PIU | Presentation

PIU - Perception, Interaction and Usability – is dedicated to the study of the human being, his behavior, adaptation, and interaction with the world around him, collaborating closely with the EHF group (Ergonomics & Human Factors Group) of the ALGORITMI Center of the University of Minho. It acts on three fundamental areas for human-technology interaction:

• Perception - reference research in basic perceptive processes, of multimodal and motor integration (visual, audio, audiovisual, audiomotor, visuomotor and, more recently, haptic).
• Interaction - frontier projects between science and technology, focusing on the analysis of the adaptation of the user to new interfaces and devices;
• Usability - integrates concepts of development of solutions centered on the user, resorting to this study in the scope of human factors and ergonomics.

The main field of action of PIU is the development of studies focused on the person/human being and assist in the creation of new products that enhance their adaptation, for better usability and comfort, as well as health/rehabilitation, safety, and entertainment.

The project portfolio encompasses the following areas:

• Automobile and Transport;
• Audiovisual and Entertainment;
• Usability of software/new interfaces;
• Health;
• Heritage and Cultural Heritage;
• Biomechanics;
• Rehabilitation;
• Sport;
• Assisted Living;
• Industry 4.0;
• Smart Cities;
• Retail Sales.

General Objectives

• Support the development of new interaction technologies with user-centered studies;
• Provide design guidelines for use technologies in safety-critical contexts (eg medical devices, vehicle interior interface systems);
• Understand the basic mechanisms of human perception to apply this knowledge to the development of technologies for immersive systems;
• Study of human cognition in HCI situations and application of this knowledge to the development of information and communication systems and technologies.