Please join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) this Thursday for our Fall 2009 Current Issues in Human Centered Design & Engineering Seminar Series. The presentation format is a 30-minute talk followed by a Q&A session. Members of the UW community and the public are welcome.
The week’s featured speakers are:
Who: Beth Kolko, HCDE Associate Professor, HCDE; Cynthia Putnam, HCDE PhD candidate and Emma Rose, HCDE PhD candidate
Topic: Design for Inclusion: Using Familiar Methods for Unfamiliar Contexts
When: Thursday, November 5, 5:00 – 5:50 pm
Where: Sieg Hall, room 134
Abstract: There has been an increased focus in the HCI community over the last decade on designing products and services for diverse audiences, which include people living in resource-constrained environments and developing regions. Designing for people whose daily lives share minimal similarity to those of the design team complicates the design process; as such, designing for diverse audiences is difficult. Many practitioners who are concerned with designing for diverse audiences acknowledge the need to involve end users as part of the design process. In this paper we compare and contrast three design approaches that are currently used, participatory design, user-centered design, and value sensitive design. All three of these approaches have tools to offer when designing for diverse communities; however, when to use what approach is not clear from the literature. We hope our paper will act as a starting point for a discussion in helping others who are designing for diverse audiences chose among these design approaches and their associated toolkits.
Dr. Beth Kolko is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington and director of the Design for Digital Inclusion Lab. Her current research develops the idea of diversity and technology by focusing on information and communications technologies in developing countries. She is also a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University.
Cynthia Putnam is a PhD candidate in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on how design/development teams leverage user research in the process of creating human-centered technology products.
Emma Rose is a PhD candidate in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on designing for digital inclusion, specifically by understanding the information and communication needs of resource constrained communities and contexts.
HCDE’s Fall 2009 Speakers Series is scheduled for Thursdays, 5:00 – 5:50 p.m. in room 134 of Sieg Hall. View the full Fall 2009 Speakers Series schedule attached and online at: http://www.hcde.washington.edu/nav-courses/521/aut09. Registration for UW students is available by entry code; contact the HCDE adviser by emailing hcde@u.washington.edu.