Writing
Human-Computer Interaction
The importance of human-computer interaction and its relevancy can be observed in our daily interactions with computers. Everyday we encounter hundreds of objects that we need to be able to understand in order to effectively complete tasks. Good design allows for good experiences, however bad design can lead to not only bad experiences, but could potentially lead to disastrous events. Too frequently do people blame themselves for common everyday errors, when in fact these errors could have been avoided if there was better design in place.
Sociotechnical Perspectives and Human-Computer Interaction
A sociotechnical system is a system that takes into consideration the social implications the technology will have. It is a perspective that analyzes the effects of the system on a society rather than just analyzing the system from a hardware/software perspective. As technology continues to evolve and become increasingly integrated in the every day aspects of our lives, it is essential to understand and evaluate the impact that these systems will have before releasing it to consumers and await for problems to arise.
The Impacts of Technology Information Management and the Walt Disney World Experience
In 2013, Disney World Resorts unveiled their billion dollar project MyMagic+ to solve the "pain points" guest's experienced and "barriers to getting into the experience faster" at the theme parks and resorts. With a large portfolio of offerings, Disney has pride themselves on delivering magical experiences and to continue doing so, they needed to develop a robust management system. This paper delves into the effects MyMagic+ has on Disney theme park and resort operations and guests' experiences.
Field Studies and Ethnography for the Creation of Museum Exhibits
This paper analyzes the process that museums undergo to create interactive and immersive exhibits that people of all ages can enjoy. Designing for a large and diverse population is challenging therefore museum curators and technologists implement field study methods and in-situ observations to develop interactive ubiquitous technologies that create memorable experiences.
Ubiquitous Computing: Where are they now?
Introduces Mark Weiser as the father of ubiquitous computing developing new technologies at Xerox PARC in 1988. Within this paper, I examine three technologies and their evolution from the PDA to the iPhone, the Fitbit to biometric clothing, and Georgia Tech's Aware Home to Disney's RFID smart lights. In analyzing these technologies you can observe technological advancements and determine if Mark Weiser's vision ubiquitous computing has been fully realized.
The Importance of Animation in Interaction Design
During any given day, we as humans are constantly interacting and engaging with different people and products. When interacting with non-living objects such as computers, engaging in meaningful interactions are difficult to achieve often resulting in communication barriers. Interaction Design is a field that works to remove these barriers. This paper analyzes Walt Disney's animation principles and its importance in interaction design today.
Which Came First: the Art or the Technology?
Animation has a rich history dating back to the seventeenth century. It involves artists, storytellers, inventors, and ambitious people striving to create the impossible in a realistic world. The success of animation relies heavily on the art form encompassing character drawings and story tellings as well as the technology that gives the platform for these characters and stories to exist in these forms. As John Lassater once said "The art challenges the technology and the technology inspires the art". In this paper I examine rotoscopes, multiplane camera, Technicolor process, and sound technology and its effects on animation.
Modern Day Luddites
Technology and nature have always been in opposition with one another and its prevalence is observed in pop culture. Many movies and tv shows depict technology as bringing an end to society as we know it. In the mid 1800's, a group of English textile workers traveled throughout England and destroyed the newly automated textile machines that threatened to replace the workers and eliminate their way of earning a living. Two centuries later, the modern "Luddite" prevails and people continue to fear modernization and change. This paper examines the fear of modernization and provides an example of overcoming this fear.
Mentee to Mentor Approach: How Drexel University can Create a Sustainable Women Leadership Program
In trying to increase female enrollment and female retention rate at Drexel University's College of Computing and Informatics, my co-worker and I envisioned a sustainable women leadership program that will create a community of inclusion and support. This proposal has been submitted to the Grace Hopper Conference, has been awarded Top 10 Recipient in Drexel's CCI Innovation Competition, and has been presented at Drexel's Undergraduate Week of Excellence.
Design Thinking: Women, Leisure Time, Free Time, and Work
As students and young professionals, our experiences juggling work and leisure time have proven that finding a sense of balance is important, but difficult to achieve. Living as women in Philadelphia, we believe that within our own lives, making time, or rather finding the time to take a break from work, is a rarity. We questioned why constantly working with little to no time to relax is habitual behavior. To understand if these beliefs hold true, we used the Design Thinking process to empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test to find a solution to a more balanced life.
Software Requirements Specification for Boldly
Boldly is a mobile application used to lower the barrier of entry to social media marketing by creating connections between Brands and Creators based on like-minded values and interests. The purpose of this document is to specify the functional and non-functional requirements for Boldly, a mobile application for iPhone and Android. The document provides details on user interaction with the application program interface, wireframes to aid in the understanding of the requirements, and the system evolution explaining the vision for Boldly’s expansion.
