9 Questions with M.J. Johns

Describe what you currently do, and tell us the best thing about it.

Currently I am doing Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and UX research as a PhD Candidate at UC Santa Cruz, exploring how gameful design and game technologies can be used to address complex (wicked) problems like climate change. My main focus right now is on wildfire, and I am leading a team developing a series of minigames that are based on a community co-design initiative with local California communities that are impacted by wildfire. The best thing about this is I get to help bring people’s stories to life, and use those stories to spread the word and raise awareness about a serious issue. I hope my work helps more people and communities develop resilience to wildfire, and to climate change more broadly.

What led you to the ETC?

After I completed my undergraduate degree in Computer Science in 2011, I landed my first job working on training tools and software. While I enjoyed the work I was doing, I felt I had more to learn and more I could contribute if I ventured out beyond software development. I found CMU’s ETC program and immediately knew it was exactly where I needed to be for the future career I dreamed of having – melding technical skills with design and innovation to create truly unique experiences.

What projects did you work on at the ETC?

The most memorable project I worked on was "Webz of War" – a fully-body exergame for the Kinect and Wii Fit Balance Board that used a Polar Heart Monitor to incorporate biometric data into gameplay. Under the mentorship of our faculty advisor Michael Christel, we conducted user research for this project and published it in the IEEE International Gaming Innovation Conference. This was my first academic publication, and I credit this opportunity for launching my career in academic research.

What’s your favorite ETC memory?

Even though I completed my time at the ETC more than a decade ago, I still have very strong fond memories of the entire experience. From experimenting with different technologies in BVW, learning to work with clients, presenting my work on stage, learning to juggle from Jesse, and playing League of Legends in the evenings, I honestly cannot pick a favorite.

How did ETC prepare you for the work you do now, and what impact has it had on your life?

The ETC taught me more than just technical or design skills, it really taught me how to think critically, problem solve, and be creative. It gave me the confidence to try to do things that I wasn’t sure if I could do. These are things I put into practice every day, and now that I lead teams of junior developers it is a mindset I try to instill in them as well. The ETC also made me much more open-minded about failure and what we can learn by failing, and this has helped me a lot with working with new technologies. After I finished at the ETC I worked for the Virtuix Omni in 2014 while the hardware was still in a prototype stage, and being comfortable with uncertainty helped me be successful in that role.

What is the most interesting or enjoyable work you’ve gotten to do so far?

The most enjoyable work I’ve gotten to do has come up at several different jobs – doing user research to understand what a user is feeling and thinking, what they want, and what they are struggling with…and then adapting the product to meet those needs and expectations, and to spark joy in the users/players.

What advice would you give current students?

Take advantage of the moment – explore deeply, immerse yourself, and be open to every opportunity. Talk to all the faculty, not just your project advisor…they are full of decades of wisdom and fascinating ideas.

Describe the ETC in one word.

Innovation!

What are you working on now that excites you?

My team just launched our collection of wildfire games, which you can check out here.