Situated Research: Our Team

Matthew Sharritt, Ph.D., President and Co-founder of Situated Research, specializes in user-experience (UX) research and usability testing within software and video games. Dr. Sharritt is a graduate of the interdisciplinary Communication & Information Sciences Ph.D. program (specializing in communication, computer and information science, human-computer interaction and IT management) and the Computer Science M.S. at the University of Hawai‘i, where he served as a teaching assistant. Prior, he was webmaster at Time Warner Telecom while earning his B.S. at Marquette University in Computer Engineering. His research examines ways of maximizing self-efficacy, fun, and flow through the design of engaging technologies: describing how learning in games can occur through playtesting and exploration. You can read more about Dr. Sharritt and his research at his personal website, situatedgaming.com.

Michel Ann Sharritt, Vice President and Co-founder of Situated Research, has over fifteen years of business and customer service experience in administration, information technology, finance, and the medical industry. Her B.A. in psychology (with focus in behavioral psychology) helps her to uncover users' needs and wants while interacting with software interfaces. She previously ran Finance Management where she consulted physicians that struggled with business, helping them avoid bankruptcy and become profitable. Mrs. Sharritt is dedicated to customer service and aims to create the best experience possible for clients of Situated Research. She has a creative touch for designing new media such as websites, interactive marketing, and video games. She conducts private consulting and live webinars (view here) to help both large and small businesses utilize social networks to generate business.

Jeff Dinger has over twenty years experience working inside and around the entertainment, consumer electronics, and IT services industries, leading successful projects and deploying custom, tailor-made solutions that maximize productivity and improve visibility for both tactical and strategic clients. His problem solving background has served his clients well, from small start-ups to Fortune 100 companies: allowing them to improve performance, lower-costs, and deploy solutions that capture new market share. He is an unusual combination of sales rainmaker and a detail-oriented manager of process. A strong operations leader, he has spent the last nine years focused on managed IT service sales in both domestic and international markets and has a long history of satisfied, successful clients.

Hardy Janson has worked as an Inside Sales Manager for over ten years, with an eye toward helping companies understand the value of having an effective marketing plan and productive sales staff. Concentrating mostly on small companies and start-ups, Hardy has worked across a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, staffing, telecommunications, hardware and software. His diverse experience has helped him understand that the biggest factor to success is a salesperson's ability to effectively brand the company as a whole, regardless of the company's products or services, by establishing mutually beneficial relationships with clients.

Rachel Kwee is a graduate of Miami University, where she earned B.A. degrees in Zoology and Comparative Religion. Her liberal arts education and diverse intellectual interests provide her with valuable critical thinking and logic skills that she continally develops and applies professionally today. Rachel has twelve years of experience in customer service and project management. She has spent the last four years in B2C sales and operations management, where she specialized in operational efficiency and the development of business and sales solutions to optimize profitability. Rachel's success comes from her ability to understand the needs and mindset of her customers, which she uses to enrich and add value to their experience and to shape brand strategies.

Rick Remmers has over twenty years experience working in marketing and advertising sales consulting roles, helping his clients plan, develop, and execute successful media campaigns on radio, television and the Internet. He has worked with numerous clients, ranging from small business to large regional and national organizations, to create effective brand and communication strategies. Rick has been involved with the Internet and e-commerce throughout his career and understands the vital importance that a well-planned website plays when integrated into a business-marketing plan. He enjoys taking the time to understand his client's vision for their business, and working together to translate those goals into increased traffic and sales.

Janet Barrett holds a B.S. in Communications, with emphases on advertising and psychology, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her twenty years of writing experience ranges from copywriting, newspaper, radio, catalog and point-of-service communications in fields including journalism, print and web production, customer service and retail businesses. Janet's columns, features, business and education articles appeared in Suburban Life newspapers during the '90s. Besides her work at Situated Research, Janet is Associate Editor and Senior Writer of Reflections, an alumni magazine of Resurrection University, and writes articles on volunteerism for examiner.com. Janet approaches her work with a friendly attitude and a healthy sense of humor.

Korina Borowycz has a B.S. in Computer Programming and an A.S. in Web Design from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Korina is skilled in creating functional, user-friendly websites for both small and medium sized businesses, as well as individuals. She has worked on numerous e-marketing projects and has designed a nationally distributed salary survey guide. She has enhanced corporate websites using search engine optimization (SEO) and has helped businesses with geolocation and social media marketing. Her educational background provides her with a unique approach to create standards compliant websites, which are tailored to the needs of the client and their user base. Korina is continuing her education to expand her knowledge of the field and to stay current on the latest web standards.

Elizabeth Carter is an award-winning writer with over ten years of experience in marketing communications. Through fresh, upbeat website content and marketing collateral, she helps her clients share the messages their customers want to see. She's written for large and small businesses, non-profits and government agencies, and her journalistic work has appeared in The Business Ledger and suite101.com. She also frequently shares her passion for writing by delivering hands-on seminars and workshops for the local business community. Beth holds a B.S. in Economics from Michigan State University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan.

