DDI Community: wiki
Current Contributers
Beth Kolko
I’m an Associate Professor in the Dept of Human Centered Design & Engineering. My academic history includes a background in rhetoric, cultural studies, and online communities.
I began researching the Internet in the days of newsgroups and Lynx, and at that point focused on how people used the medium to communicate and interact. In 2000, I co-edited Race in Cyberspace which was the result of several years’ research into how issues of race and gender affected technology usage patterns. I then took those research questions to an international context, spending half a year on a Fulbright in Uzbekistan in 2000.
I have been tracking the emergence of information and communication technologies in Central Asia since then, and I have had the opportunity to compare that area to various other countries that fall into the category of ‘developing regions.’ I have done fieldwork several places, including in Cambodia, Kenya, Philippines, Thailand, and Tunisia. DDI is an outgrowth of studying users in context, looking at information-seeking and communication patterns generally, and examining the ecology of ICTs within users’ lives. Some of the most imaginative uses of mobiles and computers are happening in resource-constrained environments, and DDI is an opportunity to engage with these developments.
I’m an Associate Professor in the Dept of Human Centered Design & Engineering. My academic history includes a background in rhetoric, cultural studies, and online communities.
I began researching the Internet in the days of newsgroups and Lynx, and at that point focused on how people used the medium to communicate and interact. In 2000, I co-edited Race in Cyberspace which was the result of several years’ research into how issues of race and gender affected technology usage patterns. I then took those research questions to an international context, spending half a year on a Fulbright in Uzbekistan in 2000.
I have been tracking the emergence of information and communication technologies in Central Asia since then, and I have had the opportunity to compare that area to various other countries that fall into the category of ‘developing regions.’ I have done fieldwork several places, including in Cambodia, Kenya, Philippines, Thailand, and Tunisia. DDI is an outgrowth of studying users in context, looking at information-seeking and communication patterns generally, and examining the ecology of ICTs within users’ lives. Some of the most imaginative uses of mobiles and computers are happening in resource-constrained environments, and DDI is an opportunity to engage with these developments.
Emma Rose
As a doctoral student in the Department of Technical Communication, I am interested in how previously under-represented groups can meaningfully participate in the design of information and communication technologies.
In addition, I¹m also interested in developing usability and user-centered design research methodology: specifically focusing on how ethnographic studies and field work data can contribute to guidelines for designers of technology.
I teach various user-centered design classes at the University of Washington in the Department of Technical Communication. I am also a Senior Associate at Anthro-tech, Inc. a consulting firm that specializes in helping government, non-profit and industry clients create meaningful experiences for their users.
As a doctoral student in the Department of Technical Communication, I am interested in how previously under-represented groups can meaningfully participate in the design of information and communication technologies.
In addition, I¹m also interested in developing usability and user-centered design research methodology: specifically focusing on how ethnographic studies and field work data can contribute to guidelines for designers of technology.
I teach various user-centered design classes at the University of Washington in the Department of Technical Communication. I am also a Senior Associate at Anthro-tech, Inc. a consulting firm that specializes in helping government, non-profit and industry clients create meaningful experiences for their users.
Cynthia Putnam
I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. As an industrial designer, I am concerned with bettering the design/research dialogue and improving how designers access, utilize and integrate research in their work to ultimately create better end-user experiences. As the audience for technology becomes more diverse, resulting in less innate understanding of end-users, designers will need to rely on user research more to understand their audience. How individual designer capacity, proclivity and interests (informed by design cognition research) intersect with reliance, trust and ability to utilize user research is the central question of my dissertation.
I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. As an industrial designer, I am concerned with bettering the design/research dialogue and improving how designers access, utilize and integrate research in their work to ultimately create better end-user experiences. As the audience for technology becomes more diverse, resulting in less innate understanding of end-users, designers will need to rely on user research more to understand their audience. How individual designer capacity, proclivity and interests (informed by design cognition research) intersect with reliance, trust and ability to utilize user research is the central question of my dissertation.
Rebecca Walton
Rebecca Walton is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. Her research involve information and communication technology for development (ICTD), particularly information systems design and workflow analysis. Having designed and participated in research projects in Africa, Central Asia, and the U.S., Rebecca has extensive field experience that includes projects to support public health, microfinance, and emergency logistics. She has a B.A. in English from Abilene Christian University and an M.A. in technical writing from the University of North Texas.
Rebecca Walton is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. Her research involve information and communication technology for development (ICTD), particularly information systems design and workflow analysis. Having designed and participated in research projects in Africa, Central Asia, and the U.S., Rebecca has extensive field experience that includes projects to support public health, microfinance, and emergency logistics. She has a B.A. in English from Abilene Christian University and an M.A. in technical writing from the University of North Texas.
Chad Driesbach
Chad Driesbach is a Master’s student in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. He has experience with user research, user-centered design, and web development, and is looking forward to broadening his research portfolio, especially as a way to inform design intervention.
Chad Driesbach is a Master’s student in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. He has experience with user research, user-centered design, and web development, and is looking forward to broadening his research portfolio, especially as a way to inform design intervention.