Judd Antin

Research interests:
Ethnographic study of kids' informal learning, expression, and creativity with digital technology; development of culturally appropriate IT in developing countries.

How I cross disciplines:
My background is in anthropology, which is about people and culture. Introducing IT into the ethnographic process creates the need to understand the technological aspects of human behavior and culture as well. I feel like the more I understand how IT works – without getting bogged down in the details – the better I can relate to people’s perspectives, and the contexts they bring to technology use.

Information challenge I’d most like to address:
For all the research on technology, there’s really very little knowledge out there about how people actually perceive and value it in the course of their daily lives. How do people think about the importance of their cell phone? What are people’s perceptions of the need for many different email addresses? What does it mean for a kid to be ‘on the computer?’ I think these questions often get ignored because the answers are personal, qualitative, and context-dependent. But beginning to understand these kinds of questions will have a profound impact on how we design new technologies.

Favorite thing about the iSchool:
No matter what you’re interested in, there’s bound to be someone around here who is both an expert in it and passionate about it. That helps me to be passionate about it too.

A website I recommend:
http://www.lifehacker.com — Practical, functional, as geeky as you want it to be.

Something few people know about me:
My dream is to someday make a living carving and constructing beautiful hardwood doors.

How to Reach Me
Personal Website: http://technotaste.com
Email: