We talk with Professor Chris Harrison (director of the Future Interfaces Group) and Professor Scott Hudson (his PhD advisor!) about the evolution of HCI, from its very roots to the dizzying array of fields it touches on today. We discuss the value of research, their personal paths with research, and the variety of work they do today, from novel sensing technologies to computational fabrication.

Links:

https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1622176.1622199 (joint paper for precise + unpowered input on small devices)

https://chrisharrison.net/projects/wallplusplus/wallplusplus.pdf (joint paper exploring interactive wall technology)

Chris Harrison’s Work:

https://www.chrisharrison.net/ - his website

1. https://chrisharrison.net/projects/wallplusplus/wallplusplus.pdf (skinput - skin based touch sensors)
2. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2807442.2807480 (wearable device to detect hand gestures)
3. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3351229 (Edusense - smart classroom to provide instructor feedback)
4. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3586183.3606771 (fluid reality - tetherless haptic gloves)

Scott Hudson’s Work:

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40593-020-00194-3 (Mixed-reality AI system to support education)
2. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3563657.3595983 (sustainable 3D printing material from coffee grounds)
3. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/344949.344959 (2000 paper exploring the future of interface tools)
4. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/642611.642657 (predicting interruptibility with sensors)

In this episode, we talk with Professor Dominik Moritz (co-lead of CMU’s Data Interaction Group) about his work in data visualization and his efforts to make it more accessible for everyone, from the visually impaired to those who aren’t data science experts. We explore the motivation and functionality behind several libraries he has developed, and discuss his unique perspective on careers in both industry and academia.

Links:

Dominik’s Website: https://www.domoritz.de/

Research Papers:

1. https://idl.cs.washington.edu/files/2017-VegaLite-InfoVis.pdf (Vega-Lite - a high-level grammar for interactive data visualization)
2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8440847 (Draco - a system to automate data visualization)
3. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10297587 (Mosaic - a framework for scalable data visualizations)
4. https://www.frank.computer/chartability/ (Chartability - a tool to measure accessibility of data visualizations)

Links to Libraries:

https://vega.github.io/vega/

https://vega.github.io/vega-lite/

https://altair-viz.github.io/

https://dig.cmu.edu/draco2/intro.html

https://idl.uw.edu/mosaic/

Listen to this episode for an illuminating conversation with Professor Ken Koedinger as we delve into his pioneering research on educational technologies and cognitive tutoring systems. We explore how his work contributes toward personalized learning experiences and uncover insights from his decades-long career in understanding human learning and improving educational outcomes through innovative AI-based approaches.

Links: Ken’s Website: https://pact.cs.cmu.edu/koedinger.html Research Papers: 1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327809jls0402_2 (A review of a decade’s work in Cognitive Tutors) 2. https://telearn.hal.science/hal-00197383/ (ITS in a real-world setting—High School) 3. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1551-6709.2012.01245.x (Establishes a new framework for learning—Knowledge-Learning-Instruction) 4. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-007-9049-0 (Assistance dilemma) 5. https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/985692.985741 (Analysis of off-task behavior in classrooms) 6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780444818621501035 (Very informative chapter on what Intelligent Tutoring Systems encompass)