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Tools and Programming

Applying HCI methods to our own field of computing and interactive systems can lead to innovation, best practices, and resources to support future developments.

 

Some HCI + computing projects result in a new tool or enabling contribution – a physical artifact like a code library, data set, browser extension, or AI tool – that can be shared with others to use.  

 

Other HCI research focuses on the field of computer programming. Software development is a difficult task, and the process of making it easier for devs of all skill levels is important for the future of the industry.

 

Students who want to learn more about these application areas might be interested in the following courses or opportunities: 

 

  • screenshot of the Inkspire interface

    Inkspire

    PROJECT

    With recent advancements in the capabilities of Text-to-Image (T2I) AI models, product designers have begun experimenting with them in their work. However, T2I ...

  • illustration of the proof-of-concept editing interface with map-inspired elements, like district, path and landmark

    VideoMap

    PROJECT

    Video editing is a creative and complex endeavor and we believe that there is potential for reimagining a new video editing interface to better support the crea...

  • An illustration of a search engine window, including a search bar with a magnifying glass in it, and the results below represented by boxes in various colors.

    New Search Engine Tool Helps Users Make Sense of Unfamiliar Topics

    NEWS

    HCII researchers have developed a prototype Google Chrome extension that helps users avoid information overload and frustration when performing unstructured online searches for new topics ...

  • illustration of NaNcy the Silky Anteater, the NaNoFuzz mascot

    Accelerated Software Testing

    PROJECT

    The United States spends more than $48 billion/year on software testing, and many powerful testing tools have significant usability barriers that limit th...

  • Soundify assists users in matching sound effects (in bold) and ambients (in italics) to video, and helps dynamically adjust panning and volume by localizing "sound emitters".

    Soundify

    PROJECT

    In the art of video editing, sound is really half the story. Through formative interviews with professional editors (N=10), we found that the manual task ...

  • screenshot of the Jigsaw prototyping system

    Jigsaw: Supporting Designers to Prototype Multimodal Applications by Assembling AI Foundation Models

    PROJECT

    Recent advancements in AI foundation models have made it possible for them to be utilized off-the-shelf for creative tasks, including ideating design conc...

  • Wikibench illustration of a bench made up of the 8 puzzle pieces from the wiki logo

    Wikibench

    PROJECT

    AI tools are increasingly deployed in community contexts. However, datasets used to evaluate AI are typically created by developers and annotators outside...

  • Data Navigator provides visualization toolkits with rich, accessible navigation structures, robust input handling, and flexible, semantic rendering.

    Data Navigator

    PROJECT

    Data Navigator is a JavaScript library that allows for navigation of data structures. Data Navigator makes png, svg, canvas, and even webgl graphics acces...

  • To ease the friction caused by reduced in-person interaction, a team of HCII researchers created a Slack application called Nooks that helps initiate casual conversations and create affinity groups in an online workspace.

    Reviving Office Chatter

    NEWS

    About one-third of our lives are spent at work, and the relationships we build there can have personal and professional benefits. But a majority of workers indicate difficulty connecting w...

  • Skeema logo, 3 overlapping dots

    Skeema

    PROJECT

    Skeema is a new way to manage your tabs that helps to declutter your browser and your mind. ...

  • close up of the ReCompFig kinematic display

    ReCompFig

    PROJECT

    From creating input devices to rendering tangible information, the field of HCI is interested in using kinematic mechanisms to create human-computer inter...

  • screenshot of tool that measures context, trustworthiness and thoroughness of content

    CMU Researchers Develop Tool To Help Determine When To Reuse Content

    NEWS

    Don't reinvent the wheel, the saying goes. But before using someone else's design, at least make sure it will be round....