CURE – Center for Usability Research and Engineering
CURE – Center for Usability Research & Engineering is one of Europe‟s leadingorganizations in the area of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), User Experience Research, User Interface Design, User-Centred Design, Usability Engineering, and Next Generation Interfaces. CURE began as a working group at the University of Vienna and did pioneering work in the field in Austria. Since 1999 CURE has acted as an independent, non-profit research organisation. CURE comprises a highly interdisciplinary team with diverse skills, assembled from a variety of disciplines such as computer science, psychology, sociology, anthropology, design, communication science and management science. It specialises in the utilisation and development of user experience engineering and user-centred design methods, the study of user experience and its influencing factors, and research of diverse contextual situations as well as the methodological transfer of the attained knowledge into alternative interface design approaches. Within FP7 CURE is currently coordinating two projects (HERMES, uTRUSTit) and is a partner in four other projects (CHRONIOUS, CompanionAble, PICOS, PrimeLife). These international projects are focused on persuasive Interfaces, multi-channel and location based systems, intelligent user interfaces, knowledge and innovation management. CURE is also taking part in five international Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) projects with a focus on user acceptance of technology. Further CURE has gained expertise in e-inclusion, HCI & Privacy and methodologies of energy-related feedback to end users. The most relevant national projects for peacox are dealing with persuasive technology (Perseud, PEEM, C2G), the users perpective of traffic and travel information systems (ELVIS, MARIA) and advanced interface research (AIR - a national competence center on future interfaces, Softnet).
Role in the project
CURE has been project coordinator of PEACOX until this role was taken over by AIT in 2014. As an organization with an extensive background in HCI and user experience research, CURE is leading end-user requirements analysis, and actively collaborating the persuasive user experience design and the evaluation activities through lab tests and field trials.
Key Personnel
Prof. Manfred Tscheligi is the founder and director of CURE, as well as professor for Human-Computer Interaction & Usability at the University of Salzburg, ICT&S Center (Center for Advanced Studies and Research in Information and Communication Technologies & Society). He is also directing the Christian Doppler Laboratory on Contextual Interfaces (here the special focus on contextual methods, on persuasion as well as automotive interfaces fits well to the project). Manfred holds a master in Business Informatics (University of Vienna) and a Ph.D. in Social and Economic Science (University of Vienna, specialisation in Applied Computer Science). Manfred has been active in the area of Interactive Systems, Human Computer Interaction, Usability Engineering, User Interface Design and User Experience Research for more than 20 years. He has successfully managed numerous research and industrial projects and established national and international initiatives in the field. In relation to this project we will chair the 3rd Conference on Automotive Interfaces (AUI) 2011 in Salzburg. Within this project, Prof. Tscheligi will have the function of the key project coordinator.
Mariella Hager holds a doctorat in social sciences and worked as a projectmanager and researcher in different national and international research projects.
At CURE her research focus is on the advancement of quantitative and qualitative research methods in the context of mobility. Within this project, Mariella will be responsible for WP 2, 5 and 7 dealing with persuasive technologies and evaluation issues.
Gerhard Helletzgruber studied economics at the University of Vienna and is the head of financial operations at CURE since 2001 and has gained outstanding experience in financial and contractual management (Consortium Agreement, IPR) of EU funded projects coordinated (HERMES, uTRUSTit) or partnered by CURE. Gerhard‟s role will be the financial management.
