Tangible Embodied Child-Computer Interaction Lab
Director Dr. Alissa N. Antle School of Interactive Arts and Technology Simon Fraser University
About TECI
At TECI we conduct design-oriented research and train the next generation of researchers to design, build and evaluate technical innovations that improve, augment, and support children’s cognitive and emotional development.
In the TECI lab we are committed to working with diverse populations of children, particularly those that may be vulnerable or hard to reach. At TECI we are working to ensure diversity and inclusivity in our team and in our research participants across a range of social, economic, cultural, racial, ethnic, and gender groups.
Primary Research Foci: Design research, tangible interaction, embodied interaction, child-computer interaction
Application Areas: Literacy, social-emotional learning, mindfulness, sustainability education, social justice, aboriginal heritage
Current Projects
People
Dr. Antle is a tenured Professor in the School of Interactive Arts + Technology at Simon Fraser University, Canada. Dr. Antle holds the highest honour for a Canadian scholar through her induction as a member of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, which acknowledges her as one of Canada’s intellectual leaders. Dr. Antle’s impact extends to the international community through her recognition as a leader in ethical child-centered technology research.
Annemiek Veldhuis
Sadhbh Kenny
Triane Tambay
Ashu Adhikari
Kenneth Karthik
James Yoo
Dilky Felsinger
News & Events
As we wrap up our week of shining a spotlight on our amazing graduate students, we would like to introduce you to the support team that helps run the day-to-day operations of the lab. Meet Triane Tambay and James Yoo.
Triane (BA) is TECI’s Lab Manager. She supports research activities, provides administrative support and manages internal projects. One of her favorite aspects about being involved with the TECI Lab is being surrounded by such an inspiring group of students and gaining insight into their fields of research. In addition to playing a pivotal role within the lab, she is also a 4th year SIAT undergraduate with a concentration in Creative Media. She has a background in event production and an interest in producing sensor based interactive art installations.
James (BSc) is TECI’s Web Developer and is responsible for maintaining the lab’s website and developing new pages and projects that support ongoing research efforts. One of his favorite aspects of working at TECI is gaining valuable insights into the diverse areas of expertise within the lab. In addition to working as the Web Dev for TECI, he is a software engineer, focusing on creating efficient, scalable, and responsive applications. He is passionate about integrating modern web technologies to enhance the lab’s online presence. James is in his 4th year at SIAT working through his undergraduate degree with a concentration in Interactive Systems and Design.
Both Triane and James work behind the scenes with TECI Lab director Dr. Alissa N. Antle to support the lab’s research activities. The TECI Lab conducts design-oriented research and trains the next generation of researchers to design, build and evaluate technical innovations that improve, augment, and support children’s cognitive and emotional development. Thank you for joining us this week as we highlight the amazing lab members at the Tangible Embodied Child-Computer Interaction Lab.
#tecilab #academiclife #siatspotlight #siat #simonfraseru #simonfraseruniversity #SFUSurrey #SFUgram
Meet Dilky Felsinger! Dilky is our newest lab member and we are thrilled she chose to pursue her Masters of Science with us.
Her background in computer science and experience in data science and machine learning provide a strong foundation for her current work at TECI. Her past research focused on improving online education systems, particularly in resource-constrained settings, where she gained expertise in mixed-methods research and user-centered design. With a keen interest in AI, user experience and accessibility, she aims to explore innovative approaches that empower children to become informed and critical thinkers in the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, fostering their ability to shape and navigate AI-driven futures responsibly.
Although she has only been with the lab a few short weeks, her can-do attitude and curiosity in research is evident. We can’t wait to be part of her academic journey.
#tecilab #research #academiclife #siatspotlight #siat #simonfraseru #simonfraseruniversity #sfugraduatestudent #hci #hciresearch #humancomputerinteraction #SFUSurrey #SFUgram #childcomputerinteraction #technologyresearch #technologydesign #designeducation #criticalAI #AIliteracy
Meet Annemiek Veldhuis and Sadhbh Kenny!
Annemiek (PhD) has worked the past eight years on investigating and designing ways to enhance the autonomy of elementary and middle school students in design-based learning projects. Her PhD research centers on a two-year participatory design project, collaborating closely with a teacher and a grade 6/7 classroom to create tools that foster students` metacognitive, motivational, and emotional regulation. Her work is grounded in value-sensitive design principles, theory-informed design methodologies, and active engagement with multiple stakeholders across various levels.
Annemiek plays a strong leadership role within the lab. She is always available to other lab members and graduate students beyond the lab, offering advice, guidance and support. To learn more about her work, please follow the links in our bio.
