MJ Ellis Distinguished Lecture Series, 2000

"User-Centered Design of Assistive Technology"

April 26th, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Room 407 Levis Faculty Center

Dr. Robert C. Williges

Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Abstract

To improve usability of assistive technology, the user's special needs must be assessed, and the user must participate in the design process. A three-phase design approach that incorporates (a) needs assessment, (b) assistive technology design, and (c) design validation as well as a general model for selecting assistive technology will be described. An example of using this approach for visually impaired users will be provided. Implications of using this approach for designing computer-based assistive technology for mobility impaired users also will be discussed.

Biography

Dr. Robert C. Williges is the Ralph H. Bogle Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is also a Professor of Psychology and Computer Science. He is the Director of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory. He has over 30 years experience in managing and directing over $12M of human factors engineering research dealing with topics including human-computer interaction, computer-based training procedures, and human factors research methodology. Before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech, Dr. Williges was on the faculty of the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and associate head of the Aviation Research Laboratory. He received the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in engineering psychology from The Ohio State University and the A.B. degree in psychology from Wittenberg University. He is a fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the American Psychological Association and is a member of the Institute for Industrial Engineering and the Association for Computing Machinery. He has served as president of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and as president of Division 21 of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Williges is a past editor of Human Factors. He has over 275 scientific publications and has made over 190 technical presentations at national and international scientific meetings. His current research interests include developing methods for usability evaluation, improving hypermedia information presentation, designing computer-based assistive technology for computer users with disabilities, human factors engineering in manufacturing, and emerging human-computer interfaces involving visualization and computer-based conferencing.