I joined Microsoft Research Cambridge in October 2006 as a researcher in the Socio-digital Systems Group. In addition to working at MSR I am a Fellow of Corpus Christi College. Before moving to Microsoft Research, I did my PhD in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow. During my PhD I also worked as an intern at Nokia Research Center, Helsinki.

My main research interest is in multimodal interaction, and particularly in how non-visual modalities, such as sound and touch, can be used to present information and enhance the user experience in computer interfaces. For example, my PhD investigated how multi-dimensional information could be presented via vibrotactile messages called Tactons. In addition, I have carried out research into how audio can be used to present graphical information to blind and visually impaired people, and I remain interested in the design and evaluation of accessible interfaces for people with sensory impairments. I am also interested in the adoption, and social impact, of new technologies for interpersonal communication, and in exploring how we can design novel interactions with mobile devices.

If you are interested in any aspect of my research, please contact me by emailing "lornab" at "microsoft.com".

Current Research

Shake2Talk: Multimodal Messaging for interpersonal communication

The Shake2Talk project explores how a multimodal communication system might be used for interpersonal communication. By combining gestural inputs with audio and vibrotactile outputs, users can compose and send their own multimodal messages, which they can use to communicate with other people remotely. My research explores what types of sounds and “touches” people might wish to send, how these are interpreted by the receiver, and how these multimodal messages are used in combination with other communication genres, such as text messaging and voice calls.

Brown, L.M. and Williamson, J., "Shake-to-talk: Multimodal Messaging for Interpersonal Communication", in Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design (Seoul, Korea), 2007, Springer LNCS.

Sonic Interventions

The Sonic Interventions project was conducted in collaboration with the University of Surrey and explored the role, importance and meaning of sound in the home. Drawing on interview data and sound recordings gathered from seven households, this study offered us insights into the kinds of sounds present in the home environment, what these mean to the household members,  how they are used to communicate or monitor activities, and which sounds are special. These findings provided us with inspiration for new design ideas relating to the management of sound and the capture and display of sound in the home.

Oleksik, G., Frohlich, D., Brown, L.M. and Sellen, A., "Sonic Interventions: Understanding and Extending the Domestic Soundscape" in Proceedings of CHI 2008(Florence, Italy), ACM Press.

Sonic Gems

In the Sonic Gems project we explore the potential of audio recording as a form of sentimental audio capture through interviews and audio recording tasks. The results so far indicate that a variety of different sounds are important to people. By considering the types of sounds that people record, and participants’ experiences of listening back to their recorded sounds, we gain an insight into the unique affordances of audio recordings as a form of sentimental memory capture. These findings also open up a number of design challenges for the capture, playback and archiving of sentimental audio.

Oleksik, G. & Brown, L.M., "Sonic Gems: Exploring the potential of audio recording as a form of sentimental memory capture", to appear in Proceedings of BCS HCI 2008.

Hands-on computing

Much of my current work is in the area of hands-on computing where I am exploring novel interactions with mobile devices, including the use of inertial sensing (with accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc) and force sensing.

Previous Research

Tactons: Structured Vibrotactile Messages for Non-Visual Information Display (PhD thesis)

My PhD, which was conducted at the Department of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow, investigated the design of vibrotactile messages for presenting information in computer interfaces. In particular my work explored the design of a specific type of vibrotactile message called Tactons (tactile icons), which are defined as “structured vibrotactile messages for presenting multidimensional information non-visually”. Tactons could be used to encode a range of information. For example, different Tactons could represent different callers on your mobile phone, so that you would know who was calling you without having to look at the screen, and without a ringtone which might disturb others around you. Tactons could also be used to present navigation or context information to a blind person navigating around a city. My thesis, which is available to download as a pdf, presents a series of empirical experiments investigating the perception and identification of individual vibrotactile parameters and of Tactons encoding two or three dimensions of information. The results are summarised as a series of design recommendations which can be used by researchers or designers wishing to use Tactons in their own interfaces.

MultiVis: Multimodal Visualisation for Blind and Visually Impaired People.

The aim of the MultiVis Project was to carry out research into how visualisations (such as graphs) can be presented to blind and visually impaired people. We investigated how different sensory modalities (in particular sound and touch) can be used, both alone and combined, in order to visualise different kinds of data. My research focused on the use of sound (including non-speech sound, spatialised sound and musical techniques) to present line graphs.

Professional Activities

I was the poster and demos co-chair for the 2nd International Workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design in Seoul, Korea in November 2007. I have been on the program committee and a reviewer for a range of HCI and HCI-related conferences, including CHI, Mobile HCI, DIS, and Ubicomp, and for journals, including the Journal of Experimental Psychology and Springer Virtual Reality.

Teaching and Mentoring

As a Fellow of Corpus Christi College , I am involved in the supervision of Computer Science students at Cambridge University. At Glasgow University I was a tutor on the MSc in Information Technology, and also supervised Masters student projects. I also mentor interns at Microsoft Research.

