User Experience Designer, Linden Lab
San Francisco Bay Area
- Current
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- User Experience Designer at Linden Lab (Second Life)
- Owner at Librarian Avengers (Sole Proprietorship)
- Past
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- User Experience Manager at Cornell University
- User Experience Designer at Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Digital Research Fellow at Cornell University Library
- Research Assistant at School of Information, University of Michigan
- Teacher at Flint Public Library
- Web Developer/Researcher at Digital Sources Center - Michigan State University
- Education
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- Cornell University
- University of Michigan
- Michigan State University
- Recommended
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3 people have recommended Erica - Connections
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256
connections
- Industry
- Computer Games
- Websites
Erica Olsen Firment’s Summary
Specialize in gathering user requirements, translating requirements into functional specs, and designing usable and modern web application interfaces.
Using Ajax, CSS, Java, Struts, and XML to build accessible and enjoyable tools to display large digital collections.
Applying user-centered design to reduce complexity and create a seamless user experience.
Erica Olsen Firment’s Specialties:
User experience, User-centered design, Product management, Web development, Information architecture, Web standards, Accessibility, Usability testing, Grant evaluation, CSS, Flash, Motion graphic design, Educational software design, Managing large digital collections
Erica Olsen Firment’s Experience
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User Experience Designer
Linden Lab (Second Life)
(Privately Held; Computer Software industry)
June 2007 — Present (2 years 6 months)
Design recommended behavior for software features. Work with open source and sustaining engineering groups to prioritize usability improvements. Started user research program. Product management.
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Owner
Librarian Avengers (Sole Proprietorship)
(Sole Proprietorship; Myself Only; Internet industry)
April 1998 — Present (11 years 8 months)
I run a website catering to disgruntled librarians. I emphasize the humor inherent in librarianship, a profession encompassing some of the world’s finest minds who have chosen to anonymously help better your life, your research, and your children’s future at the expense of their own glory and paycheck.
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User Experience Manager
Cornell University
(Non-Profit; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)
June 2006 — June 2007 (1 year 1 month)
Help manage a diverse team of Software Developers (Java/JSP), Database Managers, and Computer Science students to develop animalrecordings.com - the world's largest online collection of animal recordings.
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User Experience Designer
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
(Non-Profit; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)
February 2004 — June 2006 (2 years 5 months)
Design and build interfaces for the world's largest online collection of animal recordings. Memeber of a web application development team at the Cornell Lab of Ornithlogy's Macaulay Library. Gather requirements from users, translate to engineering specifications, design user interface templates, code JSP & JavaScript, build graphics and css layouts, design print materials, run usability tests, participate in grant evaluation.
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Digital Research Fellow
Cornell University Library
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
February 2003 — February 2004 (1 year 1 month)
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Research Assistant
School of Information, University of Michigan
(Higher Education industry)
January 2001 — December 2003 (3 years )
Research assistant to Dr. Joan Durrance. Helped conduct outcome-based evaulations of library community information services. Conducted focus groups with children. Developed and maintained project web presence. Qualitative data analysis. Prepared manuscripts for publication. Prepared research documents for human subjects review board. Assisted with final grant evaluation. Participated in IMLS Outcome Based Evaluation training.
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Teacher
Flint Public Library
(Primary/Secondary Education industry)
September 2000 — December 2000 (4 months)
Taught a web design and development class to a group of at-risk students at the Flint Public Library as part of a research project studying the effect of library services on the digital divide.
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Web Developer/Researcher
Digital Sources Center - Michigan State University
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
September 1998 — December 2000 (2 years 4 months)
ColdFusion, XML, XSLT development, Conducted digital archival research leading to the digitization of the Vincent Voice Library, the world's largest collection of spoken word recordings. Created audio digitization workflows, trained audio archivists, taught web technology to library patrons.
Erica Olsen Firment’s Education
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Cornell University
Various courses 2004 — 2006
- Activities and Societies:
- Member Cornell Women in I.T. , Ballroom dance club
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University of Michigan
Masters Information Science , Human-Computer Interaction, Library Science , 2000 — 2002
Margaret Mann Award, Fall 2002
- Activities and Societies:
- Community Information Corps, Research Assistant, Arbor Vitae
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Michigan State University
B.A. , English , 1994 — 1998
Graduated with Honors in English. Minored in History and Anthropology. Overseas Studies Program: One semester at Trinity College Dublin, focus on Irish literature. National Merit Commended Student, 1994. Michigan Competative Scholorship, 1994-1998.
- Activities and Societies:
- Science education classroom volunteer. Ballroom Dance Club. Lyman Briggs School of Science (one year).
Additional Information
Erica Olsen Firment’s Websites:
Erica Olsen Firment’s Interests:
managing geeks, information architecture, web standards, information science, web accessibility, user experience design, radical librarianship, design for democracy, free culture, comic art, ballroom dancing, science education, video game interface design, educational gaming
Erica Olsen Firment’s Groups:
CHI, ALA, ALA Social Responsibility Roundtable, Full Plate Collective
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University of Michigan School of Information -
Interaction Design Association -
UX Professionals -
Cornell University Alumni and Faculty Network -
Startup Specialists -
Design Research
Erica Olsen Firment’s Honors:
2007 Digg - Top 10 placement for animalbehaviorarchive.org
2006 Visualization Award, 2nd place Educational Interactives - Science Magazine
Margaret Mann Award - Established in 1938 by the U-M Library Science Alumni Society in honor of Associate Professor Margaret Mann. Awarded annually as an academic honor, based on demonstration of ability and promise of professional development.
Erica Olsen Firment’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
