Sarah J Swierenga
Bio
Dr. Swierenga is a Professor of Practice in User Experience. She was formerly the founding Program Director of the online User Experience Master of Science (UXMS) program, which successfully launched in the Fall 2023 semester.
Dr. Swierenga provides scientific and research oversight, particularly expertise in user-centered design and evaluation, to enhance human-technology interfaces for usability, accessibility, and user satisfaction. She also leads the Michigan Workforce Background Check grant with the State of Michigan; the online system designed to promote and protect the health and safety of Michigan's older adults, adults with disabilities, and children by assisting employers in determining suitability of employment of prospective employees, independent contractors, health professional licensees, and medical marijuana licensees.
Dr. Swierenga is a recognized expert in usability and accessible website design, and presents widely on health communication information technology, usability evaluation with people with disabilities, and accessible electronic voting systems. She was appointed as an alternate member of the U.S. Access Board 508/255 Refresh Committee and as Invited Expert on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WGAG) 2.0 Evaluation Methodology Task Force, W3C WAI WCAG 2.0 Working Group, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology Voting Systems Human Factors Working Group.
Before joining the Department of Media and Information, Dr. Swierenga was Director of Michigan State University Usability/Accessibility Research and Consulting (UARC) for 17 years. Her UARC team of usability and accessibility experts conducted hundreds of projects to evaluate user experiences for web, mobile, and software interfaces for commercial, government, and academic clients, totaling over $2M in revenues. Dr. Swierenga has led 31 research grants ($6.1M) and co-led 20 research grants ($17M), totaling over $23M. She also served on several international, national, and state committees, as well as many MSU committees, and hosted Michigan’s World Usability Day conference annually for 16 years. She holds a Ph.D. in Human Factors Psychology from the University of South Dakota and is a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE).
