Specializations
- Biomedical and Health Informatics
- Human-Computer Interaction
- User-Centered Design
Biography
Julie A. Kientz is an Assistant Professor in the department of Human Centered Design & Engineering and an Adjunct Professor in The Information School and Computer Science & Engineering. She is also director of the Computing for Healthy Living and Learning Lab and is active in the Design, Use, Build (dub) alliance. Dr. Kientz's primary research areas are in the fields of Human-Computer Interaction, Ubiquitous Computing, and Health Informatics. Dr. Kientz's research focuses on understanding and reducing the user burdens of interactive technologies for health through the design of future applications. She has design, developed, and evaluated mobile, sensor, and social applications for helping individuals with sleep disorders, assisting parents of young children in tracking developmental progress, assisting individuals with visual impairments, helping people quit smoking, and assisting special education teachers working with children with autism. Her primary research methods involve human-centered design, technology development, and a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. Dr. Kientz received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2008, under the advisement of Gregory Abowd, and her B.S. in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Toledo in 2002. She was awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2009, named her department's Junior Faculty Innovator in 2012, and named an MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35 in 2013.
Education
- Ph D, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008
- BS, University of Toledo, 2002
Memberships
- Association for Computing Machinery, Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing
- Association for Computing Machinery, Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Association for Computing Machinery
Publications and Contributions
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Workshop PaperFinding a New Path for HCIC (2021)Human Computer Interaction Consortium 2021: Accessibility (HCIC ’21)
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Magazine/Trade PublicationLife Goes On with Pokémon: Reimagining the Design of Location-Based Games during the COVID-19 Pandemic (2021)XRDS: Crossroads, The ACM Magazine for Students, 28(2)
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Journal Article, Academic JournalParenting in a pandemic: Juggling multiple roles and managing technology use in family life during COVID-19 (2021)ACM Computer Supported Collaborative Work
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Journal Article, Academic JournalAssumptions Checked: How Families Learn About and Use the Echo Dot (2020)Proc. ACM Interact. Mob. Wearable Ubiquitous Technol., 4(1)
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Conference PaperParenting with Alexa: Exploring the Introducation of Smart Speakers on Family Dynamics (2020)Proceedings of the 38th annual ACM conference on human factors in computing systems (CHI '20), pp. 1-13
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Conference Paper“It should be a game for fun, not exercise”: Tensions in designing health-related features for Pokémon GO (2020)Proceedings of the 38th Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ‘20)
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Conference PaperCommunication Breakdowns Between Families and Alexa (2019)Proceedings of the 37th annual ACM conference on human factors in computing systems (CHI ’19), 243(Unknown Issue), pp. 1-13
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Conference PaperGroup interactions in location-based gaming: a case study of raiding in Pokémon GO (2019)Proceedings of the 37th Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ‘19)
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Conference PaperCoco’s Videos: An Empirical Investigation of Video-Player Design Features and Children's Media Use (2018)Proceedings of the 36th annual ACM conference on human factors in computing systems (CHI ’18), pp. 254:1-13
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Conference PaperLet's Play! Digital and Analog Play Between Preschoolers and Parents (2018)Proceedings of the 36th annual ACM conference on human factors in computing systems (CHI ’18), pp. 659:1-13
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Magazine/Trade PublicationPlayful Interfaces: Designing Interactive Experiences for Children (2018)User Experience: The Magazine of User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA), 18(1)
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Journal Article, Public or Trade JournalPlayful Interfaces: Designing Interactive Experiences for Children (2018)User Experience: The Magazine of User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA), 18(1)
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Conference Paper"It wasn't really about the Pokémon": Parental perspectives on a location-based mobile game (2017)Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1483–1496
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Conference PaperDeveloping and Validating the User Burden Scale: A Tool for Assessing User Burden in Computing Systems (2016)ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
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Journal Article, Academic JournalHidden symbols: How informal symbolism in digital interfaces disrupts usability for preschoolers (2016)International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 90(Unknown Issue), pp. 53–67
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Conference PaperIncloodle: Evaluating an Interactive Application for Young Children with Mixed Abilities (2016)ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
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Conference PaperMyTime: Designing and Evaluating an Intervention for Smartphone Non-Use (2016)Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 4746–4757
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Conference PaperMyTime: Designing and Evaluating an Intervention for Targeted Smartphone Non-Use (2016)ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
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Conference PaperNot at the dinner table: Parents’ and children’s perspectives on family technology rules (2016)Proceedings of the 19th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing, pp. 1376–1389
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Journal Article, Academic JournalResearch contributions in human-computer interaction (2016)ACM Interactions, 23(3), pp. 38-44
