Online HCI/UX Seminar Programme for 2025
Welcome to this monthly series of online seminars about human computer interaction (HCI) and user experience (UX). Hosted by the BCS journal Interacting with Computers published by Oxford University Press and the BCS Interactions Group.
Everyone who is interested in HCI and UX is welcome to join, whether you are a student, practitioner, researcher, teacher or just interested.
Seminars will be a mix of presentations by authors of papers recently (or soon to be) published in Interacting with Computers and other topics of wide interest to the research and practitioner community of people involved in HCI and UX.
Seminars are usually held on the last Wednesday of every other month (starting January) at 13:00 UK time (UTC/GMT in winter, +1 UTC/GMT in summer), but this may vary depending on the time zone where the speaker is located and their availability. Seminars general last about 60 minutes, about 45 minutes of presentation and then 15 minutes of questions/discussions.
Most seminars are recorded so you can view them at your leisure. Some of the seminars from last year can be viewed here on our YouTube channel.
If you have questions, comments or would like to give a seminar, please email Professor Helen Petrie (helen.petrie@york.ac.uk), Editor in Chief of Interacting with Computers and seminar convenor.
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LAST SEMINAR
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FOLLOWING SEMINARS:
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LAST YEAR’S SEMINARS:
29 January 2024
Lynsay Shepherd (Abertay University, Dundee, Scotland)
Tainted Love: a Systematic Literature Review of Online Romance Scam Research
Read the full paper in Interacting with Computers
Romance scams involve cybercriminals engineering a romantic relationship on online dating platforms for monetary gain. It is a cruel form of cybercrime whereby victims are left heartbroken, often facing financial ruin. We characterize the literary landscape on romance scams, advancing the understanding of researchers and practitioners by systematically reviewing and synthesizing contemporary qualitative and quantitative evidence. The systematic review establishes influencing factors of victimhood and explores countermeasures for mitigating romance scams. We searched 10 scholarly databases and websites using terms related to romance scams. The methodology followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines: a total of 279 papers were screened. One hundred seven papers were assessed for eligibility, and 53 were included in the final analysis. Three main contributions were identified: common profile features and techniques used by romance scammers, countermeasures for mitigating romance scams and factors predisposing an individual to become a scammer or a victim. Despite a growing corpus of literature, the total number of empirical or experimental examinations remained limited. The paper concludes with avenues for future research and victimhood intervention strategies for practitioners, law enforcement and the industry.
4 December 2023
Carine Lallemand (Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands and University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg)
Sentence Completion as a User Experience Research Method: Recommendations from an Experimental Study
Watch on our YouTube Channel
Link to the full paper will be posted when it is available
The aim of the present study is to investigate the use of the Sentence Completion Technique (SCT) as a User Experience (UX) research method. We conducted an online experiment (N = 400) to test the effect of sentence stem variations on sentence completion outcomes. Using a between-subjects design, half of the participants were exposed to impersonal sentence stems that did not include pronouns (NPR) while the other half were exposed to stems formulated using first-person pronouns (PR). Additional hypotheses around stem formats (use of redundant stems, imaginative stems, two blanks stems, generic stems, stems prompting others’ perception) were tested using a within-subject design. The results do not support hypothesized differences between the pronoun and no pronoun condition. Findings however show that varying the format of the stem influences response behavior, as measured by variety, quantity and novelty of ideas, as well as the length of response. This study contributes to consolidating the use of SCT as a user research method and proposes actionable recommendations on how to create optimal sentence completion surveys in HCI.
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18 December 2023, 13:00 UTC/GMT (back to the usual time!)
Bridget Kane (Karlstad University, Sweden and Dublin City University, Ireland) and Barry Phelim (Dublin City University, Ireland)
Global Virtual Team Working during the Covid-19 pandemic
Watch the recording on our YouTube Channel
Read the full paper in Interacting with Computers
Virtual work introduces distinct challenges when compared to face-to-face or onsite work. Communication and collaboration are key factors in team development and in team performance. When teamwork is of a global nature, imposed because of a pandemic, then additional variables are introduced into the equation. The challenges that Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) encounter when communicating and developing in the context of the Covid–19 pandemic impacts how work is structured and teams develop. This qualitative study was conducted just over one year after the start of the Covid19 pandemic when working from home became mandatory and particular challenges for GVTs became apparent. Data are gathered through an online anonymous survey and followed by semi-structured video-mediated interviews with staff in a large multinational software development company. Findings show that GVTs encounter a number of distinct challenges than face-to-face teams. However, individuals are actively adapting to the situation in which they find themselves and are learning to deal with the challenges by being proactive. Even though the tools used previously may not be entirely suitable for virtual work, GVTs learn to change how tools are used to be more productive and collaborative. Challenges continue to exist in areas such as knowledge gathering and knowledge sharing. Communication failures can lead to delays and confusion. The findings also indicate that even though GVTs are not communicating as much informally or socially with their colleagues because of remote working in the pandemic, being remote is not having a negative effect on the ability to get work done. Some aspects of team development can be negatively affected when working in GVTs. Impacts are identified relating to trust and relationship-building as well as being able to identify and resolve conflict. These results prompt further research opportunities as organisations and individuals continue to adapt and embrace Global Virtual Teamwork.
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Monday 27th March 2023
Jan Gulliksen, Joakim Lillesköld and Stefan Stenbom, KTH, Stockholm Sweden
The “new” new normal – digitalization and hybridization of work and education before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic
Watch the recording on our YouTube Channel
Read the paper in Interacting with Computers
Monday 27th February 2023
Alan Dix (Computation Foundry, Swansea University and Cardiff Metropolitan University), Raymond Bond (University of Ulster at Jordanstown), and Ana Caraban (Universidade de Lisboa Instituto Superior Tecnico)
Why pandemics and climate change are hard to understand and make decision making difficult
Watch the recording on our YouTube channel
Read the full paper in Interacting with Computers
Monday 30th January 2023
Stefano Guidi, Paola Palmitesta, Enrica Marchigiani, Margherita Bracci and Oronzo Parlangeli
Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences, University deli Studi di Siena, Italy
The perception of the utility of social media by caregivers of persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) during a period of home quarantine
Apologies, by accident this seminar was not recorded
Read the full paper in Interacting with Computers
Monday 28th November 2022
Helen Petrie, Professor Emerita of Human Computer Interaction, University of York, UK
Talking ’bout my generation … or not? The technological life experiences of older people
Apologies, by accident this seminar was not recorded
Read the paper in the proceedings of CHI 2023 (or contact her for a copy)
Monday 31st October 2022
Professor Marian Ursu, School of Arts and Creative Technologies, University of York
Object-Based Media: Foundations of Interactive Storytelling with Audio and Video
Watch the recording on our YouTube channel
Monday 27th June, 2022
Professor Pei-Luen (Patrick) Rau, Tsinghua University, China
Talking with an Internet of Things conversational agent
Watch the recording n on our YouTube Channel
Read the paper in Interacting with Computers
Monday 23rd May 2022
Professor Alan Dix, Computational Foundry, Swansea University
What Next for UX Tools: from screens to smells, from sketch to code, supporting design for rich interactions
Watch the recording on our YouTube channel
hciuxseminars.org 