Human Computer Interaction and Multimedia Lab
The HCI Lab is a research facility in the Computer Science Department of the University of Canterbury. Our goal is to understand human-factors in computer use, and to use this knowledge to create interfaces that are faster to learn, more efficient to use, and more subjectively satisfying than the current state of the art. We value scientific repeatability, and we are proud of our strong reputation for conducting sound experiments that empirically characterise aspects of usability and which reveal definitive and repeatable performance gains.
The excellent reputation of the lab, combined with the compelling natural attractions of the stunning South Island of New Zealand, make the lab an appealing destination for sabbatical leave. If you are interested in visiting or working with the HCI Lab, contact the director Prof. Dr. Andy Cockburn.
Members of the HCI Lab are most interested in improving interaction with desktop, laptop, and mobile computer systems. We also work closely with the HIT Lab New Zealand, which investigates advanced technology for interaction, particularly that based on virtual and augmented reality.
2017
- B Lafreniere, C Gutwin, and A Cockburn.
Investigating the Post-Training Persistence of Expert Interaction Techniques. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction. 2017. 24(4): Article 29. - A Cockburn, P Quinn and C Gutwin.
The Effects of Interaction Sequencing on User Experience and Preference. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies. 2017. 108:89-104. - A Cockburn, C Gutwin, P Palanque, Y Deleris, C Trask, A Coveney, M Yung and K MacLean.
Turbulent Touch: Touchscreen Input for Cockpit Flight Displays. Proceedings of ACM CHI 2017 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Denver, CO. 2017. 6742-6753. - C Gutwin, A Cockburn and N Gough.
A Field Experiment of Spatially-Stable Overviews for Document Navigation. Proceedings of ACM CHI 2017 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Denver, CO. 2017. 5905-5916. - C Gutwin, A Cockburn and A Coveney.
Peripheral Popout: The Influence of Visual Angle on Popout Effects. Proceedings of ACM CHI 2017 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Denver, CO. 2017. 208-219. - S Uddin, C Gutwin and A Cockburn.
The Effects of Artificial Landmarks on Learning and Performance in Spatial-Memory Interfaces. Proceedings of ACM CHI 2017 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Denver, CO. 2017. 3843-3855.
Refer to the publications page to see prior years’ work
Faculty
Postdoctoral Researchers
Current Students
- Joshua Leung
- Thammathip Piumsomboon
- Philip Quinn
- Joey Scarr
Alumni
- Stephen Fitchett, PhD
- Joel Harrison
- Christina Dicke, PhD
- Ben McDonald, MSc
- Dominic Winkler, MSc
- Susanne Tak, PhD
- Volkert Buchmann, PhD
- Jason Alexander, PhD
- Taher Amer, MSc
- Trond Nilsen, MSc
- Tim Wright, PhD
- Philip Brock
- Carey Bishop
- Julian Looser, PhD
- Joerg Hauber, PhD
- Keith Humm
- Michael JasonSmith, PhD
- Andrew Barrett
- David Mitchell
- Michael Moyle
- Josh Savage, MSc
- Ben Schmidt, MSc
- Amal Siresena
- Matt Smith
- Andrew Wallace
Visitors
- Dr. Anne Roudaut (Bristol, UK)
- Prof. Wolfgang Stuerzlinger (York, Canada)
- Dr. David Ahlström (Klagenfurt, Austria)
- Prof. Kari-Jouko Raiha (Tampere, Finland)
- Dr. Saila Ovaska (Tampere, Finland)
- Jérome Delamarche (Université Paris-Sud, France)
- Prof. Karon MacLean (UBC, Canada)
- Prof. Robert Kraut (CMU, USA)
- Prof. Andrew Monk (York, UK)
- Dr. Gonzalo Ramos (Toronto, Canada)
- Prof. Carl Gutwin (Saskatchewan, Canada)
- Prof. Alistair Sutcliffe (Manchester Uni, UK)
- Jeff Johnson (UI Wizards, Inc.)
- Prof. Ben Bederson (UMD, USA)
- Prof. Stephen Brewster (Glasgow, Scotland)
- Prof. Ben Shneiderman (UMD, USA)
- Prof. Jenny Preece (UMD, USA)
- Prof. Ken Kahn (ToonTalk Inc.)
- Prof. Saul Greenberg (Calgary, Canada)
- Prof. Gerhard Fischer (Boulder, USA)
- Prof. Bob Spence (Imperial, UK)
- Prof. Harold Thimbleby (University College, UK)
- Prof. Brian Wyvill (Calgary, Canada)
- Dipl. Kfm. Carsten Felden (Duisburg, Germany)
- Dr. Steve Jones (Waikato, New Zealand)
CommandMap: an efficient command-selection interface.
- Software and study materials.
Blur
Blur is a novel overlay interface for Windows that allows quick execution of commands without sacrificing learnability. Blur is developed and maintained by Joey Scarr at the Human-Computer Interaction and Multimedia Lab.
NOTE: Blur is an alpha-stage research tool, and you may experience occasional instability while using it. For all questions, bug reports and other remarks, send an email to blur.questions@gmail.com.
- Blur-0.2.2-x86.msi
SCOTZ: An Improved Window Switching Tool
SCOTZ (for Spatially COnsistent Thumbnail Zones) is a window switching tool developed at the Human-Computer Interaction and Multimedia Lab at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, with partial funding from the Marsden Fund.
The design of SCOTZ is based on research about how people switch between windows. SCOTZ adapts to your window switching behaviour by allocating more space to your favourite applications, making them easier to find and switch to, while keeping items in relatively stable locations.
SCOTZ is currently at beta status and is used as a research tool. For all questions, bug reports and other remarks, use windowswitcher@gmail.com.
- SCOTZ-1.0.5-with-logging.msi - Windows installer, 444 KB
Compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.
- Five papers accepted to CHI 2014, three with Honourable Mention awards.
- Stephen Fitchett gains his Ph.D., with acclamation from the examiners.
- Two papers accepted to UIST 2013.
- CHI 2013 best paper, honourable mention, and RepliCHI awards.
- CHI and MobileHCI 2012 best paper and honourable mention awards.
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