Collaborative games, played across multiple co-located mobile devices are gaining popularity because of their location flexibility, low hardware requirements, players’ close proximity, and their promise of generating excitement and collaborative social experience. Even though the integration of spatial device rearrangement (i.e., physically picking up a device and positioning it in another location) in cross-device applications in other domains has demonstrated higher potential for collaboration, this form of interaction remains relatively unexplored in ad hoc cross-device gaming applications. That is because these interactions typically require additional hardware support, which can hinder the ad hoc nature of the cross-device social games. In this paper, we present the iterative user-centred design process of creating an ad hoc co-located cross-device maze exploration game named Snap-To-Eat that supports both on-screen cross-device interactions (e.g., moving elements across devices) and spatial device rearrangement interactions without requiring any additional hardware. We refined the game design by conducting two rounds of workshops, the first with a low-fidelity paper prototype and the second with a high-fidelity digital prototype, with 36 undergraduate and graduate students in total. Findings from both workshops demonstrated that integrating spatial device rearrangement interactions in an ad hoc co-located cross-device game created opportunities for collaboration and engagement among the players, which elevated their overall social experience. These findings also suggested new design opportunities and future research directions for ad hoc collocated cross-device games, e.g., introducing new interactions, as well as exploring the game mechanics in a 3D space to elevate the gaming experience.

Recent combinations of interactive technology, humans, and water have resulted in “WaterHCI”. WaterHCI design seeks to complement the many benefits of engagement with the aquatic domain, by offering, for example, augmented reality systems for snorkelers, virtual reality in floatation tanks, underwater musical instruments for artists, robotic systems for divers, and wearables for swimmers. We conducted a workshop in which WaterHCI experts articulated the field's grand challenges, aiming to contribute towards a systematic WaterHCI research agenda and ultimately advance the field.

Computer-aided simulation-based platforms have been shown to be effective tools for teaching STEM concepts. At the same time, Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) platforms encourage different viewpoints and approaches from the learners which can enrich the learning experience in STEM classrooms. The deployment in recent years of networked personal devices such as Chromebooks in classrooms has motivated educators to design collaborative learning tools for these devices. However, prior work has shown that using one-on-one devices may discourage students from talking among each other, which hinders collaboration. To understand the affordances of personal devices for CSCL tools within Biology curricula, we designed a collaborative plant growth simulation application that provides mirrored plant growth simulation views for every group member to facilitate a common visualization. In this paper, we present our findings from an in-the-wild study that evaluated the affordance and usability of the plant growth simulation application and investigated the nature of collaboration and engagement aided through the simulation mirroring feature. Our study results showed that the plant simulation application had high usability and acceptance. Moreover, mirroring the plant growth simulation improved collaboration, generated excitement, and stimulated conversation. We also identified episodes where collaboration was hindered due to off-task activities, troubleshooting, group dynamics, and lack of understanding that led us to outline some potential guidelines to improve the collaborative learning experience for the students in Biology classroom.

Machine learning becomes more prevalent in specialized domains such as medicine and biology every year, but domain expert trust in machine learning continues to lag behind. Researchers have explored increasing rational trust in AI but little research exists focusing on systems that foster affective and normative trust between domain experts and data scientists who create the models. Tools like Project Jupyter have attempted to bridge this gap between data scientists and domain experts, but failed to see uptake in applied fields or to promote collaboration through co-located synchronous work. To address this we present a proof-of-concept tabletop interactive machine learning system for synchronous, co-located model fine tuning. We tested our system with biology experts and data scientists on a cell biology dataset. Results show that our system promotes interactions between domain experts, data scientists, and the model-in-training and fosters domain expert affective and normative trust in the resulting AI model.

Creating effective middle school STEM curricula requires a combination of individual and collaborative learning. Prior studies showed that finding a proper balance and providing uninterrupted knowledge transmission between different learning modes can be challenging in such mixed pedagogical approaches. In this paper, we present a multi-device interactive educational platform named SimSnap to teach biology curriculum to middle school children. SimSnap facilitates interactions among touchscreen Chromebooks to perform in-class individual and group activities. We present a usability analysis study with eight middle school children where they learn about the influence of temperature on tomato plant growth. Our study demonstrated that SimSnap facilitates group discussions to complete collaborative tasks. It also creates seamless knowledge propagation between prior to current tasks to learn about more complex concepts from previous simpler activities. Middle school children gave overall high usability ratings and positive feedback on SimSnap. This study also helped to outline some design recommendations for future improvements of SimSnap.

In biology, microscopy data from thousands of individual cellular events presents challenges for analysis and problem solving. These include a lack of visual analysis tools to complement algorithmic approaches for tracking important but rare cellular events, and a lack of support for collaborative exploration and interpretation. In response to these challenges, we have designed and implemented Tangible Chromatin, a tangible and multi-surface system that promotes novel analysis of complex data generated from high-content microscopy experiments. The system facilitates three specific approaches to analysis: it (1) visualizes the detailed information and results from the image processing algorithms, (2) provides interactive approaches for browsing, selecting, and comparing individual data elements, and (3) expands options for productive collaboration through both independent and joint work. We present three main contributions: (i) design requirements that derive from the analytical goals of DNA replication biology, (ii) tangible and multi-surface interaction techniques to support the exploration and analysis of datasets from high-content microscopy experiments, and (iii) the results of a user study that investigated how the system supports individual and collaborative data analysis and interpretation tasks.

We present two proof of concept experiences for a virtual reality (VR) game that draws on several medium-specific qualities of mobile, location-based, and tangible storytelling. In contemporary smartphone-VR, experiences are limited by short playtimes, limited interactions, and limited movement within a physical space. To address these limitations, we suggest a reconceptualization of smartphone-VR. Rather than design that deems the smartphone the least capable VR platform, we propose design that adds VR to an already rich mobile storytelling platform. We argue that by drawing on otherwise separate storytelling media, designers can circumvent limitations related to smartphone-VR while also extending the range of smartphone-based storytelling. We conclude by reflecting on possible implications of this extended design space.