My Journey into Human-Computer Interaction

Introduction In my first blog, I talked about my journey into HCI and our initial project idea: an AR Cooking Assistant to help people prepare sushi. While that concept was fun and creative, my team and I realized that we wanted to tackle a problem closer to everyday life and more practical in scale. That’s how we pivoted to DriveShare —a peer-to-peer app where homeowners can rent out their driveways to drivers looking for affordable, reliable parking. This blog reflects on how user research shaped that pivot, guided our design, and deepened my understanding of what it means to create with people in mind. My Research Journey When we first imagined DriveShare, our thinking was simple: parking is expensive and stressful, while driveways often sit empty. It felt like an easy win—drivers would pay less, and homeowners would make some extra money. But when I began interviewing people, I quickly learned the reality was more complicated. One of the most revealing conversations was with Mike J...

Who I Am & Where I’m Headed My name is Rustam (Russ), and I’m a graduate student in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at San Francisco State University. My story so far has been about curiosity and growth—moving from my roots in Azerbaijan and Turkey to studying and working in the U.S., balancing school, research, and work. I’ve always been drawn to understanding how people interact with technology. My long-term ambition is to become a designer and researcher who builds AI systems that are not just powerful, but also intuitive, ethical, and human-centered. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) feels like the bridge between technology and the people it serves—and I want to stand on that bridge. Why HCI Excites Me At first glance, HCI might sound technical, but to me, it’s really about people. It’s the study of how humans and computers communicate with each other—through screens, buttons, gestures, or even voice. What excites me most is that HCI combines design, psychology, a...