Introduction

The MAD Lab at the University of Washington comprises Ph.D. students in information science and computer science working with Prof. Jacob O. Wobbrock on mobile and accessible design within Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). We are active members of the DUB Group, the multi-departmental HCI and Design group on campus.


Objective

To create useful interactive technologies that improve people's access to and interaction with computers and information, particularly for impaired users or users in impairing situations.


Philosophy

  • Vision. "The world has arrived at an age of cheap complex devices of great reliability; and something is bound to come of it."   — Vannevar Bush (1945)

  • Inclusion. "Everybody has to be able to participate in a future that they want to live for."   — Dean Kamen

  • Utility. "The value of an idea lies in the using of it."   — Thomas Edison

Contact

Prof. Jacob O. Wobbrock

News
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Jessica Tran (EE) wins American Sign Language Project Scholarship!

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The work by Levy, Wobbrock, Kaszniak, and Ostergren on contemplative multitasking was mentioned in the New York Times on December 15, 2012.

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MAD Lab authors were on seven papers accepted to ACM CHI 2013 to be held in April in Paris, France!

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Best paper winners at both ASSETS'12 and ICMI'12! See our papers on PassChords and the $P gesture recognizer.

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The Angle Mouse is featured very briefly (from 1:53 – 1:56) in a 3-minute University of Washington promotional video, University of Washington Campus Tour 2012.

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The Angle Mouse and the Pointing Magnifier are featured (from 20:55 – 25:35) in an hour-long UW Information School promotional video, iOn the Future.

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GripSense was covered by the M.I.T. Technology Review as one of the highlights of UIST'12. Mayank Goel was the student leader on the project.

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Kristen Shinohara receives $15,000 from the National Science Foundation for her dissertation work on developing Design for Social Acceptance. [NSF]

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Prof. Wobbrock and Prof. Patel receive $500,000 from the National Science Foundation to better understand and acommodate situational impairments in mobile user interfaces. [iSchool News]

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Jessica Tran (EE) wins the UW College of Engineering Dean's Fellowship for 2012-2013!

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Some recent press appeared on our touch-typing touch screen keyboard work and our meditation multitasking work.

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iSchool Ph.D. candidate Jeff Huang named Facebook Fellow for 2012-2013!

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Our work on downloadable accessible pointing techniques (the Pointing Magnifier and the Angle Mouse) has appeared on Slashdot and in PC World, among other venues.