Jen Katz-Buonincontro is an American researcher and professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia. She studies how people learn, collaborate, and stay creative—especially in education and organizations where technology plays an increasing role. She’s one of the leading thinkers on research methods and has received several awards for her work. In her recent book How to Mix Methods (2024, American Psychological Association), she shows how interviews can be combined with experiments to better understand human experience.

What she really argues is this: if we want to understand how and why people behave in certain ways, we cannot rely only on numbers—we also need their stories. An experiment tells us what happens—for example, that people learn faster with a specific kind of technology. But an interview reveals how they feel about it—whether they are comfortable, anxious, motivated, or disconnected. Katz-Buonincontro therefore pleads for research that joins both approaches. This is what we call mixed methods: a way of combining quantitative data (numbers, measurements, behavioral statistics) with qualitative data (words, impressions, emotions). By connecting these two worlds, we get a more complete understanding of reality.

And this is exactly where Solidary Technology comes in. Technology is never neutral—it shapes how we relate to each other, how we work together, how fairly opportunities are distributed, and how much we trust one another. If we want technology to be not only smart but also socially just, we need research that includes the human side.

Imagine, for example, a study on how a digital learning platform affects student collaboration. Experiments can measure how many tasks are completed together, how often students help each other, or how quickly they respond. But interviews reveal why some students feel supported while others feel ignored. One student may appreciate the anonymity that allows them to contribute freely, while another misses the warmth of direct conversation. These insights make technology more humane—and that’s the essence of solidary technology.

Solidary Technology means creating and using technology that brings people closer together instead of driving them apart. It can be seen in AI systems that make fairer decisions, in apps that foster collaboration rather than competition, or in care robots that provide not only efficiency but also comfort and genuine attention.

Katz-Buonincontro shows us how to study this properly: by bringing numbers and narratives together, by valuing listening as much as measuring, and by treating human experience not as noise but as the heart of knowledge. Solidary Technology is the practical and moral extension of her vision. It’s about making technology that not only works, but also does good.