The Myers-Briggs Type Indicatory (MBTI) has traditionally been used by psychologists to understand certain dimensions of human behavior. I investigate how an individual's MBTI preference influences their use of specific software applications. The results appear in Human-Computer Interaction--Interact '03, Rauterberg, M., Menozzi, M., Wesson, J. (Eds.) IOS Press, 623-632. Copyright IFIP, 2003. "Does an Individual's Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Affect Task-Oriented Technology Use?" Ludford, P.J., Terveen, L.G. Acceptance rate: 34%.   

In face-to-face interaction, people become friends with others who have interests and demographics similar to their own. This notion, supported by empirical sociology research, has not yet been widely explored by researchers studying online communication. If the same principles hold in the online world, the results could improve online communication forums. New technology could funnel those with similar (or complementary) interests to places where they could exchange ideas online.

Initial results appear in the proceedings of the GROUP 2003 conference, "Studying the Effects of Similarity in Online Task-Focused Interactions", Cosley, D., Ludford P.J., Terveen, L.G., Acceptance rate: 35%.

Results of a second study appear in the proceedings of CHI 2004, "Think Different: Increasing Online Community Participation Using Uniqueness and Group Dissimilarity", Ludford, P.J., Cosley, D., Frankowski, D., Terveen, L.G., Acceptance rate: 16%.

This future work will focus on the types of information people are willing to give and receive in various places, while mobile and using a PDA. Further, their behavior and peripheral information needs and awareness are of particular interest.

HCI researchers deliver effective methodolgies and techniques for developing usable interfaces. At the same time, a quick surf of the internet reveals results of HCI research are not always applied; it is not difficult to find a web page or interface with usability issues. As a former practitioner, I am interested in enabling current practitioners to overcome the obstacles they face in justifying the cost and time involved in applying recommended usability design tactics.