Dan Gruen
Lotus Research

Dan will discuss current research projects being done in Lotus Research, including one around Reinventing Email, and one on In Your Space Computing aimed at bridging the gap between digital information and the physical settings in which people live and work. Dan will also touch on the group's Strategic Design work and specifically the way detailed stories are used to insure the value of new innovations to the people who will use them.
    Dan Gruen is co-founder of the Strategic Design Lab in Lotus Research. His current research explores the use of visual scenarios and other story-based methods to ground design in real world usage situations. Dan applies his
background in user-centered design and experience with observational methods to a variety of areas, including new approaches to email and integrated messaging, and innovative ways of linking computer-based information with the external world.
    Dan joined Lotus Research in October, 1996 with a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego. Dan's thesis research at UCSD, conducted under Don Norman and funded by Apple Computer, involved detailed observational studies of how people manage multiple activities and handle interruptions. His earlier research investigated tradeoffs in the design of graphical representations.
    Dan has consulted on usability and interface design for a variety of applications, including digital television, telecommunications, and computer-assisted design. He has also taught courses on user-centered design techniques in university and corporate settings. Previously, Danworked as a Vice President at Merrill Lynch, responsible for the design of systems to support bond trading.