Shelly Farnham’s User Experience Research
I have conducted many laboratory, questionnaire, and observational user studies assessing social uses of technology, bringing my training as a Social Psychologist to the domain of social and community technologies. For the most part I adopt a strong quantitative approach, supplemented by qualitative inquiry as needed for an in-depth understanding of problems and issues. Many of these studies were conducted in conjunction with prototyping projects to better inform their design and provide evaluation of desired outcomes.
My particular areas of expertise include:
- Sharing media and social games in the context of social networks
- Knowledge management in the context of social networks
- Collaboration technologies and ephemeral work groups in the context of environmental challenges
- Use of social technologies for mobile social coordination
- Social support in online communities
- Developing trust, fostering cooperation, and reducing bad behavior in online environments
- Profiles, online matchmaking, and social relationships
- Developing implicit measures and representations of social environments
