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About Us

Cognitive design is the art of building structures for learning and performance improvement that are based on the principles of cognitive science. Today, this design process uses the array of instructional and communication technologies which are collectively known as E-Learning, Knowledge Management and Performance Support.

Cognitive Design Solutions, Inc., was founded by Richard Otto in 1993. Based on more than twenty years of training and consulting experience, he developed a project management workflow and instructional design process that produces comprehensive and integrated enterprise performance solutions. This approach to organizational development, training and consulting emphasizes four key areas of planning, design, development and delivery:

Information Instruction Media Delivery system

Mr. Otto has been working in the field of instructional technology since the early days of personal computing and multimedia in 1984, and has an extensive background in educational psychology and organizational development apart from his work in technology-based instruction. He received a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Redlands, CA. He has been a seminar trainer and counselor in personal growth dynamics for over twenty years. During the early part of his career he worked in the field of special education, developmental disabilities and behavior therapy. He worked on a Federal grant providing educational services to deaf-blind children for two years, and then conducted a five year research program documenting effective therapy with children's aggressive and self-injurious behavior in a residential developmental center.

Mr. Otto has provided consulting services to a diverse range of clients, including: Club Med, Go-Video, Motorola, SmartzMedia, Scottsdale Technologies, Stratus Computers, Intel, SRP, New West Energy, Charles Schwab, DHL, Avianta, Peters Consulting Collaborative, and Eventropy. His entrepreneurial vision led him to co-found two prior companies -- Interactive Media Technologies (IMT) and Cognitive Technologies Corporation (CTC) -- which were focused on development of multimedia hardware/software for education and training delivery.

Cognitive Design Solutions' consulting and training services apply the principles of cognitive science to each delivery mode -- to create learner-centered, collaborative environments and integrated learning solutions. The aim is not only measurable skill acquisition, but measurable transfer-of-learning for empowered performance. Ultimately, it is improved individual and team performance in the daily work environment that is the real test of an enterprise learning program.

Successful organizational development programs meet these criteria: they are realistic, effective, timely and cost-efficient.

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