Usability in Disaster Relief

Just as I published a self-congratulatory posting about my own article in ACM's Interactions magazine, I got to read several articles in the March issue of Communications of the ACM about the HCI of disaster relief. Fascinating stuff. You can see the TOC on the site, although you can't read the articles unless you're an ACM member.

The technical challenges of breakdowns, weather, and moving to stay safe and dry are joined by the problems of designing exceedingly hardened systems ahead of time that will function when the hammer falls. Interactivity is a big issue, of course, but so are the human frailties that kick in during disasters. Reading about the work being done makes me feel a little sad that I'm not involved in such noble work.