Justin Harrell has a B.S. in Graphic Design from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Since graduating Justin has been freelancing for several North American studios and companies, and enjoys the challenge of creating custom graphic design solutions. With substantial experience in a wide variety of projects and clients, he realizes that every client and project has a unique, creative solution. Justin's work includes packaging design concepts for Cracker Barrel candles, designing the annual report for Project Hope, and t-shirt designs for The American Cancer Society.

Robert Kalajian, Jr. is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, with over ten years of system administration experience and four years of web development experience. His past employment has provided him with knowledge in a variety of fields, including health care, education, advertising, and entertainment. He currently runs his own independent board game and traditional role-playing game (RPG) publishing company, Tremorworks, as a means to "unplug" from his otherwise technology-filled life. Robert loves a challenge, and always looks forward to the latest projects to see what interesting learning opportunities they provide.

Jenny Loyd has twelve years of professional experience in graphic design. During her career, she has worked on product design and development, packaging, photo retouching and photo research. She also has extensive experience in constructing promotional pieces including brochures, logos, mailers, catalogs, photo shoots, and website graphics. In 2008, Ms. Loyd won a national award from Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) for the line of “Illuminations” wall decor she created for Successories. She is a graduate of Columbia College in Chicago, where she earned a B.A. in Advertising Art. According to Jenny, “Inspiration is key. I am inspired by nature more than anything, and use it in my day-to-day designs. The colors, shapes, and shadows motivate the enthusiasm I have for my work. My goal is to always combine that enthusiasm with the attention to detail that every project deserves.”

William (Bill) Mahaney has fifteen years of technical Internet experience, including web design, databases, content management systems (CMS) development, search engine optimization (SEO), and search engine marketing (SEM). Bill has worked extensively with over 400 clients to deliver successful Internet-based solutions, including AMCO Tool, H.B. Fuller, Home Depot, Lily Corporation, Chapco Adhesive, and many others to deliver a return on their investment. Previously with Bell Laboratories (AT&T), Lucent Technologies, NCR, and Western Electric, Bill holds eight active U.S. and International Patents while responsible for Account Management, Project Management, and Systems Engineering in the communications field. Bill believes we are not rewarded for "what we know", it is "what we do with what we know" that makes the difference in total client satisfaction.

Dorothy Mason has over ten years of experience as Graphic Designer and Art Director, and has worked with nonprofits such as The Field Museum in Chicago: in exhibitions, education, and the conservation department. She has also worked extensively on projects with McDonalds Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Disney, and Target: giving her experience working with graphic identity, printed collateral, invitations, and brochures. Dorothy Mason loves to collaborate with clients to formulate design concepts and presentation approaches. Conceptualizing projects and implementing them through to completion, she works well as a liaison from one way of thinking to another. She frequently interprets concepts into visuals, clarifying and distilling information into stunning digital art.

Pandora Rose has a background in psychology and fine arts, which she has used to create stunning CD covers, book covers, flyers, ads, logos, photo refinishes, posters and a myriad of other promotional products. She draws on fourteen years of graphic design and web marketing experience in fulfilling client's needs, with the unwavering eye of both a consumer and an artist. Her work spans many industries including art, sports, music, entertainment, retail, and health care, which helps her understand the many different viewpoints of her clients. Some of Pandora's clients include Go-Go Magazine, Aha Designs, Colorado Golf, Pismo Gallery, and Fire Mountain Gems and Beads.

Karen Schlipf holds a B.S. in Visual Communications from the Illinois Institute of Technology Institute of Design in Chicago and a web design certificate from the College of DuPage. Her past experiences include audio-visual presentations for trade shows, product illustrations, brochures, ads, signage, and logo development for products used in commercial fisheries, shipping, as well as the US Navy and NASA for the Dukane Corporation. She also produced a variety of eye-catching ads and special sections for the SunTimes News Group. She combines her 20 years of experience in design with her love of dogs to produce illustrations for several books on dog health, creative websites, business cards and t-shirt designs. Karen takes inspiration from the world around her to create unique solutions for her clients.

Jason Smith is a user-interface design specialist and software architect. His career began at IBM Corporation in 1999 as a graphics designer, where he learned the ropes of the software industry, its life cycle, and all the phases of development from conception to manifestation of software products. With a firmly planted right foot, he took on a challenging role soon after with weightwatchers.com, a franchised start-up, to help design and engineer virtualized weight-loss tools for the web. It was here he first discovered the true purpose of coffee! After seven years of designing web experiences, he left the fulltime role to consult at a broader spectrum in the software industry. Jason has consulted with a range of prestigious clients from the apparel, music, and entertainment industries including Gucci of America, AOL Music, and Disney.

Nick Stretchbery has a B.S. in Architecture from The Ohio State University and has been a graphic and web designer in both Columbus and Chicago since the completion of his degree. Nick’s passion for design, in aspects ranging from architecture to typography, allows him to draw from many sources to create unique and informed designs. He has worked with a wide variety of clients, including conference branding for The Economist and logo design for small businesses in the Chicagoland area. Nick takes every project he works on as a personal challenge to create something for which both he and the client can be proud.