Research Areas

My research interests lie generally in the area of creativity and technology, specifically areas related to human-computer interaction (HCI) such as information space design, usability and interface design. For my qualifying paper, I am combining HCI and traditional creativity research to discover the impact of creativity theory on human-computer use issues. I completed an independent study in which I reviewed the HCI research on creativity and discovered several key topical areas: user interfaces for creative systems, creativity support tools, art and technology, AI/simulation/modeling, and various aspects of the creative process such as creativity in design, characteristics of creative environments and creative cognitive processes. The importance of creativity to HCI is only just being discovered. I hope to fill gaps related to:

• the measurement and operationalization of creativity;
• conceptions of creativity in various technological domains and across atypical subject groups;
• more holistic investigations, e.g. intertwined aspects of creative context, process and person; and
• methods for assessing the usability of collaborative creativity support tools.