Faculty - Center for Human Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech
labs and other centers
The Center manages approximately 3000 square feet of laboratory and office space in KnowledgeWorks II, in the Corporate Research Center. Along with HCI labs in KnowledgeWorks II, the HCI Center supports labs in McBryde, Durham, and Whittemore. These facilities also include office space for research associates and graduate research assistants.
Usability Methods Research Lab
Location:
McBryde 102
In 1993, our HCI group became one of the first to receive an NSF Research Infrastructure grant in HCI, which supported creation of state-of-the-art HCI laboratories for doing formative usability evaluation. Beyond usability evaluation, the lab facilities support development of new usability methods and tools by providing for a new role, that of meta-observer/evaluator to study both user and evaluator in their use of a particular method. Our Usability Methods Research Laboratory, with its explicit provision for a usability methods researcher as a meta-evaluator, is uniquely suited for evolution and evaluation of new behaviorally-oriented methods and tools.
Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
Location:
McBryde 104
An NSF Research Infrastructure Grant (CDA-9303152) supported the development of laboratory facilities for conducting networked multi-user interactive experiments. The laboratory includes an electronic conference room with networked computers and telecommunication capabilities linked with high-speed connections to several individual experimental rooms. One room consists of nine identical desktop computers, as well as a large screen display. All of the rooms are situated around an instrumented control room containing computing and video control and capture capabilities. The facility offers unique multi-user evaluation with single-point two-way glass observation. A usability methods research control center allows real-time capture and integration of behavioral data from computer interaction, video observation, and experimenter comments.
The VE laboratory provides space for students and faculty working on desktop and immersive virtual environments and scientific visualization projects. It is equipped with multiple Silicon Graphics (SGI) Indigo2, Octane, and Onyx machines, six Windows 2000-based personal computers, and multiple Sun Sparc20 machines. A key feature of the lab is the "VE dance floor," an open 12x12-foot tracked space allowing unencumbered use of head-mounted displays (HMDs). Other equipment in the lab includes two Virtual Research V8 HMDs, a Fakespace Virtual Workbench? stereoscopic display, an immersaDesk stereoscopic display, two Polhemus Fastrak position tracking systems with three receivers, an Intersense IS-900 VET position tracking system with four trackers, Fakespace pinch glove input devices, and a Phantom haptic device.
The Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Center is comprised of a consortium of nine research laboratories and supporting facilities, and is a major international center of excellence for research in human factors engineering and ergonomics. At Virginia Tech and its College of Engineering, the Center, its faculty, and students are major contributors to key strategic initiatives including biomedical research and information systems research. The Center conducted approximately $2.5 million in research projects in 2002-2003. In addition, it is supported by grants from the UPS Foundation and NIOSH.
The Assessment and Cognitive Ergonomics (ACE) Lab conducts applied research on human information processing and the design of interfaces and products/technologies. Our research emphasizes the application of principles of cognition to the design of safety information, products, and equipment. Other applications include the design of software interfaces.
Particular attention is paid to individual differences in cognitions such as risk perception, field processing, and locus of control that may impact users' interaction with information and their use of technologies. A cultural human factors perspective is also used as a research framework. The ACE lab also develops tools and methodologies to quickly and accurately assess user attitudes, motivation, decision-making, knowledge, and behavior, as well as product use (and misuse) and perceptions of product safety and usability. Methods to elicit and categorize knowledge, perception, affect and attitude are the primary focus of our assessment activities.
Macroergonomics and Group Decision Systems Laboratory
This laboratory is dedicated to empirical research related to systems ergonomics and CSCW. Systems or macro-ergonomics is concerned with work system design and thus takes a systems engineering approach to interface design, guided by socio-technical systems theory and framework. Both physiological and psychophysical measurement of human behavior is collected in order to better understand human functioning and processing and to better design interfaces. Typically groups of subjects are employed in studies that utilize one to three experimental rooms (distributed) with a anonymous observation deck. Group communication, group decision making and group presence software and hardware populate the laboratory. A specialized iGATE FAA-certified aviation simulator is currently being used in NASA/FAA related systems and CSCW research as well.
:: Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech ::
Contact:
Dr. Francis Quek, Director
Dr. Andrea Kavanaugh, Associate Director
2202 Kraft Drive, KWII Building (0902)
Blacksburg, VA 24060
tel: (540) 231-3188 or 231-1806
fax: (540) 231-9218
