Abstract:

The need for and use of programming across domains continues to expand. Users ranging from children to experienced programmers learn on-the-fly as they code. While their goals may necessitate coding, their focus is often not on learning to code as a skill in and of itself. For example, many children think of coding as a way to create something, such as an animation or a game. A programmer may need to build a component for their project, and along the way they need to learn a new API. A marketing professional may want to automate their workflow, but doesn’t have time to learn to program formally. My work has aimed to understand and support programmers who need to learn or expand their skills on-the-fly, without formal learning like tutorials or assignments. By considering the way people process code and other complex information using theories like Cognitive Load Theory, we can better understand users’ needs and design systems that support users in accomplishing their tasks and learning along the way.

Bio:

Michelle Brachman (formerly Ichinco) is an HCI research scientist in the AI Experience group at IBM Research in Cambridge, MA. She was previously an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at UMass Lowell and received her PhD from Washington University in St. Louis after getting her start in HCI at Tufts. Her research has roots in understanding and designing systems to support novice and end-user programmers. She now ties this to her current explorations of human-AI collaboration. You can find her papers in venues like ACM CHI and IUI and she has won two best paper awards at the IEEE Conference on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing.

Schedule – EST (UTC-5)

6:45 – 7:00: Networking (in Zoom)

7:00 – 8:00: Presentation

8:00 – 8:30: Q & A

Abstract:

UX and HCI have typically been concerned with comfortable interactions that are efficient, ergonomic, satisfying, legible and predictable. However, an increasing focus on cultural experiences, from highbrow arts to mainstream entertainment, changes the game. Our experience of artworks is often far from comfortable. Our engagements with games and sports may push our minds and bodies to the limit. I will argue for deliberately and systematically designing uncomfortable interactions to deliver entertaining, enlightening and socially bonding experiences. I will reflect on interactive artworks that have deliberately employed discomfort to create powerful and provocative interactive experiences. I will explore four strategies for designing with discomfort – visceral, cultural, control and intimacy. I will consider how these need to be carefully embedded into an overall trajectory of experience that offers resolution and reflection. Finally, I will consider the ethical challenges of such an approach, revisiting issues of consent, withdrawal, privacy and risk.

Bio:

Steve Benford is the Dunford Professor of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham where he founded the Mixed Reality Laboratory in 2000 and has directed the Horizon Centre or Doctoral Training since 2009. His research explores how digital technologies, and foundational concepts and methods to underpin these, can support cultural and creative experiences. He previously held an EPSRC Dream Fellowship, was a Visiting Professor at the BBC and also a Visiting Researcher at Microsoft. He was elected to the CHI Academy in 2012. His collaborations with artists have also led to the award of the Prix Arts Electronica Golden Nica for Interactive Art, Mindtrek Award and four BAFTA nominations.

Schedule – EST (UTC-5)

6:30 – 6:45: Networking (Using Zoom breakout rooms)

6:45 – 7:45: Presentation

7:45 – 8:15: Q & A

Abstract:

The strategic goals of organizations increasingly consider the role of user experience, impacting both the design of user interfaces as well as the relationships of humans and society to technology. But while knowledge of user needs and human psychology is generally framed as a means of generating empathy or reducing the divide between humans and technology, this knowledge also has the potential to be used for nefarious purposes. In 2010, scholar and UX practitioner Harry Brignull coined the term “dark patterns” to describe this dark side of UX practice, which I have engaged with over the past five years. In this talk, I will share findings from several studies that address practitioners’ engagement with ethics, using the concept of “dark patterns” as a point of departure. I start with a collection of examples of dark patterns and “asshole designs,” demonstrating the harmful use of manipulative patterns that are increasingly ubiquitous. I then describe the findings of multiple engagements with technology practitioners, detailing the organizational and disciplinary complexities that make it difficult for practitioners to act in ethically responsible ways. I conclude by describing potential impacts on regulations and organizational practices to respond to these threats. I use these studies to build a case for ethical engagement in the education and practice of designers and technologists, pointing towards the need for scholars and educators to address both near-term issues such as manipulation, and longer-term issues that relate to social impact, responsibility, and the potential for regulation.

Bio:

Colin M. Gray is an Associate Professor at Purdue University and program lead for an undergraduate major and graduate concentration in UX Design. He holds appointments as Guest Professor at Beijing Normal University and Visiting Researcher at Newcastle University. His research focuses on the ways in which the pedagogy and practice of designers informs the development of design ability, particularly in relation to ethics, design knowledge, and professional identity formation. His work crosses multiple disciplines, including human-computer interaction, instructional design and technology, design theory and education, and engineering and technology education.

Schedule – EST (UTC-5)

6:15 – 6:30: Networking (Using Zoom breakout rooms)

6:30 – 7:30: Presentation

7:30 – 8:00: Q & A