More Like this

1. Using Personas with Visual Impairments to Explore the Design of an Accessible Self-Driving Vehicle Human-Machine Interface

   Brinkley, J. (January 2021, Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting)

   Recent reports have suggested that most self-driving vehicle technology being developed is not currently accessible to users with disabilities. We purport that this problem may be at least partially attributable to knowledge gaps in practice-oriented user-centered design research. Missing, we argue, are studies that demonstrate the practical application of user-centered design methodologies in capturing the needs of users with disabilities in the design of automotive systems specifically. We have investigated user-centered design, specifically the use of personas, as a methodological tool to inform the design of a self-driving vehicle human-machine interface for blind and low vision users. We then explore the use of these derived personas in a series of participatory design sessions involving visually impaired co-designers. Our findings suggest that a robust, multi-method UCD process culminating with persona development may be effective in capturing the conceptual model of persons with disabilities and informing the design of automotive system. 

   more » « less
2. Hammers for Robots: Designing Tools for Reinforcement Learning Agents

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3461778.3462029  

   Law, Matthew V; Li, Zhilong; Rajesh, Amit; Dhawan, Nikhil; Kwatra, Amritansh; Hoffman, Guy (June 2021, DIS '21: Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2021)

   null (Ed.)

   In this paper we explore what role humans might play in designing tools for reinforcement learning (RL) agents to interact with the world. Recent work has explored RL methods that optimize a robot’s morphology while learning to control it, effectively dividing an RL agent’s environment into the external world and the agent’s interface with the world. Taking a user-centered design (UCD) approach, we explore the potential of a human, instead of an algorithm, redesigning the agent’s tool. Using UCD to design for a machine learning agent brings up several research questions, including what it means to understand an RL agent’s experience, beliefs, tendencies, and goals. After discussing these questions, we then present a system we developed to study humans designing a 2D racecar for an RL autonomous driver. We conclude with findings and insights from exploratory pilots with twelve users using this system. 

   more » « less
3. The C-PIECE Framework: Documenting Group Engineering Practices Elicited by Design Challenge Exhibits

   https://doi.org/10.1080/10645578.2023.2250534  

   Randol, Scott; Benne, Marcie; Herrán, Carla; Ramos-Montañez, Smirla; Shagott, Todd (January 2024, Visitor Studies)

   his article describes the Collaborative Practices at Interactive Engineering Challenge Exhibits (C-PIECE) Framework, a new engineering design practices framework for informal exhibit settings. It outlines the development of instruments to document these practices and presents findings from a study of visitor use of engineering practices at design challenge exhibits. The work was conducted as part of The study of collaborative practices at interactive engineering challenge exhibits (the C-PIECE Study), and addresses two aims, (1) develop indicators and methods of measurement of engineering design practices exercised by visitor groups within an engineering exhibit context, and (2) speculate on those practices’ associations with the exercise of beginning, intermediate, and informed engineering proficiency levels within an exhibit context. The framework is intended to be used to inform the development of informal engineering education experiences, not to assess individual performance. 

   more » « less
4. Archival description for language documentation collections

   https://doi.org/http://hdl.handle.net/10125/24949  

   Sullivant, Ryan (January 2020, Language documentation and conservation)

   null (Ed.)

   Users of digital language archives face a number of barriers when trying to discover and reuse the materials preserved in the digital collections created by current language documentation projects. These barriers include sparse descriptive metadata throughout many collections and the prevalence of audio-video materials that are impervious to text-based search. Users could more easily evaluate, navigate, and use such a collection if it contained a guide that contextualized it, summarized its contents, and helped users identify and locate items within it. This article will discuss the importance of thorough collection descriptions and finding aids by synthesizing guidelines and best practices for archival description created for traditional archives and adapting these to the structure and makeup of today’s digital language documentation collections. To facilitate the iterative description of growing collections, the checklist of information to include is presented in three groups of descending priority. 

   more » « less
5. Enhancing cultural responsiveness in afterschool STEM programs

   Forero-Cuervo, Andres; Morrison, Daniel; Pantano, Alessandra (May 2025, Afterschool Matters)

   This practice-oriented article presents a comprehensive framework for strengthening cultural responsiveness in afterschool STEM programs, grounded in the design and implementation of Math CEO— a university-community partnership engaging Latinx middle school students in Southern California. The framework centers on six dimensions: student-centered learning, interpersonal relationships, critical thinking, relevance and language, social justice, and cultural diversity. These are applied across three interconnected domains: program structure, curriculum, and pedagogical practices. Through detailed examples and a case study, the article illustrates how culturally responsive practices can be embedded into informal math activities to foster student engagement, cultural identity, and deeper learning. highlights the importance of mentor training and curriculum development as strategies to ensure these practices are applied consistently and sustainably. 

   more » « less