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Conference PaperScreen Time Tantrums: How Families Manage Screen Media Experiences for Toddlers and Preschoolers (2016)ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
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Conference PaperScreen time tantrums: how families manage screen media experiences for toddlers and preschoolers (2016)Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 648–660
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Conference PaperWhy would you do that? Predicting the uses and gratifications behind smartphone-usage behaviors (2016)Proceedings of the 2016 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing, pp. 634–645
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Conference PaperExploring the opportunities and challenges with exercise technologies for people who are blind or low-vision (2015)Proceedings of ASSETS 2015
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Journal Article, Professional JournalFirst do no harm: technology-induced risks to wellbeing (2015)Developing Skills for Wellbeing workshop at the 33rd annual ACM conference on human factors in computing systems
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Conference PaperSleepTight: Low-burden, Self-monitoring Technology for Capturing and Reflecting on Sleep Behaviors (2015)2015 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp 2015)
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Conference PaperTexting while parenting: How adults use mobile phones while caring for children at the playground (2015)Proceedings of the 33rd annual ACM conference on human factors in computing systems, pp. 727–736
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Conference PaperTouchscreen prompts for preschoolers: designing developmentally appropriate techniques for teaching young children to perform gestures (2015)Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, pp. 109–118
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Conference Paper@ BabySteps: design and evaluation of a system for using twitter for tracking children’s developmental milestones (2014)Proceedings of the 32nd annual ACM conference on Human factors in computing systems, pp. 2279–2288
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Conference PaperWorkshopping Expressive Language Games for Children with Autism (2014)Supporting Children with Complex Communication Needs workshop at the 32nd annual ACM conference on human factors in computing systems
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Conference Short PaperPVT-Touch: Adapting a reaction time test for touchscreen devices (2013)Proceedings of the 7th Int’l Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare
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Journal Article, Academic JournalEmbedded Capture & Access: Encouraging Recording & Reviewing of Data in the Caregiving Domain (2012)Journal of Personal and Ubiquitous Computing. Special Issue on Technology and Autism, 16(12), pp. 209-221
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Conference PaperShutEye: Encouraging Awareness of Healthy Sleep Recommendations with a Mobile, Peripheral Display (2012)CHI Annual Conference
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Conference Short PaperLiving in a Glass House: A Survey of Private Moments in the Home (2011)Ubicomp - ACM International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, pp. 41-44
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Conference PaperOpportunities for Computing to Support Healthy Sleep Behaviors (2011)CHI Annual Conference, pp. 3053-3062 Editor: Nathaniel F Watson
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Conference Short PaperExploring the Use of Technology in Healthcare Spaces and its Impact on Empathic Communication (2010)IHI - ACM International Health Informatics Symposium, pp. 497-501
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Conference PaperHeuristic Evaluation of Persuasive Health Technologies (2010)IHI - ACM International Health Informatics Symposium, pp. 555-564
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Conference Paper
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Conference PosterPost Traumatic Stress Disorder: Issues and Opportunities (2010)CHI Annual Conference
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Conference PaperPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Opportunities & Challenges for Computing Technology (2010)IHI - ACM International Health Informatics Symposium
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Conference PaperStudying the Use and Utility of an Indoor Location Tracking System for Non-Experts (2010)Proceedings of the International Conference on Pervasive Computing, pp. 288-245
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Conference PaperThe Design and Evaluation of a Task-Centered Battery Interface (2010)Ubicomp - ACM International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, pp. 341-350
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Conference PaperUnderstanding Parent-Pediatrician Interactions for the Design of Health Technologies (2010)IHI - ACM International Health Informatics Symposium, pp. 230-239
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Conference PaperUnderstanding and Designing Computing Technologies that Convey Concerning Health News (2010)Design & Emotion
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Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-NewUnderstanding the Potential of Ubiquitous Computing for Chronic Disease Management (2010)Health Informatics: A Patient-Centered Approach to Diabetes
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Conference PosterBaby Steps: Evaluation of a Computing System to Support Parent Reporting of Early Childhood Development (2009)
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Conference PaperBaby Steps: Evaluation of a System to Support Record-Keeping for Parents of Young Children (2009)CHI Annual Conference, pp. 1713-1722
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Conference PosterBaby Steps: Mobile Technology to Track Young Children's Development (2009)
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Conference PaperKidCam: Toward an Effective Technology for the Capture of Children's Moments of Interest (2009)Proceedings of the International Conference on Pervasive Computing
