John Sorflaten,
PhD, CUA, CPE
Consulting Course Instructor

Job at HFI

• Asking questions to make sure I solve the right problem for my client.
• Listening to my boss to make sure I don't create problems.
• Writing articles for The X Journal with wit and verve (it's a real word).
• Solving screen design problems well enough so others say "it's obvious".
• Teaching developers to avoid "cryptodesign" (using a design solution in the wrong place).
• Checking out personality differences across the U.S. and Canada (not many differences).

Experience

Thirteen years in designing computer applications and documentation. Believe it or not, I helped design Chinese and Japanese word processors in a small Iowa town, surrounded by corn fields. (Yes, we had translators.) Ask me anything about research on typing systems. Also, my Ph.D. work in the design of instructional materials served well when writing computer documentation. PC Magazine even reviewed one of the products (favorably, by the way). Since joining HFI at its beginning in 1987, I no longer have to humbly accept developer's designs and "fix" them through documentation. Instead, I get to teach developers how to do it right the first or second time. And I get to help 'em too. I've taught our HFI interface design course in Europe and North America over 100 times. In between, I've worked on User Interface standards and many design projects, including 'net applications. (This is the year of new 'net words. Webbies unite.) I am also a Peer Reviewer for ergonomics articles submitted to the Journal of International Forum of Educational Technology & Society.

Education

Ph.D., 1994 - University of Iowa - Instructional Design and Technology / Cognitive Psychology

MS, 1977 - Maharishi International University - Education

BA, 1968 - University of Southern California - Cinematography (yup, 1 year behind George Lucas)

Favorite Topics

A recent contribution to The X Journal. Columnists indicated products they couldn't live without. I wrote:
We need some lead time to develop the REALLY neat products. So here's what we can't do without in 25 years, the year 2021. First, really need the Bionic Resonance Artificial Intelligence Neuroenhancer (B.R.A.I.N.) to help us compete. But we also need the Haptic Ethos Attention Readout Translator (H.E.A.R.T) to keep things in balance. Last, we can't move history forward without the Create OUR Answer Gnosis Extractor (C.O.U.R.A.G.E.). Oh yes, a late-breaking report of new developments also comes from the wide-reaching OZ (Omega-Zero) corporate body. They claim that by 2021 they'll have a new, improved Silently Enhanced Life Form (S.E.L.F.). Their corporate motto, it's rumored, will be "Know Thy SELF".

Areas of Interest and Design Orientation

Futurologistics: (again, something I wrote for The X Journal it focuses on X terminal topics):
"Picture frame" X terminals exist all around the house. They use video and sensor input and hologram-output. All wireless, of course. These provide ubiquitous "monitoring" of world, nation, city, friends and self. Typical uses get associated with different rooms. The kitchen sees the "X-frame" used as a phone, recipe file, and baby monitor. The living room sees it used as a TV set with 30 channels pre-selected to fit your interest profile (plus three other channels thrown in as "serendipity" excursions). The bathroom sees it used as a biofeedback device based on samples of your body outputs and infrared scans of epidermal surfaces. Upon analyzing your body chemistry balance, it gives you a daily "state of the union". It reminds you how to eat better, think better, and depend less on computers. The den sees it used as a professional education tool. World-wide economies of scale permit customized, entertaining, up-to-the minute training to meet your personal and professional goals. The bedroom X-frame gives you training in relaxation therapy and frontal lobe functions such as goal setting, planning, and other "wisdom" tools you'll need so you can remain relaxed while doing your job. The dog house X-frame provides AI-based relationship counseling when you overdo the computer stuff.

Hobbies and Special Interests

Transcendental Meditation. Scientific American articles. movies (I was a motion picture officer in the Air Force). brain and consciousness studies (my dissertation topic). watching my two sons have fun in college. hanging ten on the 'net. taking my wife with me on long consulting trips.

Favorite Coastline

Big Sur, California

Character

Midwest born, California steeped, East-coast familiar, Southeastern baked, Iowa surprised.