Personal Statement · gemini-3-8-flash

I first developed my interest in Human-Computer Interaction by witnessing my grandma’s frustration firsthand while she attempted to use a telehealth application to receive medical help. This application and other necessary technologies to assist her were available, but the designing of these applications failed to capture the concepts of human computer interaction to extend beyond the scope of a lab. The application became a barrier to the medical assistance. The incidents that occurred with the application exemplified that state-of-the-art technology that fails to capture the scope of human emotion, intellect, and other dimensions of variability in human race becomes worthless. During my undergraduate education, my interest turned to the field of Human-Computer Interaction and the field of Software Development. I became interested in how the field of Software Development navigated technology to capture human intention and combined it with theoretical considerations and constraints. My interest in Human Computer Interaction enabled me to visualize how a technology could be developed to provide the exact service to a section of the clientele that required it the most. While working on a local transit authority’s mobile application to extend the transportation services, the main constraint became the transit authority’s policy to extend the services, not the technology. My graduate degree in Human-Computer Interaction will let me research how to design products and systems with empathy. Since I was little, technology represented the future. At school, we learned about how quickly technology advances, and it has always amazed me that engineers can get computers to perform complex tasks. However, I have always felt there is something missing in how products incorporate human aspects. Products don’t always integrate different ways people can communicate and interact. They’re often designed to only support one type of interaction. Even though I may not agree with some design choices, I appreciate the concept of products integrating AI in various ways and the consideration about how people interact with a product and its surroundings. With the increasing amount of AI products, developers need to consider ethics to avoid dangerous situations. The integration of technology in everyday objects needs to preserve human interaction. Through my research, I intend to focus on methods and ways to include technology to provide assistance to those who lack it. I want to concentrate on the elderly and people who have little or no knowledge of how to interact with products (i.e. the digitally illiterate). I don’t want my technology to be a burden; I want it to feel like an effortless extension of human capabilities. I want technology to incorporate design and interactions that gracefully extend user’s capabilities, not hamper them.

My goal is to learn how to make these capabilities resonate with users’ emotions, mental models, and physical and cognitive constraints. The importance of Human-Computer Interaction became clear for me during a medical emergency. My grandmother’s medical emergency required immediate contact with her doctor using a new telehealth application. Watching her become alienated by low contrast colors, inscrutable icons, and convoluted navigation made me realize that all of an application’s technical capabilities are futile if its interface is poorly designed. Since then, I’ve been fascinated by HCI’s ability to bridge the gap between technical capabilities and empathetic design. My undergraduate coursework and projects allowed me to explore how to reconcile technical considerations in software with the needs of users. For example, I worked on a mobile app to facilitate the use of local transportation options. User studies, information architecture, and journey mapping proved equally important as technical feasibility and efficient coding. This project allowed me to consider HCI’s role in making technology that is effective and viable. The solution to this problem, and many others, requires a holistic perspective: users will never fit neatly within computing systems; computing systems must better fit users’ complexity and diversity. HCI is poised to tackle these challenges. In graduate school, I want to delve deeper into the technical and psychological considerations for HCI, especially regarding accessibility in multimodal AI, ambient computing, and voice interfaces. I want to learn how to leverage the latest developments in computing to create interfaces that adapt to the needs of users who have been underserved by current technology: those who are digitally illiterate and the elderly. Ultimately, I want to be able to holistically approach problems from a user-centered, ethical perspective: considering how to make computing and AI accessible to all. This means learning to be an effective researcher and a skilled technologist. As an undergraduate, I’ve taken classes and done independent work in HCI, human-centered design, UX/UI design, and programming. For my own projects, I’ve done user research and technical prototyping. I’ve seen firsthand that balancing technical considerations with user-centeredness makes technology resonate with users. I want to continue that work at the graduate level. I want to understand what makes technology resonate with people. I want to create computing experiences that people can rely upon. I’m eager to learn from your faculty and contribute to your community.

In one word, my studies of human psychology and software engineering throughout my undergraduate years have been an unending exploration of the duality of this equation: the limitations of software and the expectations of the user. In my practice and personal projects, I have gravitated toward the challenges of reconciling the former with the latter. When building a consumer mobile application for local transit as part of a class project, I discovered that optimizing the software was only one side of the equation. Holding interviews with prospective riders and designing the user journey around their needs and pain points was an equally important task. It was through this project that I have found my professional philosophy: that technology should serve to accommodate human error and capricious behavior rather than the other way around. By pursuing a graduate degree in Human-Computer Interaction, I am looking to further expand my practical knowledge of computers and their limitations in day-to-day use. I am especially interested in the ways that human life can be integrated into emerging fields and technologies, such as voice recognition and artificial intelligence. By studying these subjects in greater depth, I hope to contribute to the field from the inside and affect change in an industry that is only now beginning to grasp the enormity of its responsibility to everyday people. Your program is ideally suited for my educational goals: by studying at your university, I am hoping to gain a dual understanding of human-computer interactions from both a theoretical and practical perspective. I wish to further nurture the skills that allow me to design systems that accommodate a wide audience, including those with limited technical proficiency and life experience with modern technology.

