(Dis)comfort
Making and maintaining eye contact evokes discomfort in many persons, especially for those with social anxiety. Women are more frequently affected by social anxiety compared to men.
Psychology
I conduct a systematic investigation to assess the extent to which gaze interactions in human-computer interaction (e.g., robots, animations, virtual agents and virtual reality) influence comfort levels.
Design
A study at the University of Basel has shown that gaze exposure in VR can reduce anxiety, e.g., in public speaking. Building on this, I would like to assess an online tool to reduce discomfort in gaze interactions.
Public outreach
Talks (selection): My talk was awarded at the FameLab Swiss semi-finals in Basel at the University of Basel (3.5.2023). Link to talk.
Publication: I was invited by the magazine Matter & Meaning to write an article.
Exhibition: FHNW Research Day 2022 obout work in progress.