Co-operative and Interactive Systems
Key researchers: Professor Alan Dix
However far technology advances, it is worthless unless it can be used by real people in real situations. Therefore, InfoLab21 researchers are exploring the way humans interact with computers and also the way human-to-human interactions are affected by technologies. As part of this, a strong international reputation for expertise in social and ethnographic analysis has been established, particularly for investigating collaborative work.
As well as investigating how people interact with and through technology, researchers also design and construct novel software and devices including interaction with virtual environments, wearable computers and even using physiological measurements. Very often these are deployed in everyday situations. One example of this is the use of electronic doorplates for leaving digital post-it notes that were used in ten offices over a period of nearly two years giving invaluable insights into the way people use new technology. Another example of technology in action is work in statistical natural language processing based on information derived from large bodies of naturally occurring text, or 'corpora', which has been applied to industrial problems in areas as diverse as dictionary creation and speech processing.
Much of the work is in some ways at the edge of traditional computer systems use, moving away from the PC in the office. One research group is looking at real users in their day-to-day lives, including studies of domestic technology and systems to support older users. This is also evident in InfoLab21's involvement in EQUATOR (a national inter-disciplinary research collaboration) which investigates the integration of physical and digital life. For a technology to be really compelling it has to be not only functional but also engaging; hence researchers are exploring physical interactions and emotional engagement such as innovative ways to interact with computers within the realm of art and games. These are both important application areas in themselves, but also act as an exploration of unusual human-technology interactions.
Case Study: .:thePooch:.
InfoLab21 has an active installation/performance arts group called .:thePooch:. This uses various forms of interactive technology to produce artworks that stimulate and encourage participation. This has been very successful within the arts community itself and demonstrates many of the characteristics of broader work in cooperative and interactive systems. It is being deployed and used, in clubs, events and festivals. The technology demands very traditional engineering and is an opportunity for challenging field studies and has been the focus of formal mathematical modelling, which researchers also expect to be valuable for less extreme interactions.
