Abstract: Information retrieval systems are a ubiquitous part of people’s daily lives. The personalised services of such systems are driven by user models that are typically built from data collected from large numbers of people. There is a growing demand that we build such “intelligent systems” in ways that ensure the user can understand and control them. This is the spirit of legislation across many countries, such as the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Essentially, this reflects people’s demand to control their own data and its use.
The talk presents my work and vision to meet this demand by the systematic design and creation of scrutable personalised systems. I will explain the rationale for scrutability – where systems are designed, from their very foundations, so that people can scrutinise them to understand and control how their personal data is captured and transformed into a user model and used in personalised smart systems. I will argue the importance of understanding the three very different definitions of user models across research communities of (1) human-computer interaction, (2) large scale personalisation such as information retrieval and (3) personal user models that have been a mainstay of intelligent tutoring systems. I will discuss how all three fit with human aspects of information retrieval and argue the need for more work on personalised user models, including ones that support client-side personalisation, in combination with more conventional approaches. I will discuss the challenges of the dealing with the uncertainty that is the norm in much user modelling and personalisation and share decades of experience in building interfaces to support scrutability and user control and work that explores challenges of long-term personal data.
Bio: Judy Kay is Professor of Computer Science and Payne-Scott Distinguished Professor at the University of Sydney. She leads the Human Centred Technology Research Cluster, a large multi-disciplinary group. A core focus of her research has been to create infrastructures and interfaces for scrutable user models and personalisation. This began with formal learning contexts and grew to encompass lifelong and life-wide learning that makes use of diverse sensors from the user’s personal eco-system of devices. Her work has been integrated into diverse forms of interaction including virtual reality, surface computing, wearables and ambient displays. Her research has been commercialised and deployed and she has extensive publications in leading venues for user modelling, AIED, human computer interaction and ubicomp. She has held many leadership roles in these research communities and is an Advisory Board member of ACM Transaction on Intelligent Interactive Systems (TiiS), Editorial Board member of User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction (UMUAI), Editor-in-Chief of the IJAIED, International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education (IJAIED), and Editor of IMWUT, Interactive Mobile Wearable and Ubiquitous Technology (IMWUT).
Abstract: Increased internet access and improvements in localization processes means that more people have access to information and entertainment than ever before. However, many people still find it difficult to navigate online and offline resources in their preferred language. In this talk, I will describe some of the challenges people face using streaming services and consuming video content in different languages. I will present research on the challenges we’ve uncovered at Netflix and how we’ve approached addressing questions around members’ language experience. These examples demonstrate how moving away from an English-centric experience can benefit a global audience.
Bio: Ashlee Edwards is a Senior Product Researcher at Netflix leading research efforts for accessibility, localization, and creative innovation. While at Instagram, her work focused on growing and engaging Instagram’s user base, crafting a safe and comfortable space for teens on the platform, and understanding international markets. Prior to working in industry, Ashlee's academic research centered around understanding engagement and frustration with search systems and interactive information retrieval. She's written extensively about user experience strategy, including how to share research creatively and measure user engagement, and her research has been highlighted in publications including Bloomberg News. Her past work has also covered topics including online disclosure of sensitive information, using physiological signals to predict user emotional state, and reducing workload in stressful interactions. See https://aedwards.rocks for more information.
The GLAM sector (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums, etc) are the custodians of vast collections of physical objects, but, at most, around only 5% is ever directly accessible to the societies for whom the collections are kept. The sector has a huge interest in digitising collections and using digital tools to create new ways of accessing their collections but they typically face novel issues.
In this panel we will explore some of the challenges of dealing digital information relating to physical artefacts and some of the opportunities that new types of Information Interaction and Retrieval could enable. We’ll touch on 3D digitisation, online access, use of digital information in-gallery, existing/future information management tools, long term archiving of borne-digital artefacts, and much more.
The audience will have the chance to pose questions to the panel, so please come along curious and feel free to submit those at any time during the session.
Arul heads the Digital Engagement team at the Powerhouse Museum. He works across the Museum’s digital initiatives and public-facing experiences including websites, the online collection, and in-gallery interactives. This role involves digital strategy, user experience, project management, and the creative use of technology to tell stories about the Museum’s extensive collection, exhibitions, and programs. Prior to MAAS Arul was Head of Digital for Television at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) where he led the public broadcaster’s pioneering iView on-demand TV service.
Kate Carruthers is Chief Data & Insights Officer for UNSW Sydney, and is also an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science & Engineering. She is a Certified Information Security Manager and is currently undertaking postgraduate studies in terrorism and cybersecurity. She is currently working at the intersection of data analytics, AI, ML, privacy, cyber security, and data protection.
Matthew’s research and curatorial interests include computing history, mathematics history, media art and design, interaction design, STEM education and learning, and curatorship. He is currently involved in research projects relating to post-disciplinary curatorship, curating art/science collaborations, interactive immersive systems, audience engagement and learning in maker spaces, and the industrial and cultural implications of digital manufacturing technologies. Matthew is also Adjunct Professor, iCinema Centre for Interactive Cinema Research, University of New South Wales.
Amanda Dennett is Head of Digital Experience at the Australian War Memorial, leading website, social media and immersive digital projects for the museum. She delivered the Memorial's first virtual reality experience and the Emotion Poppy collaborative research project with CSIRO to track the emotions expressed in social media posts about the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Amanda is passionate about effective government communications and the ethics of technology, and is currently completing a Master of Research at Swinburne University of Technology, researching best practice in Australian Government social media teams.
Megan Lawrence is Manager of Digital Experience at the Australian Museum (AM), and leads digital product development for online and onsite visitor experiences as well as innovative projects for scientific data collection and access. The Digital Experience team works collaboratively with agencies and industry partners on web and mobile projects inspired by the AM's natural & cultural collections and scientific research. Recent projects include the complete redevelopment of the Museum's flagship website australian.museum, mobile app production for the national FrogID citizen science project, as well as gamified locative mixed reality, accessible audio tours and gallery multimedia interactives at the AM.
Pedro Santos has been at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research since 2002. Since 2012, he has headed the Department of Digitization of Cultural Heritage, after having been Deputy Head of the Department for Industrial Applications, now Interactive Engineering Technologies. Pedro Santos studied computer science at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences and the Technical University of Lisbon. In the course of various projects in the field of digital preservation of cultural assets and the increasing demand for possibilities for 3D mass digitization in this area, his department is developing the world's first approach for fast, economical and automated 3D digitization of cultural heritage with a focus on the recording of optical material properties. Pedro Santos is the author and co-author of over 80 publications and is a reviewer for the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the European Association for Computer Graphics (Eurographics), the IEEE Computer Society and other organizations.