Sadhbh (MA) is in the process of defending her thesis that explores how participatory and speculative design workshops can help diverse groups of youth cultivate critical AI literacies and imagine more socially just AI futures. Through her work with Vancouver’s Ethos Lab, she’s led a series of workshops that explore how BIPOC youth perceive AI and envision its potential to serve community values in alternative realities. Sadhbh believes these young voices, especially from underrepresented groups, offer unique perspectives that are essential for creating more inclusive AI futures. She is keen to explore how these critical AI literacies may translate into praxis, transformative agency, and democratizing the future.
Sadhbh brings so much enthusiasm and positivity into the lab and through her involvement within the SFU graduate community. Her curiosity and compassion extend beyond her studies and influences her research activities and community engagement.
#tecilab #research #academiclife #siatspotlight #siat #simonfraseru #simonfraseruniversity #sfugraduatestudent #hci #hciresearch #humancomputerinteraction #SFUSurrey #SFUgram #childcomputerinteraction #technologyresearch #technologydesign #designeducation #criticalAI #AIliteracy #designbasedlearning #participatorydesign
📢✨ Highlighting Postdoc Researcher: Alexandra Kitson ✨📢
Over the past two years, @AlexandraKitson has been making incredible strides in virtual reality (VR) interventions for adolescent emotion regulation. 🙌🎮
Her research focuses on how immersive VR experiences can empower teens to manage big emotions, build resilience, and foster deeper emotional well-being. 🌱💪 Through innovative VR environments, Alexandra has been paving the way for more engaging, accessible, and personalized mental health tools tailored to young people.
💡 Her work not only transforms how adolescents approach emotional challenges but also shows how tech can become a key ally in the journey toward mental health! 💡
Swipe to see more about the fascinating projects Alexandra has led, and stay tuned for future updates on her impact in the world of VR and mental health. 💫🌍
#VirtualReality #MentalHealthTech #AdolescentWellbeing #EmotionRegulation #EmergingTech #VRInterventions #ResearchSpotlight #WellbeingInnovation #UXResearch #AlexandraKitson #PostdocLife #HCI #CompassionInVR
This week we are shining a spotlight on our amazing lab members. To start, we want to acknowledge Priscilla Lo who has recently defended her thesis.
Priscilla`s (MSc) thesis research explored how an AI chatbot persona can support middle school students` process of designing for others, aiming to foster empathy in children for peers with low vision. Her research interests focus on social inclusion, collaboration, and new multisensory approaches to enhance shared experiences in work and play regardless of (dis)ability. She is eager to continue conducting research on accessible and inclusive design, whether that be in an academic setting or within industry.
It is always bittersweet when we have to say goodbye to lab members. We are so proud of the work Priscilla has done during her time here at TECI and through her involvement in the SFU graduate community. To learn more about Priscilla and her research please find a link in our bio.
#tecilab #tecilabmembers #research #academiclife #siatspotlight #siat #simonfraseru #simonfraseruniversity #sfugraduatestudent #hci #hciresearch #humancomputerinteraction #SFUSurrey #SFUgram #childcomputerinteraction #technologyresearch #technologydesign #ai #chatbots #empathy #designeducation
The TECI Lab is now accepting applications for Fall 2025!
At TECI we conduct design-oriented research and train the next generation of researchers to design, build and evaluate technical innovations that improve, augment, and support children’s cognitive and emotional development.
We are looking for curious and passionate researchers with backgrounds in the field of HCI, graphic/industrial/interaction/intervention design, psychology, cognitive science, learning sciences, neuroscience, mental health studies, digital media/arts, computer engineering or computer science.
To find out more about available positions and application details, a link is available in our bio.
#tecilab #teciishiring #research #werehiring #academiclife #tech #siatspotlight #siat #simonfraseru #simonfraseruniversity #canadianuniversities #sfugraduatestudent #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #SFUSurrey #SFUgram
Annemiek Veldhuis, TECI’s PhD lab member, along with collaborators Kim Sauvé, Hans Brombacher, Rosa van Koningsbruggen, Steven Houben, and Jason Alexander hosted a successful workshop at this year’s ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) conference held at IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark earlier this month. Their workshop, “Physicalization from Theory to Practice” explored contemporary challenges in privacy, temporality, collaboration and sustainability in data physicalization design. To learn more, a link to their “Physicalization from Theory to Practice” workshop proposal can be found in our bio.
#DIS2024 #acmdis2024 #tecilabontheroad #tecilabconference #sfusiat #tecilab #technologyresearch #dataphysicalization #HCI #informatics #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #technologydesign #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram
We are excited to share that TECI’s Director Alissa Antle and PhD researcher Alexandra Kitson will be featured in the upcoming Scholarly Impact of the Week series. Their interview highlights the contributions both have made to the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and their research in designing virtual reality-based emotion regulation support for teens.
