Background
I am a User Experience (UX) Researcher at Kaleidoscope for Amazon. Before this, I was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at New Mexico State University and an Amazon Visiting Academic studying group effects in human robot interaction.
I believe that technology should empower people to meet their needs, wants, and goals. However, technology can often prove to be intimidating and challenging, with some users unwilling to accept or interact with it. That is why I test and apply theories from social psychology to improve human interaction with new and emerging technology such as robots. My testing involves the following.
1. Groups
Most people can think of how they behave differently with a group of friends or group of colleagues than alone. Social psychology researchers have provided empirical evidence for this. My research is at the forefront of a novel field combining group psychology with human-robot interaction.
2. Applied
People behave differently in the sterile lab context than in the real world. That is why in my research I use the lab to isolate variables of interest, then perform studies in the real world to see how these variables interact with other contextual factors.
3. Accessible
I research how technology can meet varied needs, including those based on accessibility and on cultural norms. By designing for these needs, we improve the technology for specific populations, but also for the general population. That is why I work with people with disabilities, older adults, and people from different cultures like from Germany and Japan.
Collaboration
I have collaborated with colleagues from within the U.S., including:
- United States Air Force Research Laboratory 711th Human Performance Wing (USAFRL/711HPW), Dayton OH,
- NASA Ames, San Francisco CA,
- Toyota Research Institute, Boston, MA
I also have collaborated internationally, including with:
- Advanced Telecommunication Research (ATR) Lab, Kyoto, Japan
- Interaction and Communication Design (ICD) Lab, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Japan.
- Bielefeld University, Bielefeld Germany
- Intelligent and Social Agent Groups Lab, Lisbon, Portugal