Design Lab Students Swarm CHI Conference in Denver

Design Lab Students Swarm CHI Conference in Denver

Design Lab Students Swarm CHI Conference in Denver

In May, many UC San Diego Design Lab members and students swarmed the largest human-computer interaction conference in the world, ACM CHI 2017. Affiliated with ACM SIGCHI, the premier international society for professionals, academics and students who are interested in human-technology and human-computer interaction (HCI), the conference brings together people from multiple disciplines and cultures to explore new ways to practice, develop and improve methods and systems in HCI.

“I love the mix of people at CHI—chatting with people making new sensor technologies, new theoretical approaches, new architectural construction techniques — it has incredible diversity but is still brought together with a common set of ideas and expectations,” said former Design Lab Fellow Derek Lomas, who presented at the conference.

This year, the mega-HCI conference, which was sponsored by tech-industry giants such as Facebook, Google, IBM, Microsoft and Yahoo! was held in Denver near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Organizers selected the site, which is full of scenic trees, mountains and valleys to serve as a motivation for the theme of “Motivate, Innovate, Inspire.”

Ailie Fraser (middle)

While some Design Lab students attended to engage with other researchers and learn, many others presented research. Design Lab Graduate Student Ailie Fraser presented a paper from her summer internship with Autodesk Researchers Tovi Grossman and George Fitzmaurice. The paper, titled WeBuild: Automatically Distributing Assembly Tasks Among Collocated Workers to Improve Coordination, unveils a system for helping groups of people coordinate physical assembly tasks, such as furniture building or construction projects on mobile phones. The system takes in the instructions for a task and uses a distribution algorithm to assign sections to workers in a group.

“CHI was a fantastic experience,” beamed Fraser. “It was my second time attending, and I got the chance to both reconnect with people I met last year and meet more fantastic HCI researchers from all over. The CHI community is a vibrant and exciting group to be a part of.”

Danilo Gasques Rodrigues (second from left) and Nadir Weibel (second from right)

In addition to Fraser, several other Design Lab members presented and received notable recognition for their work. Vineet Pandey presented his paper on Gut Instinct which is an online system that encourages citizen scientists by teaching them about the gut microbiome and then having them reflect on their experiences and life stories to generate unique insights. Steven Rick presented his work on pervasive sensing technologies in healthcare alongside leaders in healthcare-focused HCI research. Nanna Inie produced a full-scale laser cut poster of her current research that was featured prominently through CHI on social media. Danilo Gasques Rodrigues also presented a poster as late-breaking work at CHI and made some great connections with folks at Microsoft Research who are working on Hololens teams and might turn into some collaborative work with Microsoft in the near future.

But the CHI conference wasn’t all work and no play. Design Lab Graduate Student Vineet Pandey revealed a little known CHI conference secret. “The parties were really good — that’s where all the magic happens,” said Pandey with a smile.

CHI 2018 is set for Montreal, Canada with a theme of “Engage!” boasting of new innovations including a CHI Expo and two new design challenges. Design Lab students are already packing their bags.

Nanna Inie’s full-scale laser cut poster

Steven Rick (right)

In May, many UC San Diego Design Lab members and students swarmed the largest human-computer interaction conference in the world, ACM CHI 2017. Affiliated with ACM SIGCHI, the premier international society for professionals, academics and students who are interested in human-technology and human-computer interaction (HCI), the conference brings together people from multiple disciplines and cultures to explore new ways to practice, develop and improve methods and systems in HCI.

“I love the mix of people at CHI—chatting with people making new sensor technologies, new theoretical approaches, new architectural construction techniques — it has incredible diversity but is still brought together with a common set of ideas and expectations,” said former Design Lab Fellow Derek Lomas, who presented at the conference.

This year, the mega-HCI conference, which was sponsored by tech-industry giants such as Facebook, Google, IBM, Microsoft and Yahoo! was held in Denver near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Organizers selected the site, which is full of scenic trees, mountains and valleys to serve as a motivation for the theme of “Motivate, Innovate, Inspire.”

Ailie Fraser (middle)

While some Design Lab students attended to engage with other researchers and learn, many others presented research. Design Lab Graduate Student Ailie Fraser presented a paper from her summer internship with Autodesk Researchers Tovi Grossman and George Fitzmaurice. The paper, titled WeBuild: Automatically Distributing Assembly Tasks Among Collocated Workers to Improve Coordination, unveils a system for helping groups of people coordinate physical assembly tasks, such as furniture building or construction projects on mobile phones. The system takes in the instructions for a task and uses a distribution algorithm to assign sections to workers in a group.

“CHI was a fantastic experience,” beamed Fraser. “It was my second time attending, and I got the chance to both reconnect with people I met last year and meet more fantastic HCI researchers from all over. The CHI community is a vibrant and exciting group to be a part of.”

