Guest Lecture - SWEN 303 (User Experience Engineering) Zoom: https://vuw.zoom.us/my/swen303

Abstract: While XR might be more well known for its immersive games such as Beat Saber and Half Life Alyx, it is also seeing increasing popularity in many industries including tourism, education, and cultural heritage for its ability to accurately reproduce real-world tasks and immerse its users in realistic environments. In this lecture Jacob will share his current and past research in these areas, including live demonstrations, and some of the lessons that can be learned from them for making effective user experiences in XR applications.

Bio: Jacob Young's research focuses on Virtual Reality (VR), and specifically the experiences it induces in its users, whether that be immersing them, educating them, or connecting them with others. He has a particular interest in designing remote collaboration tools and finding ways to make distant people feel and interact as though they are physically and emotionally connected. Jacob completed his PhD at the University of Otago before becoming a postdoctoral researcher at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington.