Rhonda Grindstaff Sesek, MS, CPE
rhonda@runthinkmeasure.com
Professional Work History
RUN THINK MEASURE Boise, ID 2004 - present
An independent consulting company dedicated to improving people’s experiences with products and services
President & Human Factors Engineering Consultant
Founder and lead engineer for an independent consulting company dedicated to improving people’s experiences with products and services. Key deliverables include: user needs assessment, task analysis, requirements and specification analysis, design recommendations, and product evaluations. Additional responsibility for business management activities including accounting, office management, benefits administration.
Examples of clients include: Quality Logic, Ugobe, printing and imaging industry organizations, Basic Intellectual Property Management.
RELIANT ENERGY Houston, TX 2008 – 2009
Electricity provider to 1.8 million Texas retail and wholesale customers
Human Factors Engineer
Project-based consulting role assisting with product research and development of “smart energy” concepts and products, such as in-home displays, thermostats, and a variety of web-based applications. Also supported the ZigBee-HomePlug Alliance Marketing Working Group use case and requirements generation process.
- Developed and conducted a number of usability studies to evaluate consumer perceptions of in-home displays and web-based applications.
- Researched products and developed product comparison matrices.
- Took a leadership role in reviewing and developing use cases and requirements related to home energy devices for the Marketing Working Group of the ZigBee-HomePlug Alliance.
- Instrumental in the orchestration of the Smart Energy Team “Open House” where a number of product concepts were showcased to the organization.
THE KOHL GROUP for HEWLETT PACKARD COMPANY
Boise, ID 2005 – 2008
A consulting firm specializing in technical and business aspects of telecommunications and related industries
On-site Program Manager and Senior Human Factors Engineer
Managed a seven-person team providing usability and human factors consulting services for Hewlett Packard (HP). Determined project design, tasks, deliverables, timelines and work assignments for the team. Prepared, reviewed and edited statements of work. Wrote proposals and monthly work summaries and helped prepare financial reports. Provided HFE technical support to a multidisciplinary and multicultural printer team as well as ad hoc projects. Coordinated with client contacts to maintain the on site usability lab space and equipment.
- Responsible for managing annual budgets of between $750 thousand and $1 million.
- Supported eight HP Human Factors Engineers and 11 different HP departments.
- Received high satisfaction marks from client company (HP).
HEWLETT PACKARD COMPANY Boise, ID 1998 - 2005
International high- tech industry leader ranked No.14 on the Fortune 100
Human Factors Engineer
Served Research and Development area, providing human factors research and analysis for low-end through high-end multi-function products (MFP’s). Provided HFE/usability consulting to teams developing web-based support tools. Conducted tests and evaluations of design concepts in all stages of the development lifecycle for hardware, software and firmware. Served as subject matter expert, providing on-going advice and consultation to program management teams.
- Managed the first two phases of worldwide control panel concept research that later led to an industry award—Buyers Laboratory Outstanding Achievement Award for the user interface of multifunction printers (Fall, 2006), the HP Easy Select Control Panel.
- Conducted customer visits as part of Beta testing programs and a large-scale contextual inquiry project (ethnographic research), in addition to collecting customer feedback in numerous usability studies.
- Successfully participated in cross-functional teams with representatives from areas such as: R&D, Marketing, Technical Marketing, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Design, Information Engineering, Product Qualification Lab, and customer support organizations (online and call center).
KINGHORN DESIGN AND ANALYSIS Boise, ID 1995 - 1998
Human Factors Engineer
Founded a company offering human factors consulting and product evaluations.
- Provided human factors consulting services to product development teams, such as conducting usability tests and evaluations and leading cross-functional usability teams.
- Provided end-user installation documentation for an Internet service provider; provided recommendations to teams developing database programs for security, health information (Healthwise, Inc.) and human resource applications.
- Evaluated U.S. Coast Guard vessel design. Analyzed quantitative data for a commercial vehicle driver study for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
BATTELLE HUMAN FACTORS TRANSPORTATION CENTER
Seattle, WA 1991 - 1995
A Human Factors Research Organization
Research Scientist
Contributed human factors engineering analyses through quantitative and qualitative data analysis, lab and field studies. Created research materials, developed questionnaires and reviewed literature and wrote summaries for a variety of clients.
