Q1JeffHoehl

Document Q1JeffHoehl

1. Your Name

Jeff Hoehl

2. Your field of study?

Computer Science - HCI

3. In which semester of study are you?

2nd Semester Ph.D.

4. Why are you interested in taking this course?

I am interested in how people use different technologies to produce and share content with family, friends, and the public. My research is currently in finding ways to make online communication easier and accessible to more people.

5. What courses / work activities / background knowledge do you have which might be relevant to this course?

I have recently taken a survey course on human-computer interaction as well as the Digital and Social Systems course. My industry experience includes building web systems for military families to create online communities as well as access personal and family-oriented resources.

6. Indicate your own digital literacy / fluency:
6.1. Describe your programming experience (languages, projects)

I am most fluent in web languages including C#, and JavaScript but also know C, C++, and T-SQL.

6.2. What applications are you familiar with (e.g. Photoshop, Canvas, Dreamweaver,...)?

Windows, OS X, Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Flash, Visual Studio.

7. Give a brief description of the most important book / article which you have read with respect to the topic of the course.

Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge is a great book that contains a breadth of real-world case studies concerning technology innovations in the past several decades. He features the process of creating the first computer mice to the creation of Google as a company. The book has a strong focus on determining what works for people rather than focusing solely on the technology and does so through interviews with the creators themselves.

8. What do you hope and expect to learn from this course?

I hope to gain a deeper understanding of how people use new forms of technology to interact and share information with each other. I also hope to learn about how different artifacts are created and what the nuances are between using different technologies to achieve similar ends.