Ting Shih, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ClickMedix Tuesday, April 12, 2016, 6:30 PM At IBM Research Cambridge, 1 Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA

Abstract

Not all doctors are the same, and not all patients are the same. So how do you design healthcare delivery tools that can be used by doctors and patients alike?

ClickMedix took on the challenge of designing for global health to improve the lives of over 1 billion people using mobile phones in 2007. While the idea started at MIT, the real discovery happened when founder Ting Shih went to test the idea of using mobile phones to deliver health care in sub-Saharan Africa, where there is a lack of doctors, treatments, and over whelming number of patients. To date, ClickMedix has been deployed in 16 countries, in multiple languages and addresses a variety of disease from HIV/AIDS to diabetes. The solution consists of tools for doctors, nurses, health workers, and patients, all “personalized” to the needs of each user. During this session, Ting will share her journey and discovery for designing mobile-phone enabled solutions to deliver personalized care so that each patient can live better, healthier, and happier.

Continue reading Designing for Global Health by Personalizing Care Delivery →

• Susan Mercer, Experience Research Director, Mad*Pow
• Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at 6:30pm
• At Constant Contact, 1601 Trapelo Rd, Waltham, MA 02451

Abstract

User interviews are a great technique for getting to know your target audience. However, sometimes people don’t feel comfortable answering a researcher’s questions with complete honesty. Other times they may not know exactly how to articulate what they need, want, or feel.

We will examine findings from psychology and market research to understand techniques for interviews to help you uncover insights beyond people’s surficial answers. We’ll explore conversation theory, projective techniques such as image associations, collaging, sentence completion, and others to uncover hidden, actionable insights to fuel your designs. Continue reading Diving Deep: Uncovering Hidden Insights through User Interviews →

• Lane Harrison, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 6:30pm
• At IBM Research Cambridge, 1 Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA

Abstract

Data visualization is making strides in delivering new tools, techniques, and systems to people engaged in data analysis and communication. Providing more options can lead to a paradox of choice, however — how can people creating data visualizations understand the tradeoffs between available designs? One promising approach towards addressing this problem is to better understand and quantify the role of the human in data visualization. In this talk I’ll share some of our recent results ranging from quantifying low-level perceptual processes in visualization, to modeling higher level concepts like engagement and aesthetics. Re-centering visualization on the human not only aids people in designing data visualizations, but also leads to new opportunities for next-generation visualization tools, techniques, and systems.

Continue reading Re-Centering Human Centered Visualization →