Research Seminar by Scott Bateman | Shaping Human Performance for a Better (HCI) Future: Explorations in Games, Visualization, Coding, and Mixed Reality

We use tools every day; to make things easier, to make things more fun, to help us remember, and to help us achieve what would not otherwise be possible. The fact that technology can help us achieve new things is not particularly insightful. However, the idea that we are still finding new ways to display and interact with abstract information, that interactive computer systems continue to fuel much of our research innovation, and evolves what it means to be human, is fascinating. In this talk, Scott Bateman will survey his research over the past 15 years describing his interest in understanding the many ways in which interactive systems influence our ability to work, play, and live our lives. He will also consider how emerging mixed reality technology provides a double-edged sword. On the one hand it exposes countless new ways to expand the human experience in incredibly engaging ways. However, in the near future, where imagination is the only limit on what we can do in MR, HCI researchers need to take action to understand the impact that this might have on us and our ability to perform in all aspects of our lives. We have the opportunity (and responsibility) to help define how the human experience will evolve for the better.