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.
