Sarah Swierenga Named Director of New Usability and Accessibility Center at MSU
Contact: Carla Hills, University Outreach & Engagement, 353-8977,
hillsc@msu.edu
8/30/2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Sarah J. Swierenga, Ph.D., C.P.E., has been named the director
of a new Usability and Accessibility Center opening at Michigan State University.
“We are pleased to welcome Sarah Swierenga as we open this exciting new facility
and take on the challenge of developing and disseminating innovations in theory
building, research methodologies, and technologies about Web and information technology
environments,” said Hiram Fitzgerald, Assistant Provost for University Outreach
& Engagement.
In addition to collaborations with Michigan State University faculty, staff, and
students, Dr. Swierenga will bring national attention to the Center as a major source
of usability and accessibility information for scholars and practitioners.
A researcher and a practitioner with nearly 20 years of experience in the scientific
study of users in both commercial and military environments, Swierenga was most
recently a Senior Human Factors Research Psychologist and Visiting Assistant Professor
of Psychology in the Psychology Department and Research Institute at the University
of Dayton, Ohio.
Dr. Swierenga possesses extensive skills in user interface design, data collection
tools and methodologies including usability tests, questionnaires, interviews, focus
groups, and expert evaluations. She is co-author of Constructing Accessible Web
Sites (APress, 2003) and has presented topics on accessible web site design, usability
techniques, and e-learning effectiveness before the Usability Professionals’ Association
and the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Conference.
“It is an honor to accept this position and introduce a new dimension to MSU’s academic
environment. I look forward to a cross-disciplinary unit devoted to evaluating the
degree to which new interface technologies are useful, usable, accessible and appealing
to a broad audience, and to providing understanding about how the needs and aspirations
of people can be reflected in a variety of communication technologies,” said Swierenga.
The facility will officially open as part of the Second Annual Usability and Accessibility
Conference on October 26-27. During the conference, participants will have the opportunity
to hear Dr. Swierenga speak about the new Center and tour this state-of-the-art-facility
that will conduct research and usability testing, provide training, education, and
consulting services on accessibility, usability evaluation methodologies, and user-centered
design techniques.