Publications

Intersectionality in UX Design and HCI Research and Curriculum Development: Bringing Race and Ethnicity into Focus, 2024 HCI International

I am an experienced educator, researcher, and senior interdisciplinary innovation and design leader. My research and practice areas are highly focused on social justice, how we consider vulnerabilities of the societies we design and build products for, and how we train and educate practitioners in these fields to be more inclusive and aware and to incorporate best practices for social justice, human rights, dignity in their practice.

In the public sector, I have over 20 years of experience in various design leadership roles from Head of UX Design and Director of Product to Founder where I have worked with Fortune 500 companies, publicly traded companies, private companies, startups, educational companies, and nonprofits and played a role in both leading and building multi-disciplinary teams to deliver simplified, elegant, value-driven innovative experiences for highly complex problems with diverse scopes. I utilize a human-centered design approach to thoroughly examine and address societal issues, working towards the promotion of social and design justice.

I currently hold teaching positions at the University of Maryland and Maryland Institute College of the Arts in their HCI and UXD departments. I have also served as a member of the Advisory Board for the University of New Haven and helped to design and launch their MS and MPS UX graduate programs.

I teach various courses in Technology and Innovation, Product Management, HCD, UX Design, User Research, and Technology, Culture, and Society with a specialty in designing and teaching courses in the business and innovation side of human-centered design and product management. I thrive working with and mentoring students on capstone and real-world projects, helping them explore methods and opportunities to bring their innovations to market.

My research area is focused on human development in education and explores vulnerabilities that exist and continue to persist as we consider technology's use and application in this space. I explore the socio-technical dimension of the educational system and the vulnerabilities that threaten human development in each sphere. I also research ethics in product design methodologies, ethical considerations in persona creation for diverse groups, and vulnerabilities in various forms of product design practice. I am interested in ethical decisions that designers, engineers, educators, and researchers face and must consider in evolving societies. I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. in HCI at Iowa State University and expected to graduate in April 2024. I am a member of the Human Development &Capability Association, a group that researches and supports human development and capability.

classes:

Technology, Culture, and Society:

The use of technology in work, leisure, and the daily lives of humans is undergoing a remarkable and unparalleled transformation in society. Although we often overlook the significance of technology, it is crucial to reflect on the ramifications and unforeseen effects it has on society, cultural customs, and our way of life.

This course delves deeper into the examination of contextual aspects in technology and their practical implementation. Specifically, we will examine the influence of technology on several facets of society. This text explores the impact of changes, both positive and negative, as well as potential risks and opportunities. We will examine the impact of age, color, gender, religious/political affiliation, and sexual orientation on technology usage. This analysis will explore the impact of technology on the involvement of marginalized groups, as well as the variations in online habits throughout different regions of the globe.

This course offers students the chance to investigate how individuals from all origins and life circumstances interact with technology, as well as the wider obstacles related to the spread of technology. Furthermore, the course will analyze the influence of power and privilege systems on these themes, which result in further challenges for culturally excluded and vulnerable people in their digital utilization.

Product Management:

Frequently, there is a lack of differentiation between a UX practitioner and a Product Manager in the mind of a UX Designer but in reality, Product Management requires a significant amount of business savvy that UX practitioners lack exposure to. To better prepare students for careers in Product Management, this practical course offers both theoretical background and hands-on experience within a rigorous framework.

Throughout the semester, students will gain knowledge about product management and its process. Students learn the fundamentals of product development planning and how to construct product requirements using the product development cycle and Lean Start-Up methodology as a guide. The capstone project requires students to work independently and create a product that has commercialization viability. They will analyze the market, validate the product through customer discovery, evaluate the viability of the technology, position themselves competitively, plan the product's life cycle, build technical requirements, and analyze potential partnerships and sales channels. The project places a strong emphasis on innovation, commercialization, and monetization. We will discuss the strategic factors to keep in mind while designing goods with the potential for commercial success, as well as the practical processes involved with addressing the organizational and legal concerns that may arise during product development.

UX Business Basics:

A basic understanding of the corporate environments in which UX practitioners operate is critical for professional success. This course provides a foundation of business knowledge, such as the importance of building and cultivating relationships in business environments, how to work toward a goal of shared understanding, the challenges that designers face in various situations and relationships, tools for working with diverse teams, workshop guidance, and practical tips for personal advancement in the industry. Students learn about professional workflow methods, business KPIs, organizational structures, and connection development strategies. Deciphering the UX Role in Various Organizations, Working with Product Management, Development, Sales and Marketing, and Business Leadership, Development Environment Basics, an overview of commonly used business analytics, working with the government, managing research and design, and positioning yourself for industry success are some of the topics covered.

