Abstract
My technical and STS projects both explore how technology shapes human behavior, but from different perspectives. My technical project, Hoos Go!, focuses on designing a mobile application that encourages University of Virginia students to explore Grounds and build social connections through gamified, location-based challenges. The game uses tools such as Flutter, Firebase, and the Google Maps SDK to create an engaging and interactive experience that promotes in-person interaction rather than passive digital use. Beta testing showed that features like collectibles, mini-games, and friend interactions were not only functional but also encouraged engagement and exploration. Overall, the project demonstrates how thoughtful technical design can influence user behavior by incentivizing real-world interaction.
My STS research paper also examines a question from a social perspective by analyzing how consumers interpret and adopt electric vehicles (EVs). Using Reddit discourse, I found that adoption is shaped not by a single factor, but by competing interpretations among different social groups, particularly around cost, government policy, and feasibility. Drawing on the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) framework, I argue that these groups define different “problems” associated with EVs, which in turn shape how the technology is perceived and adopted. For example, many consumers interpret high upfront cost as a primary barrier, while EV owners often view infrastructure as manageable. These differing perspectives highlight how technology adoption is socially constructed rather than purely determined by technical performance.
Together, these projects illustrate the relationship between technology design and social interpretation. In my technical project, design decisions such as incorporating gamification, social features, and geolocation directly shape how users interact with the system and with each other. At the same time, my STS research shows that users bring their own interpretations, concerns, and expectations to technology, which influence whether and how it is adopted. This connection highlights that technologies are not neutral tools; instead, they are shaped by both the intentions of designers and the interpretations of users.
