This page includes brief descriptions of selected research projects. More information is found on my CV.
Current projects
Understanding how nature identification apps mediate users’ experience of nature (2024-present) In this multi-part project, I am examining several aspects of how people use, are affected by, and respond to nature identification apps, primarily for bird and plant observation. Project components include understanding which aspects of these tools users value (e.g., “traditional” field guide features, AI-assisted sound and image analysis tools), how people use these tools in the field in different social contexts (e.g., group urban birding field excursions, solo rural outings), and how these tools shape the user experience in real-world settings. Key elements of this project include understanding how AI-assisted computer vision and sound analysis tools mediate the user experience, and how members of different mainstream or social justice-oriented groups may use apps differently for environmental communication.
Incorporating research on lived experience of natural hazards into science communication (2022-present) This project examines natural hazard experiences and preparation through the lens of lived experience, a phenomenologically-inspired research method. Lived experience methods can give insight into community members’ needs and concerns, enabling development of better communication products and potentially helping overcome disciplinary barriers on scientific research teams.
Concluded projects
Development of HazardAware: a tool for natural hazard risk communication (2020-2024) In this project, I conducted user-centered design and usability analysis activities for a large team funded project focused on building HazardAware, a website to communicate about natural hazard risks as they relate to coastal housing. I was a Co-PI on the project (PI was Chris Emrich, UCF), funded by the Gulf Research Program, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; my primary collaborator was UCF PhD student Amanda Altamirano.
Understanding user agency during the user-centered design process (2018-2023) This project focused on user agency during the user-centered design process when developing risk communication tools. While most considerations of user agency as they relate to interactive data displays focus on the point at which the user is interacting with the data or perhaps on the agency the user experiences after interaction (i.e., for decision-support), this project explores the UCD process itself as a site of user agency. I used this approach in two separate studies, one with Denise DeLorme (LSU) and the other with Amanda Altamirano (UCF).
Effects of local stories about sea level rise on website user perceptions (2019-2022) In this joint project with Dan Richards (ODU), we first explored techniques for incorporating localized video narratives of people concerned about sea level rise into an interactive map, and later tested how users’ experiences with the narrative features mediated their perceptions and concerns about sea level rise.
Northern Gulf of Mexico Natural and Nature-Based Features with Ecosystem Services Valuation and Economic Impact Analysis (NGOM+N2E2) (2017-2022) In this NOAA-funded project (Scott Hagen of LSU, PI), I collaborated on conducting focus groups with natural resource managers, local decision-makers and community members to understand their perceptions, information needs, and concerns about nuisance flooding and ecosystem services valuation in Gulf Coastal communities. My primary project collaborators were Denise DeLorme (LSU) and Renee Collini (Alabama Sea Grant).
Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (EESLR-NGOM) (2014-2018) This NOAA-funded project (PIs Scott Hagen and Denise DeLorme, UCF) focused on developing dynamic ecological models to understand the effects of sea level rse in the northern U.S. Gulf of Mexico. My work on the project involved collaborating on focus groups with community stakeholders and conducting usability testing of the project’s interactive data visualization tools.