Alissa and Alexandra are part of an ongoing collaboration with Dr. Petr Slovak from King’s College London to explore the capacity digital tools have in supporting the development of children’s cognitive and emotional development. Their most recent paper, "Supporting Cognitive Reappraisal With Digital Technology: A Content Analysis and Scoping Review of Challenges, Interventions, and Future Directions" was accepted into this year’s CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
Links to the CHI 2024 research paper and the Scholarly Impact of the Week interview can be found in our bio.
#tecilab #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #technologydesign #technologyresearch #acmchi2024 #digitalhealth #mentalhealth #childcomputerinteraction #interactiondesign #designingforchildren #snapshotofsiat #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram
We are thrilled to announce that Jillian Warren, Alissa Antle, Alexandra Kitson and Alireza Davoodi have just been awarded the 2023 Best Paper Award at the ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference (IDC) for their paper “A codesign study exploring needs, strategies, and opportunities for digital health platforms to address pandemic-related impacts on children and families”. This celebrated journal article appears in the International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction which can be found through a link in our bio. Congratulations @jillian_lane_warren @alissaantle @alexandrakitson and Alireza Davoodi !
#tecilab #tecipublications #children #childcomputerinteraction #interactiondesign #designingforchildren #snapshotofsiat #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #technologydesign #technologyresearch #acmidc2024 #digitalhealth #mentalhealth
Dr. Alissa Antle will be speaking at The UX Innovation Speaker Series, hosted by The Okanagan Visualization & Interaction lab Wednesday May 29th.
Are technology-mediated interventions that help children master their ability to regulation anxiety and attention more or less important than applications that help them learn to read and write? When children use a smart watch to improve their athletic performance, how does it change their sense of identity and agency? Is it ethical for an AI agent embedded in virtual reality to provide emotional support for teens struggling with thoughts of suicide?
Over the last 20 years Alissa has come up against these types of questions, which ask not only what can be done through the development of new interactive technologies but what should be done ethically. As a result, she has developed an interdisciplinary, child-centric approach or framework that she uses to conduct research in child-computer interaction, a subfield of human-computer-interaction (HCI). In this presentation, she will provide an overview of this framework illustrated with examples of novel technical systems, child-focused design methods, and complex field studies that were developed to investigate the ways in which emerging interactive technologies can be part of solutions to key challenges facing children and their well-being in the 21st Century. Alissa’s research contributions are theoretical, applied, design oriented, and most critically addresses not only what can be done technically, but what should be done ethically through responsible technology innovation.
To register follow the link in our bio for the UX Innovation Speaker Series.
#AlissaAntle #tecilab #childcomputerinteraction #interactiondesign #designingforchildren #canadianresearcher #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #SFUgram #hci #cci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #technologydesign #technologyresearch #ubcokanagan #speakerseries #ux
TECI Lab at CHI 2024! Priscilla Lo (MSc) and Alexandra Kitson (Postdoc) attended this year’s ACM CHI conference in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. This year’s theme was “Surfing the World – reflecting the focus on pushing forth the wave of cutting-edge technology and riding the tide of new developments in human-computer interaction.” Both Priscilla and Alexandra had seven papers between them accepted into this year`s conference. Their research can be read through the link in our bio. Congratulations Priscilla and Alexandra on all your hard work!
#tecilab #tecipublications #AlexKitson #childcomputerinteraction #interactiondesign #designingforchildren #snapshotofsiat #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #technologydesign #technologyresearch #digitalhealth #vrresearchers #participatorydesign #ai #chatbots #autoethnography #acmchi2024
More great news! Priscilla Lo, current TECI Masters student, has had her research paper, An Autoethnographic Reflection of Prompting a Custom GPT Based on Oneself, accepted into this year’s ACM CHI conference! ACM CHI is one of the leading international conferences covering Human Factors in Computing Systems. Priscilla’s thesis work centers around children using generative AI chatbots to better understand how to design for different abilities.
Congratulations Priscilla!
#tecilab #tecipublications #children #childcomputerinteraction #interactiondesign #designingforchildren #snapshotofsiat #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #technologydesign #technologyresearch #ai #chatbots #autoethnography #acmchi2024
We are excited to share that Alexandra Kitson, TECI’s current Postdoc, and her team have not one but TWO papers accepted for this upcoming ACM CHI conference! ACM CHI is one of the leading international conferences covering Human Factors in Computing Systems. Alex and her team explore innovative digital health solutions to reshape the future of mental well-being. In “I Call Upon a Friend”, the team went to two different high schools to unravel the challenges youth face in mastering emotion regulation skills and co-designed virtual reality’s potential to transform therapeutic interventions for youth.
Congratulations Alexandra and her team of HCI Researchers!
#tecilab #tecipublications #AlissaAntle #AlexKitson #children #childcomputerinteraction #interactiondesign #designingforchildren #snapshotofsiat #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #technologydesign #technologyresearch #digitalhealth #vrresearchers #participatorydesign #acmchi2024
Come work with us!
