- Brenda Laurel
Brenda Laurel is a pioneering writer, researcher, designer and entrepreneur in the fields of
human-computer interaction , interactive narrative and cultural aspects of technology (see also Game Studies).Laurel received an MFA in 1975, and later a
Ph.D. in 1986, intheater fromOhio State University . Her doctoral dissertation proposed an architecture for computer-based interactive fictions. This idea formed the basis for her 1991 book "Computers as Theatre", a seminal work in the field of human-computer interaction.In the 1980s, Laurel worked as a designer and researcher at CyberVision,
Atari andActivision . In 1990, withScott Fisher , she foundedTelepresence Research , a research and development company specializing invirtual reality and remote presence.In 1992 Laurel began a four year gender and technology project with
Interval Research Corporation . This led to the 1996 spin-off companyPurple Moon , dedicated to producing software and other media targeted at pre-teen girls. Purple Moon was acquired byMattel in 1999. Laurel wrote a book about that experience entitled "Utopian Entrepreneur".Between 1999 and 2006, Laurel was chair of the Media Design Program at the
Art Center College of Design , and from 2005 to 2006, a distinguished engineer atSun Microsystems . Laurel was appointed chair of the MFA Program in Design atCalifornia College of the Arts (CCA) in September 2006. She has two daughters (eldest is artistHilary Hulteen , whose godfather is longtime friend, the late counterculture iconTimothy Leary ) and a stepdaughter. She lives in theSanta Cruz Mountains with her husband [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Robtow Rob Tow] .Books
* "Design Research: Methods and Perspectives", MIT Press, (2004) ISBN 0-262-12263-4
* "Utopian Entrepreneur", MIT Press (2001) ISBN 0-262-62153-3
* "Computers as Theatre", Addison-Wesley (1991) ISBN 0-201-55060-1
* "The Art of Human-Computer Interface Design", Addison-Wesley (1990) ISBN 0-201-51797-3
External links
* [http://www.tauzero.com/Brenda_Laurel/ Brenda Laurel's home page]
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