James Dishman
Interaction Designer · AI Systems & UX Research
Summary
Interaction designer completing an MS in User Experience at Kent State University (December 2026, 3.962 GPA), specializing in human-AI interaction and AI-augmented workflows. Designs, builds, and ships daily from Clarence, a self-built multi-agent development platform with governed memory and semantic retrieval, the production environment for current software, hardware, art, and web projects. Clarence runs on Hermes, a self-hosted agent runtime, and was developed with Hermes, Claude Code, and OpenAI Codex, including custom MCP integrations. Prototypes primarily in code with AI coding agents, favoring working software over static mockups, and stays fluent in Figma. Backed by a rigorous accessibility practice (WCAG 2.1 auditing, VPAT reporting), a decade leading Pittsburgh's Ableton user community, and thirty years inside expert-level creative software.
Core Skills
AI & Agentic Systems
Claude Code · OpenAI Codex · Multi-agent orchestration (Hermes) · Model Context Protocol (MCP) server design · RAG/vector search · Semantic retrieval · Prompt engineering · Human-AI interaction design
Design & Research
Interaction design · Designing and prototyping in code with AI coding agents · Figma · Paper prototyping · User flows · Information architecture · Moderated and unmoderated usability testing · Contextual inquiry · Semi-structured interviews · Heuristic evaluation · Journey mapping · Affinity mapping · Card sorting · Survey design · Miro · Loop11 · Lyssna
Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 A/AA · Section 508 · VPAT 2.5 reporting · axe DevTools · WAVE · VoiceOver screen reader testing · TPGi Colour Contrast Analyser · Keyboard-only navigation testing · PDF remediation (Adobe Acrobat) · COGA cognitive accessibility · Universal design
Technical
HTML/CSS · TypeScript · React/Next.js · Python · SQLite · GitHub Actions CI/CD · Google Analytics 4
Experience
Title Abstractor
Nomad Land Services LLC
- Run an independent title practice conducting certified title analysis across multiple states and counties; currently researching property, lease, and mineral-ownership records for oil and gas projects, resolving chains of title extending to the 1850s.
- Resolve ambiguous record histories through document analysis, deed plotting, GIS resources, and probate research; deliver weekly written status reports to client stakeholders.
- Led small teams resolving title defects and partnered with attorneys on complex legal and property research.
User Group Organizer
Pittsburgh Ableton User Group
- Co-founded and lead a 10-year-running community for users of Ableton Live, organizing recurring meetings, workshops, and performances.
- Serve as direct liaison between the user community and Ableton's corporate community team, providing a decade of structured feedback on expert-user workflows.
- Designed and built PAUG.net (Next.js, GitHub Pages) as the group's public platform.
Smart Meter Technician
Wellington Energy (FirstEnergy contractor)
- Completed high-volume residential service assessments and meter exchanges across a distributed territory while maintaining a 3.962 GPA in a full-time graduate program.
- Communicated service interruptions to residents and documented site conditions in field-data systems.
Graduate Assistant
Kent State University, School of Information
- Co-authored instructional materials and chapters for a graduate-level UX textbook used in the MS User Experience program.
- Conducted site-map analysis and full copy review for the MS UX program website.
- Verified and audited qualitative research data for faculty research projects.
Earlier roles: Material Handler, Osmose Utility Services (2021–2023); Assistant Brewer, Four Points Brewing (2019–2023); production, AV, and technical roles in live events and print production.
Selected Projects
Designed, built, and operate a multi-agent AI platform that runs on Hermes and was developed with Hermes, Claude Code, and OpenAI Codex: governed SQLite memory (10,000+ facts), semantic retrieval/RAG, and custom MCP servers. Primary development environment for all current work: SensorSynthFM, hardware and generative-art projects, and nomadjames.com are all built and operated through it.
Working iPad FM synthesizer exploring sensor-driven interaction design through touch, accelerometer, gyroscope, and microphone modulation; MS capstone with a fully public, dated build history.
56-criterion WCAG 2.1 A/AA conformance audit using the VPAT 2.5 template; evidence gathered with axe DevTools, WAVE, HeadingsMap, VoiceOver, keyboard-only walkthrough, and TPGi contrast measurement; documented Does-Not-Support findings with reproducible tool evidence.
Planned, facilitated, and synthesized a 15-participant moderated usability study, from recruiting and task design through affinity analysis and reporting.
Multi-method expert-tool evaluation (heuristic evaluation, cognitive walkthrough, comparative analysis) grounded in 30 years of music production and a decade of user-community leadership.