About the Author
Laura Bright is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Advertising at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) undertaking her first semester of coursework in Spring 2005. In May 2004, Laura obtained her Master of the Arts in Advertising at UT Austin. Additionally, in May 2000, Laura received her BS in Advertising from UT Austin as well. Throughout her academic career, Laura has focused on interactive media and digital content management as her primary areas of interest. During her graduate studies, Laura's research focused on intra-site advertising and its effect on the online user experience in terms of its congruency, relevance, and consistency. In addition, the research areas of digital information flow, the idea of "telepresence", and the concepts related to human-computer interaction (HCI) remained a constant interest during this period.
On the business side, Laura has consistently pursued her entrepreneurial spirit in both working for the family business and a local Austin-based educational software "dot com". Her combined work experience in a pseudo-corporate structure and free-lancing has given her a unique perspective on the digital design industry and its workings. Since 1996, Laura and her brother, Ben Bright, have maintained a roster of 10-20 online clients including a variety of Austin-based artists, businesses, and musicians. Laura continually strives to integrate her research findings into how her client's sites are designed and managed. When not at her desk, Laura can either be found digging in her garden, walking her retriever, Stella, or touring with her husband, Brian's bluegrass band.
For more information, please visit brightwoman.com!