Dr. Rode's training is in informatics, human-computer interaction and anthropology. In her research, she uses an ethnographic approach to understand technology users in the context of their daily lives and to understand issues surrounding gender, security and privacy. Her work is used to inform and evaluate the design of ubiquitous computing technologies, especially "smart homes." In doing so, Dr. Rode aims to contribute theoretically to understanding the design process and the larger field of digital anthropology. Her major teaching area is in human-computer interaction. Dr. Rode’s professional experience has included several academic posts as well as consultant and research positions at a variety of private-sector companies. Early in her career, she was one of the initial members of the User Experience team designing the initial UI for TiVo.