The Data Centric Computing and User Experience team at Microsoft Research Asia is dedicated to the research and development of data-centric applications and user experience for future data-driven and Internet-driven software and services.

In the era of information explosion and evolution of the Web, it is becoming increasingly common and vital for software and service providers to collect vast amount of customer data such as system log data, customer feedback and the Internet. Efficient use of the information is critical to improving the quality of the service and delivering superb user experience.

Our research groups of Machine Learning, User Interface, Data Intelligence and Tools, Interaction Design and Microsoft adCenter Lab Beijing focus on research and innovation in knowledge discovery, advanced natural user interface, data intelligence and exploration, and the infrastructure for large-scale data

Machine Learning

Group description:

The Machine Learning Group at Microsoft Research Asia is focused on research and innovation in algorithms and technologies to discover knowledge from large-scale data. With the continuing increase of information on the Web and user behavior online, it is critical for service providers to learn and make sense of what information users access and what they do with that information to allow developers to better meet user needs. Our research includes statistical learning, knowledge discovery, pattern recognition, text mining, optimization, game theory, and information retrieval with large-scale and diverse data, such as textual data, graphical data, Web log data and software usage data. Online advertising and other digital marketing areas serve as a test bed to apply innovative new technologies.

Research areas:

User Intelligence
Analysis of online user interests, habits and behavior patterns is an essential part of user intelligence. We are studying technologies to provide optimum methods to classify and cluster Web users and help service providers to more clearly understand users and provide targeted services. Besides user behavior on the Web, user opinions are also valuable information. User opinions exist in blogs, online forums, product reviews, and so on.

Semantic Intelligence
Keywords play a critical role in Web services such as search and advertising. We are researching a series of keyword technologies that include keyword extraction from Web pages, keyword suggestions based on various criteria, keyword classifications with pre-defined taxonomy, keyword organization into semantic clusters, and keyword trend prediction. Based on keyword technologies, we are also getting close to the core of semantic research centered on the relevance of documents to user queries.

Business Intelligence
Analyzing service provider businesses and developing effective strategies on service improvements are keys to business success. Based on instrumentation of user activities on service provider systems, we can provide a fundamental platform to analyze user activities for better decisions.

User Interface

Group description:

The User Interface Group at Microsoft Research Asia conducts research in advanced natural user interface technologies. In the era of the information explosion and with the increasingly complex environment of various computing devices, it is critical for the user interface to enable natural human-computer interaction and easy information retrieval. New technologies are emerging that support human-machine communication with features natural to humans. The challenge is to learn to utilize these still imperfect technologies to transcend the benefits of any single one and deliver innovative user interfaces to millions of users.

Research areas:

Intelligent Digital Ink
One of the revolutionary features of pen-centric computing is its ink technology. Intelligent digital ink allows users to think in ink and handwrite their thoughts. The research interests of User Interface Group include handwriting recognition technologies, advanced digital ink parsing and annotation, and novel ink user interfaces.

Visualization
It is overwhelming for users to be surrounded by tons of information from various sources in the Internet era. Visualization technologies provide interactive and visual representations of information that not only enable users to obtain and understand the information but also to communicate and collaborate on it. The research interests of User Interface Group include data mining, data visualization, and large-scale data computing.

Personal Aggregated Computing
The ability to communicate wirelessly on a broad array of computing devices is clearly the major driving force of personal disaggregated computing. Future versions of Windows may not be just software that gets installed on one PC, but may become a package of bits that is installed on a user¡¯s client PC, cell phone, SAN, media center PC, and Tablet PC, thereby making the entire computing fabric smarter. The research interests of User Interface Group include aggregated computing and multi-modal human-computer interaction devices.

Data Intelligence and Tools

Group description:

The Data Intelligence and Tools group at Microsoft Research Asia is dedicated to the research and development of data intelligence and exploration tools for future data-driven and Internet-driven software and services. Software design, development, and maintenance are areas becoming increasingly complex. All are largely dependent on data collected from numerous sources such as system log data, customer feedback, and the Internet. Efficient use of information from these data sources is critical to improving software usability, veliability, performance, and security.

Research areas:

Advanced Software Quality Analysis and Tools
Software quality directly impacts the overall user experience, as well as the health and longevity of the software business. As a leader in the industry, Microsoft pioneered the use of Software Quality Metrics and Watson technologies to gather large-scale and real-world usage data. These data help product development teams to find and fix bugs, understand real-world usage, and identify areas for customer experience improvement. We are researching advanced analysis techniques and developing easy-to-use tools to change the way product development teams measure, track, and act on software quality data. The aim is to close the loop between customer feedback and product development for future data-driven and Internet-driven software and services.

Infrastructure for Large-Scale Data Processing
To support advanced analysis of large-scale and diverse types of data, a highly scalable, reliable and high-performance infrastructure is vital. We are researching the requirements of such an infrastructure, including those on data storage, data throughput, data logic, computing, system management, API, Application programming Interface and so on. The aim is a common platform for diverse types of analysis methodologies and data types to meet high demands on scalability, reliability, performance, usability, configurability, and manageability of future data-driven and Internet-driven software and services.

Data-Driven Services
With increased realization of the importance of customer feedback, it becomes crucial to give back values to customers for the invaluable feedback they provide. We are researching data-driven services that provide significant values to end users, enterprise customers, partners, and the software development community at large. These services are an important part of the software quality data life cycle. The aim is to create a better user experience, increased business values, and new business opportunities with data as the foundation.

Interaction Design

Group description:

The Interaction Design Group focuses on innovative design of user experience and creating hardware technologies for human-computer interaction that exploit not just the natural abilities of users, but also the interaction in a social computing system. The long term goal is to redefine the experience of Internet and PC through user experience and hardware innovation.

Research areas:

Next Generation Web Experience
We focus on designing interfaces for Internet users that meet the need to present, analyze, and explore the large-scale information spaces in an efficient and socially adept manner.

Tangible User Experience
Tangible user interface allows users to interact with computers through physical representations and manipulation, and provides more natural and powerful interaction capabilities. Innovative and entertaining tangible user interface designs make the user experience and interaction more effective and enjoyable.

Next Generation Personal Computing Experience
Using user-centered design principles, we attempt to uncover new metaphors of personal computing and blend new hardware technologies, such sensor platform, and new interface design to make next generation personal computing more enjoyable and meaningful.

Microsoft adLab Beijing

The Microsoft adLab Beijing is a joint effort between Microsoft adCenter and Microsoft Research to establish a state-of-the-art lab to research and incubate advanced technologies for Microsoft adCenter.

The mission of the lab is to develop and fulfill Microsoft¡¯s vision for the future of digital marketing by:

1. Help MS achieve digital advertising technology leadership.
   • In paid search, contextual ads, and behavior targeting
2. Incubating new digital advertizing technologies
   • To make ads more relevant and deliver on-line ads to places not reachable today
   • To deliver digital advertising through various channels and media, including mobile devices, large-display, IPTV and more.

Microsoft adLab Beijing initially will be focusing on the following technologies:

• Business intelligence and ad relevance for paid search
• Content intelligence and ads for multimedia devices for contextual ads
• Search-based business intelligence and audience intelligence for behavioral targeting
• Fraud detection