Lindah Kotut's headshot

LINDAH KOTUT

Assistant Professor
Information School
University of Washington

Office: Mary Gates Hall 015
Campus Box: 352840
Phone: (206) 221-6128

                   

Active Research

Project Griot

Research revolves around indigenous knowledge, and storytelling. We collaborate with, and learn from knowledge keepers and master storytellers (called the Griots) to understand how (unwritten) knowledge is learned, told, and kept. The contextual boundaries they apply in how to tell the story differently to different audience informs how we apply them to the technology landscape, inform respectful storytelling, privacy boundaries and ethics of handling user data.

Methods: User Interviews, Field Studies, Participatory Design, Speculative Design, Case Studies


Select Publications

  • "Griot-Style Methodology: Longitudinal Study of Navigating Design With Unwritten Stories." Lindah Kotut, Neelma Bhatti, Taha Hassan, Derek Haqq and Morva Saaty. ACM CHI 2024. pdf | doi

  • "Winds of Change: Seeking, Preserving, and Retelling Indigenous Knowledge Through Self-Organized Online Communities." Lindah Kotut and D. Scott McCrickard. ACM CHI 2022. pdf | doi

  • "Clash of Times: Respectful Technology Space for Integrating Community Stories in Intangible Exhibits." Lindah Kotut, Neelma Bhatti, Morva Saaty, Derek Haqq, Timothy L. Stelter and D. Scott McCrickard. ACM CHI 2020. pdf | doi

Related Courses

  • INSC 598: Critical and Cultural Dimensions in Information Science (Graduate)
  • INFO 464: Value Sensitive Design

Project Archetypes

Research at the intersection of human computer interaction, privacy and cybersecurity. We consider how people make sense with new/emerging technology and their impact on their boundaries of privacy: where they seek the information surrounding and the implication this has on their threat model and cybersecurity posture. Investigations towards this are wide-ranging, and include: analysis of privacy policy documents, architecture for monitoring shifts in policy landscape; and code analysis. User-facing approaches involve interviews, surveys and participatory co-design activities.

Methods: Quantitative Analysis, Topic Modeling, Code Analysis, User Interviews, User Surveys

Select Publications

  • "TikTok, Do Your Thing": User Reactions to Social Surveillance in the Public Sphere. Meira Gilbert, Miranda Wei and Lindah Kotut. SOUPS 2025. pdf | preprint

  • "TL;DR Charter: Speculatively Demystifying Privacy Policy Documents and Terms Agreements." Lindah Kotut and D. Scott McCrickard. ACM GROUP 2022/2023. pdf | doi

  • "Things on the Ground are Different": Utility, Survival and Ethics in Multi-Device Ownership and Smartphone Sharing Contexts. Lindah Kotut and Hummd Alikhan. ACM CHI 2024. pdf | doi

Related Courses

  • INFO 415: Special Topics in Cybersecurity: Risk Assessment
  • INSC 598: Privacy, Surveillance and Trust (Graduate)

Project Policy

The intent of the research is to understand how people manage in context of scarcity: of resources, of knowledge and of support. We work on identifying and discussing the asymmetries, understanding alternatives--where they are available, the ethical implications of the user actions conducted in asymmetrical contexts, and analysis and recommendations we make towards policies.

Methods: Structural Content Analysis, Case Studies, User Interviews, User Surveys, Case Studies

Select Publications

  • "Terms and Conditions (Do Not) Apply: Understanding Exploitation Disparities in Design of Mobile-Based Financial Services." Lindah Kotut. ACM AfriCHI 2025. pdf | preprint

  • "Down to Earth": Design Considerations for AI for Sustainability from the Environmental and Climate Movement." Amelia Lee Doğan, Hongjin Lin and Lindah Kotut. ACM DIS 2025. pdf | doi

  • "Easy Come, Easy Go: Phone Enabled Small-Scale Financial Grift." Amelia Lee Doğan, Meira Gilbert and Lindah Kotut. ACM COMPASS 2025. pdf | doi

Related Courses

  • INFO 415: Topics in Cybersecurity: Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)
  • INSC 598: Privacy, Surveillance and Trust (Graduate)