Date: February 7, 2008
Speaker: Brenda Laurel — California College of the Arts
Participants will be asked to bring design briefs or general areas of interest. Together, we will look at several qualitative and representative methods and appropriate processes for each, discussing the value of selecting and deploying a variety of methods. We’ll also be using some improvisational techniques to explore various methods. At the end of the four-hour workshop, each participant or project group should be able to leave with a well-articulated research plan.
About the Instructor
Brenda Laurel is a designer, researcher and writer. Her work focuses on interactive narrative, human-computer interaction, and cultural aspects of technology. She currently serves as chair of the new Graduate Program in Design at California College of the Arts. Her career in human-computer interaction spans over twenty-five years. She holds an M.F.A. and Ph.D. in theatre from the Ohio State University. Brenda was one of the founding members of the research staff at Interval Research Corporation in Palo Alto, California, where she coordinated research activities exploring gender and technology. She was also one of the founders and VP of Design of a spinoff company from Interval–Purple Moon–formed to market products based on this research. She served as Chair and graduate faculty member of the graduate Media Design Program at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and also worked as a Senior Director and Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems Labs in Menlo Park, California.