hci interests

user research  ~  math search & information retrieval  ~  human-centered design for development  ~  process & instructional UX  ~  distance collaboration & learning  ~  agent-based modeling

publications

~  Discovering real-world use cases for multimodal math search

slideshares

~   Poster: Real-world use cases for multimodal math search
~   Survey of Math Search Interfaces
~   Developing in Context
~   Fitting UX into an Agile Environment

master's thesis & projects

~  Thesis: Real-world usage for a multimodal math search interface
~  Work Project: Create Sales Process Coach (interactive job aid)
~  Work Project: Usability Test of Custom Salesforce Quote Module
~  School Project: Usability Test of Adaptive Learning Tool
~  Work Project: Create Virtual Meeting Coach (interactive job aid)

graduate school papers

~  The Beauty in HCI
~  Credible Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs)
~  The Living Sales Toolkit
~  New Discoveries in Online Relationships
~  The Practicality of Organic User Interfaces
~  Community-Centered Design
~  7 Action Steps: Glass Case Vending Machines

Keita Wangari
UX Researcher @ Google
MS, Human-Computer Interaction
2009 AAUW Grant Winner

~  9/15: Attended UXWeek15
~  4/15: Joined Google as a UX Researcher
~  7/14: Math information retrieval paper published at SIGIR
~  4/14: Attended SoCal UX Camp 2014
~  3/14: Presented Developing in Context at Esri Dev Summit
~  12/13: Successfully defended Master's thesis

From engineer to computer techie to business owner, web designer & consultant to UX Researcher — a path that has fused in me an interesting combination of technical aptitude, design sense, corporate prudence, cross-functional capacity and user understanding. It's been a trip, and the journey continues!

For those seeking a Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Southern California is not the hotspot to think and research HCI. Even though the West Coast is home to Twitter, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo! and Silicon Valley, this interactive map shows few choices for HCI degrees on the West Coast: Where to Study HCI in the U.S. But I'm proof it can be done — where there's a passion, there's a way!

UX/Tech Orgs I Dig & Really Do Stuff With:

~  User Experience Professionals Association (UxPA)
~  American Association of University Women (AAUW)
~  Anita Borg Institute (via Grace Hopper Celebration)