The Interactive Technologies Institute is focused on HCI, the discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them. Advances in ICT have fundamentally changed the way people work and live across the globe. HCI with the focus on user needs, tasks, experiences and social and political contexts is well suited to address these new breeds of socio-technical system.
ITI research rests on the following principles:
- Computing technology must match with human capabilities, taking into account the needs and desires of users and other stakeholders, and economical, cultural and social constraints.
- To achieve this, we need to understand human behavior and development through social and ethical analyses of how people adapt and use technology, develop technology, tools and design methods that support efficiency and creativity, and adopt a risk-taking attitude based on creative ideas for new ways of envisioning technologies that have an impact in the world.
- Attempts to reach this will lead to general theories and methods that enhance and broaden the field.
ITI research impacts across four dimensions:
- RESEARCH AND INNOVATION assembled a group of young international faculty and post-docs that are fully engaged in interdisciplinary research projects, tackling real-world problems.
- EDUCATION successfully established an interdisciplinary and international cohort of Master (>120) and PhD students (44 ongoing 12 awarded) in Engineering, Design, HCI and Media who have found jobs in top international and national research institutions and companies.
- REAL-WORLD CONTEXT developing solutions in thematic domains in competitive projects with industry funding and involvement.
- GENUINE HUMAN NEEDS transitioning research into practice from methodological innovations to practical applications in modelling complex systems and services that address human needs and exemplify practical use.
More information about the Interactive Technologies Institute at https://iti.larsys.pt.