For the first time in a while, I’m designing and running my own usability studies. Carnegie Mellon cross-trains its HCI students in both research and design, so it’s a bit like riding a bike – it comes back eventually. Post-university, I used
Category: Work
In Part 1 of this two-part article, I discussed some of the quirks and speedbumps you might expect when planning a business trip. What happens next? Time for the journey to begin. While some of these tips may apply to all forms
Business travel tends to sounds glamorous to outsiders. Yet the reality is often anything but – once you get past the initial adrenaline rush when you represent your company on the road. And the logistics can be overwhelming, especially for first-timers. Let
Countless articles and books have been written about the gender balance problems that continue to plague the tech industry. I’ve been passionate about outreach at the K-12 level for years, but what of those of us already in the workplace? A recent
In September 2014, I left Microsoft to join a new product team at Amazon. The project itself is still classified, but it’s a v1 technology product, which means we’re starting from scratch. An exciting opportunity, but it changes the way one has
One of the most striking things about Kenya was what a blend of the future and the past it represented in almost every location, all swirled up in one moment of technology and tradition. The iHub was in a way a space
Kenyans are renowned for their sprinting abilities… in stark contrast to my own physical proclivities. But I did my own form of sprinting today, with a back to back day on the heels of a successful Thursday. Thursday: Gaming, psychology, and the
The primary reason I’m in Africa is as a volunteer for the Microsoft4Afrika program. One part of their outreach is to match professionals from Microsoft with identified technology needs in African countries. Many of the assignments are either teaching advanced skills or
My first full day in Nairobi, as with any first visit to a foreign country, was full of little observations – the similarities and the differences. The Bathrooms Public bathrooms all have ceiling-to-floor doors. I’ve only ever seen them this widespread on
We finally got around to seeing Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Wind Rises” on Thursday night. As Miyazaki’s last film, there was quite a lot of pressure on it from our perspective – we hadn’t read much about the plot, but we’re big enough