J. Heldridge
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About.

I care about what happens when people have to trust a machine to help them decide.

James Heldridge standing in front of stage lighting equipment before a live production setup
Location
Omaha, NE
Focus
Human-Centered AI
01 — How I work

Start with the decision, not the data.

Every product I work on starts with the same question: what does someone need to understand to act? I design interfaces that make AI transparent—not by showing everything, but by showing the right things at the right time.

02 — Right now

School safety tools that people actually use.

I lead product design at NCITE, a DHS Center of Excellence. Right now that means building a threat assessment platform for K–12 districts—one that counselors and administrators will actually complete. So far: 30% shorter assessments, 45% higher completion rates.

03 — Background

From live shows to product design.

I spent three years designing visuals for live touring productions—the kind of work where you learn to communicate fast and trust your instincts. In 2024 I moved into product design for national security research. Now I'm finishing an M.S. in Human-Centered Computing, studying how people calibrate trust in AI that acts on its own.