NanoTouch is a very small mobile device that users interact with by touching a touchpad on the back of the device. This means that the finger does not occlude the screen when pointing, in contrast to conventional touchscreen devices. I designed and coded prototype apps for nanoTouch and discovered that it was good for pointing at small targets and for dragging, things that conventional touchscreen devices are very bad at. Paper to appear at CHI 2009. See more about nanoTouch at Patrick Baudisch's (my mentor's) website.

I built a mobile featherweight multimedia device using audio and a touchscreen for illiterate people that works like a museum audio guide. While doing user experience research in an eye hospital in India, I discovered that the elderly patients were not understanding a poster about post-operative care since they could not read. Besides building the device, I iteratively tested four social frameworks that introduced the device to the patients in different ways. Ultimately, I found a way for the patients to feel comfortable learning from my device.

I created an innovative kit of cleaning tools with an multidisciplinary team for the International Eagle brand truck. The company tasked us with designing a lifestyle product that would expand the brand. We followed a rigorous design process that included talking with truck drivers, brainstorming opportunities, gathering feedback, and testing designs by cleaning trucks ourselves. In the end, we built both functional and styled prototypes and created a marketing plan.