GenderMag

Although gender differences in a technological world receive significant research attention, much of this research and practice aims at how society and education can impact the success and retention of women in computer science. The possibility of gender biases within software however, has received almost no attention. We believe that the human problem-solving styles supported by software have strong gender biases, and further that addressing these gender biases can help problem solvers of any gender. Toward this end, we created the GenderMag Method. The GenderMag Method consists of a gender-specialized cognitive walkthrough and a set of GenderMag personas that focus on five cognitive factors in problem-solving styles.