Chriscypher Gray

Work Objective

I have extensive experience designing and guiding products through initial concept to deployment, with focus on user interface and user-oriented functional design. For many years I have been the person who gets called to save failing or floundering efforts. While this has been fullfilling and lucrative (yet hectic), I feel I am missing my opportunity to prevent problems from happening in the first place. I miss the continuity of fulltime involvement.

My ideal position would be as part of a workgroup of diversely skilled professionals assigned to bring a new product or iteration to market. I have an extremely broad set of skills which focus on product design, interface design, and taking innovative approaches to simplifying the difficult. My skills span disciplines, combining art production with development.

My ideal company is committed to shipping quality product, has an established product development methodology, and has a tradition of quality. I am seeking more long-term relationships, but for the right position, I am willing to consider relocation and full-time employment.

Skills

I use a lot of software; whatever is appropriate for the task, including:

Web	Dreamweaver	Flash	MySQL	PHP
Video	Final Cut	Premiere
Documentation	InDesign	Quark	Framemaker	Acrobat
Illustration (pixels)	PhotoShop	Fireworks
Illustration (vectors)	FreeHand	Illustrator	ConceptDraw
Platforms	MacOS	Windows	Unix	Custom

Consulting

Since 1992 I have worked as a consultant and designer under the trade name Metamedia. Responsibilities include:

• Usability-oriented interface design, development, and media asset creation, especially for embedded systems.
• Functional requirement and interface specifications.
• Creation and demonstration of prototypes and simulations.
• Presentation of solutions to design teams, senior management, and investors.
• Information design, product and technical design.
• Electronic pre-press and workflow consulting.
• Web application, publishing, and site development.

Services have been performed for many companies as an independent contractor; most noteworthy:

	IdleAire Technologies Corporation Knoxville, TN, 5/01 to 4/02 Interaction Designer Designed all aspects of interaction, and performed all tasks from user analysis to media asset creation, for an embedded point of sale system used by truckers on rest breaks at truck stops. System was designed to be used to purchase HVAC, cable TV, web browsing, email access, IM, VOIP, pay per view, and other features used by semi-literate users.
	Med Images, Inc. Knoxville, TN, 3/00 to 12/01 Product Design Lead, IDS v3 Led the re-design of their IDS software from initial feature bullet-list, through functional specification, user definitions, interface design drafts, media asset creation, and worked with development staff to through to product release.
	Philips Consumer Electronics, Deane Hill New Business Center Knoxville, TN, 5/96 to 2/98 Senior User Interface Specialist Member of a user interface team for a large multinational consumer electronic products manufacturer and distributor. Worked to design the means by which computers are integrated into the living room. I developed and specified user interfaces for a variety of consumer-targetted custom hardware platforms in large focus-driven teams. Received Philips Quality Award for the 90s, 12/96.
	DTV Philips first 16:9 format broadcast digital television. Unique features include the ability for future 3rd party Windows CE applications or other devices to use the television for their on-screen displays. myWeb A television set-top web browser for the Malaysian/Singapore market. Multimedia Access Theater (MAT) A proof of concept for a home theater systems controller, offering infrared keyboard control of audio/video components such as stereo, television, VCR, videodisk, and satellite with a single remote interface. Personal computer functions such as email, web browsing, contact management, speakerphone and videophone functions combined old and new forms of entertainment and productivity.

Other clients include:

Since 1997 I have provided Macintosh systems troubleshooting, network infrastructure and server administration for a steady group of small business clients under the trade name HappyMac.

Employment

Electronic Publishing Specialist
1/89 to 12/92
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN

Assisted development of the Airlift Deployment and Analysis System (ADANS) for the US Air Force Military Ailrlift Command for an internationally reknowned, US Government research laboratory. ADANS flight scheduling and payload management software was used to enable the largest airlift in history during the Desert Storm war.

Applied my visual and logic skills to information design and software structures, and worked as team member within a large project. From the deployment of the software during Desert Storm, I also learned the importance of choosing where to place your creative energy; that military projects have real consequences in the world and that project choice is, in many circumstances, an ethical choice as well.

• Developed the "look and feel" of ADANS software and on-screen presentation of data.
• Produced, wrote, and edited project documentation requiring technical knowledge of operating systems, software structures, or database design.
• Responsible for design and production of illustrations and presentation materials.
• Trained technical writers in use of desktop publishing software for Macintosh and Sun platforms.
• Maintained all documentation in electronic form.
• Designed and implemented a context-sensitive, hypertexting on-line help system.
• Recipient of ORNL Excellence in Research and Development Award, June 1992.
• Co-author of Hyper-Help: Uniting Humans And Machines, Laura L. Bresko, Christopher Gray, Jon Grubb (presented at 38th International Technical Communication Conference, New York City, April 1991).

College

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
BA, College Scholars, High Honors
9/84-5/88

Participated in an honors degree program. During college, I published an independent student newspaper, started 3 (unsuccessful) businesses, and gained extensive experience in fine arts photograhy, theatrical lighting, television, and print publishing.

Special Training and Affiliations

• Member, ACM/SIGCHI, and Atlanta local chapter (CHIA)
• Envisioning Information seminar. Edward Tufte. Washington, DC. 3/19/97.
• MacWorld San Francisco '99; MacWorld Boston '97; MacWorld DC '89.
• Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3). Atlanta, GA. 6/87.
• Advanced Cinematography. David Leitner, John Butler, Denise Brassard. Tested different 16mm motion picture film stocks by filming indoor, outdoor, and nightime scenes at different exposures and lighting conditions. Southeastern Media Institute, Columbia, SC. 6/93.
• Location and Production Sound. John Butler. Tested a variety of professional microphone and recording devices. Southeastern Media Institute, Columbia, SC. 6/93
• PADI Advanced Recreational Diver certified
• Tennessee Mountain Rescue. Certified for vertical mountain rescue in the state of Tennessee, Coursework included training in mountaineering equipment, knots, rappelling techniques, basic medical skills, one-on-one rescue, stretcher evacuation. East Tennessee State University. 11/89.
• St. Louis Comic Exposition, 1995. A guided tour of the comic and gaming industry by a friend who also owns a retail comics store.
• Document Fraud Seminar. FrankW. Abignale, Jr. Knoxville, TN. 10/7/96.
• Athens Paper School, 1990. Learned about paper manufacturing and specification.

References

Available upon request.