Research Interests:

• Information seekers' interaction behavior with information systems
• User interfaces for search and browse systems
• Diversity issues in Human-Computer Interaction: cultural differences, children vs. adults, men vs. women

Current Projects:

Cultural Differences in Information Seeking Behavior
Individuals from different cultures can react quite differently to user interface characteristics such as colors and icons. In addition to user acceptance of interface design, the understanding of interface characteristics may also vary between different cultural groups. Information seeking behavior can also be impacted by culture, and interfaces may need to be designed to accommodate these differences. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there are cultural differences in information-seeking behavior on the Web and, if so, to gain an understanding of the characteristics of these differences as well as the motivations behind them. Ultimately, the results will provide the basis for user interface design recommendations.

Global Portal for Women in Information Technology
In response to a national need and international interest in developing human resources in information technology, we are building a web portal that centralizes access to widely scattered resources on the issue of and solutions to the global technology divide between men and women, and the under-utilization of women in the development of information technology.

Past Projects:

International Children's Digital Library Community
The goal of this project is to explore the design and evaluation of cross-language children’s online communities via a case study of the International Children’s Digital Library Communities (ICDLCommunities). In this community the children can learn about each others’ cultures and make friends even if they do not speak the same language. They can also read and create stories and ask and answer questions about these.

Gender Differences in Technology Use and Attitudes among MIddle School Students
The purpose of this multi-method, multi-disciplinary study was to investigate the interrelationships among gender, digital media technology1 usage and perceptions, self-efficacy, and career intentions among US middle school students.

Enhancing Science and Technology Education
Project ESTEEM provided after-school, weekend, and summer technology education programs for underpriviliged middle school students in the Baltimore, MD area for three years. The project touched over two hundred students.

Search History User Interfaces
Recording search histories, presenting them to the searcher, and building additional interface tools on them offer many opportunities for supporting user tasks in information seeking and use. This study investigated the use of search history information in legal information seeking. Qualitative methods were used to explore how attorneys and law librarians used their memory and external memory aids while searching for information and in transferring to information use. Based on the findings, interface design recommendations were made for information systems and several suer interfaces were implemented and evaluated.

Other Research Project Participation:

VIsualizing Intrusion Detection Data - w/ John Goodall, Wayne Lutters