The first post of my new site. Perhaps a brief introduction is in order: I’m a doctoral student at George Mason University, studying Human Factors and Applied Cognition. What does that mean? Well, the study of cognition is learning about how the brain works – how we see, what we pay attention to, how we remember things, how we make decisions, and much more.
Human factors takes this knowledge and applies it to technology. By understanding the limits of the human, technology can be made easier to use and make us more productive. Why is TiVo more successful than recording on tape with a VCR? The convenience of having your shows in the same place, but just look at the interface! You point and click, and it’s done – it’s fast, easy, and intuitive. Human factors and applied cognition is about learning why and how of human thought in order to design such compelling technology.
Specifically, this site is three things:
- Details about my professional life – my publications, projects, CV, etc.
- Interesting tidbits about cognition research from myself and others.
- Musings on the interaction between cognition and design – both the good and the bad!
