Categories: graduate school

As some of you know, I’m going back to graduate school at the end of August. As the word spreads, its common for people (especially family and friends) to ask me what I’m studying.

I need to come up with a 15-second explanation of what “human computer interaction design” is. Easier said than done… Typically, when people ask me what I’m studying, I’ll go into a long description of experience design, user interfaces, or digital artifacts. 90% of the time, I get blank stares or I receive responses like “cool” or “that’s nice”. By the look of their facial expressions, I can tell they have no clue what I’m talking about. When this happens, I expand and simplify my response to something much more general like “technology design” which is totally incomplete.

My goal is to come up with a simple description my grandmother will understand. Do you think she’ll understand, “Solving big problems in a human-centered way using information technology”?

Defining Human Computer Interaction Design is a question I will definitely pose to my professors, and colleagues in the HCI/d program.