I am a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) at Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington.
I earned my PhD from the Personal Data and Empowerment Lab (PeDEL) of Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah, where I worked with Prof. Jason Wiese.
My research interest sits broadly at the intersection of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and Accessibility. Through a user-centric approach, my research aims to understand how assistive technology can better help individuals with severe motor disabilities; particularly those who use powered wheelchairs for mobility. To support users with such complex disabilities, my research objective incorporates a User-Centered Design (UCD) approach, involving individuals with disabilities in the technology design process, comprehending their distinct needs, challenges, and preferences. My works are published in top-tier HCI venues, including CHI, IMWUT, ASSETS, and DIS .
I earned my PhD from the Personal Data and Empowerment Lab (PeDEL) of Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah, where I worked with Prof. Jason Wiese.
My research interest sits broadly at the intersection of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and Accessibility. Through a user-centric approach, my research aims to understand how assistive technology can better help individuals with severe motor disabilities; particularly those who use powered wheelchairs for mobility. To support users with such complex disabilities, my research objective incorporates a User-Centered Design (UCD) approach, involving individuals with disabilities in the technology design process, comprehending their distinct needs, challenges, and preferences. My works are published in top-tier HCI venues, including CHI, IMWUT, ASSETS, and DIS .
I adopted the critical realism perspectives of disability, and employ a variety of HCI methods, including co-design, storyboards, interviews, and content analysis—both qualitative and quantitative approaches—to address my research. Additionally, I incorporate methodological accommodations suitable for participants with diverse disabilities and comorbidities. As a computer scientist, my research delves into the computational aspects, such as interaction modalities, data-tracking processes, sensor-design functionalities, and social and contextual aspects of data, to enhance technological tools for the target users.
As a researcher, my goal is to design accessible technologies to impact and empower marginalized populations, worldwide.
As a researcher, my goal is to design accessible technologies to impact and empower marginalized populations, worldwide.
Recent Updates:
- August 2024: Started working as a CREATE Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Washington
- July 2024: Our paper is accepted at ASSETS 2024
- June 2024: I successfully defended my PhD dissertation
- June 2024: Our DIS '24 paper received an "Honorable Mention Award".
- April 2024: Our paper got accepted at ACM DIS 2024.
- March 2024: Invited talk at CMU Accessibility Lunch at Carnegie Melon University, Pittsburgh
- February 2024: Received recognition of Outstanding Review for CHI 2024 papers
- January 2024: Journal paper is accepted in IMWUT 2024
- October 2023: I successfully defended my PhD proposal
- March 2023: Our EduCHI Paper got accepted
- March 2023: Poster paper is accepted in PASC 2023
- Dec 2022: Invited talk at NSU DIAL Lab, Bangladesh
- Oct 2022: Passed my PhD Written Qualifying Exam
- Sept 2022: Will be working in the Program Committee (PC) of CHI 2023 Late Breaking Work
- Sept 2022: Presented our IMWUT paper in-person at Ubicomp 2022 (Atlanta)
- Aug 2022: Got selected as Student Volunteer for Ubicomp 2022 (Atlanta)
- July 2022: Our workshop proposal got accepted in ASSETS 2022
- May 2022: Presented our CHI 2022 paper in-person at New Orleans
- April 2022: Journal paper is accepted in IMWUT'22
- April 2022: Received Gary Marsden Travel Award for CHI 2022
- March 2022: Position papers is accepted in three CHI 2022 workshops
- Feb 2022: Paper is accepted as Late Breaking Work in CHI 2022
- Feb 2022: Paper got accepted in CHI 2022
- Jan 2022: Working as Associate Chair (AC) in CHI 2022 Late Breaking Work
- Jan 2022: Received 3C Fellowship (Cultural Competency in Computing) by Duke University
Publications
Tamanna Motahar, Johannah Cohoon, Kazi Sinthia Kabir, Jason Wiese
Platform for Advanced Scientific Computing , PASC 2023
Investigating Technology Adoption Soon After Sustaining a Spinal Cord Injury
Tamanna Motahar, Jason Wiese
Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies, IMWUT 2024, vol. 8(14), 2024
Tamanna Motahar, Noelle Brown, Eliane S. Wiese, Jason Wiese
ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS), 2024
Cultivating Altruism Around Computing Resources: Anticipation Work in a Scholarly Community
Johanna Cohoon, Kazi Sinthia Kabir, Tamanna Motahar, Jason Wiese
Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 2023
AI-driven Personal Informatics for Individuals with Severe Spinal Cord Injury
Tamanna Motahar, Jason Wiese
2023
View all
Projects
Designing Technology for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury to Facilitate Self-care Adherence
Individuals with spinal cord injury need to perform numerous self-care behaviors frequently. Pressure reliefs are one such behavior to prevent pressure ulcers. We explore the potential for technology to facilitate Pressure Relief adherence.
Personal Informatics for People with Motor Disabilities
Personal informatics supports people from many backgrounds and life contexts in collecting and finding value in their personal data. This project aims to understand how to design Personal informatics tools for people with Motor Disabilities.
View all
Contact
Tamanna Motahar
Postdoctoral Scholar
tmotahar[at] uw [dot] edu
Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering
University of Washington
