Luddy School makes its mark at prestigious computer human interaction conference: Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering : Indiana University
Photo supplied by David Crandall Luddy School
The Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering set a difference-making tone at this year’s Association of Computing Machinery Computer Human Interaction Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, the premier international conference of Human-Computer Interaction.
The conference, which ran from April 26 to May 1 in Yokohama, Japan, allows researchers and practitioners from around the world to discuss the latest in interactive technology. This year it embraced the theme of Ikigai, a Japanese concept of what gives people a sense of purpose and a reason for living. It also supported a remote audience with in-person and virtual presentations.
Katie Siek, professor of Informatics, said the conference enabled researchers around the world – from academics to industries to non-profit organizations – to learn from each other about designing better systems that ensure computing technologies serve people.
Credit: ©Anna Powell DentonWith technology and Artificial Intelligence enhancing what people do, or even replacing them, Siek said, “It’s important that we consider the socio-technical and ethical foundations of this technology. We need to take a step back and think about what is the role of technology, and how can it help people instead of taking over.”
Siek was one of seven Luddy School faculty who presented papers, case studies and workshops. The others were Colin Gray, Informatics associate professor and HCI/d program director; David Crandall, Luddy Professor of Computer Science and director of the Luddy Artificial Intelligence Center; Austin Toombs, Informatics associate professor; Jean Camp, professor of Informatics and director of the Center for Security and Privacy in Informatics, Computing, and Engineering; Selma Šabanović, professor of Informatics and Cognitive Science, and associate dean for Faculty Affairs; and Mary Jean Amon, assistant professor of Informatics.
Luddy School students, including Long-Jing Hsu, Weslie Khoo, Seora Park, Tilar DeVine and Ritika Gairola, also submitted papers and projects.
A paper Gray co-authored, “A Feminist Care Ethics Toolkit for Community-Based Design: Bridging Theory and Practice,” earned honorable mention accolades.
Crandall praised the conference experience. He submitted two papers – “Bridging Human Intuition and AI in Colorful Food Assessment” and “Bittersweet Snapshots of Life: Designing to Address Complex Emotions in a Reminiscence Interaction between Older Adults and a Robot,” which he co-authored with Šabanović, among others.
Credit: Photo supplied by David Crandall Luddy School
“I feel like many challenges we have in AI – and computing more generally – are really about how to make systems that can communicate and collaborate with people,” Crandall said. “That means creating new technology that can do this interaction better, but it also means studying how to design for people’s needs and preferences. CHI is a community that knows how to study both the human part and the technical part really well.”
Siek embraced that theme with the conference paper, “Understanding Older Adults’ (Dis)Engagement with Design Materials.” It was a collaboration with researchers from the University of Maryland and New Jersey Institute of Technology. It focused on how older adults can be part of the process in designing technology for their homes and personal needs while ensuring privacy.
“We know the aging population is increasing,” Siek said. “We need to make sure they’re safe in their homes and getting the care they need while also giving them the respect and dignity for them to age how they want without too much intervention.”
For example, designing ambient technology that allows the elderly to recognize they are falling or need to take medication without alerting those around them. Specially designed eyeglasses could flash a light or send a vibration only the person wearing them would sense.
“Others wouldn’t be aware, so it wouldn’t be stigmatizing,” Siek said. “It’s a proactive way to help people.”
Providing accurate, private data requires computing technology to “be listening in some form,” she added.
“Accuracy comes from using lots of data from lots of people,” she said. “Privacy comes from not sharing it with a lot of people. There are a lot of fun, challenging artificial intelligent problems that we can solve in academia through industry-federal funding collaboration.
“Sometimes the needs of the community don’t align well with the needs of industry. That’s where academic research comes in to find out how we can make it work and still meet everyone’s needs.”
Gray also co-authored “Getting Trapped in Amazon’s ‘Iliad Flow:’ A Foundation for the Temporal Analysis of Dark Patterns.” They called it an honor to present research and convene a Special Interest Group focused on dark patterns.
“Our paper introduced a novel temporal analysis method for identifying and characterizing dark patterns in digital interfaces,” Gray said. “We also gathered over 50 international scholars to discuss cross-cultural and policy-driven strategies for mitigating the harms these deceptive design practices pose to users worldwide.”
Credit: Luddy CommunicationsPark, a first-year Informatics Ph.D. student, submitted two papers, one on virtual YouTubers, the other titled, “Stuck in Translation: Reflexive Practice in Queer HCI Research from Non-Western Perspectives” with Toombs and DeVine.
“Presenting this work at CHI allowed me to connect with peer researchers who not only share similar research interests,” Park said, “but are also at similar stages in their academic journeys.
“Talking with fellow (conference participants) greatly empowered me, enhancing my confidence in the validity of my research orientations and my ability to build my own academic community.”
Gairola, a second-year Informatics Ph.D. student, submitted two papers in conjunction with Gray, including “How is ‘Public Policy’ Used in HCI Scholarship?” Gairola said the conference provided major motivation to continue researching.
“The conference was a wonderful opportunity to engage with the broader HCI community, meet international collaborators, and connect with researchers whose work has shaped my own. Presenting a poster was a great chance to share my research and receive feedback.”
DeVine, a first-year Informatics Ph.D. student, who worked with Toombs on, “Identity Boards: Exploring Use of Mixed Media Expression in Online Queer Spaces,” said the conference showcased “the wealth of topics being explored by HCI scholars.”
“It also has inspired future work, whether it be new takes on existing research interests or opportunities to collaborate with people I enjoy and admire.”
Toombs said having two of his Ph.D. students (Park and DeVine) attend the conference and present their own work and other projects provided an “invaluable opportunity to connect and reconnect with people who share our research interests” as well as opportunities to learn from the conference’s presentations, demonstrations and panels.
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