Casey R Hickerson

As a graduate student concentrating in human-computer interaction at the University of Washington Information School, I worked with Andrew Ko, David Hendry, and Batya Friedman on research related to interaction design methods.

The primary focus of my research in human-computer interaction is the role of information in creative processes and the ways people seek, organize and share the information they need to do creative things. I'm especially interested in representation techniques and exchange of practical, how-to knowledge in the context of end use. For instance, I study how people find ways of adapting technology to meet emergent needs. Understanding how people appropriate and adapt technology to suit their own purposes can help designers to create technologies with greater utility and appeal for end-users.

My work with Andrew Ko involved the various ways people collect, organize and share practical knowledge. Such collections may include manuals, magazines and catalogs; the environments in which we live, work and play; and, increasingly, the places we go online. The primary focus of my work in this area was use of online question/answer sites, e.g., Stack Overflow, by professional and end-user developers. My work with David Hendry, and Batya Friedman concerned user-centered design methods, e.g., design ethnography and Value Sensitive Design, design education, and diagrammatic ideation techniques.