A note from Tony Poor — the UI intern who should never leave

Four months ago, I answered a job posting for a summer internship at a test prep company. At the time, I had no idea that the company’s goals aligned so perfectly with mine.

As a student of human-computer interaction, I am passionate about making technology easier to use–bridging the gap between the brain and the system. The grand vision of my entire field is, essentially, technology that invisibly supports the goals of its users.

Here’s the kicker: Knewton is that vision, plus more. Anyone can make an e-learning product ‘easy to use.’ But adaptive learning — delivering a truly personalized education based on a student’s habits — is revolutionary. Through this single mechanism, Knewton is not just creating an easy-to-use product; it’s revolutionizing the usability of education as a whole. All in a completely invisible package. You don’t have to know that something behind the scenes is constantly tailoring lessons to your individual needs and learning habits. It just is.

I live by the mantra that the technology should support the user; why should we settle for educational practices that remain cruelly inflexible? No. Knewton doesn’t think so; that just won’t do. And I’m with them 100%.