Ryan Biette

Human Factors Engineering Researcher @ Google · Tufts University BS/MS · San Francisco Bay Area

I love data and design. I am a researcher, a designer, and a human.

I design solutions that make positive and tangible impacts in people's everyday lives. I am particularly interested in the intersection of design and business.

I have my masters of science in Human Factors Engineering from Tufts University's School of Engineering and a minor in Entrepreneurship from the Tufts' Gordon Institute.

Portfolio

  • Augmented Reality for Wayfinding

    • AR capstone

    For my capstone project in my graduate studies, I conducted independent research examining how different modalities of augmented reality affect user's ability to find items in a complex environment. I created prototypes in three modalities: visual, tactile, and auditory. After recruiting users, I conducted usability testing within a grocery store to compare the different methods. Click here for more information on the project

  • Gestural Holographic User Interface

    • Hologram Hero

    I led research for a gestural user interface that was displayed through a hologram as part of a government grant. This system was to be used as a situational awareness and planning tool for trained personel.Click here for more information on the project

  • Virtual Reality for Chronic Pain Treatment

    • CRPS

    For my capstone project in my undergraduate studies, I worked with a group of two computer science students and another human factors student. We sought to build a virtual reality research tool for our project sponsor, an occupational therapy researcher. Our goal was to enhance the traditional method of graded motor imagery therapy by making the therapy more immersive and believable. Chronic pain, specifically complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), is characterized by dibilitating pain in limbs and often is accompanied by depression and anxiety. We hope that our solution can be used to advance the field and improve therapy methods for those struggling with CRPS. Click here for more information on the project

  • The SmartCane

    • Smart Cane

    My grandmother has Alzheimer's disease and is losing her mobility. Over one Thanksgiving weekend, it became clear that finding my grandmother's cane was a large issue in her life and in my family's life. I took it upon myself to pitch this problem to my design and engineering club, MAKE. Over the course of the semester, we created a radio-controlled device that allows my grandparents to locate my grandmother's cane. This saves an average of thirty minutes per day and helps foster my grandmother's independence --something Alzheimer's takes away. Click here for a project summary

    Experience

    Human Factors Engineering Researcher

    Google (contract)

    Work is confidential at the moment

    November 2020 - Present

    User Experience Research Intern

    Rapid7

    Enterprise Cyber Security Software Company

  • Established and scaled heuristic evaluation framework through company
  • Assisted with cybersecurity console design efforts
  • Quantitative and qualitative data analysis and synthesis
  • Supported user interviews with international customers

    • March 2020 - November 2020

    Junior User Experience Researcher and Designer

    Promoted from User Experience and Human Factors Engineering Intern

    Cognito Therapeutics

    MIT-backed startup creating device-based therapies for neurodegenerative diseases

  • Conducted clinical trial patient interviews (including travel, preparation, and synthesis)
  • Designed and led concept studies
  • Advised R & D engineering efforts
  • User experience design, user interface design, and technical support
  • Designed and tracked participant recruitment campaign for translational research studies

    • June 2018 - December 2019

    Crew Lead

    Clif Bar & Company

    Adventure Food Company (Part time)

  • Organize and execute marketing events across the Northeast US
  • Plan event logistics
  • Organize asset and product inventory

    • April 2017 - December 2020

    Monitoring/Data Analyst Intern

    SunBug Solar

    Solar Energy Installation and Maintenance

  • Analyzed fleet data and performance
  • Wrote software to assist in the collection and analysis of large data sets
  • Led research and customer outreach efforts
  • Visited active sites to fix monitoring issues

    • June 2017 - August 2017

    Engineering Intern

    Seedsheet

    Agricultural Technology Start-up

  • Helped the company receive $500,000 investment on ABC's SharkTank
  • Researched market statistics
  • Managed shipping and supply chain logistics
  • Product development
  • Grew and managed social media following on multiple networks

    • May 2016 - June 2017

    Education

    Tufts University School of Engineering

    Masters of Science in Human Factors Engineering
    GPA: 3.9
    Recognitions

    FAST TRAC Scholar, NOD: Notation of Professional Development

    September 2018 - May 2020

    Tufts University School of Engineering

    Bachelor of Science, Magna Cum Laude, Honos Civicus
    GPA: 3.7
    Major: Human Factors Engineering
    Minor: Entrepreneurial Studies


    Activities
  • Tufts Habitat for Humanity - Build Coordinator, Executive Board
  • Tufts Mountain Club - Trip Leader
  • Tufts Energy Group - Project Lead
  • Tufts MAKE - Project "SmartCane" Design Lead
  • Tufts Human Factors and Ergonomic Society
  • Tufts Urban Policy Planning and Prosperity Club


    • September 2015 - May 2019

    Blog

    I add to my blog periodically. Topics are mostly centered around human factors engineering and UX. I hope you enjoy!