Ada Lovelace and Lillian Gilbreth were ahead of their time and definitely not as recognized as they should be today. Both of these women delivered monumental contributions to computer science and industrial engineering, which were often overlooked until posthumously documented. A quick google search shows that the men they were connected to, such as Charles Babbage, Vannevar Bush, and Ted Nelson, have thousands, if not millions more results that show up, which clearly displays the wide chasm between the recognition of women and men during this time. Lovelace wrote the first complex computer program and Gilbreth practically invented the field of industrial engineering. Both put the user’s need at the forefront of their thinking, which is why even if they weren’t aware of it themselves, they were an important development in the history of interaction and human-centered design. It’s important to acknowledge their work, as so many times it would be overlooked simply because of their gender, but they did bring very important concepts and inventions to the table that we still use in today’s world. Learning about women in history, especially in STEM, encourages girls and women of today to pursue similar career paths, many unique minds which would never have been heard from had they not been encouraged.
