ĚÇĐÄÍřŇł°ć

19 May 2025

On March 28, Emma Mainza Chilufya at the Department of Computer and Information Science (IDA) successfully defended her thesis about human-computer interaction. "Being a PhD student at IDA has been eye-opening and inspiring", she says.

Emma with VR headset on her head

Congratulations on your PhD! What was your background when you started your PhD?

"Thank you. I earned my Master’s in Computer Science from Malmö University in 2016. Subsequently, I worked in the industry as technical support for four years before commencing my PhD studies."

What is it like to be a PhD student at IDA?

"Being a PhD student at IDA has been eye-opening and inspiring. It was easy to have quick discussions with colleagues about their research and to openly discuss your own research. The fikas with the COIN group were a great place for such discussions. Tom Ziemke and Mattias Arvola provided excellent opportunities to enhance my research and learning outcomes during the PhD. These are tools I will carry with me in my future pursuits."

What is your next step?

"With my PhD complete, I am winding up my research and teaching activities by the end of the semester. I will then be looking to pursue a research position to continue exploring my research in designing human-centred technologies."

Emma Mainza Chilufya's summary of her thesis

My thesis investigates the design of interactive interfaces for Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) within social interactive spaces, focusing on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) through the lenses of situated cognition and mediated action. It examines how IVAs, as mediators, facilitate interactions between users and their environments, influencing user decisions and behaviours.

The research addresses the gap in user participation methodologies in IVA design by involving users in the conceptual generation and prototyping phases. Through two case studies, the thesis highlights the importance of context, mediation patterns, and interaction spaces in IVA design. The thesis introduces novel design approaches and competencies for creating IVAs in social interactive spaces, presenting exemplars of IVAs in these environments.

Organisation

Latest news from LiU

kvinna som sitter ute pĂĄ campus valla.

Jeanne Cilliers is LiU’s Professor of Economic History

"Almost everything we experience today has historical parallels," says Jeanne Cilliers, new professor of economic history at LiU. She is interested in demographic processes such as marriage, fertility and mortality.

A man with glasses is looking at himself in the mirror.

Digital twin could reveal alcohol consumption in crime cases

Using a digital twin, it is possible to predict with greater precision than at present how much alcohol a person has consumed and at what time. The study was conducted by researchers at LiU and the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine.

Kvinna vid skrivbord med böcker.

New fuels may have an impact on the entire transport ecosystem

People, relationships and organisational culture can be decisive when new biofuels are introduced to the market. Switching to biogas affects entire networks of actors that are involved in freight transport in different ways.