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Charles L. Mauro
President and Founder
MAURO Usability Science
Charles L. Mauro is President and Founder of MAURO Usability Science (1975-present). His firm is a leading provider of neuroscience-based human factors and design research focused on complex products and services. Charles is a Certified Human Factors Engineering Professional with 45+ years of experience consulting for leading global clients. He co-chairs the IDSA Design Protection Section and is Founder and Chairman of the Institute for Design Science and Public Policy (IDSPP).
He has managed over 3,000 industrial design / human factors research programs covering a wide range of industry verticals. His specialization combines science-based research methodologies with structured problem-solving. His clients include Nike, Dyson, Apple, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Pfizer, Merck, Amazon, NASA, DOD, Meta and leading law firms. He directed the development and validation of the first neuroscience-based Empirical Ordinary Observer Test (EOOT) now accepted by the court in design patent litigation.
Charles is a frequent speaker at US and international conferences, leading academic institutions, and government agencies, including MIT, Stanford, UPenn, The FDA, USPTO, NASA, IDSA and legal conferences on a global basis.
Charles received numerous citations for human factors research, including the IDSA Life-Time Contribution Award, the HFES Alexander C. Williams and Caplan Awards, and major citations from NASA, NIOSH, and The Association for Computing Machinery. He is a recent recipient of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society “Titan of Industry in Human Factors Research” award.
He is a leading expert witness in IP litigation matters and has testified in over 75 major cases covering utility and design patent matters. He has written numerous amicus briefs for major cases including Apple vs. Samsung for the US Supreme Court. He holds numerous design and utility and design patents related to human factors innovations.
Before founding Mauro Usability Science, he worked personally with product design pioneers Henry Dreyfuss and Raymond Loewy.
Recent Articles by Charles L. Mauro
On February 5, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) held its en banc oral argument to reconsider the obviousness test for design patents. Overall, the many judges’ questions indicated a hesitancy to change the current law, as they expressed concern with positions advanced by the patent challenger. Listening to the argument, it became instantly clear that the designer’s voice was missing from the arguments of both parties. The judges had deeply probing and important questions that need the input of a design professional. As an experienced design professional, I penned this article to highlight the designer’s voice by providing answers to several critical questions posed by the court during oral argument.