Innovative Designs in Human–Computer Interaction

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Computer Science & Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 986

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, 66 Ivan Michailov Street, 2700 Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Interests: human-computer interaction; graphic design; software engineering; mobile application development; genetic algorithms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human–computer interaction (HCI) is a multidisciplinary field that includes the design, analysis, and evaluation of human interaction with computer systems and technologies; the aim is to make this process easier and more intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable. HCI combines knowledge from several fields of knowledge: computer science, engineering, art, and psychology. Although it first appeared in the early 1980s, nowadays, research in this field has great economic, social, and psychological significance.

Through modern multitouch screen displays, increased computing performance, virtual reality devices, and the evolution of artificial intelligence, users can use context-sensitive multimodal interaction. This interaction takes place through the human senses, which are the primary sources of information, but also through reactions, via which knowledge is accumulated, expectations are met or not met, and emotions are provoked. In other words, thanks to the senses, a mental model is formed, and human behavior follows, which also determines how the person interacts with the outside world, including information systems and computer devices. A user interface (UI), regardless of its type (graphical, command line, menu-driven, voice, touch, etc.) is considered effective and usable if it satisfies expectations, it is comfortable and intuitive to use, it is easy to understand the information that it displays, it is easy to drive, and it provides a response to user experience and behavior. So, the design and development of the user interface for computer devices is initially limited by the pre-existing borders into which it must fit.

All these factors have led to enhanced interest among the scientific community and to attention being focused on the proposal of methods and the development of prototypes for information and computer systems that provide user experience and satisfaction, adaptability to the capabilities and knowledge of users, improvements in the security and reliability of data, and increased productivity. The results obtained are applied directly in the software industry and impact people’s lifestyles.

This Special Issue invites submissions of original research papers and reviews that showcase combined applications, methodologies, and advancements in the fields of human–computer interaction, the brain–computer interface, and natural language processing. We welcome submissions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Human–computer interaction (HCI): Applications of HCI in software development, web design, mobile application development, gaming, and healthcare.
  • Human–computer design (HCD): Placing users at the center of the design and development process; defining the expectations, preferences, and capabilities of users; and prototyping, testing, and evaluating software.
  • Child–computer interaction (CCI): Theories and practical applications in the development of software and robotic systems intended for children. 
  • User experience (UX): Key trends, tools, techniques, and software design in UX.
  • Machine learning (ML): Automatic speech recognition and natural language processing. 
  • Emotion and gesture recognition to improve human–computer interaction.
  • Immersive experience: Virtual, augmented, extended, and mixed reality as methods for user engagement and interaction with computer devices.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI): Approaches based on artificial intelligence methods used to improve lifestyles, work, and learning.
  • Brain–computer interface (BCI): Techniques and methods for researching, mapping, assisting, augmenting, or repairing human cognitive or sensory–motor functions.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Radoslava Kraleva
Guest Editor

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • human–computer interaction (HCI)
  • human–computer interface
  • human–computer design (HCD)
  • child–computer interaction (CCI)
  • user experience (UX)
  • user-centered design (UCD)
  • natural language processing (NLP)
  • value-sensitive design (VSD)
  • user interface (UI)
  • artificial intelligence (AI)
  • brain–computer interface (BCI)
  • XR/games
  • contextual design

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

34 pages, 15050 KiB  
Article
Story Forge: A Card-Based Framework for AI-Assisted Interactive Storytelling
by Yaojiong Yu, Gianni Corino and Mike Phillips
Electronics 2025, 14(15), 2955; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14152955 - 24 Jul 2025
Abstract
The application of artificial intelligence has significantly advanced interactive storytelling. However, current research has predominantly concentrated on the content generation capabilities of AI, primarily following a one-way ‘input-direct generation’ model. This has led to limited practicality in AI story writing, mainly due to [...] Read more.
The application of artificial intelligence has significantly advanced interactive storytelling. However, current research has predominantly concentrated on the content generation capabilities of AI, primarily following a one-way ‘input-direct generation’ model. This has led to limited practicality in AI story writing, mainly due to the absence of investigations into user-driven creative processes. Consequently, users often perceive AI-generated suggestions as unhelpful and unsatisfactory. This study introduces a novel creative tool named Story Forge, which incorporates a card-based interactive narrative approach. By utilizing interactive story element cards, the tool facilitates the integration of narrative components with artificial intelligence-generated content to establish an interactive story writing framework. To evaluate the efficacy of Story Forge, two tests were conducted with a focus on user engagement, decision-making, narrative outcomes, the replay value of meta-narratives, and their impact on the users’ emotions and self-reflection. In the comparative assessment, the participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group, in which they would use either a web-based AI story tool or Story Forge for story creation. Statistical analyses, including independent-sample t-tests, p-values, and effect size calculation (Cohen’s d), were employed to validate the effectiveness of the framework design. The findings suggest that Story Forge enhances users’ intuitive creativity, real-time story development, and emotional expression while empowering their creative autonomy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Designs in Human–Computer Interaction)
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17 pages, 2108 KiB  
Article
Designing for Dyads: A Comparative User Experience Study of Remote and Face-to-Face Multi-User Interfaces
by Mengcai Zhou, Jingxuan Wang, Ono Kenta, Makoto Watanabe and Chacon Quintero Juan Carlos
Electronics 2025, 14(14), 2806; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14142806 - 12 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Collaborative digital games and interfaces are increasingly used in both research and commercial contexts, yet little is known about how the spatial arrangement and interface sharing affect the user experience in dyadic settings. Using a two-player iPad pong game, this study compared user [...] Read more.
Collaborative digital games and interfaces are increasingly used in both research and commercial contexts, yet little is known about how the spatial arrangement and interface sharing affect the user experience in dyadic settings. Using a two-player iPad pong game, this study compared user experiences across three collaborative gaming scenarios: face-to-face single-screen (F2F-OneS), face-to-face dual-screen (F2F-DualS), and remote dual-screen (Rmt-DualS) scenarios. Eleven dyads participated in all conditions using a within-subject design. After each session, the participants completed a 21-item user experience questionnaire and took part in brief interviews. The results from a repeated-measure ANOVA and post hoc paired t-tests showed significant scenario effects for several experience items, with F2F-OneS yielding higher engagement, novelty, and accomplishment than remote play, and qualitative interviews supported the quantitative findings, revealing themes of social presence and interaction. These results highlight the importance of spatial and interface design in collaborative settings, suggesting that both technical and social factors should be considered in multi-user interface development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Designs in Human–Computer Interaction)
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