My Georgia Tech MSCS Statement (accepted)

Understanding the interactions between humans and how they consume information is vital to designing the input modalities of the future. Now, our challenge as computer scientists is to continue creating engaging technological experiences while allowing users to stay focused on the physical world. This is the challenge that most interests me. I am fascinated by how the interdisciplinary field of Human-Computer Interaction [HCI] can help us scientifically understand the complex relationship between man and machine through the perspectives of computer science and human psychology. I have experience creating wearable computers that augment the human experience while allowing users to engage more meaningfully with the world around them. I want to advance my goals by joining a research program that offers me diverse, hands-on experiences in this area while pursuing a master’s degree leading eventually toward a doctoral program.

During a software engineering internship at SpaceX, I became interested in the company’s investments in wearable computers and augmented reality [AR] to improve the efficiency of their manufacturing processes. Intrigued, I wanted to explore how AR could aid in such industrial work. I joined the Contextual Computing Group [CCG] at Georgia Tech to start researching such uses. Under the direction of Professor Thad Starner, I investigated the use of head-worn displays [HWDs] in order-picking, the process of finding and picking orders in warehouses. I led various technical efforts in a collaborative team environment to develop a novel wearable verification system for dense order-picking. We designed and ran a 12-subject user study to investigate how wrist-mounted RFID readers could reduce order-picking errors and how HWDs could aid participants in navigating to the correct picking location. I was heavily involved with the data analysis and paper-writing processes for this project. We presented and demoed our paper, RF-Pick, at the 2018 ACM International Symposium for Wearable Computers [ISWC] in Singapore, where we won the Best Paper Award. Moreover, I took running 24 hours of user studies as an opportunity to understand the nuances of HCI and interface design firsthand. As they learned our HWD and RFID-wristband system, I carefully observed users’ every arm gesture, head nod, and eye motion to gain a nuanced understanding of how to better design for humans. Subject by subject, I became more and more aware of the increased comfort HWDs provide in industrial contexts and the importance of optimizing simple gestures that are repeated hundreds of times an hour. In many cases, optimization for such gestures can facilitate making company quotas while reducing employee turnover due to physical strain. These insights about the importance of physical and virtual affordances excite me about the future of wearable computing and on-body interfaces.

In addition to other valuable professional experiences at Cisco and SpaceX, I’ve had the opportunity to work as cofounder of two early-stage startups, both in the field of wearable computing. Through all of these experiences, I’ve learned a great deal about exploring product-market fit and how to sell ideas to others. These professional experiences have improved my ability to break down seemingly large and complex problems, for coursework, independent study, and research. I’m highly confident in my ability to learn new topics in depth and quickly gain new skills by asking the right questions.

I believe that the Computer Science Masters of Science program in the College of Computing will enable me to dive deeper into the nuances of HCI to understand the human mind in the context of computing systems. Having already worked in the CCG, I’m excited to continue my work within this group and with Professor Starner. I strongly believe that this group will continue to open up diverse experiences for me and allow me to continue contributing to the field of HCI.