Research Groups & Companies
This section contains a list of groups of people
working on or with HCI, either commercially or for research
purposes. For lack of a better classification I have chosen to
classify them by country, and within a country in alphabetical
order. Australia | Austria | Belgium | Canada | China | Denmark | Finland | France | Germany | Greece | Ireland | Israel | Italy | Japan | Korea | The Netherlands | Norway | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland
| United Kingdom | United States
of America | Virtual groups
Australia
- Access Testing
Centre (ATC) in Sydney provides a complete
range of testing services covering technical, usability and
business requirements.
- Australian
CRC for Interaction Design (ACID). Its core business is
R&D, and commercialisation of content and technologies for
the Creative Industries; comprising of game development,
digital art, performing and visual arts, design, film,
television and multimedia sectors.
- Different, a
strategic, multi-disciplinary company with consultants in
Sydney and Melbourne focused on delivering great experience
design.
- The Hiser Group
- Information &
Design is a usability
consultancy based in Melbourne, Australia.
- Reuten is a consulting
firm providing companies with useful and easy to use interactive
products, offering information architecture, user experience and
usability evaluation services.
- Swinburne Computer
Human Interaction Laboratory (SCHIL)
- University of Melbourne: Interaction
Design Group focuses on improving the fit between end users and
innovative technology, including multimedia and web based
systems.
- University of Queensland:
- UsabilityOne is a
niche-consulting firm with specialist skills that blend
professional market research and new technology experience.
Austria
Belgium
- InteractionArchitect.com
Leading usability and user-centered design
consultancy in Belgium.
- Hasselt University: Expertise Centre for
Digital Media aims to be a leading research institute in
multimedia, human-computer interaction, telematics, virtual
environments and computer graphics.
- Namahn For more than ten years Namahn has focussed on
innovation and the needs of the user by keeping one eye on emerging
technologies and one eye on the customer experience.
- Novesco Novesco provides consulting services in web design,
user-centric website development and usability testing, competitive
benchmarking data and customer surveys.
- University of Namur:
Human-Computer
Interface and Multimedia Communication
Canada
- Akendi –
Experience Design, Usability, Design Research.
- Ardelius provides
usability and user experience consulting.
- Carleton University:
- HOT lab (Human Oriented
Technology Lab) The HOT Lab is a
university-based centre for research, education and consulting
that strives to improve interactive technologies for human
endeavors with an emphasis on human computer interaction and a
user-centred design approach.
- Concordia University: Human-Centered Software
Engineering Group
- Convergent Design
(inc)
- Human Factors, M.D.
Making medical technology usable.
- Idéactif Idéactif Conseil specializes in usability
and marketing applied to interactive products (Internet,
Intranet, software). Its approach to product development is to
combine strong usability and information architecture techniques
with communication and marketing principles, in order to put
end-users at the center of the design process.
- merges interaction &
interface design
- National Research Council: Institute for Information Technology:
Human-Computer Interaction
- Ottawa: Macadamian
Usability is a usability
consulting and user experience design firm that helps
technology companies design products that their users will
love.
- Queen's University: Human Media Lab.
- University of Alberta: Advanced Man-Machine
Interface laboratory.
- University of British Columbia:
- University of Calgary:
Grouplab
- University of Toronto
- University of Waterloo:
LT3, the
Centre for Learning & Teaching Through Technology
- UsabilityReviews.com
U-C WEBS provides heuristic usability evaluations,
accessibility audits and other Internet consultancy,
including usability testing and SWOT analysis.
- Usable Tools provides
usability testing software for the Usability/HCI community.
China
- Apogee Usability Asia
is Asia's leading Usability Research & consulting services
provider.
- Sino European
Usability Center promotes usability engineering practice in
China so as to provide more usable products to Chinese users as
well as the users around world.
Denmark
- Centre for Human-Machine
Interaction (CHMI) is organised as a cross-disciplinary
research network between some twenty scientists and PhD
students at seven Danish sites with an engagement in the
fundamental aspects of human-machine interaction and their
implications for design.
- Copenhagen Business School: The
HCI Research Group
- DialogDesign
- University of Southern Denmark:
- Mads Clausen
Institute for Product Innovation will focus on the
development of mechatronic products: complex engineered
products.
- Natural Interactive Systems
Laboratory (NIS) does fundamental and applied research in
natural interactive systems including spoken language dialogue
systems, multimodal and gestural systems, web-based
collaborative systems, natural interactivity data handling
tools, design support tools for usability engineering, and
systems evaluation.
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
- hci.gr
hci.gr is a usability service provider for Greece,
providing design guidelines and evaluation to interactive
systems, such as e-commerce applications,
multimedia applications, e-learning environments and
e-banking services.
- University of Patras:
Human-Computer
Interaction Group
Ireland
- Frontend provides
user-centred interface design solutions for e-business
developments, software applications, WAP services and a variety
of other digital devices.
