Welcome to the Human-Centered Innovation Research (HCIR) Group, led by Dr. Will Zhao at the University of Waterloo. Our group is dedicated to advancing innovation that prioritizes human well-being and societal betterment, drawing on cutting-edge developments in engineering and social sciences. We aim for impact in education, health, and business, and make efforts to navigate and transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries on innovation studies. Our research is organized around four interconnected themes:
Organizational Aspects of Innovation:
- This research line emphasizes the importance of organization and organizing for innovation, focusing on social structures, practices, and behaviors. Drawing on theories and evidence from organizational behavior and institutional analysis, we aim to identify the dynamics that facilitate or impede innovative processes in education, health, business contexts, and beyond.
Engineering Innovation in Emerging Technologies:
- We advocate for engineering efforts that enhance, rather than compromise, societal wellbeing. We are enthusiastic about the transformative potential of applying artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) in personalizing experiences in education, healthcare, and business. Our applied AI research utilizes machine learning to predict trends, improve diagnostics, and increase operational efficiency. Meanwhile, our XR work explores its application in immersive service, learning, and therapeutic environments.
Philosophical and Ethical Perspectives on Innovation:
- Driven by the conviction that technology should align with human values, this research stream delves into the ethical implications of deploying AI, XR, and other technologies. We are committed to developing and examining ethical guidelines and frameworks that ensure these technologies positively impact society, emphasizing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in all aspects of technological development and deployment.
Tech-Arts Integrated Approaches to Innovation:
- Our newest research area explores the intersection of technology with the arts to foster innovation. Leveraging the immersive power of XR and the expressive capabilities of the arts, including the experiential depth of somatic movement, we seek to 1) facilitate arts-integration in STEM education, 2) develop health interventions that enhance physical and mental wellness, and 3) enrich the narrative and emotional engagement of business services.
Methodologies: Our group utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods to address the interdisciplinary research questions related to innovation. Our toolkit includes linguistic and semiotic analysis, statistical modeling, and machine learning. These diverse methods enable us to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and solutions in innovation.
Get in Touch
We conduct research at both our Stratford and main Waterloo campuses. For further information or collaboration opportunities, please contact Dr. Will Zhao at wwzhao[at]uwaterloo.ca.
