VisGroup @ CHI 2025

Laura Garrison, along with 2nd-year PhDs Amy Zhang and Roxanne Ziman, headed to bustling Yokohama, Japan, for this year’s CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, held during the last week of April (and just catching the end of cherry blossom season).

All three participated in engaging weekend workshops that preceded the conference paper sessions. Laura and Amy attended a storytelling workshop where they presented a position piece on design stories in medical illustration [1], while Roxanne attended a workshop to connect with researchers investigating all aspects of affective computing and interaction.

As first-timers at CHI (for Roxy and Amy) it was hard to decide which exciting sessions to attend. We took a divide-and-conquer approach to learn about the latest visualization techniques, research methods, much ado about genAI use (or not), design for health, interactive exhibits, and to hear a lively panel discussion about how to make an impact in HCI research. With over 4500 people on-site, it was also a treat to make a few in-person connections, both old and new.

And, of course, there was an opportunity to go out and explore Yokohama, Tokyo, and the surrounding areas, which was yet another feast for the senses and soul (with so many tasty snacks).

We’re excited to build on our learnings and connections from CHI in the coming months!

[1] K. E. A. Zhang and L. Garrison, “Modern snapshots in the crafting of a medical illustration,” in Proceedings of CHI ’25 Workshop “How do design stories work? Exploring narrative forms of knowledge in HCI”, 2025.