Michael B. Twidale

Short Bio

Michael Twidale is a Professor in the School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and was founding director of the Master of Science in Information Management. His research interests include computer supported cooperative work, computer supported collaborative learning, human computer interaction, search based technical problem solving, usability and security and museum informatics. Current projects include studies of informal social learning of technology, technological appropriation, collaborative approaches to managing data quality, collaborative information retrieval, ubiquitous learning and the usability of open source software. His approach involves the use of interdisciplinary techniques to develop high-speed, low- cost methods to better understand the needs of people, and their difficulties with existing computer applications as part of the process of designing more effective systems. This has led to his advocating for "Agile Research Methods" inspired by approaches in Agile software development.