HCC-Small: Technology at the Margins: The Urban Homeless as a Lens on the Needs of Users Outside the Mainstream

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

This research will explore a specific marginalized population--the urban homeless in the U.S.--as a lens through which to pursue both a broadening of the methodological repertoire of Human-Computer Interaction as well as specific technological innovations aimed at overcoming aspects of the digital divide in a community. This research will provide a source of primary empirical data through ethnographic inquiry focusing on both the urban homeless and the social service networks that support them; this empirical dataset will be used to drive the creation, deployment, and evaluation of a series of technological interventions that leverage mobile technologies for collaboration between services and their homeless clients, personalized information delivery, and user-generated content creation and dissemination. Research in human-computer interaction has long focused on "environments of plenty" such as workplaces with dedicated networks and computers, and trained support staff to ensure that everything works as intended. Recent work, however, has pointed out the degree to which focusing outside this narrow slice can result in innovative technology that is more broadly useful. This research project will substantially contribute to this thread of work by exploring the challenges and opportunities for technological intervention in a community outside the "environment of plenty": focusing upon the urban homeless in the U.S. This research will provide important data about the opportunities for technology use among the homeless and those who work with them; it will also lead to the creation of new technology and services to support mobile phone-based information delivery. This research will further broaden our understanding of the role computing can play in under-served communities.