Stealth Writer vs Super Humanizer

Nearly every activity in our lives is influenced by technology, which all too frequently fails to serve the very people it was designed to help. Back then when I observed my grandmother's difficulty in using a banking application, I got a glimpse of this. She was bright and able and resolute but the interface took for granted knowledge she didn't need to have. She was left feeling that she was to blame because of the very small icons, menus that weren't labeled, and confusing error messages. At that moment I knew she wasn't the problem with the technology, it was the technology with her. This experience set me on a course toward the field of human/computer interaction.

So, I have been searching for chances to connect people and processes since then. In my first few years of teaching introductory programming, I really liked coding but was really energised by asking students: When your code is complete who will be using it, how and what needs would they have? I designed the new website for my university club and interviewed some of the group, watched them navigate searching for information and tested prototypes with them. It was so satisfying to see an event registration process which was crazy in their minds made so easy to be completed in less than one minute. It taught me that “design thinking” is not just for show — it can either enable or discourage.

I became interested in HCI because it is a field that brings together STEM related fields that I'm passionate about — psychology, design, engineering, and ethics. Inquires about technical matters and human ones. How to make systems accessible for persons with disabilities? What are suitable designs to ensure transparency and trustworthiness of AI products? How to make technologies that do not compromise attention and wellbeing but honor them? Meanwhile, as interfaces shift from screens to voice, gestures and immersive interfaces, the need for these questions becomes more pressing.

I am interested in taking formal classes in HCI to learn some strong research techniques, to better understand cognition and behavior, and to learn from experts in this field. I love working with other people with different views as many viewpoints equal good design.

My ultimate vision is to engage in inclusive technology development, either as researchers or as practitioners in the tech industry, where people feel empowered, not confused! I would like to create systems that engage people where they are, not let my grandmother feel this way. The study of HCI is the next step towards realising that vision.

Technology influences our daily lives more and more, but it hasn't always worked as intended. My 'a-ha moment' came when I watched my grandma, smart and curious and trying, use a banking app. Small icons, undefined menus, errors with no guidance.

She didn't have the knowledge the app seemed to expect.

It wasn't her technology wasn't her failure; my failure, her failure. This was the first time I caught a glimpse of what human-computer interaction could become.

Since then I have been seeking to close that distance-between people and their tools. I loved the intricacies of writing code for introductory programming classes but was most invigorated by then asking: after I had finished writing, who was going to use it, and how, and what would make it difficult for them? When I volunteered to re-build the website of a university club, I interviewed users and observed their interaction with information and tested prototypes. Witnessing a registration system that was previously baffling to the point of not registering, and that people could execute in under a minute, was hugely satisfying: design is not dressing, but the difference between power and barriers.

What's attracted me to HCI is that it intersects with disciplines I love: human-computer interaction, design, engineering, and morality. HCI raises technical and human issues. How do we design systems that everybody can use?

How do we ensure our AI systems are open, trustworthy tools?

How can we design technology that enhances our attention and wellbeing rather than hijacking them? Our challenges have become even more clear as interfaces are shifting from screens to voice and gesture and the immersive world.

My formal education in HCI would provide me with stronger research methods, enhanced insight into cognition and behaviour and mentorship from the best minds in the field. I want to be part of a vibrant community of researchers from the widest range of backgrounds, for good design is collaborative.

My bigger-picture goal is to build inclusive technology, through research or industry, that make everyone feel competent instead of overwhelmed. I want to develop systems that are in the same space as the user, so that others never end up feeling like my grandma. Learning HCI is the next step toward bringing that goal to life.