When one of the early Apple computers came out, my mom had trouble finding the "on/off" button. I soon realized that it wasn’t just my mom having trouble using the new technology. The same type of problem occurred with my classmates in the new computer lab at my college. Although I was fascinated with these sparkling new pieces of technology, I saw that some users had difficulty interacting with the machines. I found myself naturally drawn to helping my peers with this experience. Why can’t it be easy for everyone? I also enjoyed my psychology classes. These interests led me to the field of applied experimental and engineering psychology, and I never looked back.

The field of applied experimental and engineering psychology is rich in stimulating work revolving around how humans interact with technology. We work in domains as diverse as consumer products, healthcare systems and technology, aviation, nuclear power, surface transportation, video game design and many, many others. Our goal is to understand human performance and apply this knowledge to improve human-machine interactions.