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Presentation

Human-Centered Computing and Information Science

HumanISE is an interdisciplinary centre focused on research at the forefront of human-centred computing (HCC) with broad and deep expertise in computer science (CS) and information science (IS).

At HumanISE, engineers, scientists and designers focus on research and development of software systems, methods, and tools, capable of leveraging human abilities and practices within their communities and environments, involving high technical and managerial complexity, due to large scale, high heterogeneity, high uncertainty, high integrity, strict compliance to standards and legal frameworks, or domain-specific organisational issues.

Our mission is to pursue high-quality research, innovation, consultancy, and technology transfer, impactful, in close cooperation with academic and industrial partners. We focus on five main research areas - Computer-Human Interaction, Computer Graphics and Interactive Digital Media, Information Management and Information Systems, Software Engineering, and Large Scale and Special Purpose Computing Systems, Languages and Tools - and four innovation areas - Personalised Health Research, Earth, Ocean and Space Science, Geospatial Information Systems Engineering, and Information Systems and Applied Computing.

Furthermore, at HumanISE, we are also strongly committed to training young researchers and professionals, with a significant track record in the supervision of master and PhD students.

Presently, our researchers originate from the University of Porto (UP), Polytechnic of Porto (IPP), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Universidade Aberta (UAb) and University of Minho (UM).

Latest News
Robotics

Portugal at the forefront with new technology for measuring radon gas and improving global climate projections

For the next four years, INESC TEC will lead an international consortium with a budget of €2.6M, aimed at using advanced techniques to measure environmental radioactivity. According to estimates, by 2028, new technological solutions will be available that can improve both climate research - particularly in estimating greenhouse gas emissions - and radiological protection for the population and the environment.

02nd October 2024

INESC TEC seeks to help companies embrace digital transformation at lower costs

Digital transition, innovation, business empowerment, financing, disruptive technologies; and a certainty: 2024 will be a year of opportunities for companies that are willing to take risks. Close to 100 participants gathered at Palácio do Freixo to get to know ATTRACT project, coordinated by INESC TEC. 

08th February 2024

INESC TEC researchers strive to improve realism and multisensory experiences in virtual environment training

The scientific work "Studying the Influence of Multisensory Stimuli on a Firefighting Training Virtual Environment" won the 13th edition of the Professor José Luís Encarnação award. It is the sixth time that a group of INESC TEC researchers won this annual award.

17th January 2024

INESC TEC technology to protect olive groves and potentially other crops

The InOlive project reached the end; the olive groves' smart monitoring solutions developed within the scope of the initiative are currently being used. INESC TEC has created a smart trap, a technology that could be optimised to other crops.  

10th October 2023

INESC TEC attended seminar dedicated to the Forest Bioeconomy

Promoting the debate and reflection on advanced technologies, emerging markets, and national and European policies that contribute to the valorisation and efficient and sustainable use of forest resources; this was the theme of the seminar organised by FORESTIS – Associação Florestal de Portugal, which brought together stakeholders from Portugal and Spain, with INESC TEC participation.

28th July 2023

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Featured Projects

AMIDA

Aquisição de um serviço de desenvolvimento de arquitetura do sistema AMIDA

2024-2024

PFAI4_5eD

Programa de Formação Avançada Industria 4 - 5a edição

2024-2024

Team
003

Laboratories

Information Systems Laboratory

Laboratory of Software Engineering

Laboratory of Computer Graphics and Virtual Environments

Publications

HumanISE Publications

View all Publications

2025

Alloy Repair Hint Generation Based on Historical Data

Authors
Barros, A; Neto, H; Cunha, A; Macedo, N; Paiva, ACR;

Publication
FORMAL METHODS, PT II, FM 2024

Abstract
Platforms to support novices learning to program are often accompanied by automated next-step hints that guide them towards correct solutions. Many of those approaches are data-driven, building on historical data to generate higher quality hints. Formal specifications are increasingly relevant in software engineering activities, but very little support exists to help novices while learning. Alloy is a formal specification language often used in courses on formal software development methods, and a platform-Alloy4Fun-has been proposed to support autonomous learning. While non-data-driven specification repair techniques have been proposed for Alloy that could be leveraged to generate next-step hints, no data-driven hint generation approach has been proposed so far. This paper presents the first data-driven hint generation technique for Alloy and its implementation as an extension to Alloy4Fun, being based on the data collected by that platform. This historical data is processed into graphs that capture past students' progress while solving specification challenges. Hint generation can be customized with policies that take into consideration diverse factors, such as the popularity of paths in those graphs successfully traversed by previous students. Our evaluation shows that the performance of this new technique is competitive with non-data-driven repair techniques. To assess the quality of the hints, and help select the most appropriate hint generation policy, we conducted a survey with experienced Alloy instructors.

