I'm in the process of carrying out a comprehensive study of hacktivism, or hacking to improve human rights (hacking for a social or political cause). Although there has been critical work on this subject (read my article in First Monday), it is sparse. Drawing on interviews with hacktivists, as well as exhaustive research of hacktivist media and scholarly analysis, as well as the content and software that hacktivists produce, I will next year begin work on a manuscript intended to trace the cultural, technological, and political ramifications of hacktivism.

We have partnered with the College of Distance Education to offer intensive user experience training workshops. Each workshop will run three days. Students will work hands-on for three days in the Usability Research Lab, learning the key skills and techniques necessary to develop, evaluate, and improve users’ experience with a wide variety of products, from web sites and software to cell phones and print documentation.

Costs to attend are affordable, and students will receive ongoing support after completing their training. This workshop doesn't replace the need, especially when working with complex user systems, to hire highly training user experience professionals. But we believe that the more people know about usability assessment the more likely they are to employ it to make their products better, and when they need additional help know who and how to ask for it.

Visit www.uxcertification.ttu.edu to find out more.