________________________________________________________________ MICROSOFT RESEARCH'S TECHNOLOGY FOR EMERGING MARKETS GROUP WHAT: Microsoft Research will be presenting a two-hour series of 15-minute talks on some of their projects (http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/groups/tem). Food and drinks will be provided. WHERE: Gates Commons (Rm 691) of the Allen Center (http://www.washington.edu/home/maps/southcentral.html?CSE) WHEN: Thursday March 5th, 2008 11am-1pm ABSTRACT Begun in 2005 in Bangalore, the Technology for Emerging Markets group at Microsoft Research India does research to better understand potential users of technology in developing countries and to design technologies and systems that serve their needs and aspirations. As a research lab, they focus on rigorous studies, prototypes, and project evaluations, working extensively with target communities in rural and urban environments in India and other developing countries. Previous research projects include Digital Green (video for agriculture extension), MultiPoint (multiple mice for multiple students per PC), Warana Unwired (SMS text-messaging for agriculture cooperatives), and Text-Free User Interfaces (UIs for non-literate users), etc. In this series of short presentations, they'll present a broad sampling of their more recent work, including topics such as mobile banking (actual use in four countries + UI issues), computer literacy for low-income office staff, an electronic pillbox for tuberculosis patients, comparisons of UIs of mobile-phone systems, etc. The group plans to be at UW for most of the day, and hopes to meet with faculty and students at UW who are interested in related work. Please feel free to get in touch with individuals directly, for topics, as below. (If in doubt, contact kentoy@microsoft.com) SPEAKERS: Kentaro Toyama (mailto:kentoy@microsoft.com): TEM group head, ICT4D research strategies, featherweight computing, HCI, telecenters David Hutchful (mailto:davihu@microsoft.com): ICT in education, MultiPoint templates for easy content creation, and connecting NGOs via the Internet Indrani Medhi (mailto:indranim@microsoft.com): UIs for non-literate users, free-access PCs for slum households, mobile banking UI, and UI options for delivering services over mobile phones Aishwarya Ratan (mailto:aratan@microsoft.com): Technology for microfinance, free-access PCs for low-income workers, and value of digital literacy Bill Thies (mailto:thies@microsoft.com): Electronic pillbox, UI options for delivering services over mobile phone, and DVD-based interactive multimedia SPONSORED BY: Center for Information & Society (CIS) with support from the iSchool, HCDE, CSE, and Change. Please join us in Gates Commons (Rm 691) of Allen Center (CSE) on Thu, Mar 5, 2009 11:00 AM -1:00 PM. For those who will not be there, the talks will recorded and made available on (the newly launched) http://change.washington.edu/ ________________________________________________________________ Box 354985 Seattle, WA 98195 Tel 206.616.9101 Fax 206.616.5149 cisinfo@u.washington.edu www.cis.washington.edu
