Social Computing
By analyzing natural social interactions and applying behavioral theories, social computing researchers have identified what makes online social interaction and communities successful and how to build better collaborative digital user experiences.
HCII faculty for decades have been leaders in research on computer-supported cooperative work, computer-mediated communication, the analysis and design of online communities, and investigating the social impacts technology has on society.
Today, social computing platforms and tools are a part of everyday life for many. For example, Wikis enable users to collaboratively edit content and share knowledge; industry-specific platforms offer community and collaboration (eg. GitHub for developers); platform-based workers (eg. ridesharing, freelancing, or crowdsourcing) find work and community online; and social networking platforms provide online space for community groups and real-time communication.
Students who want to learn more about social computing might be interested in the following HCII courses:
Techniques for Interactive Audience Participation
PROJECTSystems enabling large audiences to interact offer numerous possibilities for entertainment, education, and team building. We are developing interaction t...
User-Controllable Privacy and Security for Pervasive Computing
PROJECTCurrently, it is hard to manage privacy and security in mobile and pervasive computing environments, both for system administrators and end-users. We are ...
Coordination in Open Source Software Development
PROJECTOpen-source software runs the Internet and challenges commercial software in many areas. Despite this success, it is not clear how the open-source paradig...
ADEPT
PROJECTThis project brings together an interdisciplinary team with expertise in computer supported collaborative learning, language and information technologies,...
Aura: Distraction-Free Ubiquitous Computing
PROJECTThe focus of the research is on automatic configuration of an environment such as a device-rich room at all levels (networks/ devices, software infrastruc...
Context Aware Computing
PROJECTContext is any information that can be used to characterize the situation of an entity (person, place, or physical or computational object). A computing s...
Gestures Project
PROJECTIn face-to-face settings, people use pointing and other gestures to communicate quickly and efficiently with their conversational partners. The aims of th...
Infocockpits
PROJECTInfocockpits: computer interfaces that improve human memory. Humans are adept at remembering information based on its location relative to their body and ...
interACT
PROJECTThe international center for Advanced Communication Technologies is an international technology research lab. interACT is pioneering research in technolog...
Coordinating Attention and Communication
PROJECTA call during dinner? While one party may value the conversation, the receiver thinks it is an interruption. This project examines the conditions under wh...
Adapting to disaster
PROJECTHurricane Katrina had a profound effect on New Orleans and its music scene. Katrina devastated performance venues, dispersed bands and their audiences, an...