Cornell Bowers College of Computing and Information Science
Dina Shlufman ‘27, an information science major, presents her team’s app prototype, “Slang Central,” during a joint poster session for two human-computer interaction courses in the Physical Sciences Building on Tuesday, Dec. 10. (Photo by Luke Stewart)

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Human-Computer Interaction Design poster session showcases students’ apps

December 20, 2024

By Dina Shlufman

Are you an international student? Do you struggle to use slang in social contexts? Well, then Slang Central, the app that teaches you American slang, is for you.

What I just pitched is not a “real” app. It’s not available in the app store, has no backend development, and is only stored in Figma – an online application that allows users to create high-fidelity user interfaces. But, it is a “real” app in the sense that it has a comprehensive design that my team thoroughly researched and created in the Cornell University course INFO 3450/5355/COMM 3450: Human-Computer Interaction Design.

The class, taught by Gilly Leshed, senior lecturer of information science in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, teaches students how to design their own apps to address problems for particular user groups. 

Through this class – which counts as an elective for my user experience (UX) concentration within the information science major – I learned how to apply principles of UX/usability, how to conduct proper user research, how to create a paper prototype, and how to use Figma. 

I joined this class with budding skills in UX research and Figma that I gained from my 2024 summer internship at Bank of Montreal. After spending many hours prototyping, designing, interviewing, researching, and compiling information with my group, I feel that my skills have fully blossomed and that I am prepared to begin a career in UX. 

Selin Toker ’26, my fellow group member, reflected on her own positive experiences in the class.

Selin Toker ’26, Dina Shlufman ’27, and Nicole Cheung ’25, present their app prototype, “Slang Central,” during a joint poster session for two human-computer interaction courses in the Physical Sciences Building on Tuesday, Dec. 10. (Photo by Luke Stewart
Selin Toker ’26, Dina Shlufman ’27, and Nicole Cheung ’25, present their app prototype, “Slang Central,” during a joint poster session for two human-computer interaction courses in the Physical Sciences Building on Tuesday, Dec. 10. (Photo by Luke Stewart

“Human-Computer Interaction Design was one of my favorite classes at Cornell because it allowed me to challenge myself creatively through a semester-long project that I really enjoyed,” Toker said.

All of our work culminated in a poster session in Baker Portico in the Physical Sciences Building on Tuesday, Dec. 10. My group presented our app, Slang Central, alongside our INFO 3450 classmates as well as our peers in INFO 4420/6520: Human Computer Interaction Studio. Via the help of many Cornell students who served as our user group, we designed an app that allows international students to store, learn, and practice  American slang in social settings. It is our hope that our app design will be able to help international students make and maintain friendships.

Nicole Cheung ’25, my other group member, said that the poster session was an opportunity for her to view the payoff of her peers’ hard work.

“It was really fun to see all the interesting ideas come to life,” Cheung said.

Likewise, I loved watching my classmates display their work. From an app that helps Black students find hair braiders to a platform that assists Cornell students in completing rigorous club applications, the passion and technical skills of my peers were evident and remarkable to experience.

Toker also enjoyed the poster session, saying it gave her insight into her peers’ creativity.

“[The poster session] gave me the opportunity to explore my classmates' creative and unique designs and see the projects they had been working on throughout the semester,” Toker said.

Dina Shlufman ’27 is a student writer for the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.