World Usability Day 2018

Talk #1 Can good tech be evil? by Matt Kubota and Duncan Lewis

Today, we can harness technology to problem solve and create new forms of expression and connection at a global scale. How do we make sure that these well-intentioned solutions aren’t ill-received? We will explore how context shapes the utility of technology through case studies and an accessibility project that we’re developing to be a communication aid.

Talk #2 - VR Design For Good & Evil by Derek Ham

Anyone that has tried VR understands that we are truly on the brink of a new way to interact with with digital content. VR is much more immersive than 3D stereoscopic viewing or other virtual reality predecessors. To quote Chris Milk, “VR is the ultimate empathy machine.” While this is true, on the other side of this coin we see countless examples of how VR could be bad for humanity. While the hit television show “Black Mirror” offers several examples of the “dark usage" of VR set in dystopian futures, we can find in today’s ecosystem certain VR applications that suggest negative human characteristics. This talks lays out the design principles of VR UX and connects them to human behaviors wide across the spectrum of what we would classify good and evil.



About Derek Ham

Derek Ham, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at NCSU's College of Design. Derek completed his doctoral work in Design Computation from MIT, holds a Master’s in Architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Hampton University. His award winning VR experience I Am A Man has been critically reviewed both nationally and internationally for its use of empathy and its ability to transport users back into the Civil Rights Movement. ”I Am A Man” has won the Perspectives Award for Immersive Storytelling at the 42nd Cleveland International Film Festival, VR Best of Show at the 2108 Nashville Film Festival, and most recently selected as the winner of the 2018 FoST Prize for the category, “Bridging the Divide.”

Location

SAS Training Room
Building F, Room 101
200 SAS Campus Drive
Cary, NC 27513
See map: Google Maps

Parking is available behind the building. There is a walkway from the parking lot behind the building to the Training Room (in the front of the building). Parking is also available in adjacent lots.

Waitlist

If the event fills up, you can join the waitlist. Two days before the event if there are spots available, we'll notify those on the waitlist. Any available spots will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Sponsors

SAS

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