- University College Cork: Human
Factors Research Group
- University of Limerick:
Interaction Design Centre
- iQ content is
passionate about creating better websites by using expertise,
knowledge, outsourcing and training.
Israel
- Commodio develops a
novel, patent-pending technology, which turns a screen from a "dumb
terminal" into a "smart" interactive media.
- Ergolight makes
software tools for understanding user behavior.
Italy
Japan
Korea
Netherlands
- 2C Communication
Consultancy is specialized in performing usability
tests on websites and software. 2C has a usability testing
lab and organises usability workshops.
- Delft University of Technology: Man-Machine Interaction
Group, aimed at boosting research around the subject of
human-computer interaction of intelligent multimodal
systems.
- Eindhoven University of Technology:
JFS, the
J.F. Schouten School for User-System Interaction Research.
- EON (Ergonomie Opleidingen
Nederland) Organizes ergonomical
courses.
- ErgoS ErgoS Engineering & Ergonomics specializes in
human-centered design.
- Filterdesign
designs the interaction of applications; this means that they
make design decisions based on what the user wants to
achieve. Working from the outside in, looking at the user's
goals, the business goals and the technical opportunities.
- Hogeschool van Utrecht: Knowledge
Centre CIBIT.
- Noldus Information Technology,
b.v., Wageningen.
- Senter's IOP has a
research program into Man Machine Interaction.
- Sotopia tests
the usability of web sites, web applications and software
packages. Sotopia is a leading provider of usability testing and
usability consultancy.
- TNO:
- W3use
- Web site
optimalisatie usability and accessibility evaluations, as
well as search engine marketing. Internet consultancy
adviseert over verbeteren van gebruiksvriendelijkheid,
toegankelijkheid en vindbaarheid.
Norway
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
- amberlight
interaction design and usability testing services
- brightfluid brightfluid provides wireless research and consultancy
services focussed on the user experience.
- Brunel University:
People
and interactivity
- Bunnyfoot Usability & Accessibility
Specialists
- City University: The Centre for Human
Computer Interaction Design.
- Corporate Solutions
Consulting
- Effortmark
specialises in improving forms.
- imetrix imetrix specialises in helping organisations create
sites that actual users find appealing and effective. We do this
through user testing programmes, expert evaluations and customised
analytical solutions.
- Glasgow University
- Leeds Metropolitan University: Interactive
Systems and Learning Environments (ISLE)
work is concerned with usability issues of computer systems in
general, and computer-based education in particular.
- London: The Information,
Media and Communication Group at the Queen Mary and
Westfield College.
- Manchester University:
Advanced Interfaces Group
(AIG)
- Middlesex University: Interaction
Design Centre.
- Napier University: Human Computer
Interaction Group
- Nortel Networks: design.interpretive.
- optimum web specialists in usability testing and human-computer
interaction consultancy
- Pure Interface
Ltd.An independent usability consultancy specialized in
user interface design, usability testing and research.
- Scottish HCI Centre
at Heriot-Watt University.
- Serco Usability
Services (formerly NPL Usability Services)
- Staffordshire University: Human
Computer Interaction
- System Concepts Ltd.
- The Usability
Company: Specialists in website,
wireless, Intranet, digital interactive TV and software
usability testing and research.
- Travel UCD,
consultants in travel & hospitality website design.
- UCL: University College
London Interaction Centre (UCLIC) UCLIC is
an advanced research centre in human-computer interaction and also
provides a Graduate Diploma, an MSc, and a PhD
programme.
- University of Bath:
Human-Computer
Interaction Group
- University of Brighton:
Interactive
Technologies Research Group, aimed at designing and
developing useful and usable interactive technologies.
- University of Dundee: Multi-Modal and
Ordinary and Extra-Ordinary HCI
- University of Lancashire: Child
Computer Interaction The group is primarily concerned
with research relating to the design of interactive artefacts
for children. This work includes interface design, novel input
technologies, usability testing, evaluation paradigms and
educational applications.
- University of Surrey: The Digital World Research
CentreThe centre investigates the relationships between
people, society and digital technologies.
- University of Sussex: Human Centered
Technology Group.
- Usability by Design Ltd.
- Userface Ltd.
User interface design and usability evaluation
- User-Lab
Usability
laboratory for Digital Media Design, Birmingham Institute of
Art and Design
- Webcredible is a
web usability, credibility and accessibility expert, providing
training, assessments, consulting and web development.
- Xerox Research
Centre Europe (formerly EuroPARC)
- York University: HCI Group
United States of America
- ADDUCIVE Adducive provides user interface design, analysis and
production for web-based, IVR, speech recognition, handheld, and
desktop software.
- AFA Design Consultants
- Applied Systems Intelligence,
Inc.
- Aptima human-centered
engineering.
- Auburn University:
Intelligent and
Interactive Systems Research Group spans research
interests and projects on Artificial Intelligence,
Cognitive Science, Human-Computer Interaction and Learning
Technologies.
