When we began developing Microsoft MakeCode, a computing education platform, it was all about making programming easier, more engaging, and just plain friendlier. After all, if we were going to inspire the next generation of coders, easier entry into the world of computer science would…
Microsoft Research has teamed up with economists at Bank of Canada to launch an interactive tool for exploring online job search trends in the country. The tool, based on a classification process derived from previous research on how job searches align with socio-demographic data in…
In his work in visual merchandising, designer Kenroy Tyrell has used LED lights in displays for trade shows and showrooms. But on this particular day, he found himself using the technology in a way he never anticipated—as part of a garment he had created. Tyrell…
Whether at work or at home, people are regularly gathering and interpreting information to build their base of knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. In this endeavor, they encounter data in many shapes and forms—lines of text in books, timelines…
Oxymorons of haptics might be the new normal Consumer virtual reality (VR) systems can immerse users in wonderous virtual worlds, rich in sights and sounds. However, how many times have you reached for an object in VR or augmented reality (AR) and, just as you…
At the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems conference in Glasgow, Scotland this May, researchers from Microsoft’s Redmond and UK labs, together with our university collaborators, will be presenting several papers and demos that explore how to design technologies more inclusively, to…
The mobility of tablets affords interaction from a wide diversity of postures: Hunched over a desk with brow furrowed in concentration. On the go with the tablet gripped in one hand, while operating it with the other. Or kicked back on a couch to relax…
Imagine you’ve been asked to write a crucial document for your company, perhaps a detailed outline of its long-term strategy. You’re excited, but don’t know when you’ll find the time to write it. As you sit in a meeting later that day, waiting for the…
The increasing availability and accuracy of AI has stimulated uses of AI technologies in mainstream user-facing applications and services. Along with opportunities for infusing valuable AI services in a wide range of products come challenges and questions about best practices and guidelines for human-centered design.…
Chatbots come in many flavors, but most can be placed in one of two categories: goal-oriented chatbots and chit-chat chatbots. Goal-oriented chatbots behave like a natural language interface for function calls, where the chatbot asks for and confirms all required parameter values and then executes…
Eye Control is an exciting technology in Windows 10 that allows customers to use their eyes to control an on-screen mouse, keyboard and text-to-speech experience. This is a technology that empowers people with limited mobility such as people living with ALS. As part of the…
Thirteen years ago, researchers Shamsi Iqbal, Jaime Teevan, and Meredith Ringel Morris met for the first time. They were graduate students participating in the Doctoral Symposium at the 2005 ACM User Interface Software and Technology Symposium. Teevan and Morris were slightly senior, preparing to graduate the…