It all started when my grandmother couldn’t figure out how to use a medical platform that could of saved her life. I was always interested in HCI but when that happened I knew I wanted to focus on that field. She was scared and didn’t understand why she couldn’t read what was in front of her. Low contrast colors, unclear icons and navigation that you could barely make out took away from this helpful piece of technology. I became passionate about HCI because I felt that technology isn’t useful if we don't learn how people think and act when using technology. While in college I wanted to dive deeper into both aspects of the technology and user. I learned many programming languages and found myself drawn towards why people couldn't understand certain pieces of software. Whether it was for a class or my own project I was always interested in how users interacted with our code. While working on a project with mobile applications I learned that coding great software isn't the only key to making sure your product is successful. Interviewing users, understanding their journey and redesigning the flow of information is what makes a product useful. We need to make technology work for people not force them to learn our ways. I want to study Human Computer Interaction at the graduate level because I believe there is so much more technology can do if we understand our users better. I would love to learn about more new technologies and see how we can better our current interfaces. From voice commands to learning more about AI and how it will affect our society we need to continue building off what we know about HCI. Your school provides this opportunity for me to further my knowledge on HCI. By allowing students to dig deeper into user research and create new technology we can change the world one person at a time. I hope to study more about HCI and learn how we can improve current technology for people that may not have access to it or don't understand how it works.

I first became interested in Human-Computer Interaction when my grandmother had a medical emergency and had to use a telehealth application to call for help. Despite the technology being there to save her life, the interface ended up alienating her in a moment of high panic. The contrast was too low, the icons were unclear, and the navigation was confusing. It was a life or death situation and the technology, which was certainly advanced enough, was not able to assist her. It was clear to me that the most advanced technology in the world is completely useless if it does not also take into account the human experience. Through a variety of coursework, as well as independent projects, I have become familiar with both the software and the human aspects of interactive systems. While completing a mobile application for local transportation, I witnessed the balance of efficiently written code and completing user interviews and making user journey maps as well as redesigning the information architecture in order to make the most viable and effective tool for the user. Technology needs to adapt to the complexity of the human experience and not vice versa. My desire to complete a graduate degree in Human-Computer Interaction comes from a place of wanting to tap into technology’s power and in turn fill a void in utilizing human emotions in order to create more meaningful interactions with technology. Many new interfaces are emerging such as voice interfaces, multimodal human-computer interaction and AI in ambient environments, many of which are inaccessible to the average user. In a near future where AI will dominate much of the interactions we have with technology on a daily basis, interaction design that is thoughtful, ethical and above all inclusive of human diversity is imperative. The HCII program will provide the perfect balance of user-centered research methods and advanced technical development to explore how adaptive interfaces can support underserved users such as the elderly and those who are digitally literate but not proficient. My hope is to design systems that are so intuitive that users will not even realize that they are using technology, and in doing so, empower them to reach their full potential.

The idea of Human-Computer Interaction did not come to me when I was with a computer at hand but rather as I was witnessing my grandmother face one of her lifetime challenges. Although the app she was using was meant to help her in a medical emergency, it turned out to be useless because of poor design. In that situation, she had her needed technology ready, but the design of it deceptive, making it impossible for her to use it. I learned that the development of any technological tool should consider the emotional and cognitive aspects of its users; otherwise, the technology becomes useless. During my undergraduate studies, I dedicated my time to learning how both technical and psychological factors influence people and technology between them. I managed to find and analyze the points of friction, which happen at the interface of the software with its users. While I was working on developing a mobile application for public transport, I discovered that writing efficient code is only half of the task; communication with users and analyzing their needs is the other half of the work which would make any technology successful. My goal is to study for my graduate diploma in the field of Human-Computer Interaction in order to find a balance between technology and humanity. I wish to explore the new types of technology such as voice interfaces, multi-modal Artificial Intelligence, or help computing, for example, that can be made inclusive and accessible. At present, with the emergence of artificial intelligence, it is becoming a vital necessity to design the interaction for people, including those who do not have any experience or skills in technology. Your program is perfect for me as an interdisciplinary field of studies. The combination of user research and technical prototyping will allow me to study how to use flexible interfaces to assist various groups of people in overcoming their disabilities.

My interest in Human-Computer Interaction did not begin when I was in a Computer Lab or coding. It developed from watching my Grandmother have difficulty using a telemedicine app during a time she needed to call for assistance. The technology to help her was available; however, the interface kept her at bay. At that point, as my Grandmother struggled through her own crisis, inadequate contrast, unclear symbols, and confusing pathways turned a potentially lifesaving tool into an impassable barrier. That event solidified my belief that even the most technologically sophisticated tools are ineffectual if they neglect to address the emotional and intellectual limitations of people as well as their diversity. During my undergraduate education I tried to come to terms with both sides of this issue -- the technological boundaries of software and the psychological realities of users. Through my academic course work and individual project assignments I was continually directed toward the conflict zones (friction) of User Intent vs. Algorithmic Execution. For example, I learned through working together on a mobile application for local transportation that writing good code (efficiently) was only one-half of creating a functional tool; user interviews, user journey maps, and designing new Information Architectures represented the other half. What I also came to realize is that technology should be shaped by the complexities and messiness of human experience, rather than shaping humans to conform to machine-based rigidities. The reason I would like to pursue a Graduate Degree in Human-Computer Interaction is to develop the connection between computational capabilities and the ability of designers to provide empathetic interactions. I am particularly interested in exploring the opportunities for designing Accessible Interfaces based on Emerging Paradigms such as Voice Interfaces, Multimodal Artificial Intelligence, Ambient Computing. With Artificial Intelligence becoming increasingly integrated into our everyday lives, now is perhaps the greatest opportunity for designers of all disciplines to focus on developing thoughtful, ethically focused, and inclusive interaction designs. In your program I believe you offer the perfect combination of Interdisciplinary Education that will enable me to further study how Adaptive Interface Design can enable marginalized groups -- specifically older adults and those who lack digital literacy skills. Most importantly, I don't simply want to create Systems that function, I want to create Intuitive and Equitable Experiences for People so that Technology does not represent an Obstacle but instead represents an effortless Extension of Human Ability.

I became interested in human-computer interaction through a non-traditional route. My interest in this field did not stem from working in a computer lab; rather, it developed as I observed my grandmother's difficulty with using a telehealth program during a medical crisis. While the technology was available to help save my grandmother's life, the program's design prevented her from being able to use it effectively. During the chaos of the crisis, the lack of clarity provided by poor contrast, confusing icons, and complicated navigation turned what could have been a life saving tool into an impenetrable barrier. As a result of this experience, I realized that regardless of how innovative or sophisticated technology may be, if it does not address the emotional needs of people, their cognitive limitations, and their differences, then the technology will ultimately fail. During my college years, I worked to learn both parts of the "equation" - the technical limitations of software and the psychological reality of users. Through my coursework and self-directed projects, I continually found myself looking at areas of conflict between user intent and algorithmic execution. When working on a mobile app for local transit, I realized that writing efficient code was just one part of the job. Conducting user interviews, creating user journey maps, and redesigning the information architecture was what really made the product work. I realized that technology should accommodate the complexity of the human experience rather than force humans to adapt to the rigidity of technology. I am looking forward to pursuing my Graduate Studies in Human Computer Interaction so that I can create a connection between what technology can do (computational power) and the human experience (empathy). I am especially interested in creating designs for the new ways people will interact with computers (e.g., voice interfaces, multimodal AI, ambient computing) that are inclusive instead of exclusive. The use of artificial intelligence is becoming so prevalent throughout our lives that there is an immediate and critical need for creating thoughtful, ethical and inclusive interfaces. I believe your program provides the perfect cross-disciplinary setting to continue my exploration of these questions. Through the integration of rigorous user-research methodology and state-of-the-art technological prototyping, I wish to examine how adaptive interfaces can provide opportunities to empower people who may have limited access to technology (i.e., those who are older or do not know much about computers). In addition to building systems that are functional, I want to create user-friendly and equitable technological experiences that make technology appear as though it is not a barrier but rather a natural extension of one's ability.