- Served various government clients, such as the Federal Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as commercial trucking organizations, Electric Power Research Institute, automotive industry and a maglev train system.
INSTRUMENTS USER SYSTEMS ENGINEERING LABORATORY
Dallas, TX Summer, 1991
Human Factors Intern
Analyzed data comparing laptop cursor-positioning devices. Conducted a literature review of form-filling user interface design.
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO Moscow, ID
1990 – 1991 Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant
Taught lab portion of undergraduate research methods classes. Created a cognitive map for an engineering statics learning tool.
Education
- MS, Psychology (Human Factors Program), University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 1994
Thesis: Predicting Driver Acceptance of Traveler Information Systems: A Comparison of Two Models - BS, Psychology, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 1989
- Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics, Certified Professional Ergonomist, Certificant No. 832
Professional and Honorary Affiliations
- Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics
- Society for Technical Communication: Senior Member, Co-Director and Speaker, Region 7 conference (1997)
- Human Factors and Ergonomics Society: Puget Sound Chapter, Co-Program Committee Chair (1993, 1994); University of Idaho Chapter, Secretary (1990-1991)
- ZigBee-HomePlug Alliance member through Reliant Energy (2008-2009)
Invention History
Four patent applications filed with USPTO.
Six defensive publications in Research Disclosure.
Selected Presentations
Patent Presentation Supplement: Idea Generation, Creative Thinking, HP Chapter, Society of Women Engineers, March, 2008. Boise, ID.
Perspectives on Designing for Global Audiences-panel discussion (Priest, A., Hirani, A., Jain, N. Grindstaff Sesek, R., Walton, M.), SXSW Interactive Conference, March, 2007. Austin, TX. HYPERLINK "http://www.sxsw.com" www.sxsw.com [archive site]
Usability: What It Is and How to Do a Test, University of Utah, Human Factors in Engineering Design class (ME5120/6120) and ASSE Meeting, November, 2005. Salt Lake City, UT.
Keeping Customers Healthy and Happy: Usability Principles and Methods as Preventive Medicine,” Society for Technical Communication - Snake River Chapter, January, 2003. Boise, ID.
Reports to HP Imaging and Printing R&D Senior Management, 1998 – 2004. Boise, ID.
Selected Publications
[a list of more publications in the open literature is available upon request; surname changed from Kinghorn to Grindstaff Sesek]
Rishel, K.M.C., Grindstaff, R., Beckman, O. (2000). Understanding the needs of international customers: Applying the contextual inquiry method in Asia. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 44th Annual Meeting, pp. 662-66[?].
Wheeler, W.A., Campbell, J.L., & Kinghorn, R.A. (1998). Commercial vehicle-specific aspects of intelligent transportation systems, in W. Barfield & T.A. Dingus (eds.), Human Factors in Intelligent Transportation Systems (pp.95-129). Lawrence Erlbaum.
Kinghorn, R.A. (1995). A comparison of two models to predict drive acceptance of traveler information systems. In A.C. Bittner & P.C. Champney (eds.), Advances in Industrial Ergonomics and Safety VII (pp. 639-646). Taylor & Francis.
Kinghorn, R.A. , & Bittner, A.C., Jr. (1993). Truck driver anthropometric data: Estimating the current population. Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 37th Annual Meeting (pp. 580-584). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors Society
Bittner, A.C., Jr., Wiker, S.F., Kinghorn, R.A. & Bramwell, A.T. (1993). Crewbased recommendations for improved Coast Guard patrol boat design. Seattle, WA: Battelle Seattle Research Center.
Kinghorn, R.A. & Bittner, A.C., Jr., & Kantowitz, B.H. (1994). Identification of desired system features in an Advanced Traveler Information System. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 38th Annual Meeting (pp. 1067 – 1071). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
McCallum. M.C., Morgan, J., Wieringa, D.R., Kinghorn, R.A., Kantowitz, B.H. (1992 and 1994). Procedures Software Tool (PST) requirements analysis and functional description (EPRI TR-103247, CRIEPI S989411, Project 3111-03). Prepared by Battelle Human Affairs Research Centers, Seattle WA, for Electric Power Research Institute-Nuclear Power Division, Palo Alto, CA, and Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Tokyo, Japan.
