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. Currently, I am working with Prof. Maya Cakmak at the intersection of Accessibility and Assistive Robotics. 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 interests lie broadly at the intersection of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Accessibility. My research has three primary threads of contribution:
(1) Improving autonomy in technology adoption and interaction;
(2) Supporting disability induced self-care activity adherence; and
(3) Fostering design empathy in HCI education for People with Disabilities.
My works are published in top-tier HCI venues, including CHI, IMWUT, ASSETS, DIS, and has been recognized with a Best Paper Honorable Mention Award. 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 incorporates a User-Centered Design (UCD) approach, involving individuals with disabilities in the technology design process, comprehending their distinct needs, challenges, and preferences.
During my PhD, I collaborated with Craig Neilson Rehabilitation Hospital, and TRAILS: Technology Recreation Access Independence Lifestyle Sports. In my postdoc at UW, I collaborate with Provail and other CREATE community partners. My research received generous support from the NSF. Google Research, ACM SIGCHI, and AccessComputing.
My research interests lie broadly at the intersection of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Accessibility. My research has three primary threads of contribution:
(1) Improving autonomy in technology adoption and interaction;
(2) Supporting disability induced self-care activity adherence; and
(3) Fostering design empathy in HCI education for People with Disabilities.
My works are published in top-tier HCI venues, including CHI, IMWUT, ASSETS, DIS, and has been recognized with a Best Paper Honorable Mention Award. 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 incorporates a User-Centered Design (UCD) approach, involving individuals with disabilities in the technology design process, comprehending their distinct needs, challenges, and preferences.
During my PhD, I collaborated with Craig Neilson Rehabilitation Hospital, and TRAILS: Technology Recreation Access Independence Lifestyle Sports. In my postdoc at UW, I collaborate with Provail and other CREATE community partners. My research received generous support from the NSF. Google Research, ACM SIGCHI, and AccessComputing.
Research Keywords: Human Computer Interaction; Accessibility; Digital Health; Ubiquitous Computing; Assistive Robotics
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.
Recent Talks and Travels
- Nov 22: Speaker at DO-IT: AccessComputing at the University of Washington
- Oct 27 - 30: Paper presentation at ASSETS'24 at St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- Oct 21: Panelist at Robotics and Accessibility Panel at CSE 493e - Accessibility Course at the University of Washington; Invited by: Prof. Jennifer Mankoff and Prof. Maya Cakmak
- Oct 14: Guest Lecture at the University of California, Merced; Host: Prof. Ahmed Sabbir Arif [Link]
- Oct 5 - 10: IMWUT Paper presentation at Ubicomp'24 at Melbourne, Australia
Projects
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.
Designing for Improved Autonomy in Technology Adoption and Interaction
My research explored that individuals with upper body impairment often fail in assistive technology adoption. I design technology to improve the autonomy in this adoption and the interaction process.
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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
Exploring how People with Spinal Cord Injuries Seek Support on Social Media
Tamanna Motahar, Sara Nurollahian, YeonJae Kim, Marina Kogan, Jason Wiese
Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS), 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
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Recent Updates:
2024
- November: Received the Allen School Postdoctoral Research Award
- September: Joined as a partner of AccessComputing
- August: Started working as a CREATE Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Washington [Link]
- July: Our paper is accepted at ASSETS'24
- June: I successfully defended my PhD dissertation
- June: Our DIS '24 paper received a "Best Paper Honorable Mention Award". [Link]
- April: Our paper is accepted at ACM DIS'24.
- March: Invited talk at "CMU Accessibility Lunch" at Carnegie Melon University, Pittsburgh; Host: Prof. Jeffrey Bigham
- February: Received recognition of "Outstanding Review" for CHI'24 papers
- January: Journal paper is accepted in IMWUT'24
2023
- October: I successfully defended my PhD proposal
- March: Our paper is accepted at EduCHI'23
- April: Our paper on Cloud computing got accepted at CSCW'23
- March: Poster paper is accepted in PASC'23
2022
- Dec: Invited talk at NSU DIAL Lab, Bangladesh; Host: Prof. Nova Ahmed
- Oct: Passed my PhD Written Qualifying Exam
- Sept: Will be working in the Program Committee (PC) of CHI'23 Late Breaking Work
- Sept: Presented our IMWUT paper in-person at Ubicomp'22 (Atlanta)
- Aug: Got selected as Student Volunteer for Ubicomp'22 (Atlanta)
- July: Our workshop proposal got accepted in ASSETS'22
- May: Presented our CHI'22 paper in-person at New Orleans
- April: Journal paper is accepted in IMWUT'22
- April: Received Gary Marsden Travel Award for CHI'22
- March: Position papers is accepted in three CHI'22 workshops
- Feb: Paper is accepted as Late Breaking Work in CHI'22
- Feb: Paper got accepted in CHI'22
- Jan: Working as Associate Chair (AC) in CHI'22 Late Breaking Work
- Jan: Received 3C Fellowship (Cultural Competency in Computing) by Duke University
Contact
Tamanna Motahar, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
tmotahar[at] uw [dot] edu
Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering
University of Washington