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Home > People > Alumni Profiles > Spotlight
SI SpotlightTodd Roberts (MSI '05)
"The resources are there to get an education consisting not just of the core of the field, but all the interconnections the field has with others. Keeping an open mind and looking at things from a variety of perspectives is worth the effort for both personal and professional growth."
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Before SI: Earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan in psychology and completed pre-med requirements. He had planned to attend medical school, but decided to take a year off to get some experience in the medical field. He got a job in a medical decision-making research group at U-M (the Program for Improving Health Care Decisions, now the Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences in Medicine). "I developed surveys -- paper and Web-based -- analyzed data, and built the group's Web site. I went through the whole med school application process and got accepted, but decided on the last possible day to withdraw my acceptance and pursue other interests, which turned out to be SI."
At SI: SI requires students to take six credits of cognates -- courses offered at other schools and colleges at the U-M. For Todd, that turned out to be a "life-changing experience" when he took the "Networked Cities" course in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning. "Its focus on interaction design moved my career path more toward design, and the subtext of sustainability changed my outlook on the world. After that, I took the Community Information Corps seminar at SI and a Business School class called 'Social Enterprise,' the latter of which especially continued changing my views on the realm of possibilities that business and design afford."
Todd found a benefit in being part of the group projects that are common at SI. "It's interesting to look back at the difference between the capabilities of groups in their first semester and those in their last semester. The project my group did in 'Information Visualization' brought together everything we had learned up to that point and showed how all the concepts and techniques fit together, even after they've been learned in relative isolation from one another."
Todd notes that SI's multidisciplinary approach had its benefits. "For me, the greatest value came from the interdisciplinary education I was able to get. Taking classes in the Architecture and Business schools provided views on design and value that I wouldn't have gotten by just taking SI classes. I feel there is a huge amount of under-tapped synergy between the different SI concentrations and schools/departments like art, architecture, urban planning, business, psychology, sociology, anthropology, complex systems, natural resources, law, and engineering, among others. Those who make the connections will be rewarded both personally and professionally."
Todd encourages students to take a broad view of their education and the opportunities they have. "Taking a wide range of classes has been extremely beneficial for both getting a job and providing a foundation for professional growth. Being fluent in the language of human-computer interaction got my foot in the door, as usability is a big concern for the Information Management Department.
"Of course, HCI doesn't live in a vacuum and the economics and management courses I took have given me great tools to be able to talk about the value of user-centered design from a variety of perspectives since I've been here. This was critically important when selling WCHO on a design process that is different and much more intensive than it has been.
"Having this wide range of knowledge and experience has also allowed me to make contributions to many different types of projects, and from a career-growth perspective it's always beneficial to be able to demonstrate value throughout the organization."
If there's one bit of advice Todd offers students, it's keep your eyes open to the possibilities. "The resources are there to get an education consisting not just of the core of the field, but all the interconnections the field has with others. Keeping an open mind and looking at things from a variety of perspectives is worth the effort for both personal and professional growth."
After SI: Now an interaction designer at Blackbaud, Inc., in Charleston, South Carolina. The company provides software support for nonprofit organizations through fundraising management, financial management, direct marketing, prospect research, and other services.
Most recently he was an interaction designer for the Washtenaw Community Health Organization in Ann Arbor. The organization manages the community mental health and substance abuse providers in Washtenaw, Livingston, Lenawee, and Monroe counties. Todd worked in the Information Management Department, which developed Encompass, an electronic health record.
Todd's job duties can change by the week. "Usually it's a combination of user-centered design, project management, and process development, plus some odds and ends. The environment is such that if I have knowledge of and ability in an area, I've had the opportunity to use it. The challenge has increasingly been knowing where to draw the line to keep from being too much of a jack-of-all-trades and having too many disparate projects up in the air at once."
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