- Behavioristics,
Inc. specializes in preventing costly mistakes in a
product's user-interface design and implementation. User
Centered Design, Usability Testing, and Evaluation are
utilized to ensure an efficient means of creating a highly
usable product.
- Beta Research,
Inc.
- Binghamton University: HciLab.
- Carbon IQ: Designing
positive human experiences.
- Carnegie Mellon University:
- Cognetics Corporation
- Context Research
- Cooper Interaction Design
- Cornell University: Human-Computer Interaction
GroupThe Human Computer Interaction Group concentrates
on issues that focus on the interactions among human practices,
needs, desires, and interests, and the design and evaluation of
technology that satisfies users and enhances their abilities to
achieve goals.
- Cox & Hall
- Creative Good Creative Good is on a mission to improve the online
customer experience -- on e-commerce websites, content and
entertainment sites, intranets, b2b sites, and wireless Internet
services.
- Deborah
J. Mayhew & Associates
- Dray & Associates
- ERGO/GERO Human Factors
Consultants.
- Ergosoft Laboratories,
Inc.
- Federal Aviation Administration:
Human Factors Division
- Human Systems Integration
Information Analysis Center (HSIAC) provides Human Systems
Integration (HSI) information and analysis services in support
of research, design, development, test, and evaluation of
human-operated systems.
- Georgia Institute of Technology: GVU Center
(Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center); and CHMSR (Center for Human-Machine
Systems Research).
- Gomoll Research &
Design Inc.
- Parrish Hanna,
User experience business leader.
- Human Factors International
- Human Factors Plus
- Human Interfaces Inc.
Our mission is to help build products that are
intuitive and user-friendly.
- HumanCentric
Technologies, Inc.
- HumanLogic HumanLogic develops user experiences that create
business value.
- IBM
- InContext Enterprises
- Interaction by
Design Creating compelling user
experiences
- Inverse Ratio Know your customers and build for their
needs. Interactive product innovation through cutting-edge research
and design. It's what we do.
- Laboratory
for Automation Psychology (LAP)
- MAYA Design
Group MAYA is a design consultancy and technology
research lab. We tame complexity in ways that lead to positive,
fruitful experiences.
- Microsoft: Usability research
- Microsoft Research:
- Monterey
Technologies, Inc.
- Motivo Creates excellent interactive experiences that achieve
clients' goals through the effective integration of design,
technology and human interaction.
- NASA:
- Office of Aeronautics: Human Factors
- Intelligent Systems Program: Human-Centered
Computing Develops means of optimizing the
performance and communications of mixed human/automation
systems.
- Naval Research Laboratory: Interface Design
and Evaluation Section
- Nielsen Norman Group
- New Mexico State University: Department of Psychology
- New York University: Interactive
Telecommunications Program
- Oregon Graduate Institute: Center for Human-Computer
Communication
- PARC: The User
Interface Research charter is to develop new techniques
for people to interact with large information
environments.
- Pipsqueak productions
- Pliant Research is
concerned with the mismatch between the rigidity of current
computing technology and the richness of human lives and
practices.
- ProtoDesign, Inc.
- R&R Research, Inc.
- Jaclyn Schrier independent user experience consultant specializing in
identifying user goals, wants and needs, designing user interfaces,
and evaluating product usefulness and usability for interactive
software products and services.
- Simpy Usable through
Design promotes a user-centered approach to
designing and developing products that users like, want and can
easily use.
- Snyder Consulting
Boston area, specializing in paper prototyping
and usability testing.
- Stanford University:
- Swim interaction design
studio
- Tec-Ed, Inc. A user advocacy firm specialized in usability
evaluation, user interface design (including graphic
design), user documentation, and marketing
communication.
- theUEgroup specialized in providing products and services related
to product definition, design, and usability as well
as marketing and branding evaluations.
- Tufts University
- University of California at Berkeley: GUIR (Group for User Interface
Research)
- University of California at San Diego:
Distributed Cognition & HCI laboratory
- University of Colorado at Boulder: Center
for lifelong learning & design.
- University of Florida: Interactive Media Lab
- University of Maryland at College Park: Human-Computer Interaction
Laboratory.
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Human-Computer
Interaction Research.
- University of Oklahoma: Human
Technology Interaction Center.
- University of Oregon: Interactive
Systems Group.
- University of Virginia: Human-Computer
Interaction
- University of Washington: Human Interface Technology Lab
- Usability
Architects, Inc.
- Usability Sciences
- Usable Products
- Userware We're what you
need to develop simple software for a complex world of financial
services, telecommunications, business and customer service
applications.
- UserWorks
- Virginia Tech:
- WebCriteria Helping you manage the online customer
experience
- Wichita State University:
Virtual groups
- ADVISES, a
research training network on Analysis Design and Validation of
Interactive Safety-critical and Error-tolerant Systems.