My interest in HCI did not arise from any computer lab or classroom experience, but from observing my grandmother trying to use a telehealth app when she had an emergency. Here, all the necessary technology existed to save a person's life, but at the time when she needed it, it could not help her. Bad color contrast, confusing icons, and hard-to-use navigation turned the technology that could have saved her into something inaccessible. During my undergraduate years, I became interested in both sides of this story – the technical limitations and capabilities of software and the user's psychological peculiarities that influence his or her interaction with the program. I noticed that no matter what I worked on during classes or my own projects, the places where the intent of the user conflicts with the execution of an algorithm interested me more than anything else. While working on a mobile app for local public transport together with other students, I came to the conclusion that the ability to write code was not the main thing; it was the interviewing of users, the creation of a user journey and redesign of information architecture that made the project alive. I want to get a master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction because I think that technology cannot be considered effective when it is not taking into account people's emotions, cognitive abilities, and diversity. I would like to find out how such new paradigms of interaction as voice interface, multimodal AI and ambient computing may become not exclusive but accessible to everyone. I believe that your program will provide me with the interdisciplinary academic setting I need for the purpose of my research. By learning advanced user research methods and technical prototyping, I want to explore the ways how to develop adaptive interfaces that will give an opportunity to the underrepresented communities, including older people and digital illiterates.

I first became interested in Human-Computer Interaction not in a computer lab, but while I was visiting with my grandma during a medical emergency. It was clear that the technology needed to save her was present, but the interface was not accessible. A moment of panic, bad contrast, confusing icons, and overly complex pages turned a life-saving technology into an insurmountable wall. That day I realized that the best technology in the world is useless if it ignores the human aspect. During my Bachelors program I wanted to learn what was in my control: the limitations of a system (technology) and the nuance of the other person (user). During my courses and personal projects, I kept getting attracted towards the frictions that happened, when the choice of a human didn't quite match the logic of an algorithm. Working together on a metro app for our city, I realized that writing the code was only part of the work; running interviews, conducting journey-maps, and re-architecting the information flow was what made the usability practical. Technology, I realized, should be flexible to the messiness of the human, not always bend humans to the logic of computers. I would like to earn a graduate degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to help close the space between computational power and human understanding. I want to be a part of the research community working to discover how novel paradigms-voice interaction, multimodal AI, ambient computing-should be designed to be inclusive rather than discriminatory. Now that artificial intelligence is absolutely everywhere in our lives, the need for inclusive, human-centered, ethical interaction design has never been greater. Your program provides the perfect cross-disciplinary framework for me to expand on this line of questioning. Utilizing your combination of innovative prototyping and meticulous user research will I strive to understand whether adaptive interfaces, such as those that take into account the age and culture of the end-user, can augment the lives of those in need, for example, the elderly and the digitally illiterate. I aim to not only make systems that work, but experiences that are intuitively and equitably designed so that technology seems less like an obstacle and more like a seamless manifestation of the human body.

My motivation towards studying HCI started not in a computer lab but when I saw my grandmother experiencing difficulties with her use of a telehealth application in a medical emergency. She could have been saved, but the technology she interacted with turned her off. Poor contrast, confusing icons and screwy navigation made a lifesaving tool simply impenetrable in that moment of panic. This experience made me more certain than ever that the most sophisticated technology is useless, if it doesn't factor in human emotions, bandwidth, and diversity! With all of these undergraduate courses I was looking to learn about the technical aspects of the software, but also how the user experiences it. I was always fascinated by the inherent conflict between user desires and algorithmic results in my coursework and in my own projects. As working on a mobile application for local transit, I discovered that although building a very efficient application was important, getting the information architecture right, mapping user journeys and interviewing users was the real key to making the tool viable. Rather than the technology forcing human beings to fit into a rigid mould, I thought to myself, “Technology should be flexible and conform to life, not the other way around”. I'd like to go to graduate school and continue in the realm of Human-Computer Interaction, in order to connect the dots between the capabilities of computational power, and human empathy. I'm especially interested in looking at ways in which new paradigms, like voice interfaces, multimodal AI, and ambient computing can be made accessible instead of exclusive. With AI's impact on everyday life on the rise, thoughtful, ethical, inclusive interaction design is more critical than ever before. Your program is the perfect interdisciplinary place for me to deepen this inquiry. I want to explore with rigorous user research processes and the latest in prototyping technical solutions how adaptive interfaces can be used to empower the digitally illiterate and the elderly, among other underserved populations. After all, it's not just about systems that function; it's about creating intuitive and equitable experiences where technology feels like an extension of the human capacity and becomes less intrusive.

The fascination with Human-Computer Interaction began not in a lab but when I saw my grandmother struggling with a telehealth app during an emergency. The interface design made it difficult to save her life with existing technology. At that moment of panic, I could not read the GPS because of insufficient contrast, unclear icons and complicated navigation. My experience showed that no matter how advanced technology is, it amount to nothing if it did not factor in human emotion, brain capacity and diversity. During my undergraduate degree, I wanted to familiarise myself with this equation software limitations and the psychological reality of the user. Throughout my studies and independent projects, I became fascinated with friction points that arose between user intent and algorithmic execution. While my teammate and I were working on a mobile application for local transit, I observed that writing efficient code was not enough. Analyzing user interviews, mapping user journeys, and redesigning the information architecture was what made the tool viable. I understood that technology should be messy and should help the human around it become messy as well. I want to study for a graduate degree in human-computer interaction to bridge the gap between “what” computers can do and “how” we may design them to act in an agency (manner). I am eager to discover ways to design the new paradigms, which include voice interfaces, multimodal AI and ambient computing, to be accessible rather than exclusive. As artificial intelligence becomes a part of daily life and become a necessity, the interaction design must be thoughtful, ethical design and inclusive. Your program offers the best interdisciplinary setting for me to further this inquiry. Through rigorous user research methodologies coupled with advanced technical prototyping, I hope to explore how adaptive interfaces can empower disadvantaged groups, including the elderly and digitally illiterate individuals. In the end, I don’t just want to build functioning systems; I want to create experiences that are intuitive and equitable. I want users to not feel as if they are battling technology, but rather utilising it effortlessly.

I first became interested in Human-Computer Interaction not in a computer laboratory but when I saw my grandmother having difficulty using a telehealth application during a medical emergency. Although the technology needed to save her life was available, the interface caused her to feel alienated. At that time of panic, the poor contrast, the unclear icons, and the complicated way of navigating turned what should have been a life-saving tool into an insurmountable barrier. It was then that I firmly decided that even the most advanced technology is of no use if it doesn't take into account human emotions, cognitive limitations, and diversity. During my time as an undergraduate I was interested in understanding both aspects of this equation—the technical limitations of software and the psychological aspects of the user. In my courses and in my own projects I was repeatedly attracted to the areas where user intent conflicted with how the algorithm carried out its functions. When I was working on a mobile app for local public transportation I came to the conclusion that while writing efficient code was only half the problem, it was actually the user interviews, the mapping of user journeys, and the redesign of the information architecture that made the tool workable. I realised that technology should be adapted to the messy nature of the human experience rather than requiring people to adjust themselves to the inflexibility of machines. I would like to obtain a postgraduate degree in Human-Computer Interaction in order to fill the gap between computational power and human empathy. I am especially interested in looking at ways in which emerging paradigms—like voice interfaces, multimodal AI, and ambient computing—can be designed to be accessible rather than exclusive. Since artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly integrated into everyday life, the need for careful, ethical, and inclusive interaction design has never been greater. The program provides the perfect interdisciplinary setting for me to carry out this line of inquiry. I intend to examine how adaptive interfaces can enable underserved groups, such as the elderly and those who are not digitally literate, by combining strict user research methods with advanced technical prototyping. My goal is not merely to create systems that function but to design intuitive and fair experiences so that technology doesn't seem like an obstacle but rather like a natural extension of human ability.

I was one of you until my experience with Human-Computer Interaction started not in a computer lab but rather by watching my grandma trying to use a telehealth application during a medical emergency. The technology existed to save her life, the interface was a turn-off. All the panic, weak contrast, vague icons and labyrinthian navigation turned what was usually a life-better into a firewall. This experience solidified my belief that the most advanced technology is basically pointless without attention to human emotion, cognitive limitations, and diversity. During my time as an undergraduate, I wanted to study both sides of this equation—the software starving for a real human and the flesh-bound realities of the person on the other end. During my coursework and independent projects, I continuously gravitated towards the friction points between user intent and algorithmic execution. In building a local transit mobile application, I had already learned that writing code was only half the battle in delivering an effective tool – user interviews, user journey mapping and information architecture redesign put ideas into action. It dawned on me that technology should bend to support the mottled nature of human experience instead of complicating it further by making the humans adapt to a cluttery technological system. I seek a graduate degree in Human-Computer Interaction to integrate the computational frontier with human empathy. Their help will be especially valuable learning how newly emerging paradigms — voice interfaces, multimodal AI and ambient computing — can be made inclusive instead of exclusionary. Data is as of October 2023 and the relevance of careful, ethical, inclusive interaction design has never been better highlighted given how thoroughly AI will weave itself into everyday life. Trading in terms of seeds your program provides the right interdisciplinary context for me to probe further into this line of inquiry. With a blend of robust user research methods and advanced technical prototyping, I want to explore how adaptive interfaces can help marginalized communities like older adults and those lacking digital literacy. For me, however, it is not just about building systems that work; I want to create experiences that feel natural and fair making technology seem like a seamless extension of our human capabilities instead of a hindrance.