Parmit Chilana
Associate Professor, Computing Science, Simon Fraser University
About Me
I am an Associate Professor and Ebco-Eppich Research Chair at the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University. My main area of research is in human-computer interaction (HCI). I co-direct the Interactive Experiences Lab at SFU.
My core research in HCI focuses on inventing and deploying user-centered software help and learning techniques for feature-rich applications in a variety of domains, such as 3D modeling, education, health, and software development. In particular, I am passionate about using interdisciplinary approaches to understand and design for user diversity and empower users from all backgrounds and skills levels to use, learn, and program emerging technologies. My work has been recognized with several awards and honors, including the 2022 CS-CAN Outstanding Early Career Computer Science Researcher Award, an NSERC Discovery Accelerator Award, and Best Paper Awards at venues such as ACM CHI. Before coming to SFU, I was an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo. I received my PhD from the University of Washington where I co-founded AnswerDash , a venture-funded startup that commercialized my award-winning dissertation work on crowdsourced contextual help retrieval.
Recent Publications
GI 2023: Chaudhury et al. Eliciting Requirements for the Design of a Self-Monitoring Intervention for Informal Learners. (Best Paper Award)
GI 2023: Jahanlou et al. Task-Centric Application Switching: How and Why Knowledge Workers Switch Software Applications for a Single Task
NordiCHI 2022: Ashtari et al. PONI: A Personalized Onboarding Interface for Getting Inspiration and Learning About AR/VR Creation.
VLHCC 2022: Chaudhury et al. “There’s no way to keep up!”: Diverse Motivations and Challenges Faced by Informal Learners of ML.
ITiCSE 2022: Wong et al. It depends on whether or not I'm lucky'': How students in an introductory programming course discover, select, and assess the utility of web-based resources.
CHI 2022: Jahanlou & Chilana. Katika: An End-to-End System for Authoring Amateur Explainer Motion Graphics Videos.
CHI 2022: Vermette et al. Uncovering Instructors’ Diverse Practices and Perceptions: A Field Deployment of a Customization-Sharing Platform that Supports Course Management.
VLHCC 2021: Khurana et al. ChatrEx: Designing Explainable Chatbot Interfaces for Enhancing Usefulness, Transparency, and Trust.
L@S 2021: . Ramesh et al. Setting up, Troubleshooting, and Innovating on the Delivery of Online Instruction: A Case Study of an LMS Q&A Forum.
GI 2021: Jahanlou et al. Challenges in Getting Started in Motion Graphic Design: Perspectives from Casual and Professional Motion Designers.
DIS 2020: Vermette et al. Peek-through Customization: Example-Based In-Context Sharing for Learning Management Systems. (Best Paper Honorable Mention Award )
CHI 2020: Ashtari et al. Creating Augmented and Virtual Reality Applications: Current Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities. (Best Paper Award)
CHI 2020: Mahmud et al. Learning Through Exploration: How Children, Adults, and Older Adults Interact with a New Feature-Rich Application.
Contact Me
School of Computing Science
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Dr E
Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada
Office: TASC1 9415
Email: pchilana@cs.sfu.ca
