Sharon Laskowski

Dr. Sharon Laskowski is a computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and manager of the Visualization and Usability Group, which performs research on user-centered evaluation methods, metrics, guidelines and standards by applying human factors, cognitive science, user-centered design, and usability principles to improve human system interaction. Since 2002, Sharon has been leading the effort at NIST to develop the accessibility and usability standards and test methods for voting systems in the United States and works closely with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. She is collaborating with top researchers across the U.S. to further develop and refine these requirements and associated test methods. She and her staff also have research projects underway for biometrics usability, usable security, health information technology usability, and information analysis. The ISO/IEC 25062:2006: Common Industry Format for Usability Test Reports and related ISO standards originated in her group. Prior to NIST, Sharon was a lead scientist at MITRE and on the faculty of Penn State University. She received her BS from Trinity College, Hartford, CT and her PhD in computer science from Yale University.