Foundations of Technology Innovation

This course provides students with an introduction to the basic principles and concepts of technology innovation. Throughout the semester, students will acquire knowledge on the process of developing a new business that is centered around innovation, employing the lean start-up technique. The course examines several methodologies for fostering innovation, devising effective go-to-market strategies, implementing commercialization processes, and achieving scalability. By integrating theoretical knowledge with practical application, students acquire valuable hands-on experience in problem-solving. They engage in activities such as market analysis, assessment of technology viability, competitive positioning, planning for product life-cycle, devising go-to-market strategies, analyzing sales channels, and placing a strong emphasis on innovation, disruptive innovation, and emerging technologies.

UX Research Methods & Process:

Students will gain expertise and hands-on experience in UX research and customer discovery strategies by utilizing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The purpose of this course is to offer practical guidance in a wide variety of user research methodologies. The objective is to provide students with the necessary abilities and self-assurance to proficiently carry out user research and comprehend its crucial function in shaping design choices. Students will also investigate barriers and difficulties encountered in research and exploration, including the vulnerabilities that populations encounter in the process of designing products. We will examine both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Students will acquire proficiency in narrative construction, data presentation, and the utilization of research synthesis and reporting tools.

This course emphasizes extensive collaboration and integrates a substantial amount of collective work, such as workshops and critiques. Students must conduct interviews with subjects. Active engagement in class is required.

Practical Skills in HCI: UX Analytics:

The course introduces a comprehensive set of UX metrics. It takes a very practical approach with the emphasis of the analysis being directly applicable to everyone who creates software products. Throughout the course case studies are provided to illustrate the metrics applications, and exercises are used to reinforce the learnings.

The course is organized in three main parts.

Part 1 provides background information needed to become familiar with the UX metric. First user experience is defined, and the value of measuring it explained. Then we review the most common statistical procedures related to the metrics analysis. A broader set of Customer Experience (CX) metrics are also introduced. We finish with how to plan a study involving the UX metrics.

Part 2 introduces five general types of UX metrics. Each of the metrics is explained as well as when to use and when not to use it. We show how to collect data, analyze it and present it. Real world examples are provided, including those shared by guest UX research experts.

Part 3 discusses how the UX metrics are put into daily practice. The use of UX metrics in different types of organizations is presented, as well as how to share these metrics throughout the organization. We cover how metrics can be used to validate and sell new designs, and thereby making the case for further investment in UX research efforts.

UX/UI Design Essentials:

Foundations of UX research, UX design, interaction design, visual design, UI design, and user testing. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of design including balance and alignment contrast, repetition, proportion, movement, and white space as well as color theory, typography, and visual hierarchy. An introduction to design software including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Sketch. In these programs, they learn the basics of each platform, what they are primarily used for, and how to work across all three to complete a project. Workshops and assignments focus on mastery of the most used tools within each program and completing design projects focused on specific tools within the programs.

UI Design:

Students develop proficiency in industry-standard software and best practices. Students dive deeper into the application of interface design both from a product standpoint and a stakeholder standpoint. Advanced features of Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, Adobe XD and Invision are explored and students learn to work collaboratively with teams on projects using these tools, building and sharing design assets and design libraries. The course covers designing for specific environments including web, mobile responsive, and software. Layout, navigation, color, typography, sound, Iconography, shape, motion, interaction, communication, photography, prototyping, machine learning and augmented reality are also covered. Students also learn to work with existing UI Patterns to minimize the cognitive load for end users. The students complete numerous creative workshops and assignments throughout the first level of the course is to learn to apply these skills successfully to various digital environments successfully.

UX/UI Studio:

This phase is about teamwork, an essential soft skill for successful designers. This class focuses on important features of professional practice and team-based design, along with the vital skills of analyzing and synthesizing work. Students work in teams on creative design sprints, so teams know how much work needs to be done before the next sprint review, and how to budget their time to accomplish it all. Students also learn critical mediation skills, strategic communication strategies, project management skills, client management, storytelling, brand development, and emotional intelligence. The project is consumer-focused and students explore consumer behavior and how it impacts motivation, purchasing, and design.

Client Design Studio:

Students apply the hard and soft skills acquired in the first portion of the program: designers work with real clients on live products. Design teams publicly discuss their work and process through multiple presentations to their clients. UX teams hand off annotated wireframes for UI designers and UI teams create style guides for front-end developers to take over.

Portfolio Development:

Students focus on getting their design portfolio ready and preparing for job hunting. As the final phase of our program, it is built specifically to give you the tools and confidence to find a job — while reinforcing the unique design process you defined earlier in the program. It requires a shift for every designer: from learning how to be a designer to learning how to tell the story of your growth as a designer.

Interaction Design

Multimedia Design Studio