https://www.drtanyaoishi.com/home daily 1.0 2021-01-15 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff7ebf08c2a99331415f983/t/5ff7eeed4b2bac145e45b419/1610084277496/00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190613154335934_COVER.jpg Home - Hello! My name is Tanya. I am a UX researcher who is passionate about the interactions between humans and computers and building human-centered technologies. I am a qualitative-leaning mixed methods researcher with expertise in interviews, focus groups, ethnography, fieldwork, and surveys. I have experience effectively communicating with stakeholders and driving product strategy. In my work, I strive to take a “cultural studies” approach to frame my research. This means, regardless of which methodological tool I use (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups, diary studies, ethnography), I conduct my research from a place of inclusion rather than exclusion to include a larger breadth of markets. Some examples of this include: being inclusive of different levels of digital technology literacy, interrogating algorithmic biases, and embracing a transnational perspective in order to move away from a Western-centric bias. I keep questions of race, gender, class, ability, nationality at the forefront. I received my doctorate from the Department of Communication at the University of Washington, Seattle campus, where I researched mobile dating apps, the creation of desirable selves, and race. Note: With the exception of my profile photo on the Home page, all images on this site are stock images. https://www.drtanyaoishi.com/contact daily 0.75 2021-01-15 https://www.drtanyaoishi.com/research-portfolio daily 0.75 2021-01-22 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff7ebf08c2a99331415f983/t/6001efad041fba7c51d43084/1610739641726/ Research - Identity Research I am currently a user researcher on the Identity team at Facebook where I lead research on the Contextual Views workstream. I work closely with cross-functional partners, and conduct research using usability tests, concept tests, dairy studies, 1:1 in-depth interviews, focus groups, ethnography, participatory design, among other methods. I have experience with various user segments in domestic and international markets. You can access my research program portfolio here. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff7ebf08c2a99331415f983/t/6001ec9e18c109058ec91ba7/1610740458267/ Research - Mobile Dating Apps Research This project started at intersection of race, gender, and technology and the fluid state of being constituted and being undone by one another. It is in this state of vulnerability that relationships are initiated, through technology that these relationships are shaped and facilitated, and within the constraints of social expectations that these interactions are able/allowed to occur. As life becomes more mediated and interactions more facilitated through technological means, focusing on relationships facilitated through dating apps is illustrative of the ways in which mobile technologies are changing the way we communicate with one another. The mobile dating app study I conducted is an exploratory study which utilizes qualitative interviews to examine the intersection of mobile dating apps, race, gender, location (i.e. diaspora and transnationalism), and the creation of desirable selves. Twenty straight Asian men who use or have used mobile dating apps (specifically, but not limited to, Tinder) were asked about their experiences on mobile dating apps as well as their impression management strategies in creating effective dating profiles. Results suggest that, although the design of mobile dating apps creates many barriers for Asian men, Asian men utilize a number of strategies to create desirable selves to combat these barriers, though not without difficulty. These results are interpreted through the lens of (geo)location, race, and gender. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff7ebf08c2a99331415f983/t/6001ebbe8f29aa1b6c8ea455/1610738633793/ Research - Expert Interviews and Gamification for Engagment The goal of the this study was to discuss the affordances and constraints of gamifying mobile dating apps regarding designing, motivating and retaining engagement by prioritizing voices of those who were reported to have some of the most difficulties on mobile dating apps: Asian men. For this study, I laid out arguments against non-critical design choices for gamification strategies (i.e., arguments against manipulative and exploitative design). I conducted 10 in-depth interviews with individuals who worked in the game industry to have conversations on the gamified aspects of mobile dating apps. With their feedback, which included the ways in which current designs may have negative impact on self-esteem and/or decrease user engagement, I analyzed the drawbacks of mobile dating apps that prioritized usability at the expense of inclusivity. As a part of my discussion, I utilized participant suggestions for more inclusive design strategies, such as random encounter strategies and opportunities to win badges. https://www.drtanyaoishi.com/diversity-equity-inclusion daily 0.75 2021-01-22 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff7ebf08c2a99331415f983/t/6001ede3d45de26e9a4becbe/1610739179167/ Diversity & Inclusion https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff7ebf08c2a99331415f983/t/6001eda61a5f1f00632d9b84/1610739125144/ Diversity & Inclusion https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff7ebf08c2a99331415f983/t/6001ed81993eb2074691869b/1610739080594/ Diversity & Inclusion https://www.drtanyaoishi.com/teaching daily 0.75 2021-01-15 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff7ebf08c2a99331415f983/t/6001eebe96b0945ae0750a90/1610739407293/ Teaching - Teaching Philosophy My teaching philosophy is rooted deeply in the idea that the goal of a post-secondary education is to give rise to engaged global citizens and that the best way to accomplish this is through empowering students to ask the questions that they value and to give them the appropriate methodological approaches to answer them. As a Communication and Identity researcher, I strive to encourage students to not only think critically about the ways in which power is communicated through mediated messages, interpersonal, and mass personal interactions, but how to actively respond and produce content in ways that are productive and useful for the student’s professional and academic development as well. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff7ebf08c2a99331415f983/t/6001ef0ec0167d47689dc3ef/1610739490044/ Teaching - Breadth of Experience At the University of Washington I independently planned and taught the following courses: Communication, Power, and Difference Cultural Impacts of Technology Intercultural Communication International Media Images Introduction to Communication Introduction to Public Speaking Race, Gender, and Sexuality in the Media Race, Gender, and Power in Asian American Media I was employed as a Teaching Associate in the following courses: Communication, Power, and Difference Introduction to Communication Introduction to Public Speaking Perspectives on Language and Communication Visual Communication https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ff7ebf08c2a99331415f983/t/6001ef621577d009ee046c10/1610739562419/ Teaching - Syllabi and Evaluations Please contact me if you are interested in seeing a sample syllabus or teaching evaluations.