Professional Introduction

Hello, my name is Sara Lorien Smith. I am a user experience specialist with skill in both design and research. I believe that technology should be a tool to enhance and simplify our lives so that we can focus on the people and interests that make life truly rewarding. I have always had a knack for organizing and streamlining processes and tools, even well before I entered the user experience field. This is combined with an insatiable thirst for understanding how humans think and act, a love of creative arts and design, and comfort with technology. I hold an M.S. in Human Computer Interaction from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as well as a B.S in Information Technology with a minor in Digital Communications from Franklin University.

How I Got Here

My personal introduction to user experience came about ten years ago when I landed a job as an administrative assistant for the Human Interface Design team at Apple Computer. At the time, I thought the interaction designers in my department had the cushiest job imaginable. They’d dream up the look and feel of a product, and then get somebody else (the engineers) to implement it. I didn’t understand why the majority of the team held graduate and doctorate degrees. After all this user experience stuff was just common sense, right?

I left that job to pursue a career in user and systems support. Over the years I have seen people struggle constantly with hardware and software, to the point of being phobic about it. The same issues were repeated time and time again, despite individual and group tutoring. Being an IT generalist myself, I was often called upon to troubleshoot hardware and software that I had never seen before. Some were amazingly intuitive; while others I never figured out at all despite reading manuals and reviewing other sources of help. If a technology professional with years of experience couldn't figure these things out, expecting the average user to do so was really unfair. I discovered by accident that the art and science of creating good products is really quite complex and itt took years of providing end user support for me to appreciate the need for user experience designers. Due to ongoing frustration with my limited ability to correct design flaws and reduce end user frustration combined with general career dissatisfaction, I turned to a career in user experience. The funny thing is that I still think that much of interaction design principles are common sense. But I've learned that the challenge lies in putting the principles into practice and how easy it is to forget the basics when working with many constituents with competing priorities.

Personal Background

I am a California native and have lived my whole life in the Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley regions. When I was a kid, I hated computers and find it interesting that they ended up being my career path. Instead, I dreamed of being an architect and spent much time designing my dream house. I found out later that engineering was not an aptitude I had.

I have many hobbies and have a hard time finding time for them all. I am heavily involved with a community theater group where I perform/sing occasionally, serve on the Board of Directors, and act as Webmaster and Designer. I'm also working on collecting family history information and archiving photos. I enjoy crafts, especially scrapbooking, and also like ballroom dancing, cooking, and travel. And I love to read.