readers).
· Trauma Care Information Management System (TCIMS), an information infrastructure to serve military and civilian emergency medical providers. Funded in part by ARPA, TCIMS integrates wireless medical monitoring, AI-assisted triage, and multi-tiered information processing. The system is also designed for use by non-medical warfighters in field situations where medical providers themselves are incapacitated.. TCIMS is currently being tested with military and civilian ambulance services and hospitals. I helped design the architecture, contributed to proposals, performed usability engineering for hardware and software prototypes, and orchestrated field exercises and proof-of-concept demonstrations
· Smart Trainer, a simulation-based intelligent tutor and performance support system for the gas pipeline industry. It features adaptive curriculum generation and delivery of dynamically assembled MPEG media. I proposed and won the engagement, evolved a platform architecture, and developed production prototypes. I helped build similar adaptive training systems for Coca-Cola, AT&T, Wells Fargo Banks, and Nordstrom.
· Retail User Assistant was NCR's first adaptive performance support system, providing just-in-time task support to point-of-sale terminal operators. I led the project from conception and development through field test and evaluation.
· Virtual Retail and Virtual Banking are prototypes for a virtual-reality based method of intuitive navigation of very large datasets. I contributed to information architecture, graphic software development, and digital media production.
Skill
Areas: Software, Hardware, Web, Kiosks, Media, Video, Usability Engineering,
Information Architecture, Performance Support, Adaptive Systems, Knowledge
Discovery, Project Management, Strategic Planning, Alliance Building, Product
Development, Marketing, User Experience, Retailing Industry, Banking Industry,
Emergency Medical Operations.
1980 1990 Engineer, Project Leader, Principal Engineer
Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. (www.bbn.com) Cambridge, MA.
BBN is an R&D company providing advanced research and practical state-of-the-art solutions for civilian and public sector customers. Some BBN innovations include the ARPANET (the forerunner of today's Internet), the first packet switch, the first router, the first person-to-person network email, and the Defense Data Network.
Responsibilities:
· Proposed, managed and executed client-funded projects.
· Developed software and systems, including interactive multimedia systems for adaptive intelligent performance support and training.
· Produced mission-critical demos, progress reports, presentations, videos, and exhibits.
Major Projects:
· SIMNET is the pioneering large-scale distributed simulation-based military training environment, where the DIS protocols, Semi-Automated Forces, Remote Vehicle Approximation, and other industry-wide simulation techniques were first developed. I helped to develop the original concept, contributed to the original DARPA proposals, and built several proof-of-concept prototypes. I worked on the overall graphics and media architecture, and developed media requirements, software and tools. I served as Subject Matter Liaison for M1A1 Abrams tanks; F-14, F-15, F-16, and A-10 aircraft; and AH-1 Apache and UH-60 helicopters. I built aircraft simulations and reconfigurable simulator control suites.
· TRIO is an ONR-funded US Navy F-14 aircraft Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) training system incorporating articulate adaptive expert ("critic") AI software, voice control, and multiple real-time simulations. The system helps the RIO learn to visualize and solve radar-based "intercept triangles" to perform successful attacks in the combat environment. I designed and developed the computer graphics interface and radar simulations, and was the F-14 Subject Matter Liaison.
· FOG-M Embedded Trainer. Ideally, "embedded" training is so tightly integrated into a system that users cannot distinguish between training and operating modes. I contributed to the original concept and developed software, scenarios and media to support its operational embodiment in the FOG-M missile guidance system.
· ASAN, Assessment System for Aircraft Noise, assists in planning minimal-impact Military Training Routes (MTRs) and Military Operations Areas (MOAs) for US Air Force aviators. ASAN helps its users to produce environmental impact analysis documents incorporating technically valid and defensible predictions concerning the effects of subsonic and supersonic aircraft noise. To do this, ASAN can store and integrate a wide range of noise propagation and impact data for humans, animals and structures. I contributed to the overall system design and architecture, and built much of the interface, analysis and infrastructure software.
·
Flanders. Funded by a major art museum, I co-developed this Scanning
Infrared Reflectography imaging system used by art conservators to analyze old
paintings by revealing the underdrawings that lie below the paint surfaces. A television camera detects reflected
infrared radiation of up to 2000nm; this signal is processed to give a viewable
image. Underdrawings executed in infrared-absorbing materials, such as black
chalk or bone black, appear dark on the screen. I helped design and configure the system, and wrote the image
processing software.
Skill
Areas: Military Operations, Aviation, Simulation, Software, Hardware, Web,
Media, Video, Job/Task Analysis, Usability Engineering, Information Architecture,
Training, Project Management, Alliance Building, Marketing.
Other Engagements
· I and three others formed Group Performance Systems, Inc. was formed to create simulation-based interactive systems that enhance collaborative decision-making and teamwork skills. We developed YouWin! and SuperlaTeam, tools to deliver effective and lasting training and performance support in "soft" skills such as conflict management, coping with difficult people, dealing with diversity, interpersonal communication, team building, and facilitation.
1995-2002. Group Performance Systems Inc., Atlanta, GA. (www.gpsi.com)
· Product strategy consulting. I advised Intel, H-P, Schott Glas, and many others on user experience and interaction considerations for innovative services and products.
1998-2000. IdeaScope Associates, San Francisco, CA.
