People of ACM European Chapters - Arman Arakelyan

September 19, 2019

Can you briefly describe your own line of research and how you became interested in this area?

Back in 1997, then a student in psychology, I read Context and Consciousness: Activity Theory and Human-Computer Interaction, edited by Bonnie Nardi. Since then, I have been interested in research and development work in human-computer interaction (HCI). One of my interests was adaptability functions. I later developed this into the Model of Sustainable Software Appropriations at the Tallinn University Interaction Design Lab, where I was working on my doctoral studies.

In your area of research, what recent advance/emerging subfield will yield important advances in the years ahead?

AI is a major transformational technology that takes the notion of sustainable software appropriation to a different plane. Questions related to how we continue to adopt and adapt the tools we have created, while keeping control of them, as well as how we deal with their evolution, will remain central to computing and HCI for the coming generations of researchers.

Will you tell us a little about the Yerevan ACM SIGCHI Chapter?

The chapter we put together this year comprises seven members. Coming mainly from engineering and design, the group is working on several projects that can be grouped under two main themes: Interactive Spaces and Wearables and User Experience Research. Both of these directions are underdeveloped in Armenia, a country with growing IT potential.

What advice would you offer a younger colleague just starting out in the computing field?

Learn, try out things and learn some more. The current developments in the computing field are going to result in an unprecedented level of influence in people’s lives. Experimental learning should be the core of any educational engagement you undertake.