As the principle consultant, Anita helps marketing, communication and development teams create successful product strategies and at the same time develop effective research and development processes. The result is a maintainable product that is useful and easy to use.

Anita's wide-ranging experience allows her to apply trends across product lines and technologies. For instance, her background in telecommunications systems design was crucial in her success in designing web applications for Cisco Systems, prototyping "Smart Classrooms" for the University of Washington, and in researching human factors issues in mobile computing. She also has transformed her early experiences in instructional design into successful web information products for AT&T Wireless, the City of Bellevue, and the State of Washington. With a Master degree in Technical Communication and a background in experimental psychology, Anita has helped solve strategic product problems for the Gates Foundation, Getty Images, imandi.com, and Seattle Public Utilities.

Anita enjoys coaching others in the design of products that are easy to use. She teaches User Experience Design and Usability at the University of Washington and offers workshops in user research, interviewing, information architecture, and writing for the web. She is also active in community and professional organizations (Marina Technology Cluster, ACM Computer-Human Interaction, Usability Professionals Association, Association of Communication Consultants, and the American Red Cross.)

Anita Salem's Resume

Cindy King is a Senior Consultant for SalemSystems, Inc. Cindy combines empirically based research and ethnographic inquiry to diagnose key communication challenges for organizations. She has a strong background in effective communication design and development, team building, communication skills training, and technical writing.

Cindy is currently a Professor of Business Communications at the Naval Post Graduate School. Cindy's past experience includes the development and management of the training department for Sakson & Taylor Consulting, where she trained over 1000 contract employees at Microsoft in information design and Web technologies. She also worked for CBI Consulting, a Web application development firm, first as Director of Information Design, and later as Director of Business Development, where she managed design and account management teams servicing such clients as Visio, Lexis Nexis, Real Networks, and Microsoft.

Dr. Mary B. Coney, Professor Emeritus, Department of Technical Communication at the University of Washington, teaches rhetorical theory, style, writing for publication, and advanced technical writing. Professor Coney also presents nation-wide seminars on technical and professional writing for engineers, architects, managers, scientists, lawyers, bankers, and teachers.

Mary's research interests include rhetorical strategies in professional settings, stylistic analyses of technical documents, and reader-writer relationships. Her findings are published in IEEE Transactions on Professional Communications, ASEE Journal of Engineering Education, Technical Communication Quarterly, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, and Journal of Advanced Composition. She is a Fellow of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication in 2000. In 2002, an endowment was created in her name by the Department of Technical Communication.

Mary Evans is an Associate Consultant for SalemSystems, Inc. Mary has extensive experience in applying technical communication and usability principles to safety-critical settings.

Mary's past work includes 14 years as a research analyst in the Hazardous Materials Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). At NOAA, Mary performed software and website usability testing, designed and managed software quality assurance programs, and developed training materials and courses, manuals, and software tools for first responders.

Mary has taught technical communication and emergency response courses in a variety of international settings, including the University of Washington, Seattle, the World Maritime University, Malmo, and the World Environment Center, Mexico City. She holds a Master of Science degree and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Technical Communication at the University of Washington, focusing on designing to support decision makers working in time-critical, high-risk settings.

Dr. Jan H. Spyridakis, Professor, Department of Technical Communication at the University of Washington, teaches courses on style in writing, research methodology, and advanced and international technical communication. Professor Spyridakis has been honored with four teaching awards and is a member of the University of Washington Teaching Academy. She has presented seminars on technical and professional communication to a variety of audiences nationwide.

As a pioneering researcher in the field of Technical Communication (TC), Jan has brought awareness and respect for empirical work to the TC field. Her research focuses on empirically assessing the effect of document and screen design variables on comprehension and usability, on refining research methods for application in the field of technical communication, and on understanding the effect of culture on document design.

She has published over 75 articles in international journals and has received grants from major funding agencies. She coedited the August 2000 issue of Technical Communication on heuristics for Web design and authored an often-cited article on design guidelines for the creation and evaluation of comprehensible Web pages. As a result of her research and publications, she has received five publication awards, has been appointed to editorial boards of two journals and a review board of a third journal, and has been honored as a Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication. Jan's vast research and teaching experience form the basis for her in-house seminars.