Web Science and Digital Libraries Research Group

  The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems , often called 'kai,' is the foremost global conference in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). This annual event unites a diverse array of researchers and practitioners from around the globe, encompassing a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. Their common objective is to enhance the world by developing and applying interactive digital technologies. In this blog post, I explore the research paper co-authored by Dr. Vikas Ashok , titled " Modeling Touch-based Menu Selection Performance of Blind Users via Reinforcement Learning, " published in Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems . In this study, we developed a computational model to simulate the menu selection methods of blind users, incorporating techniques such as swiping, gliding, and direct touch. A vital feature of this model is its emulation of long-term memory, predicting users' recall or forg...

EICS 2023 is the 15th international ACM SIGCHI conference, dedicated to engineering interactive computing systems and their user interfaces. The conference has gained recognition for its commitment to advancing research at the intersection of user interface design, software engineering, and computational interaction. EICS provides a platform for contributions that elevate the standards in the engineering of interactive systems. In this blog post, I delve into our research paper titled " Enabling Customization of Discussion Forums for Blind Users ," published in the June 2023 issue of Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 7, under the EICS category . In our research, we aimed to unravel the myriad usability challenges encountered by blind participants in online discussion forums. To achieve this, we conducted an interview study involving 12 blind participants with prior experience in online discussion forums. Drawing insights from their usability chall...