University of Helsinki

schoolSchoolbar_chart#176 Global Rank

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#176

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Latest papers from University of Helsinki

IUI '26Drone Interaction & Control +3

Lights, Camera, Autonomy! Generative Video Fusion for Realistic In Situ Evaluation of Autonomous Drones

Autonomous service robots and drones are increasingly deployed in urban spaces, yet evaluating their designs in situ is constrained by permits, logistics, and the cost of repeated user studies. We contribute SHOWTIME, a generative video-fusion framework that synthesizes realistic, controllable evaluation clips by comb…

CHI '26Social & Collaborative VR +2

Usage Matters: The Role of Frequency, Duration, and Experience in Presence Formation in Social Virtual Reality

The sense of presence is central to immersive experiences in Virtual Reality (VR), and particularly salient in socially rich platforms like social VR. While prior studies have explored various aspects related to presence, less is known about how ongoing usage behaviors shape presence in everyday engagement. To address…

CHI '26Social & Collaborative VR +2

Social, Spatial, and Self-Presence as Predictors of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in Social VR

Extensive research has examined presence and basic psychological needs (drawing on Self-Determination Theory) in digital media. While prior work offers hints of potential connections, we lack a systematic account of whether and how distinct presence dimensions map onto the basic needs of autonomy, competence, and rela…

CSCW '25Harassment & Micro-Aggressions

Investigating the Use and Perception of Blocking Feature in Social Virtual Reality Spaces

This study explores the use of `blocking' as a safety tool in social VR platforms, a feature widely implemented to protect users from harassment. Despite its prevalence, little research investigates the reasons users block others and how they perceive the feature. To address this gap, we analyzed discussions from r/VR…

CSCW '25Perspectives on VR

Mirror Dwellers in Social VR: Investigating Reasons and Perception of Mirror Watching

In social Virtual Reality (VR) environments, the significant trend of `mirror dwellers,' users who often use virtual mirrors to engage with their avatars, has emerged. This study examines discussions from the r/VRchat online community to explore the reasons for this behavior and how it is perceived within the broader…

CSCW '25Collaborating in Virtual Environments

The Emergence of Technology Adaptations During a Collaborative Problem-Solving Task in Immersive Virtual Reality

Understanding how technology adaptation begins to unfold on a micro-level is important, as it can help gain a better understanding of the process of technology adaptation across different disciplines. This paper describes how technology adaptation can be studied empirically in social interactions between technology us…

CSCW '25Partisan Discourse Online

Affordances and Design Principles of The Political Left and Right

Like any form of technology, social media services embed values. To examine how societal values may be present in these systems, we focus on exploring political ideology as a value system. We organised four co-design workshops with political representatives from five major parties in Finland to investigate what value…

DIS '25Social Platform Design & User Behavior +1

Ideal Online Discussant and Audience: Understanding Political Social Media through Roles and Rules

Many researchers work to design pro-democratic systems and interventions, but they rarely engage with users' ideals for political discussions. We examine these ideals through a purposive sample of Finnish students. We identify rules that people linked to the roles bound up with these ideals ‘should’ follow and the sor…

CHI '25Social & Collaborative VR +1

Democratic Moderation: Exploring the Use and Perception of Votekicking in Social Virtual Reality

Extensive research has focused on community-based moderation involving selected or volunteer moderators. The ``votekick'' system represents a democratized approach allowing all users to participate in moderation. Despite its widespread use in online gaming and social VR platforms, votekicking remains underexplored. Th…

CHI '25Honorable MentionSocial & Collaborative VR +1

Understanding "Mutes" in Social Virtual Reality

In social Virtual Reality (VR), particularly within VRChat, a significant group of users often referred to as ``mutes'' refrain from voice communication. This study analyzes 4212 discussion entries, including both original submissions and comments, from the r/VRchat subreddit to explore the experiences and reasons beh…

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https://hci.top/en/institutions/University%20of%20Helsinki?source=all

At a Glance

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University of Helsinki

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Finland · Europe

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Overall Rank

#176

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Active Years

2018-2026

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37 researchers · 3 collaborators

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Top Research Directions

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Virtual, Augmented & Mixed Reality (XR)

Social & Collaborative VR

AI & Machine Learning Interaction

Generative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)

Wearables & Sensing Technology

Context-Aware Computing

Social Media & Online Communities

Social Platform Design & User Behavior

Health, Healthcare & Wellbeing

Sleep & Stress Monitoring