I am an Assistant Professor of Human Computer Interaction in the Department of Computer Science at State University of New York at Oswego, where I direct the Virtual Reality Lab and teach graduate courses in the HCI Master's program. I received my PhD in Human Computer Interaction, with a PhD minor in Cognitive Psychology, from Iowa State University (ISU).
My current research is in the areas of HCI and immersive VR environments, striving to apply human factors principles and considerations to the design, development, and evaluation of interfaces and strategies to support and improve human interactions with technology in general and with virtual environments in particular. My current focus is on designing and evaluating 3D interaction techniques for VR, exploring and studying human factors issues in VR and using this knowledge to resolve these issues; designing, developing, and evaluating immersive interfaces and experiences to support and augment human information processing; and studying the effectiveness of these virtual environments.
My previous research on nomophobia, or no-mobile-phone phobia, which could be defined as smartphone separation anxiety, has been featured in various media channels in the US, including, among others, CNN, Today Show, Washington Post, Huffington Post, and Fox News.
I am genuinely intrigued by the idea of contributing to academic development of future HCI professionals, who will be designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating the next generation of information and communication technologies with which people will interact. By disseminating my knowledge and expertise through teaching, I hope to have an impact on the way future technologies are introduced to our lives, and I wish to instill a human-centered mindset in my students so that they are mindful of their target audience throughout their career. In so doing, I think my teaching can cause a ripple effect, and the ripples I may cause through my students are what excites me about teaching HCI! Here are the courses I teach at SUNY Oswego:
As a naturally interdisciplinary field of inquiry, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) incorporates multiple disciplines, varying from psychology to computer science. While the beauty of HCI research resides in its interdisciplinary focus, the diversity of research methods employed by HCI researchers and practitioners coming from different backgrounds can sometimes be bewildering, because each field of inquiry has its own standards for measurement, validity, and rigor. This can be even more challenging when it comes to conducting research studies involving human participants, which is ostensibly very common in HCI research. In an attempt to address these challenges, this course is designed to provide an introduction to the various research methods and data analysis techniques commonly utilized in HCI research, with a particular focus on the foundations of behavioral research and experimental studies.
Human Factors (HF) is a truly interdisciplinary discipline that is closely linked to the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). Drawing upon the broad scientific knowledgebase in human behavior, capabilities, and limitations, HF professionals seek to apply psychological principles to the design, development, and evaluation of human-computer systems, with the goal of making the interaction between people and technology more effective, more efficient, easier to learn, more intuitive, more enjoyable, etc. This course is designed to help you master these HF principles, guidelines, and practices.
Digital technologies permeate every aspect of our lives. With increasing dependence on technology have arisen concerns over the putative effects of technology on how humans think, feel, and behave. Is Google making us stupid or smarter? Do we remember more or less if we rely too much on our smartphones? Are habitual media multitaskers more susceptible to distractions and mind wandering? In this graduate research seminar, we review, reflect on, and critique empirical studies investigating the influence of technology on human mind and cognition. Example topics include smartphones, attention, and distraction, cognitive offloading, technology use and memory, pathological technology use, and positive, affective technology.
This course provides students with a detailed introduction to the methodologies used in the design and evaluation of human computer interfaces as well as research in HCI. These methodologies permit the evaluation of user needs, comparisons of design alternatives, the evaluation of existing products, and basic research in HCI. This course was designed to help students realize that UX engineering is an ongoing process throughout the entire product lifecycle and that developing the human-computer interface is not something to be done at the last minute, when the rest of the system is finished.
Virtual reality (VR) is a cutting-edge technology that has numerous applications in HCI, along with other fields. Given the hype around VR, it is easy to jump on the VR bandwagon for many people without critically thinking about its scientific merit. HCI researchers, on the other hand, need to be knowledgeable about scientific research studies regarding the feasibility, viability, and efficaciousness of VR in various HCI domains. To that end, this course seeks to expose you to the primary concepts, methods, and applications of VR in HCI research. As a graduate seminar, this course will provide you with a strong background in the applications of VR in HCI research through weekly readings and in-class discussions.
As a naturally interdisciplinary field of inquiry, HCI incorporates multiple disciplines, varying from psychology to computer science. While the beauty of HCI research resides in its interdisciplinary focus, the diversity of research methods employed by HCI researchers and practitioners coming from different backgrounds can sometimes be bewildering, because each field of inquiry has its own standards for measurement, validity, and rigor. This can be even more challenging when it comes to conducting research studies involving human participants, which is ostensibly very common in HCI research. In an attempt to address these challenges, this course is designed to provide an introduction to the various research methods and data analysis techniques commonly utilized in HCI research, with a particular focus on the foundations of behavioral research and experimental studies.
This graduate seminar provides a survey of UX research methods, with a special emphasis on the practical application of various methods.
I am humbled by the scholarly interest in using the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) in research studies. Please feel free to use the NMP-Q in your research studies without seeking permission. You can access the relevant articles under Publications. You can also download the questionnaire, along with the scoring guide, below.