HUNTER WHITNEY
415.385.8489 hunter [at] hunterwhitney [dot] com
PROFILE
User Experience and Interaction Designer 1998 - Present
User Experience Design (UXD), interaction design (IxD), data visualization, and content strategy.
Science, Medicine, and Technology Journalist 1993 - Present
Publication bylines include: Time, Variety, Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury News, Brandweek, Men’s Fitness, PC Computing, Omni, Self, Interactions, User Experience and others. Contributing Editor for UX Magazine.
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN CONSULTING
Principal, Hunter Whitney & Associates, Inc. 2002 – Present
(formerly The Whitney Media Group, Inc.)
Consultancy offering expertise in User Experience (UX), Interaction Design (IxD), Data Visualization, and Content Strategy.
· Genentech June 2011 – Present
· Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) HIT X.0 Programmer Challenge (agile development of a mobile app) February 2011
Invited to participate on a team at the HIMSS 2011 Programmer Challenge in Orlando, FL. Demonstrated the rapid creation of a working prototype of a mobile version of an Emergency Department “Expect Form”.
· Health 2.0 Developer Challenge (data visualization project) October 2010
Led a team that won the Health 2.0 Developer Challenge in San Francisco, CA. The winning demo was a data visualization tool, using publicly available health data, to assess an individual’s potential risk for acquiring a particular disease.
· RIM My BlackBerry Competitive Analysis Project (with a digital consulting agency) August 2010 – September 2010
Conducted an evaluation of RIM’s My BlackBerry site in relation to a range of other product owner community sites.
· Transnational Crisis Project December 2009 – May 2010
Led UX/IA for a platform providing in-depth geographic and geopolitical information to a wide range of users focusing on a regional hotspot (the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan).
· Crisis Commons UX Lead June 2009 – July 2010
Crisis Commons is an open source community in which people volunteer their technical and other expertise to create digital tools for response and management of global crises. Created and led a UX-focused Crisis Camp in the Silicon Valley and subsequent UX Working Group.
· Workplace Fairness July 2009 – November 2009
Consulted on usability improvements, as well as the design of new features and functionality, for the organization’s Webby Award-nominated site.
· Pre-IPO Client (an online marketplace for local service providers) October 2007 - January 2008
Conducted user interviews, did gap analysis, created a survey and research methodology to determine user preferences in developing personas for a confidential pre-IPO mobile technology company.
· Monterey Bay Aquarium June 2001 – September 2006
Worked with the web team manager to re-organize content categories, groupings, and taxonomy based on factors including subject matter, areas of interest, and user profiles to foster ongoing engagement with the Aquarium and improve the overall user experience. Conducted a heuristic evaluation of the site, reviewed relevant IA, content inventory, developed a set of personas, and created multiple UI mock-ups of various content areas.
Other related projects:
o Sea Food Watch micro-site redesign. Consulted on the IA and IxD of this online resource for helping consumers make better choices for buying sustainable seafood.
o TOPP.org (Tagging of Pacific Predators) redesign. Consulted on the IA and IxD to do real-time tracking of various species of marine life.
· National Cancer Institute October 2005 – February 2006
Performed research for the Office of Cancer Complimentary & Alternative Medicine aimed at discovering and defining OCCAM stakeholder and user needs to determine the value of a proposed intranet. Evaluated a range of potential intranet features and functionality that might best serve users and advance their overall objectives.
· LSI Logic August 2004 – May 2005
Consulted with Viewfarm on the development of an application for streamlining the design of integrated circuits. Conducted user interviews with engineers to develop a workflow for computer-assisted platform ASIC design. Created and tested paper prototypes of platform ASIC design interaction concepts and workflows with ASIC and FPGA engineers.
· Freddie Mac – Project Enterprise Program July 2004 – September 2004
Consulted to establish processes and guidelines for creating usable, flexible, and scalable user interfaces for their Project Enterprise Program to replace the legacy systems. Initiated a document to systematically organize and catalogue distinct content types and interaction design approaches. Collaborated with developers building a new UI template.
· TV Gateway and Viewfarm January 2004
Created user profiles for the design and development of advanced digital cable TV products and services for a joint venture company founded by leading cable multiple system operators.
· Cisco Systems and HumanCentric Technologies October 2003 – December 2003
Led UI and IA efforts for a Desktop Application and associated Web Portal to support a new Cisco product set and service offering. Created workflow diagrams and detailed scenario testing using storyboards.
· US Defense Intelligence Agency September 2003 – November 2003
Provided UI and IA consulting through various sub-contractors. Worked on documenting functional requirements, developing interaction design models, and performed user research for a data analysis tool.
· AOL July 2003 – August 2003
Led UI design efforts for the Presidential Election Guide 2004, which covered national and local primary campaigns and elections. Created UI mock-ups, a prototype, and collaborated on content development and strategy. Wrote a design requirements document.
· Yahoo! June 2002 – August 2002
Led major UI redesign and IA restructuring of Yahoo! Health. Required prioritizing diverse user needs, business objectives, and a complex set of medical information resources. The goal was to make Yahoo! Health a strong, stand-alone site that enhanced the overall Yahoo brand. Conducted heuristic evaluation of UI and IA. Participated in usability testing, created wireframes, and site map for re-design.
