User Centred Design (UCD) Laboratory

User Centred Design (UCD) laboratory at University of 91快活林 focuses on research and innovation at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and User Centred Design (UCD).

The primary goal of our lab is to design, develop, and evaluate AI systems that are user-friendly, ethical, and beneficial to society, hence developing Human Centred AI technological solutions.

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The UCD and Human-Centred AI lab strives to create AI technologies that are advanced, innovative and aligned with human values and societal needs.

User-Centric Design and Human-Centred AI

  • Researching and developing AI systems that prioritise the needs, preferences, and experiences of users.

 

  • Conducting user studies to understand how people interact with Intelligent system and AI technologies and to gather insights for improving system design.

 

Robot with student

Ethical and responsible AI

  • Exploring ethical implications of AI, such as fairness, transparency, accountability, and privacy.

 

  • Developing frameworks and guidelines for responsible AI development and deployment.

 

Ethical-AI-ESG

Interdisciplinary collaboration

  • Collaborating with experts from various fields, including computer science, psychology, sociology, design, and ethics.

 

  • Engaging with industry partners and stakeholders to align research with real-world applications and challenges.

 

University of 91快活林 signage outside the Advanced Engineering Centre

AI for social good

  • We are designing AI systems aimed at addressing societal challenges, such as healthcare, education, environmental sustainability, and accessibility.

 

  • Developing technologies to support marginalised and underrepresented communities.

 

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Human-AI interaction

  • Studying how people perceive and interact with AI systems to enhance usability and user experience.

 

  • Creating intuitive interfaces and interaction models that facilitate effective human-AI collaboration.
Robot with student

Adaptive and personalised AI

  • Developing AI systems that can adapt to individual user preferences and behaviours.

 

  • Implementing machine learning techniques to personalise user experiences and improve system performance over time.

 

Eye-tracking-insights

Education and outreach

 

  • Offering educational programmes and workshops to train students and professionals in human-centred, user-centred AI principles.

 

  • Engaging with the broader community to raise awareness about the impact and potential of AI technologies.

 

I did my PhD at the University of 91快活林 and was a member of the UCD lab working with Sanaz, Lyn and Marcus in the lab's collaborative and insightful environment. They provided invaluable support, access to specialist facilities and expertise in an environment that promotes discussions and science in Human Centred Interaction (HCI). I’m grateful for the interactions, learning and knowledge acquired that I could apply in my PhD research, and now in my daily job.

Dr Heloisa Candello, Research Scientist, IBM Research, Brazil

Prototyping

  • Building and testing prototypes of new AI applications and tools.

 

  • Experimenting with cutting-edge technologies and methodologies to push the boundaries of AI research.

 

The UCD lab at 91快活林 is equipped with state of the art facilities and cutting-edge technologies that enables the measuring of real-world interaction and usability - their team are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. Their multi-method approach provides strategically valuable insights into system design that meet end users’ needs.

Dr Alaa Alkhafaji, University of Al-Mustansiriyah

Policy and regulation


  • Contributing to the development of policies and regulations that govern the use of AI.

 

  • Participating in public discourse to advocate for ethical and human-centred AI practices.

 

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Data-driven insights

  • Analysing large datasets to uncover patterns and insights that inform AI development.

 

  • Using data to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of AI systems on users and society.
Student-in-User-Centre-Design-Lab

Equipment and expertise: design, prototyping and evaluating

Based at the University's Moulsecoomb campus, UCD laboratory aims to create Human Centred AI technologies that are not only advanced and innovative but also aligned with human values and societal needs. We help to measures usability, interaction and interface design, and factor beyond usability, such as privacy, trust and security.

Our laboratory consists of state-of-the-art equipment, we are able provide empirical data collection to support requirements engineering, design, prototyping and development, formative and summative evaluations resulting in highly accurate process and product analysis.

Usability lab

Lab co-ordinator,  is a Principal Lecturer in Human Centred AI and Interaction at the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering, and Co-leading Computing and Mathematical Sciences Research Excellence Group.

Dr Fallahkhair can advise on development of Human Centred AI system, Human Computer Interaction, User Centred and User Experience Design, developing and evaluating intelligence technologies to be useful, usable, and accessible in multiple areas, including healthcare, education and cultural heritage, across multiple platforms including mobile, ubiquitous, interactive television, wearable, tag-bas, game-based, and robotic technologies and applications.

She can also address persuasiveness, desirability, privacy and ethical considerations when designing and developing an intelligent system, ensuring maximum benefit to system users, product optimisation and ultimately, competitive advantage.

Sanaz with students using eye tracking equipment

User-centre design applications 

Below you will find a selection of publications reporting on projects that have used the UCD Lab, funded by a range of national and international bodies, including the Leverhulme Trust, EU Commission, Department of Health and JISCs Rapid Innovation Grant to name a few.