Barbara Millet is Associate Professor of Interactive Media at the School of Communication, Program Director for the MS in Experience and Information Design, and Director of the University of Miami User Experience (UMUX) Lab. She received her PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami in 2009. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on human-computer interaction, user experience design, and effective communication products across diverse risk domains, from natural hazards to occupational health.
Dr. Millet employs user-centered design and mixed-methods approaches to investigate how information and data displays can better meet users’ needs in complex, real-world contexts. Her current work spans weather risk communication, where she works with an interdisciplinary team to improve hurricane forecast and hazard graphics; occupational health research with firefighters to develop exposure tracking systems; and mobile health applications for families affected by neurodevelopmental disorders.
Since joining the faculty, Dr. Millet has secured significant external and internal research funding and published extensively in internationally recognized journals, including Weather, Climate, and Society, the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, and Computers in Human Behavior. Her research has been featured in national media and directly informs the redesign of public safety communication products.
Through the UMUX Lab, Dr. Millet trains the next generation of UX professionals while conducting research that bridges communication, engineering, and design to create technologies that improve comprehension and decision-making. She has developed and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in UX Research Methods, Human-Centered Design, Human-Computer Interaction, and Innovation & Design.
Featured Projects
Dynamic Communication of Weather Risk: A User-Centered Design Approach
NASA S.U.I.T.S Augmented Reality Design Challenge
Clean Gear as the New Badge of Honor: Cancer Prevention Campaign for Firefighters