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Journal Article, Public or Trade JournalUnderstanding the Situated Sustainability of Mobile Phones: The Influence of Local Constraints and Practices on Transferability (2009)IEEE Pervasive Computing. Special Issue on Sustainability, 8(1), pp. 46-53
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Conference PaperAre You Sleeping? Sharing Portrayed Sleeping Status within a Social Network. (2008)Proceedings of the ACM CSCW Conference, pp. 619-628
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Conference Workshop PaperDesigning Toys with Automatic Play Characterization for Supporting the Assessment of a Child's Development (2008)
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Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-NewDesigning a Ubiquitous Audio-Based Memory Aid (2008)Handbook of Research on User Interface Design and Evaluation for Mobile Technology
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Conference Non-Archival PapersDesigning and Developing Technology for Caregivers of Individuals with Autism (2008)CHI Annual Conference
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Conference Non-Archival PapersGeorgia Tech Aware Home (2008)CHI Annual Conference
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Conference Non-Archival PapersWhen the Designer Becomes the User: Designing a System for Therapists by Becoming a Therapist. (2008)CHI Annual Conference, pp. 2071-2078
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SoftwareAbaris & Abaris 2.0. Application to support therapists conducting discrete trial training with children with special needs (2007)
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Conference PosterAbaris: Technology to Support Collaboration and Decision Making for Discrete Trial Training (2007)
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Conference Non-Archival PapersAn Overview of the Aware Home Research Initiative at the Georgia Institute of Technology. (2007)pp. 169-181
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Conference PaperAt the Flick of a Switch: Detecting and Classifying Unique Electrical Events on the Residential Power Line. (2007)Ubicomp - ACM International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, pp. 271-288
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SoftwareBaby Steps. Application to support parents in tracking developmental progress and organizing photos and videos of newborn children (2007)Application to support parents in tracking developmental progress and organizing photos and videos of newborn children
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Conference PaperGrow and Know: Understanding Record-Keeping Needs for the Development of Young Children. (2007)CHI Annual Conference, pp. 1351-1360
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Conference Non-Archival PapersIT Systems to Support Aging in Place: Aware Home Research Initiative at the Georgia Institute of Technology. (2007)pp. 276-286
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SoftwareKidCam. A prototype child recording device and application that enables parents to monitor children and selectively record videos to be imported into a digital baby book (2007)A prototype child recording device and application that enables parents to monitor children and selectively record videos to be imported into a digital baby book
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Journal Article, Public or Trade JournalPervasive Computing and Autism: Assisting Caregivers of Children with Special Needs (2007)IEEE Pervasive Computing. Special Issue on Pervasive Healthcare, 6(1), pp. 28-35
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Conference Non-Archival PapersSupporting Data-Based Decision-Making for Caregivers through Embedded Capture and Access (2007)Ubicomp - ACM International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing
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Conference Non-Archival PapersSupporting Data-Based Decision-Making for Caregivers through Embedded Capture and Access (2007)
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Conference Non-Archival PapersChallenges and Opportunities for Collaboration Technologies for Chronic Care Management (2006)HCIC - Human-Computer Interaction Consortium
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Conference Workshop PaperCollective Remembering in Evidence-Based Care (2006)CHI Annual Conference
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Conference Non-Archival PapersDesigning Technology to Aid in the Early Detection of Developmental Delay in Children (2006)
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Conference PosterEvaluating a Selectively Archived Video Recording System for Functional Behavior Assessment in Schools (2006)
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SoftwareFETCH. Application to assist the visually impaired in finding lost objects using a mobile phone or laptop (2006)
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Conference PaperFarther Than You May Think: An Empirical Investigation of the Proximity of Users to their Mobile Phones. (2006)Ubicomp - ACM International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, pp. 17-21
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Conference PaperFrom the War Room to the Living Room: Decision Support for Home-based Therapy Teams. (2006)Proceedings of the ACM CSCW Conference, pp. 209-218
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Conference PaperWhere's My Stuff? Design and Evaluation of a Mobile System for Locating Lost Items for the Visually Impaired. (2006)ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, pp. 103-110
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Conference Non-Archival PapersAbaris: Capture and Access for Structured One-on-One Educational Settings (2005)Ubicomp - ACM International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing
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Conference PaperAbaris: Evaluating Automated Capture Applied to Structured Autism Interventions. (2005)Ubicomp - ACM International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, pp. 323-339
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Journal Article, Public or Trade JournalPrototypes and Paratypes: Designing Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing Applications (2005)IEEE Pervasive Computing, 4(4), pp. 67-73
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Conference PaperDesigning Capture Applications to Support the Education of Children with Autism (2004)Ubicomp - ACM International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing
