6.04.2023
CHI 2023: We are leading HCI research in Portugal

The Interactive Technologies Institute will attend the top Human-Computer Interaction conference this April. We will follow the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems with four research papers. Surprisingly, there are only seven accepted papers from Portuguese institutions. Indeed, CHI 2023 is the premier international conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), our main field of study. CHI annually brings together researchers and practitioners worldwide to improve the world with interactive digital technologies.

CHI 2023 will occur in Hamburg, Germany, and will gather 3437 authors to present 880 papers during the conference. In fact, the Interactive Technologies Institute will bring 13 researchers to Hamburg. We are participating with five research papers, two workshops, one alt-chi publication and one journal publication by invitation. Therefore, we are incredibly proud of our substantial presence at the most prestigious conference in the Human-Computer Interaction field. This fact highlights our team’s outstanding research profile, reflecting all our members’ hard work and dedication.

Assertiveness-based Agent Communication for a Personalised Medicine on Medical Imaging Diagnosis: Assertiveness-based BreastScreening-AI

Authors: Francisco Maria Galamba Ferrari Calisto, João Fernandes, Margarida Morais, Carlos Santiago, João Maria Veigas Abrantes, Nuno Jardim Nunes and Jacinto Nascimento.

The publication explores the impact of personalised and customised communication tones of intelligent agents on clinicians’ performance and receptiveness in breast cancer diagnosis. It suggests that adapting the tone to each clinician’s experience can reduce medical errors and increase satisfaction.

Coding Together: On Co-located and Remote Collaboration between Children with Mixed-Visual Abilities.

Authors: Filipa Rocha, Filipa Correia, Isabel Neto, Ana Cristina Pires, João Guerreiro, Tiago Guerreiro and Hugo Nicolau.

Collaborative coding environments can promote inclusive learning for children with mixed-visual abilities in remote and co-located settings, as evidenced by a study using a tangible coding kit. Indeed, the paper provides Insights on six dimensions; design opportunities were identified for creating inclusive learning activities.

Comparing Dwell time, Pursuits and Gaze Gestures for Gaze Interaction on Handheld Mobile Devices.

Authors: Omar Namnakani, Yasmeen Abdrabou, Jonathan Grizou, Augusto Esteves and Mohamed Khamis

This study compared three gaze interaction methods on mobile devices, Dwell time, Pursuits, and Gaze gestures. We found that Pursuits were faster, Dwell time was preferred while walking, and Gaze gestures were more suitable for accuracy.

Towards Critical Heritage in the Wild: Analysing Discomfort through Collaborative Autoethnography. 

Authors: Paulo Bala, Pedro Sanches, Vanessa Cesário, Sarah Leão, Catarina Alexandra Rebelo Rodrigues, Nuno Jardim Nunes and Valentina Nisi.

This paper is about a collaborative auto-ethnography of alternative tours accompanied by intercultural guides conducted to explore sensory and embodied engagements with cultural heritage sites. The duality of discomfort as both a resource for designing systems and a hindrance to engagement was analysed.

Workshop: HCI for Climate Change: Imagining Sustainable Futures.

Authors: Eleonora Mencarini, Christina Bremer, Chiara Leonardi, Jen Liu, Valentina Nisi, Nuno Jardim Nunes and Robert Soden.

This workshop calls for discussing the different angles from which the CHI community has addressed the problem of climate change and to imagine sustainable futures better.

Workshop: Data as a Material for Design: Alternative Narratives, Divergent Pathways, and Future Directions. 

Authors: Matthew Lee-Smith, Audrey Desjardins, William Odom, James Pierce, Doenja Oogjes, Mathias Funk, Young-Woo Park, Pedro Sanches, Vasiliki Tsaknaki, Jesse Josua Benjamin.

This workshop aims to explore data’s increasing use as a material for design and encourages the submission of design exemplars on the topic of data as a design material.

Journal Publication: Touching Our Breathing through Shape-Change: Monster, Organic Other, or Twisted Mirror. 

Authors: Pavel Karpashevich, Pedro Sanches, Rachael Garrett, Yoav Luft, Kelsey Cotton, Vasiliki Tsaknaki, Kristina Höök.

This study designed a shape-changing garment integrating sensing and actuation around the torso. In fact, it revealed the boundaries between the garment and the wearer leading to three flavours of cyborg relations.

AltCHI: The Problem With Gender-Blind Design and How We Might Begin to Address It: A Model for Intersectional Feminist Ethical Deliberation. 

Authors: Ana O. Henriques, Sónia Rafael, Victor M Almeida and José Gomes Pinto.

Lastly, this publication argues that gender-blind design favours hegemonic values and epistemologies, which assumes that designing equally is the same as designing for equality. Moreover, it argues that designing for gender equality requires a gender-conscious approach, which involves acknowledging and addressing biases in the design process.