Hello, I’m Thomas
Research-driven design for complex, high-stakes systems.
M.S.
20+
Years Of Experience
In Human Factors Psychology
Active
10+
Years in Leadership
U.S. Security Clearance
// MY POINT OF VIEW
I don't just design interfaces. I design systems that don’t fail when people are under pressure, distracted, or working around bad design.
The through-line across my work isn't an industry, it's a problem type. Multi-step, multi-stakeholder, regulation-constrained, high-consequence systems where the design directly determines whether users succeed or fail.
// SELECTED WORK
Proof, not just a point of view.
The approach I bring applied to a highly-regulated, complex, domain.
Federal IT Procurement: Right Solution, Right Timeline, Lasting Impact
CREATIVE DIRECTOR · UX RESEARCH LEAD
CHALLENGE
A federal agency needed to improve IT procurement before its next fiscal year-end surge. Leadership had a long-term vision — a TurboTax-style guided interface — but faced immediate constraints: limited budget, a tight timeline, and no clear sense of where to start or what would move the needle in the near term.
RESULT
Rather than build to the assumption, I ran the research first, surfacing the real problems to solve — avoiding a product that would become an expensive mistake. Although form complexity plaid a part, primary issues were outdated templates and inconsistent guidance around complex policy. These insights allowed me to design a knowledge resource delivered in months, not years. Today, Contracting Officers (COs) point staff to it to cut their own workload and keep guidance consistent and policy-aligned. Usage spikes during every acquisition surge provide proof it’s become an authoritative resource people return to. In its third year, we’re still building on that MVP, now exploring AI integration that will outperform the tool originally envisioned.
“All of our solutions should be like this”
AGENCY CIO
// WHAT SETS MY WORK APART
Formal training. Real-world application.
The credential grounds the work. The two decades of applying it across contexts is what delivers results.
Human Factors
Not a training certificate in UX — a robust education in Human Factors. This formal training grounds my work with an analytical lens, producing reliable results that sets me apart from others.
Designing for Business
I work with a view towards impact — not just the user. Whether B2B or B2C, the business objectives must be understood to ensure the product achieves the desired results.
Building & Leading
Worked to stand up UX practices in places it had not been truly integrated. A decade leading multidisciplinary teams and mentoring practitioners — by doing the work, not just directing it.
// HOW I WORK
Research
that makes a meaningful impact.
Clarity matters most when users have the least bandwidth.
Formative user research — reframing the problem before anyone designs a solution.
Usability research — structured evaluation grounded in valid, reliable methodology.
Embedded field evaluations — ambulances, control rooms, in the field with operators.
Evidence over pitches — earning skeptical stakeholders' trust the hard way.
// DIGITAL & PHYSICAL UX
Enterprise Systems (B2B & B2C)
DIGITALMobile Apps (Native & Responsive)
DIGITALCommand & Control Operations
DIGITAL + PHYSICALTechnology Impact on Performance
DIGITAL + PHYSICALEMT Ambulance Safety
PHYSICAL// WHERE MY WORK HAS LIVED
Commerial Products. Critical environments.
Two decades spanning commercial products and regulated, high-consequence, environments.
COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS
Fast-paced integration of HCD
Microsoft
ESRI
LexisNexis
Rapid usability evaluations and design recommendations. Embedding HCD methods into product life cycles.
REGULATED / HIGH-STAKES
Where errors carry high consequences
Defense
Federal
Health Care
Energy
Port security, emergency response, IT procurement modernization, regulated commercial products.
// THIS BACKGROUND TRAVELS
The context is different. The design problems are not.
Complex workflows, high cognitive load, zero tolerance for error — the same DNA across defense, federal, and public safety is the DNA showing up in:
Healthcare
Cybersecurity
Enterprise SaaS
Govtech / Defense
Healthtech
Legal Tech
Fintech / Regtech