John Gould worked for thirty years at the IBM T. J. Watson Research labs, and retired in 1993. John launched experimental studies of reading and writing at computer terminals, determined limiting factors, and provided solutions. He developed a long collaboration with Stephen Boies to build pioneering systems with emphasis upon usability. Together they invented digital voice messaging systems, now used by millions. John insists that his collaborations with Stephen, Clayton Lewis, and others led to his success. With Clayton, they developed a process for designing systems for usability that has become so commonplace as to be taken for granted. With Stephen, they tested this design process in building the widely-used 1984 Olympic Multi-media Message System. John developed methodologies to test the usability of new systems before they were built, such as paper and pencil experiments. John studied experimentally if an imperfect "listening typewriter" would be useful for experienced dictators, thus pioneering what later was called the 'Wizard of Oz' methodology. Recognizing that better development tools were necessary to achieve improved usability, John, Stephen, and colleagues developed the well known ITS tool that separated software into four layers: action, dialog, style rule and style and used ITS to build real world applications, including the EXPO'92 World's Fair system.