Faculty Spotlight: Elizabeth Rosenzweig
October 12, 2022
Program: User-Centered Design
Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, SM and Goddard College, B.A.
Bio: Elizabeth Rosenzweig is a design researcher whose mission is to use technology to make the world a better place. She believes that the best design comes from good research. This all starts with a user-centered design. From volunteer events, design challenges, and research projects. Elizabeth has been able to push the bounds of the current status quo and innovate. Examples include founding running World Usability Day, producing 4 Patents on intelligent design for image management and organizations, long-term impact on Medicare.gov, yearlong study on body-worn cameras, and other projects. Rosenzweig’s work can be seen at designresearchforgood.org.
Get to know Elizabeth!
How did your career journey lead you to User-Centered Design? What has the path been to becoming a design researcher?
I started my career as a photographer and a graphic designer. I thought that visual art/design was going to be my career journey. But an unexpected development happened when I applied to graduate school and ended up at the MIT Media Lab. There I had a front row seat to the development of user centered design, human-computer interaction and UX. My volunteer work at various organizations has confirmed how important our field really is. It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of this developing field.
What design and/or technology trends are currently exciting you?
Intelligent user interfaces (IUI) have been something that has always interested me. In fact I did quite a lot of research on it. Using IUI to help put humans first, through the field of human-centered artificial intelligence(HCAI). HCAI is very exciting to me and has the potential to change the world in a positive way because it includes not only UCD but ethics and goals.
What are your best hopes for the students in your courses?
I hope my students come to know how important our work is to our society. UCD is our hope for the future, by putting the human at the center of design can ensure we create products and services that help solve our biggest problems.
Do you have any advice for Brandeis GPS community members planning a job search in UX?
We can use our UX skills in every aspect of our lives including our job search. Define your own persona, what are your goals, do you want to do UX design or UX research? In the interviews, what is the persona of the people interviewing you, what are their goals and challenges. Ask thoughtful questions. Know your strengths and be honest about the areas you need to develop. Finally, when you’re starting out. It is important to have a portfolio to show people what you’ve done. In the portfolio it’s very important to describe what you did, the use case, and what your role was and how it impacted the project.
What is a fun fact about you that Brandeis GPS community members may not already know?
When I was in college I took a job teaching blind people to ski, the training included a full day skiing blindfold. Before that training, I had imagined what it would be like if I were blind, but living a day without seeing made me realize that experience was not one I could even imagine, it was so different then my own experience. That is when I learned the true importance of empathy and how important it is to understand a person’s experience, to put yourself in their shoes so you can develop a product or service that helps them make their lives better.
For more information on the User-Centered Design program or any other GPS programs, visit our website.