EDUCATION
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Fall 2002 - Spring 2004
MDes Interaction Design Candidate, School of Design
· Coursework in interaction/interface design, product design, user research, design research, design theory, physical prototyping, and information design.
· Thesis paper: Connectedness in One-to-Many Communication Systems. In progress. Jodi Forlizzi, advisor.
· Thesis Project: Social Awareness, Presentation, and Connection: Instant Messaging as a Presence Platform. In progress. John Zimmerman and Shelley Evenson, advisors.
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Fall 2000 - Summer 2001
Courses in Instructional Design, Interaction Design, and Information Design
Pomona College Claremont, CA Fall 1995 - Spring 1999
Bachelor of Arts in Biology
Relevant coursework in education, anthropology, psychology, and music
WORK
Intern, Collaborative User Experience Group
IBM Research Cambridge, MA Summer 2003
Conducted user research and produced design concepts relating to contact management, social software, and social networks.
Usability Specialist
Intuit Mountain View, CA October 2000 - June 2002
· Planned, executed, and analyzed over 20 usability tests.
· Designed interfaces in QuickBooks, Quicken, and assorted websites and web applications. Worked with a team of three to re-design the entire Intuit.com website.
· Used other user-centered design methods including contextual inquiry, cognitive walkthrough, heuristic evaluation, paper prototyping, personas, and log file analysis.
· Worked closely with product managers, engineering, and marketing, facilitating design reviews and cross-functional team meetings.
· Pioneered several user research techniques in our group, including a Flash-based card sorting tool, remote usability testing via telephone, and use of interest-based usability tasks.
Instructional Designer, Interaction Designer, Usability Specialist
Achieva.com College Preparatory Services San Mateo, CA July 1999 - October 2000
· Designed curriculum, interactivity, and instructional guidelines for an online Study Skills course.
· Co-managed a team of writers for Study Skills content and assessment.
· Conducted usability testing for Study Skills and College Preparation courses.
TOOLS
Visual Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Fireworks, OmniGraffle
Sound Cubase, Peak, Deck, Reason, Reaktor, Live, MAX/MSP
Motion/Interactive Flash, AfterEffects, Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro Internet Dreamweaver, BBEdit, coding in HTML and CSS
Physical Prototyping Various saws, sanders, router, lathe, jointer, drill press, vacuum forming
PUBLICATIONS
Thornton, C. Moraveji, N., Barry, P., and Shiue, K. Apeer: A Peripheral Interface to Improve Social Awareness in Brief, Topical Discussions. CHI 04 Extended Abstracts, Vienna, Austria, 2004.
Thornton, C., Hirsch, T., Gemperle, F., and Kolb, A. Audiocentric Interface Design: A Building Blocks Approach. Proc. International Conference on Auditory Display, Boston, MA, USA, 2003.
Thornton, C. “Got Usability? Talking with Jakob Nielsen”. BoxesandArrows.com, March 2002.