· Microsoft (TV.Net and UltimateTV) October 2000 – August 2001
Consulted on IxD for TV.Net project, part of Microsoft’s initiative to create integrated, multi-platform digital media experiences. Led a group developing language conventions and standards for an interactive TV UI; Microsoft Ultimate TV.
· Intel July 2000 – April 2001
UI/IA Consultant on various projects, including a networked media system for the home, a web-based business application and a multi-player game. Worked with IBS to create a web-based utility that enabled users to generate custom reports from large and varied data sets. Led UI design and IA development for a subscriber service site. Collaborated on requirements documentation with the HFE, the HTML prototyper, and the art director.
· Sapient June 2000 – July 2000
Worked on page process flows and UI schematics with Sapient’s client: Janus Funds.
· WebMD July 1999
After WebMD acquired Direct Medical Knowledge (DMK) and Sapient Health Network (SHN), consulted on content migration, taxonomies, creating a common IA that consolidated and integrated their content and services into WebMD’s infrastructure.
· MedPool April 1999
Worked with MedPool visual designer and engineers on initial IA and UI creation for the new site.
· PlanetRx January 1999 - March 1999
Led UI and IA development for site redesign. Conducted usability testing, competitive analysis, and related research. Developed page schematics and flows for all main pages of the site. Worked with a design agency, Phoenix Pop, on this project.
FULL-TIME UXD and IxD EMPLOYMENT
Cooper Interaction Design August 1999 – May 2000
Interaction Designer for clients including: SAP and Logitech. Duties included UI storyboarding, leading user interviews, collaborating with Cooper Design Communicators for writing and documentation of UI designs, and defining market segmentations for features and functionality of products.
Special Project: Initiated an after-hours Interaction Design group open to all members of the organization called the Cooper Skunk Works, which produced a non-digital interactive exhibit that was displayed at the Palo Alto Junior Museum.
Razorfish April 1998 – March 1999
Information and Interaction Designer for clients/projects including: Acer Computer, eBay, Razorfish’s own Global Intranet and other projects. Responsible for completing projects under tight deadlines and on budget, including the creation of wireframes and IA for site redesigns and intranet re-design. Worked closely with the solutions manager, graphic designer, web developer, and producer.
EDUCATIONAL and PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS
University of California
o Bachelor’s Degree, Biology - University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)
o Bachelor’s Degree, English Literature (Cum Laude) - University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
o Member of Phi Eta Sigma - National Freshman Honor Society
o Post-graduate Research - University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
o Focused on psychoneuroimmunology (Psychology Department)
St. Andrews University
o Certificates of Merit - in Classics and Philosophy - St. Andrews University, Fife, Scotland
SELECTED ARTICLES AND PRESENTATIONS
Articles
o September 2011 - UX Magazine (5th in series of articles about data visualization) –Winning Combinations: Putting Data and Design Together
http://uxmag.com/design/winning-combinations-putting-data-and-design-together
o May 2011 - UX Magazine (4th in series of articles about data visualization) – Approaching Data with a Beginner’s Mind
http://uxmag.com/design/approaching-data-with-a-beginners-mind
o December 2010 - UX Magazine (3rd in series of articles about data visualization) – Social Seen: Analyzing and Visualizing Data from Social Networks http://www.uxmag.com/technology/social-seen
o October 2010 - UX Magazine (2nd in series of articles about data visualization) – Beyond the Medical Chart: Information visualization for improving personal and public health http://www.uxmag.com/design/beyond-the-medical-chart
o June 2010 - UX Magazine (1st in series of articles about data visualization) – Beyond the Pie Chart: Creating new visualization tools to reveal treasures in the data http://uxmag.com/design/beyond-the-pie-chart
o March/April 2009 – Interactions (Cover Story) The Counterfeit You http://interactions.acm.org/content/XVI/2.php
o November 2007 - World Usability Day, Washington DC: Bringing Usability to the Frontlines of Medicine (Reprinted in the Society for Technical Communication newsletter) http://stcsig.org/usability/newsletter/0801-EMR.htm
Presentations
o May 2010 – UCLA Extension Seminar - Writing in the Internet Age: The Future of Publishing and How to Capitalize on the Digital Revolution. (Speaker on professional panel of experts)
o March 2010 - SXSW Panelist on the Crisis Camp’s response to the earthquake in Haiti
o November 2009 - NetSquared DC: Guest Lecturer for Yeah, Our Website Sucks…What Can We Do About It? (http://bit.ly/77Ahu9) that included a customized worksheet written to assist non-profits with improving their site usability and effectiveness.
o November 2008 - World Usability Day, Washington, DC: Invited Presenter for Usability Perspectives from an Air Traffic Control Tower and User Friendly Wayfinding Systems.
o USC Annenberg School for Communication – Interactive Product and Service Design (March 2004)
o USC Marshall School of Business - Information Architecture and Business (Spring and Fall 2001, Fall 2000)
o Bricks and Clicks Conference (Boston 2000)
o HealthNet ’99 (Atlanta 1999)
o Web Business Managers’ Summit (Orlando 1999)
o Health Online (San Francisco 1999)