Hi, I'm Kevin Matz.

I'm a generalist with many interests. My background is in computing, and am currently employed as a software engineering manager. My professional interests include technology startups, managing software projects and teams, product management, requirements analysis, software design and specification, and usability.

Very long-term, my interests lie in writing and publishing. My true passion is figuring out how to explain a complex subject in simple, comprehensible terms. Eventually I'd like to make a transition into becoming a full-time author, writing non-fiction books on both software- and management-related subjects as well as more interesting topics like politics, history, and even self-help.

My first book, Designing Usable Apps, was published several years ago, and I'm slowly making progress on my next book project (to be announced).

Previously, I founded Winchelsea Systems Ltd. and launched an early beta of ChapterLab, a niche-market word processing and project management app for book authors and academics. This project is currently on hold, but I have a vision for shaping this further into the ideal writing environment I've always wanted, and I believe there is a decent market opportunity here for a full-featured product that really tackles the big pain points that authors face during major writing projects. I'd love to get back into working on it again.

I'm currently based in Victoria, BC, Canada, enjoying the scenery, outdoors activities, and slightly calmer pace of life on Vancouver Island. Earlier, I earned an MBA at the University of Amsterdam, and worked for six years in Munich, Germany.

Outside of work, I enjoy hiking with friends, running, weightlifting, foreign languages, travel, the demoscene, comedy, late nights, take-out food, reading diversely, and being one of those annoying people who likes to brag about not owning a television. I'm often working on side projects involving writing or coding (I have no interest in developing software full-time but enjoy working on some hobby projects from time to time). For the past few years, my main focus in my spare time has been trying to give myself a general humanities education in history, philosophy, and Classics.

• Born: 1979
• Citizenship: Canadian
• Academic credentials: BSc Computer Science (University of Victoria), MSc Software Development (The Open University, UK), MBA (University of Amsterdam)
• Languages: English (native), German (fluent but gradually atrophying), Dutch (low intermediate level)