Who You Are
You are a current SFU student or recent graduate who is pursuing a career in web development or graphic design. You have at least 1 year of web development experience working with existing WordPress plugins as well as custom plugins developed for websites. You are a self starter and have strong communication skills. You have an eye for design and can create user friendly web experiences. Experience with web front-end development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as well as back-end development with PHP and working with remote Apache servers through SSH.
What You’ll Do
You will be responsible for updating, managing and maintaining back-ups of WordPress websites’ back-end including plugins, tools, and database, identify and implement plug-ins to support searchable database for academic publications, monitored websites’ performance and handle troubleshooting and WordPress issues.
You must be available to attend meetings and provide progress reports, be a strong self starter, have a clear and timely communication style and be able to work with minimal supervision.
See the link in our bio to apply.
#tecilab #teciishiring #research #werehiring #academiclife #wordpress #tech #siatspotlight #siat #simonfraseru #simonfraseruniversity #canadianuniversities #sfugraduatestudent
🚨Research participants needed 🚨
Why we need you:
We want to learn about how young people use VRChat when they’re dealing with big emotions and how you envision social VR could be used to better support youth mental health. We are looking for youth aged 13-24 years old who have a trust rank of “new user” or above to participate.
This study has two parts:
Part 1 - Expression of interest online survey that will take about 10 minutes.
Part 2 - Interview in VRChat itself to talk about and walk us through your experiences for 30-60 minutes.
Honorarium: by completing the interview, you will receive a gift card.
For more information: send a DM or go directly to the expression of interest form through the link in our bio
If you know any young users of VRChat, we would really appreciate if you could share this info with them as well 🙂
#research #sfu #emotions #vrchat #teens
It’s National Postdoc Appreciation Week! We would like to shout out our appreciation for TECI’s own Alexandra Kitson. Her area of interest centers around digital health for adolescents and is currently working on designing virtual reality-based emotion regulation supports for teens.
To learn more about the amazing work Alexandra is up to, see the links in our bio for their most recent list of publications and check out SFU’s article celebrating other SFU PostDocs.
Photo courtesy of SFU.
@alexandrakitson #AlexKitson #tecilab #sfu #snapshotsofsiat #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #researcher #postdoc #SFUcommunity #SFUpostdoctoralassociation #sfugraduatestudent
Congratulations to Jillian L. Warren, Alissa N. Antle, Alexandra Kitson and Alireza Davoodi for their publication “A codesign study exploring needs, strategies, and opportunities for digital health platforms to address pandemic-related impacts on children and families” in the International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction.
Abstract
In this paper we contribute seven design opportunities for future digital health platforms, like Private Social Networks (PSNs), focused on supporting the (un)met mental health and socioemotional needs of children (8-12 years old) and their supporting adults (parents and teachers) in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. These were derived from the thematic analysis of a two-phase co-design study with children, their parents, and their teachers (Phase 1), and employees at our industry partner Curatio.me (Phase 2). Our thematic findings contribute understanding about the types of experiences children, families and educators have had, and open the conversation around designing digital health platforms that can support mental health and socioemotional wellbeing in children and their supporting adults. Through individualized tracking, social capabilities, and secure, vetted sources of support, PSNs offer unique opportunities to (1) provide children with a safe space to share, reflect and come together, (2) extend existing practices related to SEL across children’s changing contexts and developmental needs, (2) support an integrated digital ecosystem of care across different stakeholders that allows for engagement and targeted interventions, and (3) support niche or marginalized communities in gaining access to relevant, meaningful and identity-specific support that may not otherwise be available.
Find the article at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212868923000338?dgcid=coauthor
#tecilab #tecipublications #JillianWarren #AlissaAntle #AlexKitson #AlirezaDavoodi #children #childcomputerinteraction #designingforchildren #snapshotofsiat #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #technologydesign #technologyresearch #digitalhealth #intergenerationalcodesign
The 22nd annual ACM Interaction Design and Children (IDC) Conference is well underway and TECI lab members have started the week strong. Dr. Alexandra Kitson is seen here giving her presentation regarding her work in the VR space and its potential in cognitive reappraisal methods for youth. TECI Director Dr. Alissa Antle was part of a successful panel discussion on the impact equity, diversity and inclusion has in research. Check out our stories for more snapshots of us at the conference!
#IDC2023 #AlexKitson #tecilabontheroad #tecilabconference #tecilab #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #childcomputerinteraction #technologydesign #technologyresearch #humancenteredcomputing #HCItheory #emotionregulation #mentalhealth #technologyenabledintervention #cognitivereappraisal #psychology #postivepsychology #virtualreality #VR #VRresearch #virtualrealityresearch