Collaborations

Two students and our principal investigator, Dr. David Shepherd, in a picture. David, on the right side, points to a laptop while he explains something to the students who are looking at the screen.

We believe external collaboration is the key to better research. We highlight on this page, projects we have produced with other departments and institutes.

Reducing ADHD symptoms with Virtual Reality

Staying focused while studying is especially challenging for students with ADHD. In partnership with Dr. Joshua Langberg from VCU Psychology and Jason Bennett from VCU Arts, our lab is implementing a prototype in virtual reality to support students with ADHD. More about this project will be posted soon.

Two students are sited in front of computers preparing to try virtual reality. Professors Jason Benett and David Shepherd are advising students through a task in virtual reality.

Fostering Flow in Open Offices through Virtual Reality

Open office environments can be very distracting. In partnership with the University of Zurich, a research project is being conducted to investigate how we can reduce distractions in open offices by utilizing virtual reality. So far, we have found that unhindered by these distractions, users' productivity seems to be significantly improved. To learn more, please watch our presentation at CHI 2020.

Reducing Interruptions at Work with FlowLight

As mentioned above, staying focused in the workplace is becoming difficult with the rising popularity of open offices. FlowLight is a prototype created by Dr. Shepherd that helps solve this problem by reducing digital distractions using the light bulb's color to alert others that you are busy and should not be disturbed. Check it out below: