Browsing by Author "Al-Dawood, Adel"

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    “Against Marrying a Stranger:” Marital Matchmaking Technologies in Saudi Arabia
    (2016-10) Al-Dawood, Adel
    Websites and applications that match and connect individuals for romantic purposes are commonly used in the Western world. However, there have been few previous investigations focusing on cultural factors that affect the adoption of similar technologies in religiously conservative non-Western cultures. In this study, we examine the socio-technical and cultural factors that influence the perceptions and use of matchmaking technologies in Saudi Arabia. We report the methods and findings of interviews with 18 Saudi nationals (9 males and 9 females) with diverse demographics and backgrounds. We provide qualitatively generated insights into the major themes reported by our participants related to the common approaches to matchmaking, the current role of technology, and concerns regarding matchmaking technologies in this cultural context. We relate these themes to specific implications for designing marital matchmaking technologies in Saudi Arabia and we outline opportunities for future investigations.
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    Building Trust And Preserving Privacy In Marital Matchmaking Technologies
    (2024-03) Al-Dawood, Adel
    Finding a life partner is a complicated process. While traditional methods such as arranged marriages were perceived to be successful in the past, many life aspects have changed that have made finding a life partner a messy and complicated process. The introduction of technology was meant to improve the process and unfortunately has made it more complicated. This is further complicated by the diversity of humans across the globe with different values that guide the design of technological systems. While online matchmaking platforms have offered more options for users, the transition from online to offline is rarely accounted for and left as a burden on the user. This is critical for a conservative culture such as Saudi Arabia where the transition can be very tricky. While Saudi Arabians have found ways to circumvent and appropriate current technologies, better design can make the process more suitable for Saudi Arabians. Through my qualitative and quantitative studies, I was able to define the requirements for a high-fidelity marital matchmaking prototype, TBYAAN (Trust-Building for Young Adults in an Anonymous Network), which was utilized to understand how trust can be built while preserving privacy during seeking a potential spouse online. While I found that different phone authentication and partial parental involvement were the most associated with higher levels of trust, participants expressed that the content generated by other participants was considered a good indicator of trust. Also, I have found that participants consider TBYAAN to be more trustworthy than Twitter (a familiar social media platform where recruiting occurred) and were less concerned about their privacy being compromised overall. Future work on TBYAAN will help understand how trust building and privacy preservation can be improved for users of online platforms.