Is it just me or this year's review process is bumpy? I just got desk-rejected with comments that are clearly addressed in the paper (I might be biased, but I think it is a solid paper). Meanwhile, I have been reviewing papers that are worse than mine (and some are clearly AI slop)...

Is anyone also experiencing this?

Hi everyone, I'm a student doing a PhD in HCI at University of Utah. I am conducting a study about how people interpret visual representations of data structure.

I badly need participants for a study that I am conducting. It will be over zoom and for one hour. During this time you will look at different representations and answer different questions out aloud. The session will record your voice and the study application window.

If you are interested, please DM me. I am happy to answer questions you may have (HCI or admissions or anything else!)

Thanks!

Hi! For context, I'm in grade 11, and Sheridan is where I want to go to study UI/UX. If anyone knows anything about the program, how good is it? What should I expect? How should I prepare early? Thank you very much!

I’m planning to apply for an MS in HCI! I’ve just taken my TOEFL, and I’m waiting for my results. If anyone else is planning to apply for an MS in HCI, please text me. I’d love to connect with people on the same journey and have some company through this process!

I am thinking of attending the CHI PLAY 2026 conference as an online attendee. Physical attendence including travel and accomodation is too pricey for me.

Does anyone have any experience with online attendance to CHI PLAY? Will I be able to follow paper presentations live? Will there be any livestreams?

If not for CHI PLAY, does anyone have experience with attending any conference online? What was your experience?

Thank you!

Hi everyone!

I'm an HCI master's student, and I recently launched an app called Mingle!

As someone from South Korea, I found it challenging to meet new people from different departments and connect with students outside my usual circle. I also got tired of constantly asking my friends about their schedules just to figure out when we could hang out.

With Mingle, you can:

• 📅 Share your schedules with friends
• 📍 Share your location with friends
• 💬 Connect with friends and use the community board

The app is completely free to use! I'm still working on improving it, and I plan to add more features in the future.

I'd really appreciate it if you gave it a try and shared any feedback, bugs, or suggestions. I'm especially interested in hearing what works, what doesn't, and what features you'd like to see!

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mingle-connects-your-campus/id6741414618

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De7oV2Wyjsn/?exln=MWM0eWVzaWI4YjlxeQ==

https://www.csulbmingle.com/

Not sure how patents are viewed by hiring managers. but there's always been a big push to get them at my current company. They very well could be useless, but wanted to see what the thoughts are on this.

I am currently applying for PhD positions in continental Europe, but I am worried about the increasing competition in my field (HCI researcher). A large percentage of offers involve AI in some way, which means each offer gets extra ML/AI applicants on top of the regular applicants. This makes the few existing positions extremely competitive. On top of that, I feel like the only way to stand out is to have amazing grades or publications, but unfortunately I don’t have either. I graduated from a top-20 university, have 5 months of research experience at a famous lab in France, but I haven’t published yet (I’m working toward publishing my thesis), and my grades are good but not stellar. My question is: what should I focus on to increase my chances when applying for PhD positions? Should I still apply to the few fully funded PhD positions currently advertised in my field, despite the competition? Is there a way for me to stand out besides grades and publications? Do I have better chances applying for PhD scholarships instead of advertised positions? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I’m currently a HCI student trying to apply to UX/product design internships and early career roles and just published my first portfolio.

Where do I look to get feedback? I’ve reached out to people in my network and my professors but they don’t have much insight because they don’t have industry background. I’ve also reached out to a lot of designers on linkedin but it’s hard to get a response nowadays…

I need someone to give me constructive feedback on how I structure my case studies and details, but I’m lost on where to get those direct feedback.

For those who are refining their design portfolios, where are you looking? I know ADPList used to be the place but heard it was cancelled now so I really don’t know. Where are people finding their “mentors?”

​

if you watch how people use phones, a lot of it is tiny stuff. check one thing, tap one thing, put it away.

a big screen you have to unlock feels like an odd fit for that. so does the shape of the thing change, or the way you interact with it?

honestly curious what people who study this think.

faster chips and better cameras are the easy answers. but those don't change how you actually use the phone.

what would change it? better ways of controlling it, smarter ways of showing information, less need to look at it?

so yeah, what do you think the real next step is? papers welcome.

Hi everyone!! Currently knee deep in the application process and wanted help deciding between Pratt MID and MS IXD.

For context, I have a Bachelor of Design in Product Design from Pakistan. I’ve been working full time as a UX Designer and I practice industrial design mixed with emerging technology on the side.

I plan to niche down in design for play whether if it’s in interactive and game UX or in playful design(depending on my major). The problem here is, I don’t have a strict preference as I am aware grad school is an expensive decision and one should be practical and choose a track with a greater chance for getting employment opportunities and connections.

Any advice would be appreciated and if there’s any people in and out of these programs, I’d love to hear from you!

Hey all, I am looking for UXRs to do a paid study on their use of RTA in the research process. The study would include watching & coding three usability studies. We estimate it to take around an hour including a post interview. We will be paying 50 dollars for the hour.

Interested? LINK

Hi everyone!

I’m 24F, working as an Experience Designer at a startup in India, earning 13 LPA, with around 3YOE and a Bachelor’s degree in UX Design.

I wanted to pursue a Master’s in HCI and eventually work in UX research. My plan was to gain at least 3 years of experience (which I now have) and then pursue my Master’s in Germany, given its relatively affordable education. I’ve now received an admission offer from a German university, but I’m having second thoughts.

With the UX job market becoming increasingly uncertain and AI changing the industry, I’m questioning whether an HCI degree is still worth pursuing. I enjoy hands-on research and exploring HCI in depth, but I don’t see myself moving into management as the next step in my career. Would an HCI Master’s help me build a sustainable career in research, or would I be better off considering an MBA and stick to the usual path?

My ultimate goal is to build a career and life abroad, ideally in Germany. I’ve started learning German for better advantage while job hunting after my masters, but I’m worried about investing years into this plan only to struggle to find a relevant job after graduating.

Financially, my parents are willing to fund my education, so my biggest concern isn’t the cost but whether the investment will be worth it. I don't want my parents investing in something that doesn't return much value. The reason I don't want to stay in India is because I have no family here and I am tired of living all alone. My parents live in the UAE, but I don’t see myself returning there to pursue my career, as I believe there is not many opportunities of growth there for this field. Due to this reason and a few other factors, my parents are also considering relocating to where I would settle.

I’d really appreciate honest advice from anyone in the field, especially from people who have studied HCI in Germany or currently work there.

• Is an HCI Master’s still worth it given AI and the current UX job market?
• How difficult is it for international graduates to find relevant jobs in Germany?
• Should I pursue my Master’s or continue gaining experience in India?
• Would an MBA offer better long-term prospects?

I want to make an informed decision rather than follow a plan simply because I’ve been working towards it for years. I’d really appreciate any insights or personal experiences.

Thank you for your time.

The things that stick in my mind from this article aren't the whole philosophy of slow technology and designing for reflection, the part that forces the user to feel the presence of time. It's the smaller things. The doorbell example, for one.

We used to have exactly this slow doorbell when I was a kid. It was always weird hearing it play fragments of a melody each time. I can't tell if it was annoying — but I remember completing the melody every time it stopped.

Another one is this paragraph:

Why is it not enough to have a reminder sign on the wall saying in capital letters ''SMILE'' or ''THINK OF YOUR FAVOURITE PAINTING BY MATISSE'', etc? A key reason why this substitution is pointless is that the reminder sign is very imprecise in telling me what my favourite painting by Matisse is or why I should smile.

One thing I think the authors themselves seemed worried about was the distinction between art and the moment when you say: "Ok, so what?" It kept crossing my mind too — even though each time, I had my own answers. The one I keep coming back to: slow doesn't mean it stops being a tool. If the slowness comes from concentrating on aesthetics, the same object can still do its job — it just does it while making you reflect. The doorbell still tells me someone's at the door. It only changes how I receive that.

Slow technology has to be carefully framed and introduced in order not to be perceived merely as some poorly designed and, as a result, useless tool.

Some parts of fast technology can still be slow and annoying. As mentioned in the article, the learning curve — understanding why it works, how it works, applying it, seeing what it is, and finding out the consequences — can all be frustrating, and a result of bad design.

But this slowness is appealing in time-based art forms, like music, which are designed for reflection.

Maybe that's the distinction I keep landing on: annoying slowness is slowness you didn't choose. The doorbell made me wait — but it also handed me a melody to finish. One asks for nothing back. The other leaves room for you.

That room it leaves you to reflect is, I guess, what slow technology brings.

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If you enjoyed reading this checkout my website for my other notes at morajabi.me

Hi everyone!
I’m currently going through a stressful phase in my career, as I’ve been struggling to land a job in UI/UX design. I have a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and have transitioned into product design, but the current job market has made me question my next steps.
I’m considering pursuing a Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in Germany or Ireland (suggest any other country/uni if possible) if you to deepen my knowledge, improve my career prospects, and potentially find better opportunities abroad.
I’d really appreciate honest advice, including the downsides.

I am currently pursuing a MS in Human Factors Engineering from the US and getting a summer internship here seems bleak due to the cpt restrictions. However, i am willing to relocate to other countries for the opportunity to be able to be a part of an internship program.
Does anybody have any advice on how to apply for such roles, any specific companies to try for or even any information that might help me land an internship for next year.
Any and all information or advise or criticism is appreciated.

With AI tools becoming part of everyday IT work, I'm curious about what professionals are seeing in their actual jobs.

Are technical skills alone still enough to grow in IT, or are problem-solving, communication, and understanding business needs becoming just as important?

For those already working in the industry, what skills have made the biggest difference in your career?

https://www.nanodwarf.io/research

Hey everyone,

A colleague and I have been working on Thumbview, a VS Code extension that provides an alternate view of your workspace where project files are represented by thumbnails and arranged in a spatial overview.

Instead of looking through a file tree or a list of tabs, you can leverage the power of human spatial memory with the help of visual landmarks to navigate your code base.

We are recruiting participants for an academic study at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) to see when and how developers use Thumbview in their daily tasks. Participants will install the extension and enable telemetry for a two-week period. At the end of the period, participants will be reminded to fill out an exit questionnaire, followed by an optional exit interview. If you are interested and would like to participate please fill out the consent form and demographics questionnaire here: 

https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/K8BSJNS 

If you’re not interested in participating but you’d still like to help, or you just want to try out the extension, here are some other links:
Marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Thumbview.thumbview&ssr=false#overview 
Issues & feedback repo: https://github.com/jjoseph357/thumbview-issues 

Any feedback on the extension is appreciated!

Privacy note: Participation is strictly opt-in. Telemetry never inspects or sends code, file names, folder paths, or search terms. It only records anonymous navigation timings (like seconds to select a file or grid clicks). You can opt out or delete your data at any time.