Making Headway

     For the past year I've been dreading this. Choosing a research topic for me is like telling me to choose my favorite child or asking me for the answers to the universe. The only answers I can come up with are I can't choose I love them all or I have no idea where to even begin. Fortunately, I was introduced to a list of projects happening within the next year at RIT that faculty members will be working on and need help with. However, in order to understand how significant one of these projects is I think it'd be best for me to give a few explanations first.
     Last semester, I took a qualitative research class where the required reading was called "The Land of Open Graves Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail" by Jason De León. As I read this book I became entranced by the excellent storytelling and research behind the pages and ink. I begun to realize my curiosity in humanitarian efforts and crisis, in this case it was the humanitarian crisis on the southern US border. In that class, I wrote about the outbreak of the bubonic plague in Madagascar. In other classes I wrote about the need to preserve Saharan rock art as a result of regional political crisis and the importance of trans representation in mass media. I knew I wanted to research something about people, how we treat 'others', and how we can do better. I like to think of research and writing as a precursor and inspiration for action.
     Then comes the perfect project from me to base my research project on! It's a global pop-up exhibition called "Hostile Terrain" which fits perfectly with my two majors in soci/anth and muse. A part of this exhibition will be on RIT campus and I will, hopefully, be able to assist in visitor engagement, research, and ideation. I would like to work on this project and maybe write about how museums and exhibitions currently and in the past present controversial topics. Another writing idea could be on how museums create a space of open dialogue and can be a catalyst for change.
     Later on this week, I'll be going to a meeting to discuss more about the exhibition and my role in it. I'm trying to come up with a list of questions so I know what I'm getting myself into.

Getting closer to user testing!

These past few weeks have been very productive for me, but not necessarily because I got a lot written for the body of my thesis.

Next Tuesday, I'll be conducting my first round of user testing! I'll be visiting Dr. Decker's visitor engagement class and people will be able to download and use the app so they can provide feedback on the content and functionality of mine and Peter's prototype. To get prepared, I've collaborated with Peter and Dr. Decker to develop a user testing survey and met with them to discuss how we are going to conduct the user testing. We are hoping for some good responses and feedback regarding the app, so wish us luck! Even if they hate it, at least we have feedback on what we should do to improve the user experience.

As far as additional updates, I've decided to narrow my focus for user testing with my contacts at Autism Up. Rather than getting as many families as possible to participate, I'm hoping to get 3-4 families to test the app. With a smaller focus group, it expands my opportunity for more in-depth feedback beyond the initial user testing survey. Since the success of my app is based on improving the quality of visitor experiences at a museum, I should be better able to assess that quality by conducting longer-term, more in-depth interviews.

I'm excited for my first round of user testing, and I can't wait to update you all on the progress!