*********************************
There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
*********************************
Summary Sentence: This talk will illustrate context and motivations of people we work with.
Full Summary: In this talk I will describe three projects that illustrate the importance of understanding the broader context and motivations of the people we’re working with. What are their needs and how do we understand if our designs meet them?
Photo Ed CutrellAbstract:
In 2010 I moved to India to begin working in what was for me a new and exciting area of research, ICT4D (ICTs for global development). Critical to ICT4D research is understanding how the unique context and constraints of developing communities affect the design and goals for systems and technologies, and how these systems are taken up by end users and beneficiaries. Last year, I moved back to the US and began working with another group of users who live with a very different set of constraints: people with disabilities. I have found that research in both areas carries critical lessons for HCI researchers and technology designers. In this talk I will describe three projects that illustrate the importance of understanding the broader context and motivations of the people we’re working with. What are their needs and how do we understand if our designs meet them? We’ll look at a system for student interactivity in low-resource Indian classrooms; a way to enhance communication technology for people with ALS; and finally, an easy-to-use system for collecting health information to combat childhood malnutrition. In each, I’ll talk about some of the lessons learned. To paraphrase Field Marshal Moltke, “No design ever survives first contact with users in the field.”
Speaker Bio:
Ed Cutrell is a senior researcher at Microsoft Research where he explores computing for disability, accessibility, and inclusive design with the MSR Ability group. Over the years, he has worked on a broad range of HCI topics, including input tech, visual perception and graphics, intelligent notifications and disruptions, and interfaces for search and personal information management. From 2010-2016, he managed the Technology for Emerging Markets (TEM) group at MSR India, focusing on technologies and systems useful for people living in underserved rural and urban communities in developing countries. Ed has worked in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) since 2000; he is trained in cognitive neuropsychology, with a PhD from the University of Oregon.
