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Information Technology Laboratory / Information Access Division

Visualization and Usability Group

Visualization and Usability Group Staff

We have a multi-discipline team of human factors practitioners, computer scientists and social scientists. To contact the staff members please select their name. Search for publications by staff member.

	yee-yin.choong [at] nist.gov (Yee-Yin Choong) is a Human Factors Scientist in the Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Yee-Yin conducts research in the areas of human-centered design and evaluation, public safety communication technology, augmented-reality usability, usable cybersecurity, biometrics usability, human factors, and cognitive engineering. She has contributed to numerous papers, book chapters and conferences on the topics of usable cybersecurity, public safety, usability testing, user-centered design and evaluation, cross-cultural usability, symbols and icons design, and biometrics usability. Prior to joining NIST in 2006, she practiced usability engineering in the private sector for 10 years, covering areas such as telecommunications, Business-to-Business eCommerce, Web-based applications, and software internationalization. Yee-Yin received her MS degree in Industrial Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and her PhD in Industrial Engineering, specialized in Human Factors from Purdue University.
Credit: Melissa Green	Shaneé Dawkins is a Computer Scientist in the Visualization and Usability Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). As a usability research scientist, Shaneé applies her knowledge of human computer interaction and human centered computing to the fields of public safety communications and usable security. Shaneé earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Human Centered Computing Lab at Auburn University, and B.S. in Computer Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. She has previous research experience in the design and development of evaluation guidelines and standards for machine translation technologies, electronic voting systems, and usable privacy.
	susanne.furman [at] nist.gov (Susanne Furman) is a Cognitive Scientist in the US National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Visualization and Usability Group. She works on and investigates usability for both cybersecurity and biometric devices for agencies such as the US Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Furman has worked at the US Department of Health and Human Services and ran its usability program. She has her MA and PhD degrees in Human Factors and Applied Cognition from George Mason University where she is also an adjunct professor in the psychology department.
	Kristen Greene is a Cognitive Scientist in the Visualization and Usability Group at NIST. She conducts usability and human factors research for NIST’s PSCR (Public Safety Communications Research) and usable cybersecurity programs. She has an M.A. and Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Rice University. She is an experienced researcher, having conducted research in the Attention and Perception Laboratory at the University of South Carolina, the Usability Testing and Analysis Facility at NASA Johnson Space Center, the Computer Human Interaction Laboratory at Rice University, and now the Information Technology Laboratory at NIST.
	julie.haney [at] nist.gov (Julie Haney) is a Computer Scientist in the Visualization and Usability Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She conducts research about human aspects of cybersecurity and privacy, including the usability and adoption of security solutions. Previously she spent over 20 years working at Department of Defense as a security professional and technical leader primarily in the cyber defense mission. She has a B.S. in Computer Science from Loyola University Maryland and an M.S. in Computer Science from University of Maryland. She also earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing from University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
	Jody Jacobs is a Computer Scientist in the Visualization and Usability Group from the FISMA team in the Computer Security Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She is assisting with phishing and security awareness training studies. Previously she spent over 20 years working in the private sector in security networking, network and systems operations and business continuity. She was a member of the NIST FISMA team which produce key security standards and guidelines required by Congressional legislation. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Rochester and an M.S. in Information Systems from Strayer University.
	kevin.Mangold [at] nist.gov (Kevin Mangold) Kevin Mangold works as a Computer Scientist at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Currently, Kevin is investigating how virtual and augmented reality technologies can be leveraged by the public safety community. His primary focus is researching the usability impact of integrating these technologies into the lives of first responders. Formerly, he was an active member of the OASIS Technical Advisory Board (TAB). He was an active participant in ISO/IEC JTC 1 SC 37 and INCITS M1, where he started by serving as a data structure expert, project editor, and a US Head of Delegation. Kevin served as the Acting Chair of JTC 1/SC 37. He served as co-chair for the OASIS Biometric Identity Assurance Services (BIAS) TC and the OASIS Biometric Services TC. He is the recipient of the 2015 ANSI Next Generation Award and the 2014 IEC Young Professionals Award by the USNC.
	Kerrianne Buchanan is a Social Scientist in the Visualization and Usability Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She works on projects seeking to improve human-system interaction by leveraging her background in cognitive and social psychology. Currently she conducts research to support NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) and usable cybersecurity programs. She has a master’s degree in Applied Cognition in Neuroscience and a Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences from the University of Texas at Dallas.
	brian.stanton [at] nist.gov (Brian Stanton) is a cognitive scientist in the Visualization and Usability Group at NIST. He is the project lead for the AI User Trust project. He investigates usability and security issues ranging from password rules and analysis to privacy concerns. Brian has also worked on biometric projects for the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, and with latent fingerprint examiners. He received an MS in cognitive psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
	Kurtis Goad is a student trainee in the Visualization and Usability Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Kurtis Goad is a Master’s student at George Mason University studying Human Factors and Applied Cognition. He has professional experience in Usability/User Experience, Behavior Analytics, and Psychological Research.
Detailees, Guest Researchers & Students
No photo available	theodore.jensen [at] nist.gov (Theodore Jensen)title="mailto:theodore.jensen [at] nist.gov" is a student trainee in the Visualization and Usability Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Connecticut, where his dissertation research focused on perceptions of automation trustworthiness, human-automation trust repair, and anthropomorphism. He is a Pathways intern in VUG working on AI User Trust.
No photo available	Olivia Murphy is a doctoral candidate and teacher educator at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests include secondary literacy and secondary literacy teacher education with a focus on social justice and equity; her dissertation research focuses on investigating the teacher identities and pedagogical practices of high school critical literacy educators. At NIST, Olivia works on projects investigating youth cybersecurity and privacy perceptions/behaviors, and her interest in this research—and all research involving youth knowledge and education—is fueled by her previous life as a high school literacy teacher in Brooklyn, NY.
Important Collaborators
	sharon.laskowski [at] nist.gov (Dr. Sharon Laskowski) is a computer scientist and Deputy Division Chief of the Information Access Division/Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Since 2002, Dr. Laskowski has been leading the effort at NIST to develop the human factors, usability, accessibility, and privacy standards as well as test methods for US voting systems, working closely with the Election Assistance Commission. Now leading the NIST Human Factors Public Working Group, she continues to collaborate with election officials, vendors, and researchers to develop VVSG 2.0 requirements and test methods for the next generation of voting systems. Prior to her current position, she created and was the manager of NIST’s Visualization and Usability Group for 22 years. She received her PhD in computer science from Yale University.
	Mary Theofanos is a Computer Scientist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Communications Technology Laboratory where she performs research on usability and human factors of systems. Mary is the principal architect of the Usability and Security Program evaluating the usability of cyber security and biometric systems. She established the Biometrics Usability Program for the federal government, the first open research program to incorporate usability into biometrics research, elevating usability to a recognized critical component of biometrics research and developing standards for SC37. She is currently the project lead for the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) usability effort evaluating human factors and usability of PSCR technology and the Program Manager of the Industry Usability Reporting (IUSR) Project developing standards for usability. She represents NIST on the ISO JTC1 SC7 TAG and is Co-Convener of WG 28 on usability of software systems.

Created April 12, 2021, Updated October 11, 2022