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About Us

The AXLE Lab is an interdisciplinary reserach group within the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. We develop technology solutions to support, enhance, understand, and celebrate Ability in its many forms. The research we conduct aims to improve the quality of human lives through the thoughtful application of technology and social interventions.

Our Values

Emphasizing effort and growth over outcomes. We value the quality and effort that each person brings to their work and to their own growth. While the outcomes (publications, demos, etc.)are important, we are constantly aiming to be the best researchers and community members that we can.

Giving credit where it is due. We credit each other and other researchers/designers appropriately! For instance, this set of principles borrows from the CMU CoALA Lab, Glassman Lab @ Harvard SEAS, and from the OH Lab @ CMU. The lab logo was designed by Isabel Ngan!

Taking care of ourselves and each other. We prioritize getting enough sleep and attending to our mental and physical health, so that we can bring our best selves to our work (see “Lab Counterculture” by Jess Hammer, Alexandra To, & Erica P. Cruz).

Making tacit knowledge visible. We believe that each generation of researchers and designers should work to ensure that the next generation faces fewer unnecessary hurdles than they themselves did. With fewer hurdles in their way, more people will have more opportunities to advance our fields. In line with this belief, we value sharing tacit knowledge with newcomers to the lab.

Starting at your beginning and reaching your own finish line. We are all starting from somewhere different. We recognize that students at all levels may have a wide range of career goals. We support each other’s goals and help each other reach them!

Reflecting on our personal and community practices. This set of values will evolve over time. Every lab member can contribute to shaping the kind of lab they want to be a part of, and we will work together to make it happen!