About Lauren

I started out working in psychology-based research for the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. I enjoyed working with study participants and with the data we received from them. This introduced me to an interest in working with computers so I sought out a master's degree in information science while I continued working at the university.

About 2015 I was looking at the bookshelf of dusty photo albums and thinking about how we've moved from hand-held albums to digital albums. I still like the idea of having an album full of photos from a particular vacation and I felt that the computer wasn't quite doing them justice. I really wanted to share my photos with friends and family who were visiting. So I started creating a digital photo album, added music and videos, and incorporated cover art to access on my streaming device. It was fun to create these videos and my family absolutely loved watching a quick video of their vacation. That's when I realized that I was creating a better user experience for them and it's something that I could pursue.

After realizing my new interest was in the user experience, I took a course to learn these skills. I enjoy all aspects of the process but I've realized that I favor research. I really enjoy the research of determining how to improve a product's website performance.

From 2020 until 2023 I volunteered on the board of directors for our local Homeowners' Association. I was assigned the position of Communications Director and I updated the HOA's website to provide a lot of useful information for homeowners.

I love running and have been training for full and half-marathons with the local Fleet Feet programs for several years. I have also volunteered to help others reach their goals. May 2024 I completed my 5th marathon.