2025

Testing infrastructures to support mobile application testing: A systematic mapping study

Authors
Kuroishi, PH; Paiva, ACR; Maldonado, JC; Vincenzi, AMR;

Publication
INFORMATION AND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY

Abstract
Context: Testing activities are essential for the quality assurance of mobile applications under development. Despite its importance, some studies show that testing is not widely applied in mobile applications. Some characteristics of mobile devices and a varied market of mobile devices with different operating system versions lead to a highly fragmented mobile ecosystem. Thus, researchers put some effort into proposing different solutions to optimize mobile application testing. Objective: The main goal of this paper is to provide a categorization and classification of existing testing infrastructures to support mobile application testing. Methods: To this aim, the study provides a Systematic Mapping Study of 27 existing primary studies. Results: We present a new classification and categorization of existing types of testing infrastructure, the types of supported devices and operating systems, whether the testing infrastructure is available for usage or experimentation, and supported testing types and applications. Conclusion: Our findings show a need for mobile testing infrastructures that support multiple phases of the testing process. Moreover, we showed a need for testing infrastructure for context-aware applications and support for both emulators and real devices. Finally, we pinpoint the need to make the research available to the community whenever possible.

2025

GAMFLEW: serious game to teach white-box testing

Authors
Silva, M; Paiva, ACR; Mendes, A;

Publication
SOFTWARE QUALITY JOURNAL

Abstract
Software testing plays a fundamental role in software engineering, involving the systematic evaluation of software to identify defects, errors, and vulnerabilities from the early stages of the development process. Education in software testing is essential for students and professionals, as it promotes quality and favours the construction of reliable software solutions. However, motivating students to learn software testing may be a challenge. To overcome this, educators may incorporate some strategies into the teaching and learning process, such as real-world examples, interactive learning, and gamification. Gamification aims to make learning software testing more engaging for students by creating a more enjoyable experience. One approach that has proven effective is to use serious games. This paper presents a novel serious game to teach white-box testing test case design techniques, named GAMFLEW (GAMe For LEarning White-box testing). It describes the design, game mechanics, and its implementation. It also presents a preliminary evaluation experiment with students to assess the usability, learnability, and perceived problems, among other aspects. The results obtained are encouraging.

2025

A new proposed model to assess the digital organizational readiness to maximize the results of the digital transformation in SMEs

Authors
Silva, RP; Mamede, HS; Santos, V;

Publication
Journal of Innovation and Knowledge

Abstract
Scientific research in digital transformation is expanding in scope, quantity, and relevance, bringing forth diverse perspectives on which factors and specific dimensions—such as organizational structure, culture, and technological readiness—affect the success of digital transformation initiatives. Numerous studies have proposed mechanisms to assess an organization's maturity through digital transformation across various models. Some of these models focus on external influences, others on internal factors, or both. Although these assessments provide valuable insights into a company's transformation state, they often lack consistency, and recent research highlights key gaps. Specifically, many models primarily reflect the views of senior management on the general progress of digital transformation rather than on measurable outcomes. Moreover, these models tend to target large enterprises, overlooking small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are crucial to economic growth yet face unique challenges, such as limited resources and expertise. Our study addresses these gaps by concentrating on SMEs and introducing a novel approach to assessing digital transformation readiness—a metric that reflects how prepared an organization is to optimize transformation outcomes. Following design science research methodology, we develop a model that centers on the perspectives of general employees, offering companies an in-depth view of their readiness across 20 dimensions. Each dimension is evaluated through behaviors indicative of the highest level of digital transformation readiness, helping companies identify areas to maximize potential benefits. Our model focuses not on technological quality but on the degree to which behaviors essential for leveraging technology and innovative business models are integrated within the organization. © 2024 The Author(s)

2025

Encouraging Sustainable Choices Through Socially Engaged Persuasive Recycling Initiatives: A Participatory Action Design Research Study

Authors
da Silva, EM; Schneider, D; Miceli, C; Correia, A;

Publication
Informatics

Abstract
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research has illuminated how technology can influence users’ awareness of their environmental impact and the potential for mitigating these impacts. From hot water saving to food waste reduction, researchers have systematically and widely tried to find pathways to speed up achieving sustainable development goals through persuasive technology interventions. However, motivating users to adopt sustainable behaviors through interactive technologies presents significant psychological, cultural, and technical challenges in creating engaging and long-lasting experiences. Aligned with this perspective, there is a dearth of research and design solutions addressing the use of persuasive technology to promote sustainable recycling behavior. Guided by a participatory design approach, this investigation focuses on the design opportunities for leveraging persuasive and human-centered Internet of Things (IoT) applications to enhance user engagement in recycling activities. The assumption is that one pathway to achieve this goal is to adopt persuasive strategies that may be incorporated into the design of sustainable applications. The insights gained from this process can then be applied to various sustainable HCI scenarios and therefore contribute to HCI’s limited understanding in this area by providing a series of design-oriented research recommendations for informing the development of persuasive and socially engaged recycling platforms. In particular, we advocate for the inclusion of educational content, real-time interactive feedback, and intuitive interfaces to actively engage users in recycling activities. Moreover, recognizing the cultural context in which the technology is socially situated becomes imperative for the effective implementation of smart devices to foster sustainable recycling practices. To this end, we present a case study that seeks to involve children and adolescents in pro-recycling activities within the school environment.