Abstract:

For several decades, tangible and embodied interaction (TEI), human-computer interaction that engages our bodies and physical environment, has been the topic of intense technological, scientific, artistic, humanistic, and mass-market research and practice. Our upcoming book (Spring 2022, ACM Books) Weaving Fire into Form: Aspirations for Tangible and Embodied Interaction, which I co-authored with Brygg Ullmer, Caroline Hummles, and Ali Mazalek, with a forward by Hiroshi Ishii, aims to provide a resource for teaching and research in this emerging area. It investigates the foundations of the field and sets aspirations for future directions.

In this talk, I will share highlights from the book and will show examples of novel tangible and embodied interfaces developed in my lab that have been applied to address real-world challenges related to the future of work and learning. I will also discuss new research methods, which we developed to investigate the impact of such systems on individuals and groups.

Bio:

Orit Shaer is a Professor of Computer Science and Media Arts and Sciences at Wellesley College. She directs the Wellesley College Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Lab. Her research focuses on novel human-computer interaction for the future of work and learning. Dr Shaer is a Senior Member of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), and a recipient of multiple NSF and industry awards including the NSF CAREER Award. She is a steering committee member of the ACM conference on Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction.

Schedule – EST (UTC-5)

6:45 – 7:00: Networking (via Zoom)

7:00 – 8:00: Presentation

8:00 – 8:30: Q & A

Join Paul and Dario in a special lunchtime seminar on Feb 8th.

Abstract:

What lessons can we learn from the enormous outpouring of online visualizations related to the Covid-19 pandemic?

Please join Paul Kahn and Dario Rodighiero for a presentation of the Covid-19 Online Visualization Collection (COVIC) and the programs developed to view and access the collection. COVIC currently contains more than 10,000 visualizations, a collective response to the pandemic gathered from online sources around the world. We have assembled this collection of animations, interactive visualizations, diagrams, charts, illustrations, and maps, assigning consistent metadata attributes to each item, and published the collection online, along with web-based applications that enable researchers to explore the collection in an open-ended fashion. The goal of the project is to provide a resource for teaching and research. COVIC defines a problem space in a way that does not predict who will be seeking solutions or what solutions will be found.

Bio:

Paul Kahn is a lecturer in the Information Design and Data Visualization program at Northeastern University. He currently leads the COVIC project. He has previously been active in hypertext research and agencies in the US and France offering services in information architecture, interface design, and experience design. Currently he lectures and writes about information design history.

Dario Rodighiero is a postdoc at metaLAB (at) Harvard, currently working at Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome. He has done numerous visualization projects combining design, data, and humanities. A current project is Surprise Machines, a digital installation that shows Harvard Art Museums’ extensive collection through a choreographic interface capable of capturing body gestures.

Schedule – EST (UTC-5)

Please note: this event is at lunchtime (12 noon) in EST.

12:00 – 12:45: Presentation

12:45 – 1:00: Q & A

Much of what holds us back is outdated thinking about what both UX and Agile are. We’re stuck in 2001 when Agile was first conceived, and today’s UX practices were in their infancy. We’ve learned so much in the last two decades. We know how to do better.

Agile and UX can work together. To do that, we need to reframe some misconceptions about how we put them together. We need to replace old, dysfunctional habits with state-of-the-art techniques and processes.

Venue

This online event will be held in Zoom.

Schedule

6:50 – 7:00: Brief introduction

7:00 – 8:30: Jared speaks, then Q&A

About Jared Spool

Jared M. Spool is a Maker of Awesomeness at Center Centre – UIE. Center Centre is the school he started with Leslie Jensen-Inman to create industry-ready User Experience Designers. UIE is Center Centre’s professional development arm, dedicated to understanding what it takes for organizations to produce competitively great products and services.

In the 43 years he’s been in the tech field, he’s worked with hundreds of organizations, written two books, published hundreds of articles and podcasts, and tours the world speaking to audiences everywhere. When he can, he does his laundry in Andover, Massachusetts.

This is a joint event of GBC/ACM and BostonCHI.