Since its inception in the 1960’s Sesame Street has used the beloved Muppets to educate young children (and their parents) about topics such as math, reading, healthy habits, autism and HIV/AIDs. User-centered design and usability testing are integral parts of their product development cycle. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Blasko has worked with Sesame Workshop to create the Sesame Street for Military Families products. This talk will describe the development process for various aspects of this program using case examples of the new mobile-accessible SesameForMilitaryFamilies.org website, The Big Moving Adventure mobile app, The Mood Monster…and maybe others! About our speaker Dr. Kelly Blasko is a counseling psychologist leading the mobile web program for the National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2). She earned her master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at Appalachian State University and her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the Pennsylvania State University. Prior to receiving her Ph.D., Kelly worked for almost 20 years as an electric engineer and senior advisor in new product development for telecommunications companies. As a psychologist, she has worked in clinical settings including marriage and family clinics, university counseling centers, and community mental health centers. In her current position she applies her clinical knowledge to design and develop web- and mobile-based resources for military service members and their families. She is internationally recognized for her work in using technology to improve the well-being of youth including the development of the award-winning Military Kids Connect® and the Sesame Street for Military Families programs. |