Colloquium Cognitive Systems

Evaluating cognitive ergonomics in human-machine interfaces

Dr. Lewis Chuang  (LMU Munich)

Abstract.  The field of ergonomics is traditionally focused on physical comfort and operational safety. Rapid advances in artificial intelligence has created a demand for systems that support non-physical aspects of everyday work, namely human cognition. In my talk, I will first explain how we can evaluate information processing in the human with the use of implicit methods (i.e., gaze tracking, peripheral physiology, and EEG/ERP). Doing so can allow us to identify the aspects of a system that place cognitive burdens on the user, which may not necessary manifest in explicit behavior as impaired performace [1-3]. Finally, I will present three use cases whereby this approach can inform the design of human-machine interfaces, namely auditory notifications [4], AR for assembly workspaces [5], and RSVP readers.

[1] Scheer, M.; Bülthoff, H.; Chuang, L.: Steering demands diminish the early-P3, late-P3 and RON components of the event-related potential of task-irrelevant environmental sounds. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2016)

[2] Allsop, J.; Gray, R.; Bülthoff, H.; Chuang, L.: Eye movement planning on Single-Sensor-Single-Indicator displays is vulnerable to user anxiety and cognitive load. Journal of Eye Movement Research 10 (5), 8, pp. 1 - 15 (2017)

[3] Chuang, L.; Glatz, C.; Krupenia, S.: Using EEG to understand why behavior to auditory in-vehicle notifications differs across test environments. In: 9th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications (AutomotiveUI '17), pp. 123 – 133. (2017)

[4] Glatz, C.; Krupenia, S.; Bülthoff, H.; Chuang, L.: Use the Right Sound for the Right Job: Verbal Commands and Auditory Icons for a Task-Management System Favor Different Information Processes in the Brain. In: 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1 – 13. (2018)

Bio.
Lewis Chuang is an Akademischer Rat of the Institute for Informatics at Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität Munich. He holds a doctorate in Neuroscience and, since 2011, has worked on improving human-machine partnerships. He employs psychophysics, gaze tracking, and neuroimaging to investigate how we seek out and comprehend task-relevant information when engaged with closed-loop machine systems. Lewis Chuang was the programme co-chair for Automotive User-Interfaces 2019 and general co-chair for Neuroergonomics Conferences 2020, which will take place in Munich, Germany. He is an associate editor for Scientific Reports and the International Journal for Human-Computer Studies.

Time & place: WWP room 47.0.501, 12.12.2019, 5 pm.