Web Science and Digital Libraries Research Group

  The ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) serves as the leading global platform for showcasing innovative research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). It convenes researchers, practitioners, and industry leaders to discuss cutting-edge advancements in designing, evaluating, and utilizing technology to improve human experiences. CHI 2024 , themed "Surfing the World," took place from May 11 to 16, 2024, at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA, with provisions for remote participation.  In this blog post, I highlight a compelling recent work presented at the conference, titled " GazePrompt: Enhancing Low Vision People’s Reading Experience with Gaze-Aware Augmentations ," authored by Ru Wang et al . Figure 1 Wang et al. : GazePrompt offers two primary features: Line-Switching (LS) support and Difficult-Word (DW) support. Each feature includes two design options: (a) Line Highlighting and (b) Arrow for LS support, and (c) Text-...

The ACM ASSETS Conference , formally known as the International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, is a leading forum for presenting research on the design, evaluation, and use of computing and information technologies to assist people with disabilities and older adults. ASSETS is dedicated to exploring how technology can support accessibility and inclusivity for individuals with special needs. The conference covers a wide range of topics related to accessible computing, including assistive technologies, user interfaces, and inclusive design practices. In this blog post, I write about the most recent work co-authored by Dr. Vikas Ashok , titled " Enabling Uniform Computer Interaction Experience for Blind Users through Large Language Models ," published in ASSETS '24 .  Motivation Blind individuals who rely on screen readers, such as JAWS , VoiceOver , and NVDA , face significant challenges when interacting with computer applications designed primaril...

The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems , commonly known as 'kai,' is the premier international conference in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). This annual gathering brings together a diverse group of researchers and practitioners from around the world, representing various cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. Their shared goal is to improve the world by developing and applying interactive digital technologies. In this blog post, I delve into the research paper authored by Tawanna R. Dillahunt and  Joey Chiao-Yin Hsiao , titled " Positive Feedback and Self-reflection: Features to Support Self-efficacy among Underrepresented Job Seekers ," published in the Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems . In the digital age, finding employment increasingly relies on technology, yet underrepresented job seekers often find themselves disadvantaged due to a lack of support from existing digital tools. This research us...

Greetings, fellow bloggers. I am Akshay Kolgar Nayak , and I am pursuing my passion as a PhD student in computer science at the Old Dominion University , Norfolk, VA. Under the guidance of Dr. Vikas Ashok , I conduct research in the field of human-computer interaction, specializing my current focus on developing intelligent assistive technologies to promote accessible means of learning and education for the less-abled population. I kickstarted my engineering adventure with a bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering from Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. My interest in coding was first ignited during high school when Java programming was first introduced as part of the curriculum. However, I believe my enduring fascination with how our minds work, human psychology, and neuroscience later fueled my passion for deep learning and artificial intelligence. Following the completion of my undergraduate degree in 2020, I embarked on my pro...

ElectricAuth is a completely unique technique for user authentication that takes advantage of one's specific response to stimuli. Users may be uniquely identified by using a number of mild electric stimuli to the muscle mass of the forearm and measuring the resulting finger movements. In " User Authentication via Electrical Muscle Stimulation " ( CHI, 2021 ), Chen et al. explored and developed an ElectricAuth system, which can identify users based on their muscle response to electric stimuli. To identify users, the authors developed a model by training it on muscle responses from many users. A new authentication method based on electrical muscle stimulation could provide the highest level of security without the need to remember passwords or PINs.  The University of Chicago's SAND Lab (Security, Algorithms, Networking and Data) has developed a new method for user authentication that makes use of a person's particular response to stimuli. It is recognized individu...