Betty Chang

Betty Chang received her PhD from the department of Systems Design Engineering in the area of human-computer interaction and human factors. Her PhD work sought to improve users’ awareness of each other and of the situation when they collaborate over computer systems. She studied different technologies such as digital tabletops and multi-device environments, in various contexts including police emergency response, strategic board games, and classrooms.

In one of her projects, a digital tabletop board game was used to study awareness support of automated game events. Tabletops are large horizontal displays with touch surfaces. Digital tabletop games may enforce rules, keep track of scores, and automate mundane tasks. It may also play as the opponent in collaborative board games where players cooperate as a team to defeat the board. However, without appropriate feedback to the players on the game state, they may be confused and unable to strategize. The project investigated interactive information visualizations and widgets to facilitate players’ awareness gathering process. The findings can be applied to other co-located collaborative domains such as emergency response and education.

Read more about Betty’s research on her personal website!