INF1240 Research Blog

First week lectures and recordings were overwhelming for me because I had no previous knowledge in philosophy nor in social science. With English as my second language, I did not quite capture the idea about the paradigms and their elements except for methodology, which I learned in experimental science. The in-class discussion has gave me some idea of these terms, but I need to see real world examples to understand them better. Otherwise, I would not be able to participate well in real-time discussions. --My friends, please point me some directions on how to catch up! My journey in UX has also started for a month. Now I have a basic idea of the design thinking process and the role of a UX person in the whole project development life cycle. Combined with my previous background, I see myself fitting the role as a UX researcher, where I conduct interviews, do primary and secondary research and observations to understand the users and develop personas to support the user experience de...

Hi everyone,  I've started to form my research question and would love to hear any feedback! One area that I am extremely interested in exploring is if and how social networks have changed during the current pandemic. In order to narrow the scope, I was thinking of focusing my question on how people's social support (one's ability to go to someone for emotional or physical support) has been influenced by changes in forms of contact (in person to not in person). I think it would be really interesting to see if and how less in person contacts influences an individuals social support.  Let me know what you guys think, and if you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them.  Kaitlin 

This week's lectures gave me a better understanding of research paradigms, methodologies, and approaches. I think this was the foundation that I was lacking when I was conducting my initial research to narrow my research topic. However, now I feel more confident continuing my preliminary research as I conceptualized a framework in my head.   I’m currently reading policy briefs and reports to get a better understanding of tech regulation, public policy implications of contemporary technologies. I’m also looking at the ethical concerns around technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality to analyze how the design of these technologies affects/will affect behaviour, which has both intended and unintended implications for society. Some research questions: What are the social implications of design and tech artifacts?   What are the mediating roles of technology?   What are the moral responsibilities of the designer considering the social implications of t...

Hello everyone, I have begun my preliminary research though I will admit it has not been super in-depth yet. I have begun to narrow down my search by finding a few articles and learning the language of what I am looking to research. There are a few broad topics that seem interesting and will more directly relate to my research topic.  Some of the general topics that I would like to look at and some questions I would like to answer include: How do we preserve tradition and memory of a diasporic community that has little possibility of returning to their place of origin? How do we tell the story and history of a community like the Moroccan Jewish community that is both a religion and an ethnicity?  How important is it to integrate softer information such as experiences, emotions and memories into a museum exhibit about Moroccan Jews? In designing musuems, how do we integrate these experiences along with the hard historical and social information? These are a few of the questions...

I begin the second week of this course with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. During college I did not have the luxury of time to take a research methods class nor was I was mentally prepared for such an endeavor during those years. So, as I undertook the brainstorming exercise in the first chapter of Salsa Dancing into the Social Sciences: Research in an Age of Info-Glut (Luker, 2008, p. 21) , I found my thoughts were (unsurprisingly) disjointed, confused, and generic. Nevertheless, I have identified a few keywords that are of interest: data, privacy, social presence and, self-identity. In less than a decade, the notion of having an online presence whether it be through social media platforms or LinkedIn has been become accepted and encouraged. What then becomes of our right to privacy and does this change how we judge ourselves? When we are encouraged to share curated information about ourselves to the masses, two things can occur. First, the information provider provides fo...

Hey guys, I am just reposting this because I figured out how to sign in properly.  I am in Museum Studies and Jewish Studies. I am particularly interested in studying Moroccan Jewry in North America. I studied history and Jewish studies in my undergraduate degree and I went to law school before coming to this program. I am looking to study the optimal ways to preserve the Moroccan Jewish diaspora’s history, memory and culture through museums and exhibitions. I am excited about this opportunity because Jewish academic research is typically dominated by European research. There is definitely room in the literature for studying the non-European Jewish experience. Having not taken museum courses yet, I am not sure exactly how my research will proceed but I hope to do a thesis. I am taking this course to learn the best ways to research in the information and museums fields. I typically begin my research process by gathering and reading as many articles as I can related to my topic. Addi...

Hi everyone! My name is Mujgan and I'm a first-year Master of Information student. In my undergrad in Communication Studies at York University, I have explored the social and ethical implications of contemporary technologies by looking at specific case studies and applying philosophical perspectives. The communication studies program has given me a solid foundation in understanding the power relations that shape information and the flow of communication. Before moving to Canada in 2017, I was studying law in Istanbul but I had to drop out due to political and social unrest in Turkey. Coming to the iSchool, I want to build on my previous knowledge in communication studies & law.  My main concentration is UXD but I also take courses from CIPS and C&T concentrations. For my research project, I would like to explore deeper philosophical foundations of technological development that looks into the underlying issues within design and the ethics of AI/technology. I’m also interest...

My name is Erina. I am a first year Master of Information (MI) student with the intention of pursuing the Human Centered Data Science (HCDS) concentration. I was drawn to University of Toronto's MI program because I wanted to explore ways in which data can improve the quality of our lives while being cognizant of privacy issues.  My bachelor's degree in Economics from a liberal arts college in the United States helped spark my interest in a wide range of social science questions - examining how societies formed, how individuals reached decisions, and how large public and private institutions maximized optimal levels of utility, profit, and sometimes, happiness. Upon graduating from college, I embarked on a career in finance, only to later realize I wanted to work in an intellectually stimulating career path which aimed to increase the quality of life of individuals. I hope to obtain the technical and qualitative skill sets to achieve this goal through this degree. I especially ...

My name is Wen Jin and I'm in the first year of master's study in information. I have concentrations in Human Centered Data Science and in User Experience Design.  Last year I finished my undergrad in Management Information Systems, which was about integrating information systems into business environment. During undergrad, I had internships as business and data analysts, but I found there wasn’t much development space if I did not continue my study in statistics or computer science. Then, I also explored my interests in computer science and psychology, as it has always appealed to me about the interaction of human and systems whether in business or day to day life. With the UXD concentration, I want to develop further down the path. I came to the program with an open mind. As I have a combined background, my potential research topic would be related to the applications of machine learning or data science in user experience design. During the introduction to UX course, professo...

Hi everyone, my name is Kaitlin and I'm a second year MI student concentrated in User Experience Design.  A bit about my research background, I've previous has experience doing quantitative research as a part of my undergrad thesis. My research was focused on colon cancer risk factors, specifically I studied the relationship between bulky DNA adducts and LINE-1 DNA methylation.  I'm really excited to broaden my knowledge of qualitative research methods as this is an area I'm not familiar with (at all!).  That's it in regards to me, I'm looking forward to getting to know you all over the following weeks!