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Conference PaperHeuristic Evaluation of Ambient Displays (2004)CHI Annual Conference, pp. 169-176
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Technical ReportLoCoL: Encouraging Social Interaction and Exploration Through a Distributed, Multi-Media, Location-Based Mobile Game (2004)GVU Tech Report.GIT- GVU-04-17
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Conference PaperThe Personal Audio Loop: Designing a Ubiquitous Audio-Based Memory Aid (2004)Proceedings of Mobile HCI
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Conference ProceedingHeuristic evaluation of ambient displays (2003)Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems, pp. 169--176
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Conference PaperMediating Culture: Cultivating Socio-cultural Understanding of AI in Children through Participatory DesignProceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference
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Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-NewTools to Support Simplified Capture of Activities in Natural Environments21st Century Tools for Students With Autism and Related Disorders
Presentations
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Remote research methods
(2020)
Joan Ganz Cooney Center - Virtual
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Research on Pokemon GO and Ingress at the University of Washington
(2017)
Invited talk at Niantic Labs for CEO and founder, and senior management - US
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Understanding Parent-Pediatrician Interaction for the Design of Health Technologies
(2010)
Annual Conference, IHI - International Health Informatics Symposium (ACM) - Arlington, VA
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Baby Steps: Evaluation of a System to Support Record-Keeping for Parents of Young Children
(2009)
Annual Conference, SIGCHI - Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM) - Boston, MA
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Human Subjects Issues in Human-Computer interaction
(2009)
Seattle Area IRB - Seattle, WA
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IT Systems to Support Aging in Place: Aware Home Research Initiative at the Georgia Institute of Technology
(2009)
International Future Design Conference on Global Innovations in Macro- and Micro-Environments for the Future - Seoul, Korea
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KidCam: Toward an Effective Technology for the Capture of Children's Moments of Interest
(2009)
International Conference on Pervasive Computing - Nora, Japan
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Tools for Supporting Individuals with Autism and other Cognitive Disabilities
(2009)
University of Toronto - Toronto, ON, Canada
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Computing for Healthy Living and Learning
(2008)
University of Washington - Seattle, WA
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Decision Support through Embedded Capture for Everyday Health and Wellness
(2008)
Computer Science Department, University of Calgary - Calgary, AB, Canada
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Decision Support through Embedded Capture for Everyday Health and Wellness
(2008)
School of Information and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine - Irvine, CA
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Decision Support through Embedded Capture for Everyday Health and Wellness
(2008)
Cornell University - Ithaca, NY
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Decision Support through Embedded Capture for Everyday Health and Wellness
(2008)
Technical Communication, University of Washington - Seattle, WA
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Decision Support through Embedded Capture for Everyday Health and Wellness
(2008)
Information School, University of Washington - Seattle, WA
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Decision Support through Embedded Capture for Everyday Health and Wellness
(2008)
Computer Science Department, Northeastern University - Boston, MA
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Information Technologies to Support the Challenges of Autism and Related Developmental Disorders.".
(2008)
Computing Research that Changed the World Symposium at the Library of Congress, CCC - Computing Community Consortium - Boston, MA
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When the Designer Becomes the User: Designing a System for Therapists by Becoming a Therapist
(2008)
Annual Conference, SIGCHI - Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM) - Florence, Italy
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Grow and Know: Understanding Record-Keeping Needs for the Development of Young Children
(2007)
Annual Conference, SIGCHI - Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM) - San Jose, CA
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Supporting Data-Based Decision-Making for Caregivers through Embedded Capture and Access
(2007)
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology - Orlando, FL
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Farther Than You May Think: An Empirical Investigation of the Proximity of Users to their Mobile Phones
(2006)
International Conference, Ubicomp - International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing - Newport Beach, CA
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From the War Room to the Living Room: Decision Support for Home-based Therapy Teams
(2006)
Computer Supported Cooperative Work, SIGCHI - Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM) - Banff, AB, Canada
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GVU Seminar: From the War Room to the Living Room: Decision Support for Home-based Therapy Teams
(2006)
GVU Seminar, Georgia Institute of Technology - Atlanta, GA
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GVU Seminar: Farther Than You May Think: An Empirical Investigation of the Proximity of Users to their Mobile Phones
(2006)
GVU Seminar, Georgia Institute of Technology - Atlanta, GA
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Where's My Stuff? Design and Evaluation of a Mobile System for Locating Lost Items for the Visually Impaired
(2006)
Annual Conference, SIGACCESS - Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing (ACM) - Portland, OR
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Abaris: Evaluating Automated Capture Applied to Structured Autism Interventions
(2005)
International Conference, Ubicomp - International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing - Tokyo, Japan