{"672927":{"#nid":"672927","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Interactivity@GT Offers Networking Opportunities for MS-HCI\/IPaT Students","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThrough the Master\u2019s Program in Human-Computer Interaction (MS-HCI) at Georgia Tech, students like Rajath Pai don\u2019t have to wait long to gain first-hand industry experience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPai, a first-year student in the two-year MS-HCI program, has already helped Starbucks design its app to entice customers to try new menu items.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPai and fellow MS-HCI students had more opportunities on Feb. 6 to meet industry representatives during Interactivity@GT.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOrganized by MS-HCI at Georgia Tech and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/ipat\u0022\u003EInstitute for People and Technology\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(IPaT), Interactivity@GT replaces the former GVU Spring Showcase. The event provides Ph.D. and master\u2019s students with the chance to promote their research and design work.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA keynote speech by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.incontextdesign.com\/karen-holtzblatt-3\/\u0022\u003EKaren Holtzblatt\u003C\/a\u003E, co-founder of InContext Enterprises and co-creator of contextual inquiry, kicked off the half-day event. Contextual inquiry is considered industry standard practice for gathering field data to understand how technology impacts the way people work.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter the keynote, MS-HCI students made one-minute pitches about their work to industry representatives for potential employment opportunities. Along with Ph.D. students representing IPaT, the MS-HCI students then showcased their research through a two-hour poster and networking session.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI think this event is unique,\u201d said Dick Henneman, director of the MS-HCI program at Georgia Tech. \u201cOther programs might have a job fair, but our students are making connections with alumni and other company-sponsored projects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cRight now, there\u2019s a bit of a slump in the tech market. Our students have something unique that sets them apart, and that\u2019s being from our MS-HCI program, which distinguishes them from the person who went to a 12-week UX bootcamp.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECompanies participating in Interactivity@GT included Starbucks, Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, FanDuel, HSBC, NCR, State Farm, Infoblox Home Depot, and Verizon.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECarrie Bruce, the assistant director of the MS-HCI program, said the program has built a strong network of connections since it started almost 30 years ago. MS-HCI alumni have provided a stable core for that network.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019ve pushed out a lot of fabulous students who\u2019ve been in industry for 10 years or more, and now they\u2019re in leadership positions,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got people who know our program from varied perspectives at companies around the world.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPai said he connected with an MS-HCI alumni working at Starbucks who was happy to advise him on his first-year research project.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cShe gave us some much-needed industry feedback and guided us on how we\u2019re supposed to do something or what we could have done better,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWorking with the alumna, Pai gained insight into how Starbucks customers think about their environment when they\u2019re using the app. Pai found that many customers use the app to order items they are already familiar with, and they are unlikely to deviate from their routine.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPai suggested the idea of drink maps, which tell customers which menu items are trending at nearby stores. Seeing a drink they haven\u2019t tried trending at other stores might persuade customers to try something new.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe experience gives us immediate insight into what is expected of us in industry,\u201d Pai said. \u201cWe\u2019re learning the methods in class but also learning how they are applied in industry, which helps us to build things and processes that would work in industry.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe MS-HCI program at Georgia Tech is a four-semester interdisciplinary program and a collaborative effort among four Georgia Tech schools \u2014 the School of Interactive Computing, the School of Industrial Design, the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, and the School of Psychology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more information about the program and the admission process, visit the MS-HCI\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mshci.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ewebsite\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/interactivitygt-offers-networking-opportunities-ms-hciipat-students\u0022\u003EVisit the original story posted by the College of Computing to see more pictures.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThrough the Master\u2019s Program in Human-Computer Interaction (MS-HCI) at Georgia Tech, students like Rajath Pai don\u2019t have to wait long to gain first-hand industry experience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Through the Master\u2019s Program in Human-Computer Interaction (MS-HCI) at Georgia Tech, students like Rajath Pai don\u2019t have to wait long to gain first-hand industry experience."}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2024-02-13 21:25:32","changed_gmt":"2024-02-13 21:30:17","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-02-13T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-02-13T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673071":{"id":"673071","type":"image","title":"Rajath Pai","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPai, a first-year student in the two-year MS-HCI program, has already helped Starbucks design its app to entice customers to try new menu items.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1707859381","gmt_created":"2024-02-13 21:23:01","changed":"1707859470","gmt_changed":"2024-02-13 21:24:30","alt":"Rajath Pai","file":{"fid":"256424","name":"IMG_2598 copy 2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/13\/IMG_2598%20copy%202.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/13\/IMG_2598%20copy%202.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":53471,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/02\/13\/IMG_2598%20copy%202.jpg?itok=f7yxnUK4"}}},"media_ids":["673071"],"groups":[{"id":"69599","name":"IPaT"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"188084","name":"go-ipat"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}