Explore. Learn. Transform.

Bill Albert, Ph.D., is Founder and Principal of Greenlight Idea Lab, a consultancy providing user experience research, design, and strategy services to global businesses. Prior to Greenlight Idea Lab, Bill was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Customer Experience at Mach49, a growth incubator for global businesses, and Executive Director of the User Experience Center and Adjunct Professor in Human Factors in Information Design at Bentley University. He has more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and has presented his work in user experience research and strategy at more than 50 national and international conferences. He is currently Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of User Experience, the only peer-reviewed journal in the UX field. He co-wrote (with Tom Tullis) the first book on UX metrics, Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting UX Metrics (third edition published in 2022). He also co-wrote (with Tom Tullis and Donna Tedesco) Beyond the Usability Lab: Conducting Large-Scale Online User Experience Studies in 2010. He received his PhD from Boston University. He completed a post-doc at Nissan Cambridge Basic Research with a focus on cognitive demands in the use of navigation systems.

Doaa Alrefaei, is a PhD candidate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Business School and serves as a faculty member at the School of Economics and Administration, King Abdulaziz, University, Saudi Arabia. Her research resides at the intersection of human-computer interaction, eye tracking, and NeuroIS. She is particularly focused on advancing user experience design through eye-tracking and AI by applying neuroscientific approaches. Alrefaei’s work includes the application of eye-tracking and NeuroIS in healthcare and enhancing outcomes, aiming to improve user interactions and outcomes in healthcare systems.

Alexandra Candelas is a user experience executive, early pioneer of the user experience practice, educator, mentor and coach. She helps organizations and C-Suite executives navigate the complexities of customer value through product design. Her focus is on digital innovation and how to strategically steer a company’s transformation towards customer excellence. In academic circles she is known for nurturing students to have a leadership mindset, mentoring them well beyond their academic tenure.

Soussan Djamasbi, Ph.D., is a Professor of Information Systems and Technologies (IS&T) at WPI, and the founder and director of both the User Experience and Decision Making (UXDM) lab and the Neuro Information Systems (Neuro IS) research program at WPI. Her work, which leverages eye-tracking technology, focuses on exploring the intricacies of human information processing at a micro-cognitive level to enhance design seamlessly. One notable application of her research involves measuring engagement with visual information, from embedded content in organizational websites to complex data found in medical decision aids. Beyond design evaluation, Dr. Djamasbi is pioneering the use of eye movement data as a biomarker of experience. This innovative approach taps into the power of artificial intelligence to shape the next generation of products and services. For example, in one project, she employs eye tracking to automatically detect cognitive load, facilitating the design of smart systems that offer real-time personalization. In her most recent work, Dr. Djamasbi focuses on developing the next generation of smart clinical decision support systems. By capturing the dynamic nature of information processing behavior through eye movements, her research aims to bridge the gap between technology and human well-being, using patients’ eye movements as biomarkers for health symptoms such as chronic pain and anxiety.

Matt Ferguson is the Chief Digital Officer & Acting CEO, Right Side Shift. Matt is a visionary leader that specializes in optimizing businesses for the digital age. With a passion for innovation and a relentless drive for excellence, Matt has a proven track record of transforming organizations and driving them towards greater efficiency, profitability, and competitiveness. His unwavering commitment to harnessing the power of technology for driving positive change, has made Matt a respected thought leader in the world of technology and business.

Brian McLaughlin is a passionate and proven visionary in the areas of innovation, user experience, usability, design, standards compliant UI construction techniques, and mobile devices. As a former Chief Experience and Design Officer, Brian has been a member of the executive management teams as well as having spent countless hours as an individual contributor in his early years as a designer, illustrator, and frontend developer. Over the span of his 40 year career, he has led creative design teams, user experience teams, product innovation teams, as well as technology and development teams to deliver best-in-class customer experiences across several different markets.

Jenn Medellin is a seasoned UX leader with over 20 years of experience in user experience, product management, and system design. As Senior Director of Experience Engineering at Teradata, she leads a large, cross-functional team of designers, UI engineers, and writers, working closely with product and engineering teams to deliver cutting-edge cloud technology. Jenn’s career spans roles in healthcare, financial services, and defense, including her time in the U.S. Air Force, where she held leadership positions in designing and communicating information as well as maintaining and trouble shooting avionics systems.

Elizabeth Nichols is a Mathematical Statistician and a group leader of the Usability Evaluation and Research team in the Research and Methodology Directorate at the U.S. Census Bureau. She has an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and a graduate degree in Statistics. At the Census Bureau, she became involved in evaluating user experience associated with online surveys and censuses and the corresponding measurement errors arising from designs that don’t match the respondent’s mental model.

Andy Piggott is the Chief Information Officer at Atlas Travel & Technology Group. Andy is a seasoned growth strategist and executive leader, renowned for his expertise in propelling companies to reach and surpass their aspirations. With a career spanning across diverse industries, Andy has spearheaded cross-functional teams to triumph in realms of product development, product management, and marketing. His deep understanding of product innovation, unwavering focus on enhancing customer experiences, and proficiency in product-led growth have enabled him to guide companies on their journey from early-stage startups to prominent public enterprises.

Gaayathri Sankar is a PhD candidate in Business and Information Technology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Before her PhD, she received her Masters in User Experience from WPI during which time she did her thesis with UMass Memorial Medical Center on developing personas from EHR data for Type 2 diabetic patients. Her research interests lie at the intersection of data, business development, and UX research involving human-technology interaction and NeuroIS. She gained valuable experience over the summer at Teradata, researching buyer experiences at their Digital and Demand Center of Excellence. Post graduation, she looks forward to applying her UX and research skills at research institutions and the industry.

Calvin Smith is a seasoned technology leader and innovator with deep expertise in AI and cloud infrastructure. As the Director of Product Marketing at Oracle, Calvin plays a pivotal role in driving transformative innovation across the tech landscape. His leadership journey spans top-tier companies, including AWS, where he served as Global Head of Strategy for Cloud Intelligence, and Dell Technologies, where he was CTO for IoT & Edge. Calvin’s proven track record in shaping cutting-edge solutions, developing market-leading strategies, and blending strategic leadership with technical expertise has consistently propelled business growth and operational excellence.

Dr. Lin Wang is a Research Psychologist with a range of expertise including human performance analysis, eye tracking research, data analytics, healthcare research, and information technology. In his human factors research, Dr. Wang’s interest has been centered on information processing in persons with normal and impaired vision. He has conducted a variety of human performance and usability evaluation studies including operator’s vigilance, online survey instruments, data dissemination websites, and mobile-device-based web applications. His research has been published in Ergonomics, Psychophysiology, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Social Science Computer Review, etc. He is currently serving as the leader of the Human Factors Research Group at the U.S. Census Bureau.

John Wyatt is a senior UX Researcher at Amazon. With over a decade in the UX/UXR realm, John has empowered both Fortune 100 titans and nimble startups to launch and scale UXR programs, converting insights into actionable outcomes. John believes in UXR’s potential to not just spearhead product innovation but to also instill a customer-centric ethos. A leading member of UXSYM’s organizing committee since its inception, he remains captivated by the partnership and innovation from academic-industry collaborations.