R&D Activities and Outcomes

 

Digital accessibility, Design for All and Universal Access
User Experience Design, Methods and Tools
Interaction in Intelligent Environments
Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
Extended Reality Environments and Real-time Computer Graphics Systems
Applied Research in domains of societal, cultural and industrial/market impact
Programming Languages and Integrated Development Environments for User Interfaces

 

 

Established during the academic year 1988-1989, the Laboratory initially had as its primary objective to carry out research and development work in the assistive technologies field, aiming to address the needs of various disability groups by adopting a user-centered design process which entailed the active participation of representative users. The start-up of the Laboratory's activities was characterized by the undertaking and execution of a series of competitive R&D projects funded by the European Commission, which produced significant and impactful results that received international recognition.

This research activity evolved overtime to address the principles of Design for All and Universal Access, which the Head of the Laboratory introduced in the international literature in the early 1990s, ultimately aiming towards advancements for an inclusive information society.

Research activities of the Laboratory in this direction have thus gradually evolved to include: (a) the creation of innovative frameworks, methodologies, techniques and tools that support the development cycle of interactive applications and services through intelligent adaptive interfaces that take into account the needs, requirements and preferences of different user groups, in varying contexts of use, and using diverse technological platforms (e.g. personal computers, mobile, wearable and smart devices, devices embedded in the environment), (b) the design and development of interaction techniques and assistive technologies for specific user groups with disabilities, (c) the development of universally accessible applications and services in various areas of daily life, (d) the development of universally accessible Ambient Intelligence and Extended Reality environments, and (e) accessibility evaluations and audits by experts, as well as accessibility and usability studies with end users.

The usability and accessibility evaluation activities progressed to become a horizontal Laboratory activity, catering not only for the internal needs of technologies developed in-house, but also for the requests of outside third parties for consultancy services. In this context, international (ISO) standards and best practices for usability evaluation and user experience evaluation are followed, along with the guidelines and (de facto) standards of the World Wide Web Consortium - Web Accessibility Initiative for accessibility evaluation (in accordance with the requirements of the Greek and the European legislation, as well as of the United Nations Convention.

 

The Laboratory’s activities in this area focus on the design and evaluation of User Experience (UX), with the aim to ensure that the products and services developed in-house are highly usable and provide an excellent UX quality. In this context, innovative methodologies, techniques, and tools have been developed to support and facilitate the design and evaluation of UX, while relevant consultancy services are provided to third parties in all phases of the development cycle of interactive applications and services.

Following the ISO 9241-210:2019 standard for Human-Centered Design, the Laboratory supports activities related to user requirements and context of use analysis, as well as UX design and evaluation, involving both experts and end-users. These activities are implemented through various research and analysis methods, as well as multifaceted design approaches, such as visual design, interaction design, information architecture design, industrial design, and evaluation methods suitable for different types of prototypes and interactive systems. At the same time, aiming to develop applications and services capable of providing optimal UX, well-established and contemporary design approaches are applied, such as User-Centered Design, Participatory Design, Co-Design, Open Innovation, and others, which dictate the continuous and active participation of end users throughout the entire spectrum of design and development tasks.

The Laboratory has established and supports the operation of a User Experience Evaluation Infrastructure facilitating the conduct of studies involving end users for a variety of applications, services, and platforms (e.g. computers, assistive technologies, mobile devices, augmented reality systems, Ambient Intelligence systems). This infrastructure, which is operational since 1998, has been set up according to internationally established guidelines and best practices, and is unique of its kind in Greece. It is fully configurable, with specialized equipment suitable for the study of the various dimensions of accessibility and user experience that arise during interaction with various software applications and interactive technological products.

 

The main objective of this research direction is to explore the development of Ambient Intelligence technologies and their application in Smart Environments, following a ‘Human-Centered Design’ and ‘Universal Access’ approach. In this context, the Laboratory develops novel software development frameworks and methods, and ambient interactive systems applications and services, that support natural, intuitive, and high-quality interaction with the intelligent environment, employing multiple interaction techniques and diverse devices. The technological solutions developed integrate multi-/cross-disciplinary technologies, such as recognition and monitoring of user interaction with the environment, distributed processing, reasoning mechanisms, computer networks, sensor and actuator networks, as well as techniques for multimodal interaction.

