The debate “How developing apps can contribute to gender justice in Portugal” will be the first of many discussion spaces promoted by the Think Tank of MyGender project. We will receive the senior engineer Daniela Domingues (Critical Software) and the researcher Paula Alexandra Silva (FCTUC), with mediation by professor Inês Amaral, on April 21st, online, at 17h30.
This debate aims to discuss issues and responsibilities of gender diversity in the digital environment. We especially consider the centrality of mobile applications in the daily lives of much of the world’s population, a fact that can be evidenced in data such as the number of app downloads – over 36 billion – between October and December 2021 (Statista, 2022). When we realize that, with rare exceptions, the starting point for using each app begins with the creation of a profile, we find several ways to identify how gender justice can be an ally of diversity for many people invisible because of their gender, and sexuality or lifestyle. How can software engineering professionals, creatives, companies and public sectors be aware and vigilant of this issue? How can you start this debate to build actions in your work environment, study or in the community where you live?
To watch the debate, access this link.
About MyGender Think Thank
MyGender Think Thank is a discussion platform in relation to intersecting topics central to the project, which seeks to be open to the wider community and key stakeholders. It also encompasses the development of the App and the realization of the DevGender toolkit, a set of guides (toolkit) with best practices and recommendations for developers.
About the speakers
Daniela Domingues has a degree in Computer Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria and a Master’s in Computer Engineering from the University of Coimbra. She started working in the technology area in September 2008 as a trainee, in the company Critical Software and is in this company until today. She has been involved in several projects, with different business areas, going through different phases of the technology area, such as customer support, Back-end and Front-end development and manual testing of applications. In the last 8 years, he has been developing more at the Front-end level, in which 6 of those years were dedicated to a project of hybrid mobile applications, for fast-food companies, using the languages of angularJS with cordova plugin. More recently, he is in a project in the banking area, where he uses the Angular language for Front-end development and spring-boot for back-end development. I divide my free time between family, house chores and volunteer work in the Geek Girls Portugal community and, more recently, in As raparigas do código.
Paula Alexandra Silva has a PhD in Computer Science from Lancaster University, UK, where she specialised in Human-Computer Interaction Design and explored ways of retaining and fostering creativity and innovation in design. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Engineering, University of Coimbra. Being a teacher with many years of experience, she has been teaching design-oriented subjects since 2008 and hybrid teaching materials since 2012. Currently, she teaches Human-Computer Interaction, Universal Design and Service Design, subjects that received an innovation award in 2021. In his constant desire to create exceptional learning experiences for his students, his classes are project-oriented and strongly influenced by studio-based learning pedagogy.
