Kevin O'Brien

Human Factors Engineer | Task Analysis | Interaction Design | Usability Testing | User Performance Research

Kevin O'Brien is a Human Factors Engineer and co-founder of O'Brien Consulting, Inc., a firm specializing in human factors engineering. With over 25 years of experience, he focuses on developing technology that is both useful and usable, significantly reducing product development time and minimizing user effort.1 2 5

Professional Background

Education: Kevin holds a Ph.D. in Applied Experimental Psychology from Rice University.
Experience: Before founding O'Brien Consulting in 1998, he worked as a senior human factors engineer in the telecommunications industry at Pacific Bell and the aerospace industry at Lockheed Martin.1 3 5 His expertise spans various sectors, including consumer computing, network administration, and medical records systems.1 2

Contributions and Philosophy

Kevin emphasizes the importance of integrating human factors early in the product development cycle to enhance usability and performance. His approach involves analyzing user interactions and optimizing designs to improve efficiency and reduce errors in complex tasks.1 4

Current Role

At O'Brien Consulting, Kevin leads projects that apply the science of human performance to technology design, aiming to improve user experience across various applications.1 5