Furthermore, the Laboratory conducts studies that aim to assess the impact of intelligent environment technologies on the individual and society as a whole, as well as to highlight the potential and the benefits of such technologies in various aspects of everyday life. At the same time, it develops prototype applications and products taking advantage of these technologies, supporting, where appropriate, technology transfer to industry.

Since 2012, these research activities are carried out at the purpose-built Ambient Intelligence Facility of the Institute of Computer Science, which was funded by the European Commission and characterized as a flagship project of the European Union. The Facility includes simulation spaces, i.e., environments that simulate realistic everyday conditions, thus allowing the development and evaluation of innovative interactive applications that are unobtrusively embedded into the respective environment and operate therein. These spaces include, among others, a "smart" two-story house, a "smart" classroom, a "smart" entertainment space, and a "smart" greenhouse. The infrastructure of each space entails a composition of modern market-available equipment, alongside with augmented artefacts that are technologically enhanced through specialised hardware and software. Dedicated software transforms the space into a unified intelligent environment, which becomes dynamically adaptable to the particular needs of each user and context of use.

 

The goal of this activity is to contribute to the creation of new methodological approaches for designing and developing Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI) technologies. HCAI is an emerging research field that aims to design and develop intelligent systems, which are not only technologically advanced, useful, and effective, but also ethically aligned with universal human values and goals. Therefore, this particular research field focuses on creating Artificial Intelligence systems that can predict and adapt to human needs and preferences, while also being transparent, responsible, accountable and explainable, helping end users to easily understand their reasoning and results. The Laboratory's activities in this area include research and methodological proposals to explore how human-centered design can be pursued and applied at the core of Artificial Intelligence development, putting humans at the center of the development cycle. The results of the above research are used for the development of Artificial Intelligence technologies in various domains, such as security, industrial environments, big data visualization systems, etc.

 

This research activity of the Laboratory focuses on the field eXtended Reality (XR) environments, including Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality (MR) environments. It involves developing conceptual reference models for the implementation of XR experiences, innovative approaches that support realistic and high-quality interaction with virtual characters, as well as tangible case studies that demonstrate how the proposed conceptual models are realized. Additionally, this research direction explores high-fidelity computer graphics systems for Human-Computer Interaction. Activities in this area focus on dynamic scene rendering methods using GPU-accelerated graphics, MR character simulation frameworks, as well as algebraic frameworks for computer graphics and virtual character simulation.

 

Activities in this area focus on the development of innovative approaches and technological solutions in areas that are important to society, improve the quality of life and promote well-being. Examples of such implemented technologies, applications, and services include integrated information systems and e-government services, interactive systems for the preservation and presentation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, educational applications, interactive systems for smart cars, serious games, etc.

At the same time, the Laboratory has established strategic partnerships at an international level with significant partners to exploit its extensive know-how in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. In this context, applied research and targeted development of innovative solutions to problems and challenges arising from real societal needs are mainly capitalized. This results in the promotion to the market of mature research results in the form of original products and the provision of relevant consulting services.

Furthermore, the Laboratory develops and installs interactive systems in museums, airports, ports, exhibition spaces, and places of cultural interest regarding cultural heritage, nature, and the environment, but also education, entertainment, promotion of products, information provision, etc. More than 150 interactive systems have been installed in over 50 permanent or periodic exhibitions in Greece and abroad and have been used by hundreds of thousands of visitors. The design and development of these innovative interactive information systems combine applied research of cutting-edge technologies with advanced industrial design to create unique systems that provide usability and high aesthetics. These systems can operate independently, but many of them can also work together - as ensembles - providing holistic and personalized experiences to visitors in the spaces where they are installed.

 

Emphasis is put on the thorough design and implementation of novel domain–specific programming languages, focusing on improved programming support with a new generation of interactive instruments. These Research activities have ended.