Univ. of Melbourne, Australia

Speaker 2: Dr. Henning Pohl

                  University of Copenhagen

Time:  1:20-3:00PM, October 7 (Mon), 2019

Place:  AB 101 (綜合一館101)

Host:   Prof. Ying-Dar Lin

Abstract 1: 

While writing and reading dates back to the 4th millennium BC, reading as a way of accessing information has evolved from a privilege reserved for an elite few to a skill practised by the majority of the population. Especially since the Industrial Revolution, literacy has spiked to a point where today, more than 86% of the world’s population is considered literate. Reading techniques themselves have evolved from reading aloud to silent reading, and with the advent of the digital revolution, where, how, and what we read has significantly changed. The information age provides us with both opportunities and challenges, which change our reading behaviour. Various devices are now available for reading, and their mobility provides us with unprecedented opportunities to engage with text anytime, anywhere. In his talk, Tilman Dingler—whose research focuses on technologies that augment human cognitive abilities—will present challenges, best practices, and future directions of ubiquitous technologies to support reading activities. With examples from his research on reading interfaces, scheduling algorithms and cognition-aware systems, this talk will outline a research agenda for systems that provide better readability, prioritise information gain over attention capture, and instil better reading habits in their users.

Biography 1:

Tilman is a Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer at the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Stuttgart where he worked on technologies to augment cognitive abilities, including people’s memory and information processing capabilities. Tilman has worked on five different continents and, before coming to Melbourne, he did his post-doc at Osaka Prefecture University in Japan and the MIT Media Lab. In between his academic career, Tilman worked as an engineer at Yahoo! Inc. and multiple startups. Currently, Tilman investigates how we receive and process information through media technologies and the biases that these systems, as well as their users, exhibit.

Abstract 2: 

In my work I aim to counteract two different trends: (1) increasing complexity in the systems surrounding us, and (2) attempts to automate interactions and take users out of the loop. I believe that, instead of bringing complexity or automation, new technology should augment and boost users' capabilities, and enable them to be in control of their devices. This requires such systems to be designed in a way that does not overpower users, yet still empowers them.  My work on this takes place in one of three complimentary areas: (1) casual interactions (i.e., the concept of allowing users to do less), (2) novel kinds of interactive devices and techniques for mobile, wearable, and ubiquitous computing, and (3) new feedback modalities that support interaction in these settings.  In my talk, I will describe why and when users want to do less and how to ensure they still stay in control. I will show multiple examples of systems that support this. I will also show how different feedback modalities can support this goal of not overburdening users.

Biography 2:

Dr. Henning Pohl a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen, working in Kasper Hornbæk's Body-based User Interfaces project. Within this project, he is focusing on how the body can be used as an input and output surface for less engaged and more subtle interactions. Before moving to Copenhagen, he worked for four years as a research assistant in the HCI group of the University of Hannover, led by Michael Rohs. He held a BSc in Digital Media / Media Informatics from the University of Bremen and a MSc in Computer Science from the Darmstadt University of Technology. During the time as a Master's student, he spent one year at the University of Florida, studying Digital Arts and Sciences on a Fulbright scholarship.

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