My thesis
My thesis focuses on user experience research in the context of smart home technologies for older adults. Specifically, I explore how older adults perceive privacy in smart home dashboards and what types of health and daily living information they feel comfortable sharing in different situations.
Smart homes are living environments equipped with sensors, such as motion detectors, door sensors, temperature sensors, and power consumption sensors, that can collect information about daily routines in a non-invasive way. These technologies have the potential to support older adults who wish to age safely and independently at home. However, the dashboards used to display this information can also raise privacy concerns, especially when sensitive information is visible to different audiences. For example, information that may be useful for a clinician may feel too invasive if shown to a visitor or guest.
My research examines how privacy preferences change depending on the type of information being displayed, the intended viewer, and the situation. Through this work, I aim to inform the design of smart home dashboards that are useful, respectful of privacy, and better aligned with older adults’ preferences.
My time in the School of Public Health Sciences
I would describe my time here as a necessary stepping stone that helped me grow both personally and professionally. I had the opportunity to meet and work with many talented and thoughtful individuals whom I may not have encountered otherwise. Learning from their ways of thinking and problem solving has shaped the way I think, and I believe those lessons will stay with me for a long time.
I also gained a much broader understanding of public health sciences. Before entering this field, I had a much narrower view of public health and associated it mainly with topics such as healthy nutrition and lifestyle. However, I came to understand how broad and impactful the field truly is through my coursework and research experiences, especially in machine learning and health data science. I learned that public health also involves using data and technology to generate insights and inform policy. This experience really broadened my view on the field and opened my eyes to career paths that I will carry forward as I move into the next phase of my career.
My thesis will be on UW Space soon with the title: “Exploring Older Adults’ Privacy Preferences through Qualitative Feedback of Private and Public Dashboard Interfaces in Smart Home Environment for Remote Health Monitoring”. Keep an eye out!
I would love to connect with you and see if I can answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to reach out 🙂
Connect with Tim on LinkedIn.