Listen to the Experts :: What is my job
Who are you?
Name:
Kara Pernice
Company Name:
Norman Nielsen Group
Job title:
Head of Research
Head of Research
I have approximately three seconds to get your attention.
I´ve got another ten or so to keep it.
How do I know this?
I know this because of the work of Kara Pernice and her team at the Norman Nielsen Group - the world expert on "user experience" and web usability.
For the past seven years, Kara has headed up the research division and East Coast operations at NNG. Her work is "exhilarating" and hugely diverse - she and her team evaluate usability in a variety of areas that range from websites to cappuccino-makers.
She is an expert in assessing usability in the areas of collaboration, document management, graphics and multimedia, database design, and handheld devices. And recently her work has involved more consumer-oriented products such as digital cameras and cell phones
NetAcad Advantage caught up with her at the recent NNG usability conference in Barcelona, Spain.
Chatting to Kara Pernice is a pretty exhilarating experience in itself. This fast-talking New Yorker exudes energy and enthusiasm for what she does. She talks with poise and confidence drawn from years of experience on the conference circuit; but there is also an unmistakable relish for discussion and interaction that seems to come from within.
“So much of what I do comes from having a basic interest in people. Sure, there´s the technical side of things. But a lot of it is psychology. I like people. This is for me a brilliant field to work in.”
Kara´s trip to the top began in grad school studying business and international finance. She had previously graduated in PR and journalism.
“I didn´t really intend to get into the IT field. I had studied journalism and I really enjoyed interviewing people. I guess usability overlapped with that to an extent. That and I´d always been a fan of Jakob Nielsen,” she laughs.
Her first job was with Lotus Development, where she set up discount usability studies: “It was kind of accidental. We played videos and set up interactive games to help the developers fine tune the product. Turns out I had talent for it.”
She moved on to Iris Associates (an IBM subsidiary), and Interleaf, managing user experience programmes for the Lotus Notes Client, Designer, and Domino Server products. PC Magazine was quick to spot the value of her work, commenting that: “If this were summer camp, Lotus Notes would walk away with the Most Improved Camper award.”
It wasn´t long before Jakob Nielsen recruited Kara to NNG, where her career has continued to flourish. She has been involved in planning and designing state-of-the-art usability labs; has conducted hundreds of lab studies; and many remote studies, field studies, and surveys. In the field of usability she is possibly best known for practicing and championing use of video as a tool for analyzing, presenting and teaching.
Kara Pernice describes herself as being genuinely driven by a desire to make things simple and help users get the most out of products. She is at the top of her field, but believes that modesty and real interest in the job keep her centred.
“You have to have the same attitude to everyone. Every field study has its story to tell and it´s a privilege to get insights into people´s behaviour. I have conducted studies with such a variety of people - from so-called "regular" users to the blind. It´s quite an odd feeling to be sitting in the dark with a blind user who doesn´t turn on the lights when it gets dark.
“Probably my favourite group is senior citizens. After every study, they bring out the cookies. Often they show me the projects they´re working on - shirts and home-knitted boots. It´s delightful.”
She has advice to share with others starting out on their careers: “I think that good internships are a brilliant way to gain real experience. Even if there´s no salary. Employers these days are looking for initiative and ingenuity. If you can show that you´ve gone out and got yourself experience - and a reference to boot - you´re already ahead of the competition.”
And as a woman at the top of her game in IT, she has this to say to girls starting out in the industry: “Women are quick to judge. Don´t always assume that you have to be aggressive or overly competitive to get on.
“One thing we´re good at is empathy. A piece of advice I would share is this - put yourself in the mind of others, be they clients or colleagues. It´s helped me in my career.”
So if Kara Pernice had not ended up in the world of usability, is there anything else she would like to have done?
“Oh man. Movies. I would love to have written movies. I have two scripts in my head: an autobiographical story full of crazy families and comedy; or a movie about dating.”
She smiles cryptically and rubs her hands. Hollywood, you have been warned.
Kara Pernice was talking to Aine Doris.