Other Activities

Before becoming a computer scientist I did my BA degree in Music at Strathclyde University, and I still perform regularly as a jazz saxophonist and (less regularly) as a jazz singer.

Publications

2008

• Oleksik, G. & Brown, L.M.,"Sonic Gems: Exploring the potential of audio recording as a form of sentimental memory capture", to appear in Proceedings of BCS HCI 2008.
• Oleksik, G., Frohlich, D., Brown, L.M. and Sellen, A., "Sonic Interventions: Understanding and Extending the Domestic Soundscape", in Proceedings of CHI 2008 (Florence, Italy), ACM Press.
• Williamson, J. and Brown, L.M. "Flutter: Directed Random Browsing of Photo Collections with a Tangible Interface", to appear in Proceedings of DIS 2008 (Capetown, South Africa), ACM Press.
• Brewster, S. Wall, S., Brown, L. and Hoggan, E.,"Tactile Displays", A. Helal, M. Mokhtari and B. Abdulraza (Editors), "The Engineering Handbook on Smart Technology for Aging, Disability and Independence," John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471711551, Computer Engineering Series, Copyright 2008.

2007

• Brown, L.M. and Williamson, J., "Shake-to-talk: Multimodal Messaging for Interpersonal Communication", in Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design (Seoul, Korea), 2007, Springer LNCS.
• Brown, L.M., "Tactons: Structured Vibrotactile Messages for Non-Visual Information Display", PhD Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2007
• Brewster, S.A., Chohan, F.and Brown, L.M., "Tactile Feedback for Mobile Interactions". To appear in Proceedings of ACM CHI 2007 (San Jose, CA, USA), ACM Press Addison-Wesley.

2006

• Brown, L.M., Brewster, S.A. and Purchase, H.C. "Multidimensional Tactons for Non-Visual Infomation Display in Mobile Devices", in Proceedings of Mobile HCI 2006 (Espoo, Finland), ACM Press, pp 231-238.
• Kaaresoja, T., Brown, L.M. and Linjama, J. Snap-Crackle-Pop: Tactile Feedback for Mobile Touch Screens", in Proceedings of Eurohaptics 2006 (Paris, France)
• Brown, L.M. and Kaaresoja, T. "Feel Who's Talking: Using Tactons for Mobile Phone Alerts", in Extended Abstracts of CHI 2006 (Montreal, Canada), ACM Press, pp 604-609.
• Brown, L.M., Brewster, S.A. and Purchase, H.C. "Tactile Crescendos and Sforzandos: Applying Musical Techniques to Tactile Icon Design", in Extended Abstracts of CHI 2006 (Montreal, Canada), ACM Press, pp 610-615.

2005

• Brown, L.M., Brewster, S.A. and Purchase, H.C. A First Investigation into the Effectiveness of Tactons". In Proceedings of WorldHaptics 2005 (Pisa, Italy), IEEE Press, pp 167-176.

2004

• Brewster, S.A. and Brown, L.M. "Non-Visual Information Display Using Tactons", in Extended Abstracts of ACM CHI 2004 (Vienna, Austria), ACM Press, pp 787-788.
• Brewster, S. and Brown, L.M. "Tactons: Structured Tactile Messages for Non-Visual Information Display", in Proceedings of AUIC 2004 (Dunedin, New Zealand), Australian Computer Society, pp 15 - 23.

2003

• Brown, L.M. and Brewster, S.A., "Drawing by Ear: Interpreting Sonified Line Graphs", In Proceedings of ICAD 2003 (University of Boston, MA).
• Brown, L.M., Brewster, S.A., Ramloll, R., Burton, M. and Riedel, B., "Design Guidelines for Audio Presentation of Graphs and Tables", In Proceedings of ICAD 2003 Workshop on Auditory Displays In Assistive Technologies (University of Boston, MA).

2002

• Brown, L., Brewster, S., Ramloll, R., Riedel, B., and Yu, W., "Browsing Modes for Exploring Sonified Line Graphs", In Vol. II Proceedings of British HCI 2002 (London, UK).

Workshop Posters/Demos (unpublished)

• Brown, L.M. and Williamson, J., "A Demonstration of the Shake-to-talk Multimodal Messaging System", demo presentation at the 2nd International Workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design (Seoul, Korea), 2007
• Brown, L.M. and Kaye, J., "Eggs-ploring the influence of material properties on haptic experience", poster presentation at the 2nd International Workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design (Seoul, Korea), 2007
• Brown, L.M., Brewster, S.A. and Purchase, H.C., "A Preliminary Investigation into the Design of Multi-Dimensional Vibrotactile Messages" , Poster presentation at the Meeting of the British Experimental Psychology Society, University of Birmingham, April 2006 [unpublished].