Devise's founders have 30 years of experience designing and developing digital products.
Elizabeth Bacon
Founder and Chief Design Officer
Liz discovered her calling with Interaction Design (IxD) in the late ‘90s in San Francisco when she joined the staff at Cooper, the pioneering IxD consultancy. At Cooper she led projects in domains including medical device technology, enterprise software, online shopping and products merging Industrial Design & IxD. Liz also supervised design teams and created training material, as well as teaching Cooper U.
Following Cooper, Liz spent five years leading the user experience design efforts at St. Jude Medical, a Fortune 100 medical device company. She delivered interaction design solutions and conducted user research to ship several generations of Class III cardiac rhythm management systems and devices. She worked closely with development teams to ensure that products remained true to clinicians' needs and goals, helping St. Jude Medical gain market share in the process.
Liz is passionate about the power of IxD to better the world. She is currently Vice-President of the Interaction Design Association, an organization devoted to improving the human condition by advancing the discipline of Interaction Design. Additionally, Liz has been granted multiple patents and has published articles in UXmatters and <interactions> magazines.
Liz loves autocross racing and writing poetry. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English and French Literature from Stanford University, and a Master's degree in Industrial Arts from San Francisco State University.
Mike McAulay
Founder and Chief Technology Officer
Mike is a software development expert with over 20 years of industry experience. He has coded everything from PC device drivers to 3D game engines and sound effect systems using a broad range of languages, tools and platforms. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of Devise, Mike is actively engaged in R&D efforts focusing on Ruby on Rails, Flash/Flex/AIR, iPhone apps and social gaming.
Before founding Devise Mike freelanced as a web application programmer implementing custom CMS and E-commerce solutions. Prior to that he worked for 15 years as a lead programmer in the computer/video game industry, shipping titles and managing development for employers and publishers including Nintendo, Sony, Electronic Arts, Activision, THQ, Sierra and 3DO.
An avid music lover, Mike enjoys playing guitar and dabbling with synthesizers in his free time. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematical and Computational Sciences from Stanford University.
Get in touch with Liz and Mike to discuss design and development (or autocross or music)!