Software, Internet & Usability Consultant
Ann has 10+ years of experience designing end-user software applications. As a Lead Program Manager for Microsoft, she was responsible for designing product features including user interface (UI) and functionality for Microsoft® FrontPage (Web authoring) and Outlook Express (Internet Email Client). Her particular focus was on UI design and product usability, and served as the liaison between development and marketing teams. Outlook Express has become the third most used Windows end-user application of all time and has won many awards and product reviews for design and usability. During her 5 years at Microsoft, Ann developed expertise in all phases of the software development life cycle and successfully shipped five product releases.
Prior to Microsoft, Ann worked at several small start-up software companies that focused on the financial & insurance services industries, and her responsibilities included the design of client-side software for relational database applications.
Currently Ann focuses on usability and how it can impact website and software design resulting in increased customer satisfaction and completed transactions. Ann also completes competitive product feature reviews to identify areas for improvement and development of competitive advantage.
Ann graduated from the University of Waterloo, Canada, with a Bachelor of Mathematics (Honors) degree. She has also completed a Master of Business Administration at McMaster University, Canada. When not working, Ann enjoys an active life with her family including skiing, golf, running, various hobbies and maintaining her family's website.