Design for Context, LLC is a consulting firm specializing in usability and user experience design. We have a strong track record of turning concepts and recommendations into user interface designs that work, drawing on our knowledge of user interface design patterns and a strong foundation in human-computer interaction. Our expertise in the design of interactive applications and search user interfaces is one of our key strengths. Our projects range from quick expert reviews to large, multi-year transactional systems analysis and design projects. We build long-term relationships with our clients and scale our services to meet our clients’ needs. Many of our client relationships span multiple projects over several years, because they recognize we are committed to their ongoing success. Founded by Lisa Battle in 2006, Design for Context is a small, woman-owned business based in Columbia, Maryland (near Washington, DC and Baltimore).
Lisa Battle, Principal
Lisa Battle has over 15 years of experience in the design of applications, web sites and information resources. Her work with project teams includes clarifying user needs and business goals, and designing user interface solutions that improve user experience and productivity. Lisa has led the design of many interactive applications supporting business functions such as accounts payable, claims processing, learning management, and project management, and has consulted on the design of large-scale informational web sites and intranets. She is also an expert on accessibility, which makes products and services easier to use for people with disabilities.
Lisa is a frequent speaker at conferences, and has presented on topics including accessibility, usability, requirements engineering, strategic design, and integrating accessibility and usability into the software development lifecycle. She is the chair of the annual User Focus conference in Washington, DC and was the president of the Usability Professionals’ Association DC Metro Chapter for four years. She is also a member of the international committee defining the Body of Knowledge for usability (www.usabilitybok.org). She has developed and taught courses on usability best practices, defined standards and guidelines for clients, and mentored project teams on usability methods. Lisa has a master’s degree in Cognitive Psychology/Human Factors, which focuses on how people think, make decisions, and interact with information and tools.
Duane Degler, Principal
Duane Degler designs complex applications and web sites, backed by 25 years consulting experience in knowledge management and business performance. He has led software projects for commercial and government clients in the US and Europe — his specialty areas include designing for large-scale search capabilities and semantic-driven interactive applications.
Along with his consulting work, Duane speaks regularly at professional conferences, curates DesignForSemanticWeb.com, has co-organized the Semantic Web User Interaction workshop series, and is the strategy and technology advisor to the UPA Usability Body of Knowledge project. He has a BSc in Media Communications and an MSc in Organizational Communications, with a focus on the human change impacts arising from technology adoption.
Janice James, User Experience Strategist
Janice has more than 24 years of experience in the field of user research, user-centered design and information architecture for software and web applications, websites, and intranets. She is dedicated to helping clients fully understand their users’ needs and expectations and to design solutions that are easy to use, efficient and satisfying. Her expertise spans across travel, financial services, education, utilities, healthcare and ecommerce industries. Throughout various points of her career, Janice has been a manager/director, practitioner, and principal of her own consulting firm.
One of Janice’s proudest accomplishments is founding the Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) in 1991 after recognizing the need for a practical-oriented organization dedicated to enhancing usability professionals’ skills and success. She served as President and on the Board of Directors through 1999. Janice also co-founded, with Ginny Redish, the STC Professional Interest Committee on Usability. Janice holds an MS in Technical Communications, has completed graduate work in Human Computer Interaction and is a frequent speaker at numerous professional conferences. Janice is co-author, with Carol Righi, of User-Centered Design Stories: Real-World UCD Case Studies (Morgan Kaufmann, 2007).
Laura Chessman, User Experience Strategist
Laura Chessman is a user centered design and strategy professional with experience in both industry and government settings. While leading efforts to assess and improve the usability of systems ranging from complex software for researchers and engineers to informational systems for broad audiences, Laura has also worked within organizations to integrate user centered design methodologies into software development processes for long term successes in improving system usability.
Laura has led multiple design and usability projects for clients such as the National Cancer Institute and American Red Cross and has managed the design and usability efforts for multiple complex software products in private industry. Laura has considerable experience designing for and assessing the usability of complex systems used in highly specialized fields such as science and engineering. She has a M.S. in Information Science from the University of North Carolina.
Lesley Humphreys, Interaction Designer
Lesley Humphreys has 7 years of experience in information architecture, user experience design, and content strategy. She provides strategic advice to help clients develop business solutions. She led the team that won the WebAward and the ADDY Award for the design of the Baltimore Museum of Art web site. Recent projects include the design of an interactive tool for interior designers to visualize decorative glass in various settings, a rich media lead-generation campaign web site for a financial industry client, and a mobile campaign site for an online bank.
Lesley is the co-founder and organizer of Baltimore Parlay, a user experience and information architecture salon and networking group. She has a graduate certificate in Information Design from the University of Baltimore.
Jasmin Phua, User Experience Strategist
Jasmin Phua is a user researcher and interaction designer with over 12 years of experience leading the design of usable and productive user interfaces for complex transactional applications and information-rich big data applications. She has led multi-function teams in the design of user interfaces for complex web applications, mobile/handheld devices, websites, and client-server applications in the federal government, health, insurance, financial, legal, telecommunications, and automotive industries.
Jasmin is a member of the Usability Professionals’ Association, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation(AAMI) and is an active member of the EHR Usability Taskforce for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) where she co-authors white papers and provides usability guidance to clinicians and health IT vendors. Jasmin also co-organizes the Chicago Health 2.0 group with a focus on healthcare user experience. She has a BA in Cognitive Psychology from Oberlin College, OH.
Rachel Sengers, Interaction Designer
Rachel Sengers is an interaction designer and information architect with over 13 years of experience designing Web-based applications and sites for a variety of clients in the communications and financial industries, the federal government, and other sectors. She helps clients to clarify project goals, plans how users will move through a site and accomplish their tasks, specifies the details of the user interface, and then helps monitors development to ensure project requirements are implemented.
Rachel has experience with all stages of the user-centered design process, including user research, gathering requirements, prototyping, visual design, user testing, accessibilty, and production. Her background includes many years as a Design Director, guiding a team of designers and developers at a Web design company. She is an active volunteer with the Washington, DC Metro Chapter of the
Usability Professionals’ Association and its annual User Focus conference. She has a graduate certificate in Information Design from the University of Baltimore.
Lynn Baumeister, Usability Specialist
Lynn Baumeister has over 20 years of experience in the computer science field and has been working for the past 11 years specifically in the area of usability. She is an expert in user research, user-centered design, and information architecture, as well as the federal requirements governing the accessibility of Web sites for people with disabilities. Her work draws on both analytic and quantitative methods all aimed at the creation of usable software and Web sites.
Lynn has experience working with clients, large and small, from the government, health care, education, and non-profit sectors, as well as private sector clients from fields including insurance, manufacturing, publishing, information technology, and human resources. She has a Master’s Degree from the Human Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and has taught in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.
Anita Salem, Analyst and Web Strategist
Anita Salem is a human systems researcher who looks at the interaction between people, organizations, and technology. With a goal of designing systems that are useful, desirable, and easy to use, she works with practitioners and organizations to improve the adoption of new processes and technologies. Anita consults with organizations on innovative ways to manage the design of new systems. Using qualitative research methods, business needs analysis, and participatory design techniques, she partners with organizations to help them manage change and develop a more effective and efficient workforce.
Anita has an M.S. in Technical Communication and is a frequent presenter on topics related to human systems research. She is principal consultant at Salem Systems.