Danilo Gasques Rodrigues (second from left) and Nadir Weibel (second from right)

In addition to Fraser, several other Design Lab members presented and received notable recognition for their work. Vineet Pandey presented his paper on Gut Instinct which is an online system that encourages citizen scientists by teaching them about the gut microbiome and then having them reflect on their experiences and life stories to generate unique insights. Steven Rick presented his work on pervasive sensing technologies in healthcare alongside leaders in healthcare-focused HCI research. Nanna Inie produced a full-scale laser cut poster of her current research that was featured prominently through CHI on social media. Danilo Gasques Rodrigues also presented a poster as late-breaking work at CHI and made some great connections with folks at Microsoft Research who are working on Hololens teams and might turn into some collaborative work with Microsoft in the near future.

But the CHI conference wasn’t all work and no play. Design Lab Graduate Student Vineet Pandey revealed a little known CHI conference secret. “The parties were really good — that’s where all the magic happens,” said Pandey with a smile.

CHI 2018 is set for Montreal, Canada with a theme of “Engage!” boasting of new innovations including a CHI Expo and two new design challenges. Design Lab students are already packing their bags.

Nanna Inie’s full-scale laser cut poster

Steven Rick (right)

In May, many UC San Diego Design Lab members and students swarmed the largest human-computer interaction conference in the world, ACM CHI 2017. Affiliated with ACM SIGCHI, the premier international society for professionals, academics and students who are interested in human-technology and human-computer interaction (HCI), the conference brings together people from multiple disciplines and cultures to explore new ways to practice, develop and improve methods and systems in HCI.

“I love the mix of people at CHI—chatting with people making new sensor technologies, new theoretical approaches, new architectural construction techniques — it has incredible diversity but is still brought together with a common set of ideas and expectations,” said former Design Lab Fellow Derek Lomas, who presented at the conference.

This year, the mega-HCI conference, which was sponsored by tech-industry giants such as Facebook, Google, IBM, Microsoft and Yahoo! was held in Denver near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Organizers selected the site, which is full of scenic trees, mountains and valleys to serve as a motivation for the theme of “Motivate, Innovate, Inspire.”

Ailie Fraser (middle)

While some Design Lab students attended to engage with other researchers and learn, many others presented research. Design Lab Graduate Student Ailie Fraser presented a paper from her summer internship with Autodesk Researchers Tovi Grossman and George Fitzmaurice. The paper, titled WeBuild: Automatically Distributing Assembly Tasks Among Collocated Workers to Improve Coordination, unveils a system for helping groups of people coordinate physical assembly tasks, such as furniture building or construction projects on mobile phones. The system takes in the instructions for a task and uses a distribution algorithm to assign sections to workers in a group.

“CHI was a fantastic experience,” beamed Fraser. “It was my second time attending, and I got the chance to both reconnect with people I met last year and meet more fantastic HCI researchers from all over. The CHI community is a vibrant and exciting group to be a part of.”

Danilo Gasques Rodrigues (second from left) and Nadir Weibel (second from right)

In addition to Fraser, several other Design Lab members presented and received notable recognition for their work. Vineet Pandey presented his paper on Gut Instinct which is an online system that encourages citizen scientists by teaching them about the gut microbiome and then having them reflect on their experiences and life stories to generate unique insights. Steven Rick presented his work on pervasive sensing technologies in healthcare alongside leaders in healthcare-focused HCI research. Nanna Inie produced a full-scale laser cut poster of her current research that was featured prominently through CHI on social media. Danilo Gasques Rodrigues also presented a poster as late-breaking work at CHI and made some great connections with folks at Microsoft Research who are working on Hololens teams and might turn into some collaborative work with Microsoft in the near future.

But the CHI conference wasn’t all work and no play. Design Lab Graduate Student Vineet Pandey revealed a little known CHI conference secret. “The parties were really good — that’s where all the magic happens,” said Pandey with a smile.

CHI 2018 is set for Montreal, Canada with a theme of “Engage!” boasting of new innovations including a CHI Expo and two new design challenges. Design Lab students are already packing their bags.

Nanna Inie’s full-scale laser cut poster

Steven Rick (right)

Read Next

Interdisciplinary Powerhouse: Pinar Yoldas is a Perfect Fit for the Design Lab

Pinar Yoldas describes herself as an interdisciplinary designer, artist and researcher whose current research revolves around speculative biology, in which she designs and creates what could possibly be the next steps of evolution regarding human tissues, organs, and bodies. Evolution, in the eyes of Yoldas, includes the potential for humans in the future to possess modular bodies in which humans can interchange or add on additional sexual organs. 

