Technical Team

Ciarda Henderson-Geist,
MS, CUA
Project Director

Job at HFI

• Project Director for West Coast Region
• Consulting with clients and managing projects on user interface and visual design, information architecture, and usability studies
• Teaching HFI courses

Experience

Over the last decade I've consulted on an array of projects focused on user interface design of web sites and web-based applications, information architecture and process flows, usability testing, and icon and graphic design for clients ranging from the smallest dot com to the most established corporation. My client list is over 60 strong with some of my favorite projects coming from Sybase, Seagate Technology, WageWorks, MarketTools, Charter Communications, Disney (ABC Family), and Dun & Bradstreet.

Education

B.A. in Psychology and Comparative Literature
Hamilton College, Clinton, NY
Graduated with honors in psychology
Studied abroad at the University of Melbourne, Australia

M.S. in Psychology
California Coast University, Santa Ana, CA
Member of Delta Epsilon Tau National Honor Society

Favorite Projects

Crafting user interface structures from scratch – I find information architecture to be an interesting balance between logic and creativity.

Collaborating with a team to leverage decades of collective experience. I love to learn from others and working with a great team is the perfect opportunity.

Enhancing complex web applications – the challenge is in figuring out the shape of the puzzle piece and where it fits into the puzzle. Instances in which a single elegant modification provides a solution to multiple usability issues is my absolute favorite.

Hobbies and Special Interests

Hanging out with my husband and daughter; training for and competing in sprint triathlons and road races; curling up with a good book.

Favorite Foods, Books, and Movies

Sushi and donuts. Did I mention sushi? Oh and chocolate. How did I almost forget chocolate?

John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany; Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True; Pat Conroy's Beach Music; The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks; A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (yes, even with all the drama); I could go on and on...

What Dreams May Come; Sabrina (the remake); Contact

Publications

Pierce, G.R., Ptacek, J.T., Taylor, B., Yee, P.L., Henderson, C.A., Laurenti, H.J., & Boudreau, C.M. (1998). The role of dispositional and situational factors in cognitive interference. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 1016-1031.

Pierce, G.R., Sarason, B.R., Sarason, I.G., Joseph, H.J., & Henderson, C.A. (1996). Conceptualizing and assessing social support in the context of the family. In G.R. Pierce, B.R. Sarason, and I.G. Sarason (Eds.), The handbook of social support and the family (pp. 3-23). New York: Plenum.

Pierce, G.R., Yost, J., Henderson, C.A., & Loffredo, C. (1996). Cognitive interference and personality: Theoretical and methodological issues. I.G. Sarason, G.R. Pierce, & B.R. Sarason (Eds.) Cognitive interference: Theories, methods, and findings (pp. 285-296). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

My husband, Steve, and daughter, Carina, on a walk through the oak tree preserve behind our home.

Carina in deep contemplation on Carmel Beach in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Finally finishing the Sacramento Buffalo Stampede 10 Miler.

Technical Team