·
Intellectual
property evaluations. I analyzed
technology patents held by Fortune 500 companies to determine their
applicability in other areas, notably the entertainment and digital media
industries. My evaluations helped to
generate $millions in windfall revenue for those clients.
1995-1999. EKMS Inc., Cambridge, MA. (www.ekms.com)
Selected Publications
· "Natural and Invisible Human Interfaces," ACM SIGGRAPH Conference, Panels (Los Angeles, 1999).
· "Entertainment Driven Collaboration," in Digital Illusion, ed. Clark Dodsworth (New York: Addison Wesley, 1998): 249. ISBN: 0-201-84780-9.
· "Advanced Interface Modalities," ACM SIGGRAPH Conference, Panels (Orlando, 1998).
· "Human Interaction Issues in Technology Supported Environments," ACM Conference on Organizational Computing Systems, Workshops (Milpitas, 1995): n.
· User Assistants: Self-Sufficient Systems, NCR Technology Review (August 1994): 25-31.
· "Entertainment Driven Collaboration," ACM SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics, Volume 28 Issue 2 (May 1994): 93-96. ISSN: 0097-8930.
· "NCR Multimedia Showcase Kiosk," ACM SIGCHI Conference, Poster Session (Orlando, 1993).
· "Issues in Practical Application of an Adaptive Interface," Proceedings of the First International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (Orlando, 1993): 251-254.
· The Marriage of Computer Graphics and Video. Cambridge: Bolt Beranek & Newman Inc, 1986-1990.
Professional Activities
· Organized and chaired a panel on Advanced Human Interface Modalities at ACM SIGGRAPH conference, 1999.
· Organized and chaired a panel on Interfaces for Humans: Natural Interaction, Tangible Data and Beyond at ACM SIGGRAPH conference, 1998.
· Organized and led a workshop on Human Interaction Issues in Technology Supported Environments at the ACM Conference on Organizational Computing Systems (COOCS), 1995.
· Technical Director for ACM SIGGRAPH conference, 1996.
· Coordinator and Librarian for ACM SIGGRAPH New England, 1985-1990.
· Audio-Visual Coordinator for ACM SIGGRAPH conference, 1980-84.
· Video Coordinator for ACM SIGCHI conference, 1983.
· Production Staff Member for many ACM SIGGRAPH, SIGCHI and VRAIS conferences, 1980-now.
· Member of ACM SIGGRAPH, ACM SIGCHI, and other professional organizations.
· Charter member of SIGGRAPH New England, SIGGRAPH Atlanta, and SIGCHI Atlanta chapters.
· Charter member of Groupware Users and Vendors Association (GUAVA).
Education
·
Yale University MS in Theater Engineering,
Technology, Design, and Lighting.
·
Shimer College BS in Natural Science.
·
Georgia Institute of Technology BS in Mathematics.
Selected Training
· Courses and seminars in Information Technology, 2001-2004.
Northeastern
University.
· Courses and seminars in Information Technology, 2002-2003.
Boston
University.
· New Media Certificate program, 1995-1997.
Georgia
Institute of Technology.
· Courses in Computer Science and 3D Computer Graphics, 1987-1989.
Harvard
University.
· Courses in Biomedical Engineering and Microbial Genetics, 1986-1988.
Northeastern
University.
· Courses and seminars in Media Design and Engineering, 1985-1986.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Security Clearance
· I currently hold a Public Trust clearance (required to work on operational FAA Air Traffic Control systems).
· I held a DoD Secret clearance at Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., 1981-1987.
Other Qualifications
·
I hold Commercial Pilot, Instrument Rating, Certified Flight Instructor, and
Advanced Ground Instructor certificates. I am a volunteer staff member at the annual
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Oshkosh fly-in.
·
I have produced hundreds of videos, presentations and interactives for use
as marketing tools, concept proofs, demos, prototypes, and progress reports.
·
I have produced and engineered over 400 performance events theater, dance,
music, TV, trade shows, interactive installations, spectacles.
· I am a certified SCUBA diver.
Development Skills
Methods:
· User-Centered Systems Engineering (a.k.a. Usability Engineering) user profiling, job/task analysis, requirements generation, rapid prototyping, usability testing, successive refinement.
· Information Architecture.
Software:
· Languages: Flash ActionScript, C, Perl, C++, HTML, assemblers, etc.
· Web Tools: Macromedia DreamWeaver, HTML Writer, GIF Construction Set.
· Graphics Tools: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Visio.
· Authoring Tools: Macromedia Director, Authorware, Toolbook, Grasp.
· Microsoft Office: Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Project.
· Misc: interface generators, simulation builders, DBMS, GIS, ...
Hardware:
· Systems: PC, Mac, H-P, SGI, mainframes.
· Interfaces: WIMP, gesture, gaze, speech, audio, touch.
· Peripherals: video, audio, graphics, A/D control.
· Supporting Software: device drivers, diagnostics, scripted exercisers.
Operating
Systems:
· Windows 98/NT/2000/XP, Linux, Unix, MS-DOS, RTOS, TOPS-20, others.
Media:
· Production: analog and digital video and audio, at Producer level.
· Digital Media Tools: Avid Media Composer, Media 100, Adobe Premiere.
· Linear Video Editing: analog (BetaCAM), digital (DigiBeta, D2).
Other:
· Hardware and software troubleshooting to the component level.
Demos, credits,
testimonials, and references are available on request.
For additional information
and examples, please see http://www.michaelharris.net