Publications

Scholarship from the DETOUR Lab.

Peer-reviewed articles, papers, and essays from 2005 to the present, organized by the lab’s four research areas. Filter by project, then open any abstract to read more.

Black Feminist Epistemologies in Computing

14 publications
2026

Black in Computing Community

ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
2025

Sister Circles: An Intersectional Method in Computing Education

Rankin, Y. A., & Baker, N.
Proceedings of the ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
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2025

Faith to Move Mountains: Black Women in Computing Education

Rankin, Y. A., Thompson, J., Davis-Bacon, C., & Thomas, J. O.
Proceedings of the ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
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2025

Exploring Computing Education Research as a Racialized Space

2025

Theorizing & Researching Class for BPC

ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
2024

“Their religion is yoga”: Understanding the Role of Spirituality for Black Women in Computing

Etim-Andy, M., Erete, S., & Rankin, Y. A.
Proceedings of the ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
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2024

An Ethical Imperative

ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
2021

Real Talk: Saturated Sites of Violence in CS Education

Rankin, Y. A., Thomas, J. O., & Erete, S.
Proceedings of the ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
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2021

Black Women Speak

ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE)
2021

I Can’t Breathe

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (CSCW)
2020

The Intersectional Experiences of Black Women in Computing

Rankin, Y. A., & Thomas, J. O.
Proceedings of the ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
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2019

A Seat at the Table: Black Feminist Thought as a Critical Framework for Inclusive Game Design

Rankin, Y. A., & Maxwell, M.
Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (CHI PLAY)
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2019

Food for Thought

ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
2019

Exploring the Plurality of Black Women’s Gameplay Experiences

ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Designing the Afroverse with Black Women

1 publication
2022

All that You Touch, You Change

ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Intersectionality in HCI

13 publications
2025

A Powerful Sisterhood: Black Women Scholars in Feminist HCI

Reece, S., Adenuga, C., Ablorh, T., & Rankin, Y. A.
interactions, ACM
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2025

My Only Weapon Is My Pen: Black Women Speaking Truth to Power

Thomas, J. O., & Rankin, Y. A.
interactions, ACM
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2025

Fight the Power: Black Tech Feminist Resistance in the Wake

Erete, S., Rankin, Y. A., Thomas, J., Pearson, T., & Leggett-Robinson, P.
ACM Inroads
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2024

Defining Damage-Centered Research in HCI: A Black Feminist Perspective

Erete, S., Rankin, Y. A., & Thomas, J. O.
interactions, ACM
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2024

Moving from Theory to Application: Black Feminist Thought as an Intersectional Framework for Design

Rankin, Y. A.
interactions, ACM
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2024

The Choice is Yours: Intersectional Studies versus Studies of Intersectional Populations in Computing Education Research

Rankin, Y. A., Erete, S., Thomas, J. O., & Pinkard, N.
Proceedings of the ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
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2023

A Method to the Madness: Applying an Intersectional Analysis of Structural Oppression and Power in HCI and Design

Erete, S., Rankin, Y. A., & Thomas, J.
ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI)
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2023

INTech: Designing Intersectional Learning Experiences for Black Girls

interactions, ACM
2022

Building Space for Feminist Solidarity

interactions, ACM
2022

Unpacking the Complexities of Community-Led Violence Prevention Work

ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
2021

Resisting Racism in Tech Design: Centering the Experiences of Black Youth

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (CSCW)
2020

Intersectionality in HCI: Lost in Translation

Rankin, Y. A., Thomas, J. O., & Joseph, N. M.
interactions, ACM
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2019

Straighten Up and Fly Right: Rethinking Intersectionality in HCI Research

Rankin, Y. A., & Thomas, J. O.
interactions, ACM
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Developing Equitable Design Practices

12 publications
2025

Understanding Participatory Design for Low-Literate Users

AfriCHI Conference
2021

In-Game Social Interactions to Facilitate ESL Students’ Morphological Awareness

ACM CHI PLAY
2008

User Centered Game Design: Evaluating MMORPGs for Second Language Acquisition

ACM SIGGRAPH
2008

The Impact of Game Design on Students’ Interest in CS

2008

Video Games as Motivation for Exercise

ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
2007

Virtual Peers for Literacy Learning

Educational Technology
2007

Team-Based Pedagogy for CS102 Using Game Design

ACM SIGGRAPH Educators Program
2007

Extended Game Platform for Novice Programmers

Eurographics
2006

3D Role-Playing Games as Language Learning Tools

Eurographics
2006

Evaluating Interactive Gaming as a Language Learning Tool

ACM SIGGRAPH
2006

“Playing for Keeps” and “Gaming as a Language Learning Tool”

ACM SIGGRAPH Educators Program
2005

Designing Culturally Authentic Pedagogical Agents

International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED)