January 30, 2017 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm, 145/149 EE Building

Refreshments starting at 2:15pm

January 30, 2017 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm, 145/149 EE Building - See more at: http://a.cms.omniupdate.com/files/content?site=www&path=%2Feng%2Fcse%2Fabout%2Fgeneral%2Fnews%2Fblank-1.pcf&target=www&edit=true&nonce=1485442119072#sthash.IJAWOesZ.dpuf

Abstract:My talk will cover two spectrums of data: entry and manipulation.  I will start with
a brief overview of my work involving text entry and error correction.  Since text
entry involves both cognitive and motor skills, and a close cooperation between the system and the user, it is vital that novel techniques be developed with due consideration of both human and system factors.  I will discuss how subtle changes
in the input process could make a significant difference on the user experience, and how my research has influenced practices.  I will then discuss my ongoing work
on alterative input modalities, particularly touch force and gestures, input with
unconventional devices, mainly smartwatches, and non-traditional users, primarily
young children.  I will then shift my focus to data visualization and manipulation. 
A key thread of my work combines visuospatial skills with computational methods to
facilitate understanding in the manipulation of big/biomedical data.  Taking inspiration from the common coding theory that describes how perceptual representations
and motor representations are linked, I designed and developed tangible user interfaces to facilitate exploration and discovery in various big/biomedical networks,
including gene expressions and metabolic pathways.  I will discuss how tangible interfaces could aid in collaborative learning, conceptual understanding, and support
non-experts who are coming into an expert domain.  Finally, I will conclude reflecting
on future directions of my research. 

Bio:Ahmed Sabbir Arif is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the RTA School of Media, Ryerson University.  As a researcher, his goal is to make computer technologies accessible to everyone by developing natural and intuitive input and interaction techniques and technologies.  Towards that, he studies the existing systems, identifies issues with them, and then targets those issues from theoretical, behavioral,
and practical standpoints.  A major thread of his work focuses on smarter solutions
for text entry, error correction, and editing on various devices.  His other interests
include mobile interaction, tangible user interfaces, child-computer interaction,
usable security, and biological/bigdata visualization. 

He has received many awards, including the Michael A. J. Sweeney Award for the best
student HCI paper in 2014 and the CHISIG Gitte Lindgaard Award for the best paper
in 2013.  He has also been on the Program Committee of many premier conferences, including the
ACM CHI LBW/Workshop and the ACM MobileHCI.  Before joining Ryerson University, he was
an NSERC ENGAGE funded Postdoctoral Fellow at Flowton Tech, Inc. He has also worked for
Microsoft Research, Redmond as a Research Intern.  He received his Ph.D. in Computer
Science from York University in 2013.  He obtained his M.Sc.  in Computer Science from
Lakehead University and B.Sc.  in Computer Science from Trent University.