UCLIC Seminar, 19 June 2024. Orit Shaer

Summary of the Talk: "Tangible and Embodied Interaction for the Future of Work and Learning"
On Wednesday, June 19, 2024, Orit Shaer from Wellesley College delivered an engaging seminar titled "Tangible and Embodied Interaction for the Future of Work and Learning" to the HCI research community. The seminar took place in Room G.01 at 66-72 Gower Street and was also available via Zoom.
Key Points of the Talk:
#### Introduction and Context:
- **Speaker Introduction**: Orit Shaer, a Professor and Chair of Computer Science at Wellesley College, was introduced. Attendees were invited to join a walking tour of UCLIC’s former homes in Bloomsbury and a social gathering after the seminar.
- **Theme Overview**: The seminar focused on the role of tangible and embodied interaction (TEI) in enhancing creativity and collaboration in future work and learning environments.
#### Theoretical Background:
- **Definition of TEI**: Tangible and embodied interaction involves human-computer interactions that engage our bodies and physical environments to create more seamless and intuitive user experiences.
- **Research Foundations**: Shaer referenced her book, *Weaving Fire into Form: Aspirations for Tangible and Embodied Interaction*, co-authored with Brygg Ullmer, Orit Shaer, Ali Mazalek, and Caroline Hummels. The book surveys the technical, conceptual, philosophical, cognitive, and aesthetic foundations of TEI (DOI: [doi.org/10.1145/3544564](doi.org/10.1145/3544564)).
#### Applications and Case Studies:
- **Virtual Nature and Wellbeing**: Shaer discussed a study on the impact of virtual nature experiences on stress, focus, and creativity. Participants using VR for 10 minutes daily during the COVID-19 pandemic reported reduced stress and improved focus. Combining VR with mindfulness practices further enhanced these benefits.
- **Collaborative Scientific Research in VR**: Shaer highlighted a project where coral reef scientists used VR environments for their collaborative meetings. This setting increased engagement and a sense of presence, demonstrating VR’s potential to support collaborative work by providing interactive shared artifacts and spatial arrangements.
#### Challenges and Findings:
- **Technical and Usability Issues**: Shaer noted technical challenges, such as difficulty in organizing VR spaces and limited note-taking functionalities, which impacted the usability of VR for collaborative work.
- **AI in Creative Ideation**: Shaer’s recent work on group AI collaboration involved integrating large language models (LLMs) like GPT-3 and GPT-4 into brainstorming sessions. AI contributed technical and specific ideas, complementing human participants' more abstract ideas, and effectively aided both divergent and convergent thinking processes.
#### Moving Forward:
- **Future Directions**: Shaer emphasized the potential for combining multisensory and multimodal interactions in both physical and virtual collaborative environments. She also mentioned ongoing research projects, including AI applications for conflict resolution and democracy.
Conclusion:
The seminar concluded with a Q&A session where Shaer addressed various questions about the integration of VR and AI in collaborative environments, the impact of VR on team building, and the potential for future developments in TEI.
Overall, Orit Shaer’s seminar provided valuable insights into the advancements and applications of tangible and embodied interaction, advocating for its integration to enhance creativity and collaboration in future work and learning environments.