Strategic User Research: Partnering with Customers to Compete Effectively
Presentation 6
Christina Wodtke, Information Architect

Observers of community computing initiatives note that they are plagued by problems of usability and productivity. One reason is that the computer interfaces and tools used in community contexts were designed for use in other contexts (e.g., business settings). Additionally, there is often very little support in community settings for people who want to be productive with advanced information technologies—to write, to create media, to design their own interfaces and tools. One method of intervention in this situation is to conduct community-situated inquiries of computer interfaces. But what does this research look like? This presentation will lay out theories and approaches that inform community usability inquiries, and use cases of past research projects to illustrate the necessity (and limitations) of this type of usability research.

Presentation Material

Speaker:

Christina Wodtke helps organizations realize design as a competitive advantage, via collaborative vision creation, design coaching, and expert advice. A relentless instigator, she founded Boxes and Arrows, an online magazine of design; founded the Asilomar Institute of Information Architecture; chaired the fourth annual ASIS&T summit on IA; and has spoken on the topic of the human experience in information spaces at conferences worldwide. Prior to consulting, Christina was Director of Design for Yahoo! Search and Marketplace, where she led design work in the revival of “Search” and the reinvention of “Shopping.” Formerly a partner at the renowned user experience agency Carbon IQ, she has also worked with clients such as Shockwave.com, Wells Fargo, Sprite, and Houghton Mifflin, as well as nonprofits such as BraveKids.org and UrbanSchool.org.

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