About
Hi, I’m Noah.
I’m a second-year Ph.D. student in Northwestern University’s unique Technology and Social Behavior program, a joint Ph.D. in Computer Science and Communication Studies. I am a member of the CollabLab, and work with the Web Use Project, as well.
My interests range from traditional Human–Computer Interaction — that is, creating usable, enjoyable interfaces through research and design — to ubiquitous, pervasive, and urban computing, to the sociological impacts of technologically-mediated communication in all its forms. These include how social norms emerge in mediated contexts as well as how those new normative behaviors affect offline behavior in social contexts.
Current projects include studying emoticon use and search behavior.
I hope my work will shed light on how networked/pervasive/public/personal/mobile computing and communication impacts behavior within and outside those systems, both individually and collectively.
I have a Master’s in HCI from the University of Michigan School of Information. My undergraduate work was in electrical engineering (signal processing and communications systems), also at the University of Michigan. The transition from the purely technical, through technology at the individual level (traditional HCI), to technology at the cultural and societal levels was unexpected, but awesome.
Outside of the lab, I’m a sax player, I practice yoga less frequently than I should, I sing in Northwestern’s grad student a cappella group, I enjoy doing live audio, and I can usually be seen interacting with one or more Apple products.