Abstract

We live in a world of ubiquitous computing – a world beyond the personal computer, in which we interact daily with multiple different computing devices in many different form factors. The increasing mobility of computing devices and integration of sensors has radically changed the way we interact with technology. Despite these advances, there are still fundamental interaction challenges that make dealing with this technology far from seamless. This issue is exacerbated with sensor-driven systems that are increasingly acting on our behalf, often for no understandable reason and with little recourse for people to intervene. We need better interfaces that make ubicomp technology more seamless, understandable and predictable. At the same time, we are surrounded by overwhelming amounts of data gathered through sensors. How do we make sense of all this information? In this talk, I discuss opportunities for addressing these challenges by bridging research in Human-Computer Interaction, Ubiquitous Computing and Information Visualization. I illustrate the difficulties people face when dealing with so-called "smart" technologies that act on our behalf, and talk about the dark side of this technology. Additionally, I present several techniques from my research that can help to address these challenges. At the core of my vision is technology that works for us, and that we can understand: the concept of intelligible technology. Finally, I will give an overview of future research directions towards empowering people through technology and data to help them better understand themselves and the world around them.