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People and technology

Just how much do people and technologies influence each other? Over the next four years, five doctoral students will be investigating this question as part of the “doc.hci: Designing Meaningful Human-Technology Relations” doctoral programme, a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. This programme, a joint project of the Paris Lodron University Salzburg and the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (FH Salzburg), combines basic and applied research in the scientific discipline of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

“I am very pleased that this cooperation between the University and the FH has come to fruition, as our students can gain key insights into both basic and applied research and benefit from it in many ways,” says Professor Alexander Meschtscherjakov from the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Salzburg.

Students will explore five possible use cases (mobility, health, education, work, play) of how people and machines interact, what it means to be or have (‘artificial’) intelligence, and what these interactions and connections might look like in the future. “Our students are looking at the use of technology, questioning it, reinterpreting it and ultimately designing it to gain insights into meaningful interactions,” explains Meschtscherjakov.

As an example, he refers to the “work” use case, which explores the challenge of working from home. Which technologies shape the workplace?  What role does the working environment play, including the one that is now missing? How do we draw boundaries between work and home life? Research into how technology and people influence one another focuses on the design of new technologies and interactions. Another example is the “play” use case. The researchers want to find out what it means to play together in public space. What influence does the environment, being in public, have? What new, hybrid qualities can be brought about through the meaningful combination of digital and physical play?

The exploration of the respective topics also has a deeper significance. The growing awareness in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) that people and technology are inextricably intertwined also requires researchers to rethink theoretical and methodological foundations. The doctoral students’ individual findings will be correlated to draw conclusions for these foundations. In research and development, additional interdisciplinary topics arise from an ethical commitment to conduct a discourse on consequences and responsibilities. This means that doctoral students must consider issues of sustainability and diversity as a core element in their work.

“The first opportunity to train doctoral students together with the University of Salzburg is confirmation of the excellent work achieved with the joint master’s programme in HCI. In addition to broadening the visibility of our research, the doctoral programme enables our colleagues on the programme to accelerate their careers towards a postdoctoral qualification,” says Prof. Hilmar Linder at the FH. “From a scientific point of view, this encouraging development contributes to our ability to conduct application-oriented basic research at universities of applied sciences and thus promote the sustainable development of research expertise,” adds scientific coordinator Dr. Bernhard Maurer.

The programme, funded with around one million euros by the FWF, also includes a specific training programme established jointly by the University and the FH. Summer schools, seminars, an international network – this all awaits future students. Funding for the cooperation between Paris Lodron University Salzburg and the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences is another huge milestone: in addition to the Joint Master’s Programme HCI, which was launched three years ago, the course can now train excellent doctoral students. This success demonstrates the significance Human-Computer Interaction research has now achieved in Salzburg.

Uni Salzburg - Computerwissenschaften

Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Alexander Meschtscherjakov

Associate Professor

Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg | Center for Human-Computer Interaction

Tel: +43 662 8044 4844 | Mobile: +43 699 18017630

Email to Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Alexander Meschtscherjakov

Photo: @ Kolarik | from left to right: Alexander Meschtscherjakov, Verena Fuchsberger, Manfred Tscheligi (all PLUS), Hilmar Linder, Bernhard Maurer, Markus Tatzgern (all FH), Jeanette Falk Olsen, Christopher Frauenberger (both PLUS).