Biography

Brian O’Keefe, PhD, is a interaction designer and human factors specialist, with a focus on creating, implementing and evaluating user experiences for current and emerging mobile products, services and systems. Since 2011, his research has been focused on the design of emerging mixed reality (augmented and virtual) experiences that generate new approaches and methods for student-centered learning.

Formerly, Brian was a Senior User Experience Design Lead at Fujifilm, commercializing user interfaces for Wal-mart photo lab kiosks in North and Central America. As a Lead User Experience Architect at EffectiveUI, Brian won major sales bids with Verizon Wireless, and delivered strategic personalized customer-centered experiences. As a visiting assistant professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, Brian won funding from New York State's Council on the Arts to design mobile augmented reality experiences at heritage locations. As a Senior Interaction Designer at Eastman Kodak Company, Brian patented and designed photo memory products, devices and interfaces. During his post-doctorate at Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland, UK, he designed and evaluated photo-centered conversational interfaces to the Internet with artificial intelligence and natural language processing.

In 2007, Brian earned his PhD in Telematics and the Information Society (Human Computer Interaction) from the University of Florence, Italy. In 2002 he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic and interaction design from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Brian has been a featured speaker at numerous international Human Computer Interaction Conferences, presenting research papers on the advancement of interaction design.

Areas of Expertise (4)

Entrepreneurial Skills

Graphic & Interaction Design

User Experience Design

Human Factors & Usability Testing

Accomplishments (2)

Entertainment Innovation Award for the Fujifilm Photo Transfer App (professional)

Ranked 6 most popular photo app in the Apple App Store (4 Million Downloads)

Innovations 2011 Design and Engineering Award in the Eco-Design and Sustainable Technology (professional)

Winner: Innovations 2011 Design and Engineering Award in the Eco-Design and Sustainable Technology: International Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). KODAK PULSE Digital Frame

Education (2)

Tyler School of Art, Temple University: BFA, Graphic and Interactive Design 2002

Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy: PhD, Telematics and the Information Society 2007

Languages (3)

• English
• Italian
• Japanese

Event Appearances (6)

“TourBlend”

2015 New York State Tourism Conference, NYS Tourism Industry Association  Albany, NY

“Truancy”

Designing Blended Spaces with Schoolchildren at Heritage Locations  Mumford, NY

“Mystery of the Missing Child”

NYSCA Mobile Experiences for Tourism Project  Mumford, NY

“Hands-On Workshop: Exploring the role of Mixed Reality for Bio Technologies and the people they serve.”

Sbarro Health Research Organization Invited Lecture Series  Philadelphia, PA

“What do students need to know about the relationship between technology, tourism and travel?”

10th Annual Hospitality Symposium, Impacts of Technology in Hospitality & Tourism, Rochester Institute of Technology  Rochester, NY

“Providing an authentic traveler experience?”

RU Smart Session. 2015 New York State Tourism Conference, New York State Tourism Industry Association  Albany, NY

Research Grants (4)

FSC Interaction Design Summer Research Stipend Awards

Farmingdale State College $5,000

FSC Interaction Design Summer Research Stipend Awards

Facebook Corporate Sponsorship at DIS 2017

Facebook, London $10,000

Brokered £7,000 GDP (nearly $10,000) for the ACM SIGCHI Conference Designing Interactive Systems 2017 Conference. DIS attendees were able to network, and attend presentations hosted by Facebook, London.

Student Conference Funding

CHI Paris 2013 $3,000

Aided to secure College of Liberal Arts (COLA) Department funding, which sent for three students to present our research in Paris, France

Vice President of Research Seed Funding Grant

Rochester Institute of Technology $5,000

Brick City Tours: Evaluating Mobile Experiences Before, During and After Campus Visits

Published Articles (6)

Using the Blended Spaces Framework to design Heritage Stories with Schoolchildren.

International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction

Using the Blended Spaces Framework to design Heritage Stories with Schoolchildren. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction.

Dyslexia and Creativity, Investigations from Differing Perspectives (book chapter)

Dyslexic Visualizations in Practice: Strengths and Forgotten Frustrations

Dyslexic Visualizations in Practice: Strengths and Forgotten Frustrations. In Neil Alexander-Passe (Ed.), Dyslexia and Creativity, Investigations from Differing Perspectives (pp. 89-106). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

A Blended Space for Heritage Storytelling

In Proceedings of the 27th International British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Conference: Sand, Sea & Holiday HCI.

A Blended Space for Heritage Storytelling. In Proceedings of the 27th International British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Conference: Sand, Sea & Holiday HCI. (Article 45, 10 pages). Southport, UK, BCS-HCI 14.

Theory into practice: Designing for presence in blended tourism experiences.

"Confluence"

Theory into practice: Designing for presence in blended tourism experiences. 104th Annual Eastern Communication Association Convention "Confluence" (pp. 24-28).

Location as Interaction: Exploring Blended Spaces in the Global Village.

In Proceedings of the 27th International British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Conference: The Internet of things.

Location as Interaction: Exploring Blended Spaces in the Global Village. In Proceedings of the 27th International British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Conference: The Internet of things. (Article 52, 5 pages). Swinton, UK

Exercise to Socialize: Improving Peer Relationships in the Fitness Center

Games Innovation Conference (IGIC), 2012 IEEE International

Exercise to Socialize: Improving Peer Relationships in the Fitness Center. Games Innovation Conference (IGIC), 2012 IEEE International. (pp. 40- 45). Rochester, NY: IEEE.