About Molly...

I didn’t know it at the time, but my academic work in college was paving the way to a career in user experience design. I graduated with a double major in Studio Art and Psychology at Macalester College in 1999, when the web was in its infancy.

Before "web design" or "user experience" had even entered my vocabulary, I found myself drawn to the digital medium. While my classmates were covering themselves in acrylic paint and charcoal dust, I could be found in the computer lab, basking in the glow of a Macintosh monitor.
Special feature: See some artwork from my college days

At the same time, my study of Psychology reflected a general interest in human perception and behavior. Later, I would come to realize just how important my background in this area would be in my chosen career path. Running a usability study involves recruiting participants, writing a script, measuring success, collecting and analyzing data, and reporting results. These are all valuable skills I was able to develop early on as part of my academic studies.

In today's world of human-computer interaction, the field of Psychology has never been more relevant. Understanding an individual's background, past experiences, and current mind set can give great insight into what their needs are, how they will perceive a new interface, or how useful a particular online service will be.

So you see, much to my parents' surprise, my unique academic background has proven quite useful in my choice of career.

The CUA™ designation is achieved by passing a certification exam offered by Human Factors International. Doing so requires a mastery of fundamental usability principles. I completed four courses over 2 years in preparation for the exam. Although I am frequently suspicious of trademarked certification programs, I found the HFI courses to be interesting and useful in my work.

It's desperately important to know who your users are and what they want before embarking on any project. I gather this information mostly through the use of focus groups or individual interviews, as well as surveys, observation, analytics and customer service data.

A well-developed information architecture means users will spend less time looking for information. It is the foundation of a successful web site. To develop good information architecture, I strive to understand the user's cognitive model through user research, personas, scenarios, and testing.

One can never truly be sure that a project is headed in the right direction without testing it with users. I have more than 6 years of experience in organizing and facilitating usability tests, and with each one, I learn something new.

The look and feel of a site can have great impact on users. Good design doesn't just look pretty, it assists with navigation, interaction, comprehension, and can help enhance a brand experience. The field of graphic design is where I started my career, and I've spend the past 10 years perfecting my art on the web.

I have full command of HTML and CSS. I'm pretty darn good with JavaScript. I've done a little bit of Flash, including ActionScript. I've also worked with a number of content management systems, including Joomla and Stellent/Oracle. My code is neat and clean, and I always validate. I'm quick to pick up new technologies, and I'm always seeking out the newest, sexiest, most efficient ways of doing things on the web.

Common design problems should have recurring solutions. Reusable interface patterns make the development and maintenance of a web site faster and easier. For each project I'm involved in, I layout a design strategy as a foundation. Especially for large web sites, a repository of elements helps the design team work quickly and efficiently, while maintaining a consistent user experience.

Making web sites accessible to all users is plainly the right thing to do. But in addition to that, there are benefits to creating accessible web sites. Along with assisting those with disabilities, an accessible web site is easier to navigate on alternative browsing devices (including mobile), can greatly increase search engine optimization, and will help avoid any potential legal challenges. I have worked directly with members of the blind community to determine accessibility standards, and I am always careful to design and code web sites to meet those standards.