Cheryl Platz is a User Experience Designer with Microsoft, currently working with the Management & Administration Experience team on advanced user interfaces for information technology professionals. Prior to her time at Microsoft, Cheryl spent a number of years as a Producer in the video game industry. Her shipped titles include Disney Friends (Nintendo DS) and numerous titles in the Sims line of products including The Sims Bustin’ Out, The Urbz, and The Sims 2. She also assisted Walt Disney Imagineering with early prototypes for Disney’s Photopass system for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
When she isn’t working, Cheryl is very active in the Seattle theatre community. She is an ensemble member with Unexpected Productions, home of Seattle Theatresports improv comedy, and performs in their flagship show on a near-weekly basis. Improv has proved a great inspiration for her daytime work, and Cheryl is helping to lead an effort to teach improvisational skills to women engineers at Microsoft. Cheryl is also a passionate volunteer for local efforts to expose young women in technology, including the IGNITE program in Seattle.
Cheryl graduated from Carnegie Mellon University (2002) with a BS in Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction, and spent an additional year in CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center graduate program.