She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Visual Arts Department at UC San Diego and a member of The Design Lab. While she earned her PhD in Visual and Media Design from Duke University, her interests and credentials don’t stop there. Yoldas also holds a MFA in Game and Interactive Media Design from UC Los Angeles; a MA in Visual Arts from Bilgi University; a MS in Information Technologies from Istanbul Technical University; and a Bachelors of Architecture with a minor is Sociology from Middle East Technical University. Combining her passions for science, art, and undoubtedly, education, Yoldas has impressively served as a bridge throughout her career between five different disciplines and serves as an inspiration for the pursuit and practical application of interdisciplinary science and art studies.
Waste Management

Waste is an enormous problem. But recycling is the wrong solution.

Part 2 of a FastCompany editorial on Recycling by Don Norman

I am proud to be one of the developers of what is today called human-centered design. That is design that always starts off understanding the needs, capabilities, and desires of people. It has four basic principles, all four of which are being violated by today’s recycling craze.

Recycling is broken. There’s little clarity about what can and can’t be recycled, and the rules change from one city to the next, and sometimes even within the same city. According to the World Bank, we produce 1.4 billion tons of waste a year worldwide, a figure that’s expected to increase to 2.4 billion tons by 2025. Waste is an enormous problem that needs to be addressed if we’re going to prevent the worst effects of climate change. But recycling is the wrong solution.
Report: Military Remains Economic Bright Spot In San Diego

Report: Military remains economic bright spot in San Diego

Design Lab member Michael Meyer discusses San Diego's defense economy during Covid with ABC 10 News San Diego.

The coronavirus pandemic appears to have been no match for San Diego's defense economy, which a new report says keeps on growing.

The San Diego Military Advisory Council study says from the fiscal year 2020 to 2021, direct defense spending was $35.3 billion dollars, a 5.3 percent annual gain. Jobs grew 2 percent to nearly 349,112. In all, it made for a $55.2 billion dollar gross regional product.

"That means continued stability and economic prosperity for San Diego, buffered by, or provided by the military economy presence," said Michael Meyer, a professor at UC San Diego's Rady School of Management, which researched the report.

The study points out that military spending impacts more than the people employed by the federal government or serving on base or active duty. Instead, there's a multiplier effect in San Diego, with nearly 190,000 San Diegans employed by private companies contracting with the defense department -- such as in programming or shipbuilding.

"Retraining for electronics, computers, aviation, the engineering fields, the technical financial fields. That's all valuable and an effective way of getting into the military economy," Meyer said.
Benjamin Bergen

Design Lab member Benjamin Bergen featured as an expert in “History of Swear Words”

Picture Credit: Netflix

Design Lab member and UC San Diego Cognitive Science professor Benjamin Bergen was featured as an expert in "History of Swear Words," a new Netflix comedy series exploring the usage of and science behind cursing. Bergen is the author of "What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves" and "Louder Than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning"

Watch the full series now on Netflix!

How They Got There: Janet Johnson

Graduate student Janet Johnson is currently working towards her doctorate degree in Computer Science, while also conducting HCI research in the UCSD Design Lab, primarily focusing on XR (extended reality).

So, what is Johnson’s research?  Johnson conducts HCI research, primarily focusing on XR. As Johnson describes it, “XR is an umbrella term for augmented reality, augmented virtuality, mixed reality, and virtual reality.” She says to think of it as a spectrum where one end is the real world alone, the other is complete virtual reality, and everything in between is varying mixes of the two. Johnson’s research primarily focuses on this mixed middle ground. “The majority of my research focuses on how we can use mixed reality or extended reality to help a novice…get help from an expert.” She then poses the example of both surgery and CPR. Johnson’s research explores ways for an expert to provide instructions to the novice as if though they were in the same room. Her goal is to help bridge the distance between novices and experts, both physically and skill wise, while also decreasing the amount of time a person receives aid. “By the time a medical personnel arrives at the scene, it’s already been 7 to 10 minutes, so each minute counts for the person’s life,” she explains. “You don’t have time in that 10 minutes to train the people around to be able to do CPR or any other sort of resuscitation, same with surgery.” 

As Johnson continues to conduct her research in this field, she’s excited for what the future holds for this technology and the ways she can contribute to it.  
San Diego -- Tijuana

Can San Diego — Tijuana region be World Design Capital?

Read the San Diego Union Tribune article by columnist Diane Bell about the World Design Capital bid.

San Diego, together with Tijuana, has placed a bid to be designated the 2024 World Design Capital , a selection that will be finalized this October.

A San Diego nonprofit called the Design Forward Alliance was created with the help of numerous community and design groups to coordinate with Tijuana representatives and prepare the bid package.

Michèle Morris, associate director of the UCSD Design Lab and president of the Design Forward Alliance, is very optimistic about this region’s chances for success.

“We do feel confident that we will make the short list,” she says. Morris also is associate director of the Design Lab at UC San Diego, which helped launch the alliance in 2016 following an inaugural Design Forward Summit in downtown San Diego.

Win or lose, Morris notes that the bidding process has strengthened ties and fostered new creative ideas for our region.
Back To Top