People and Computing Lab
Welcome to ZPAC!
The Human-Computer Interaction group at the University of Zurich.
Mission
We strive to design great experiences with computing and create technologies that benefit people in everyday life. To do so, we take an approach to research that goes beyond interface design and usability. We focus on gaining a deep, contextualized understanding of the relationship between people and computing technologies from which to draw insight.
Research
In our research, we apply approaches drawn from a variety of fields, with a focus on qualitative methods such as interviews for data collection or affinity diagramming for data analysis. Building upon a thorough understanding of a problem space, we iteratively develop designs and systems that offer people new interactive experiences.
Currently, we are working in areas such asstorytelling for ML and AI education, digital health personalization, Social and Design Justice in the context of Gender-Based Violence sensing technologies in prenatal care and designing at the intersection of culture and mental health.
Teaching
We take a hands-on approach to learning that is reflected in our teaching. Our courses are highly interactive in nature and incorporate projects, discussion, and in-class activities to give students the opportunity to put knowledge and skills to use.
Additional Information
ZPAC News
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Nimra Presents 3 Papers at ACM CHI26
At CHI 2026, Nimra Ahmed presented three papers exploring the intersections of technology, social justice, and gender-based violence (GBV). Her work examined challenges in digital help-seeking, the role of social media in recognizing GBV, and the importance of sustainable, community-led support systems for GBV. The latter, CaseCompass, received an Honorable Mention Award along with special recognition for inspirational research practices.
Nimra also co-organized a large Feminist HCI meetup, “Stitch n Bitch”, bringing together over 180 participants in a vibrant space for connection, care, and community building. -
Clara-Maria Barth Invited Talk at Bristol Interaction Group
Clara-Maria Barth recently visited the Bristol Interaction Group, working with Aisling Ann O'Kane, and the Ethox Centre in Oxford, collaborating with Jana Sedlakova.
She was invited to give a talk at the Bristol Interaction Group on technological developments for individuals with type 1 diabetes, focusing on predictive systems and the limitations of current hybrid closed-loop systems, such as their inability to account for the menstrual cycle. You can find the talk abstract here.
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Award-Winning Thesis by Natasha Obukhova Featured in OEC Magazine
Studying trauma can be tough on researchers too, but in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), their well-being is often overlooked. In her Master's thesis, Natalia Obukhova interviewed ten HCI practitioners and found weak support systems, scarce formal guidelines and a heavy dependence on informal advice. Also, universities rarely provide enough counseling and training. To address these gaps, Obukhova sug- gests better counseling, training, and ethical processes, alongside a prototype app ,,We are also humans'' designed to support researchers' self-care.
The thesis was one of 11 award-winning projects across Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 and was selected as one of five works featured in the December 2025 issue of OEC Magazine.
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New PhD Student: Marinja Principe - Welcome!
We’re excited to welcome Marinja Principe as a PhD student at ZPAC! Her research centers on adolescent menstrual health technology and literacy, supported by the DSI Excellence Program (with scholarship) and co-supervised by Prof. Elaine M. Huang (UZH), Prof. Marcia Nissen (Ostschweizer Fachhochschule), and Prof. Tobias Kowatsch (Med-HSG).
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Aarhus Workshop on Ethics, Power, and Participation
At the recent Aarhus Decolonial Conference, Nimra Ahmed, Lu Arn, and Natasha Obukhova, together with [co-organizers: Nadia Campo Wotyuk, Nicolai Brodersen Hansen, Anupriya Tulli, Angelika Strohmayer], co-organized the workshop “Ethics, Power, and Participation” within the Crisis × Computing theme.
The workshop explored tensions of ethics and power in participatory and justice-oriented design research, especially when working in crisis contexts. We were delighted to welcome 16–18 participants, including several who joined spontaneously on the day. Together, participants engaged in lively discussions, shared critical reflections from their own practice, and co-created a collective zine capturing experiences, challenges, and strategies for navigating ethics and power in design work.
The workshop not only sparked thoughtful conversations but also fostered new connections among researchers committed to addressing justice, care, and participation in computing. The workshop paper is available here.