HCI2007 Keynote Presentation

Human-Centered Interaction: Perspectives on a New Paradigm and Computer Vision's Role
Alejandro Jaimes, IDIAP, Switzerland

Abstract

In this talk I will start with examples of how computers have failed us in
providing natural interaction and argue why we need new approaches to the
way we think about computers, users, and the interface. I will then
explain the concept of Human-Centered Interaction and describe the role of
computer vision in creating new interaction paradigms that address the
issues I present above. In particular, I will explain the role of context
(social, cultural, cognitive, etc.) and provide computer vision-specific
examples from the arts and other application areas. With these examples I
will argue that simple computer vision techniques can often be effective
in addressing important problems with current interfaces, in some cases
even becoming fun (and provocative!). Finally, I will highlight the major
technical challenges in computer vision for HCI in real-world settings and
describe new directions in AMIDA, an EU-funded project which focuses on
improving interactions in face to face and remote meetings. In particular,
I will explain the challenges of making a transition from its predecessor
project to real-time vision to support human-human communication and how
we plan to do this by integrating computer vision algorithms with
traditional graphical user interfaces.