CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

  1. Credibility Judgments & Information Triage

    1. Interests: My dissertation work is intended to explain the effects of peripheral cues (of the information source being evaluated) and affective state (of the individual performing the evaluation) on credibility judgments. Specifically, I have proposed two studies to examine the effect of individual involvement in the information seeking process on the perceived credibility of the information sources retrieved during the process. By examining how level of involvement (e.g., high or low) interacts with low-effort examinations of peripheral cues like source reputation (Study 1) and media format (Study 2), a better understanding of the complex and multifaceted process of credibility judgment can be attained.
    2. History: Since 2007 I have been exploring the research surrounding how credibility judgments of digital resources are made. I am especially interested in the effects of individual affective states on this subjective process, as well as the increasingly common occurrence of cursory credibility judgments being performed in an environment of time scarcity (related to information overload).
    3. Dissertation: December 4, 2009, University of Texas at Austin
    4. Paper: June 21, 2009, Joint Conference on Digital Libraries Doctoral Consortium 2009, Austin, TX
    5. Paper: October 25, 2008, ASIS&T 2008, Columbus, OH
    6. Paper: June 17, 2008, Joint Conference on Digital Libraries 2008, Pittsburgh, PA

  2. Meditative & Affective Computing

    1. Interests: I am exploring the affective components of computer use, generally referred to as affective computing. Of particular interest to me is the treatment of emotion in distinctly different computing activities--"meditative computing" (a term I've coined to refer to interaction that is intensely personal and individual, where social interactions with the computer or other individuals is considered intrusive) and social computing (interaction that either uses the computer as an intermediary to facilitate communication, or actual interaction with the computer as a social actor).
    2. History: Since 2005 I have been exploring the fields related to affective computing (including emotional design, computers as social actors, and computer-supported cooperative work). I am currently defining a distinction I believe is important to affective work, that of social vs. meditative computing. My research in this area is ongoing and most likely building toward a dissertation topic.
    3. Panelist: November 5, 2006, ASIS&T 2006 SIG-USE Symposium
    4. Presentation: October 24, 2006, Research-a-palooza 2006
    5. Poster Session: May 2, 2006, Doctoral Research & Theory II
    6. Paper: December 12, 2005, Doctoral Research & Theory I
    7. Presentation: December 5, 2005, Doctoral Research & Theory I

  3. Media & the Design Process

    1. Interests: I am exploring the construction of the relationship between the artist and his/her tools, specifically the peculiar interactions with computer-based tools. There is an emergent gap in the way artists interact with these tools as compared to their traditional counterparts, and this chasm often results in a less than optimal interaction and frequent disruptions of flow states. I am seeking to develop novel interface techniques that bridge this gap and afford the prosthetic advantages of many traditional art tools.
    2. History: In the fall of 2006 I participated in a studio design course that covered artistic production across (and between) multiple media (e.g., traditional graphite and paint work, Web site design, sculpture, film, and music). The explorations in this course led to insights into the design process and into the affective relationship between the artist and his/her tools.
    3. Portfolio: August-December, 2006, Intermedia

  4. Digital Libraries

    1. Interests: I am exploring the efficacy of digital library interfaces, their emotional impact on end-users, and the development of novel techniques for increasing user satisfaction and success in the use of digital libraries. Of particular interest to me are the affective connotations of digital library use and the recurring moments that disrupt flow states during the information seeking process.
    2. History: In August 2006, two colleagues (Melanie Cofield and Kate Bronstad) and I completed the development of a multimedia digital library of collected oral histories, photos, and audio excerpts of hurricane Katrina evacuees. As a separate research interest, I have prepared a paper on the implications of and potential alternatives to empty result sets in digital library searches; solutions discussed include visualization, social computing, and e-commerce techniques.
    3. Conference: December 1-4, 2008, Digital Curation Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland
    4. Presentation: December 13, 2006, Digital Libraries Research
    5. Paper: December 12, 2006, No Results Found: Digital Libraries Research
    6. Presentation: October 24, 2006, Research-a-palooza 2006
    7. Digital Library: June-August, 2006, Alive In Truth Oral History Project

  5. Readability & Font Design

    1. Interests: I am exploring the vagaries of readability in on-screen reading (i.e., reading on an electronic display as opposed to paper). Of particular interest to me are novel technologies (e.g., e-Ink) that address traditional problems with reading from electronic displays, such as eye strain, portability, and spatial representation.
    2. History: In July 2006, two colleagues (Dr. Randolph Bias and Sheng-Cheng (Hans) Huang) and I visited the Typography Research Group at Microsoft to discuss past and future research being conducted at the iSchool. Based on the ideas discussed in this meeting and prior research, the three of us conducted an experiment at the Austin Retina Center that examined potential optometric and psychological peculiarities of a small group of participants that expressed a strong dislike for ClearType technology. A more formal write-up of this research is still in development.
    3. Paper: November, 2009, JASIST (under revision)
    4. Survey: August 19, 2006, Preferences for ClearType Evaluation

  6. Readability & Graphic Design

    1. Interests: I am exploring the ways in which concepts from usability studies can be applied to the development of graphics that accompany the textual record of scientific research (e.g., journal articles). Additionally, I am developing ways to help authors improve their communication via the use of effective graphics.
    2. History: In August 2005, I began a somewhat self-reflective examination of the usability of the graphics (e.g., graphs, charts, and tables) that accompany journal publications. In collaboration with Dr. Douglas Gillan at New Mexico State University and Dr. Randolph Bias at the University of Texas at Austin, I extended a set of publication guidelines and developed an online visual rating system that examined the usability and readability of graphics in Human Factors and Ergonomics Society publications. A full write-up of the findings can be found in the paper below, published in the Proceedings of the 50th Annual Meeting of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
    3. Lecture: October 18, 2006, HFES 2006
    4. Paper: October 15, 2006, HFES 2006
    5. Survey: December 10, 2005, Visual Rating System for HFES Graphics

  7. The Innovation Process

    1. Interests: I am exploring the affective and cognitive prerequisites that foster innovation (here broadly defined as the the application of novel concepts to existing problems and systems) mainly in the area of new media design. One of my primary questions is: How will users of computer-based design tools be affected by the addition of an emotional orientation in those tools?
    2. History: In September 2006, I participated in the Seattle Innovation Symposium with corporate leaders, academicians, and other doctoral students. The stated focus of the symposium was to encourage multi-disciplinary research centered on innovation in the design and information technology fields.
    3. Panelist: September 14, 2006, Seattle Innovation Symposium 2006