Pascal Jansen

pascal.jansen (at) uni-ulm.de


PhD Candidate and Research Associate at Ulm University,
Institute of Media Informatics, Human-Computer Interaction Group


previously Visiting Researcher at University College London, Interaction Centre


Ubiquitous Personalization

My research combines Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Computational Modeling, and Inclusive Design to create technology in everyday environments that is seamlessly personalized to each individual's states, preferences, and needs.
A key challenge lies in developing systems that effectively respond to diverse user abilities and hardly predictable use contexts. By advancing computational user interface optimization, interaction simulation and analysis, and inclusive design, I make technology more intuitive, adaptive, and accessible for all.


Profile Picture

News

2025 May

At this year's Long Evening of Science at Ulm University, I presented our work on novel human-vehicle interaction to more than 2,000 visitors, including prospective students and families with children.

Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour paper accepted: Longitudinal Effects of Visualizing Uncertainty of Situation Detection and Prediction of Automated Vehicles (AVs) on User Perceptions. A three-day study with 50 participants who viewed real-world commute videos twice daily showed that clear, consistent AV uncertainty visualizations significantly increased trust over time while revealing the need for explicit AV intent cues and manual intervention options.

2025 April

Our paper OptiCarVis received an Honorable Mention Award at CHI '25 in Yokohama, Japan.
At CHI '25, five papers I led or co-authored were published, spanning sustainability, the impact of motion on interaction quality, and adaptive user interfaces for future mobility.
I delivered the laudatio for Mark Colley at the SIGCHI Awards Dinner, honoring his Special Recognition for Early Career Researcher Award.

2025 March

Two papers published at HRI '25 in Melbourne, Australia: HUD-SUMO links SUMO and CARLA to simulate AR windshield HUD settings and predict their impact on reaction time, speed adherence, lane changes, and acceleration in dense traffic. UAM-SUMO extends SUMO to model urban air taxi corridors alongside ground vehicles, enabling large-scale studies of traffic flow, mode choice, and passenger trust.

2025 February

At the Bildungsmesse (education fair) Ulm 2025, our VeMoR simulator drew many prospective students eager to experience high-immersion motion feedback in a safe, lab-grade environment. We were honored when the speaker of the Baden-Württemberg parliament and Ulm's Mayor visited our booth to see and discuss the future of education and research.

2025 January

I started as a visiting researcher at UCL Interaction Centre in London, UK hosted by Mark Colley.

2024 June

At the Long Evening of Science Fair at Ulm University, I showcased VeMoR, our VR vehicle-motion simulator enabling roll, pitch, and yaw synchronization to the virtual vehicle to bridge the gap between static lab setups and expensive full-motion rigs. I introduced our lab's future mobility research to over 2 000 visitors—many prospective students and families—sparking enthusiasm and discussion about science and studying at the university.

2024 May

Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour paper accepted: Visualizing Imperfect Situation Detection and Prediction in Automated Vehicles: Understanding Users' Perceptions via User-Chosen Scenarios. In this work, we created EduLicit, a web-based platform that both elicits the public's most challenging AV scenarios and evaluates how visualizing an AV's perception, prediction, and planning processes influence user acceptance, validated via two online studies.

Research Agenda

Accessible UIs
for everyone,
everywhere
Models and simulations of the individual user
Context-robust computational UI
design and interaction
Pascal Jansen

Ubiquitous computing is reshaping peoples' interaction with the world—from mixed-reality workspaces to autonomous cars, and service robots. Yet many of these systems fit most but are not optimal for every individual when devices, tasks, environments, or user states shift. My multidisciplinary research bridges Human-Computer Interaction, Inclusive Design, and Computational Modeling to achieve three objectives:

Accessible UIs for everyone, everywhere

Addressing the exclusion of users with sensory, cognitive, or situational constraints by designing and evaluating software and hardware interfaces with appropriate interaction modalities.

Models and simulations of the individual user

Overcoming barriers of “average-user” design assumptions through data-driven models that capture demographic, cognitive, and motor diversity, enabling human-in-the-loop design optimization instead of resource-intensive traditional development cycles.

Context-robust computational UI design and interaction

Based on the developed systems and studies, creating adaptive UIs that include individual users and are accessible in every context.


Publications (Excerpt)

Longitudinal Effects of Visualizing Uncertainty of Situation Detection and Prediction of Automated Vehicles on User Perceptions

Pascal Jansen*, Mark Colley*, Max Rädler*, Jonas Schwedler, and Enrico Rukzio (*joint first-author)

TRF '25: Transportation Research Part F: Psychology and Behavior

/ Paper / Video / Elsevier

OptiCarVis: Improving Automated Vehicle Functionality Visualizations Using Bayesian Optimization to Enhance User Experience

Pascal Jansen*, Mark Colley*, Svenja Krauß, Daniel Hirschle, and Enrico Rukzio (*joint first-author)

CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Honorable Mention Award

/ Paper / Video / ACM

Improving External Communication of Automated Vehicles Using Bayesian Optimization

Mark Colley*, Pascal Jansen*, Mugdha Keskar, and Enrico Rukzio (*joint first-author)

CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

/ Paper / Video / ACM

Fly Away: Evaluating the Impact of Motion Fidelity on Optimized User Interface Design via Bayesian Optimization in Automated Urban Air Mobility Simulations

Luca-Maxim Meinhardt, Clara Schramm, Pascal Jansen, Mark Colley, and Enrico Rukzio

CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

/ Paper / Video / ACM

Bumpy Ride? Understanding the Effects of External Forces on Spatial Interactions in Moving Vehicles

Markus Sasalovici, Albin Zeqiri, Robin Connor Schramm, Oscar Javier Ariza Nuñez, Pascal Jansen, Jann Philipp Freiwald, Mark Colley, Christian Winkler, and Enrico Rukzio

CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

PlantPal: Leveraging Precision Agriculture Robots to Facilitate Remote Engagement in Urban Gardening

Albin Zeqiri, Julian Britten, Clara Schramm, Pascal Jansen, Michael Rietzler, and Enrico Rukzio

CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Visualizing Imperfect Situation Detection and Prediction in Automated Vehicles: Understanding Users’ Perceptions via User-Chosen Scenarios

Pascal Jansen*, Mark Colley*, Tim Pfeifer, and Enrico Rukzio (*joint first-author)

TRF '24: Transportation Research Part F: Psychology and Behavior

/ Paper / Elsevier

PedSUMO: Simulacra of Automated Vehicle-Pedestrian Interaction Using SUMO To Study Large-Scale Effects

Mark Colley, Julian Czymmeck, Mustafa Kücükkocak, Pascal Jansen, and Enrico Rukzio

HRI '24: Proceedings of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction

/ Paper / ACM

'Eco Is Just Marketing': Unraveling Everyday Barriers to the Adoption of Energy-Saving Features in Major Home Appliances

Albin Zeqiri, Pascal Jansen, Jan Ole Rixen, Michael Rietzler, and Enrico Rukzio

IMWUT '24: Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies

/ Paper / ACM

AutoVis: Enabling Mixed-Immersive Analysis of Automotive User Interface Interaction Studies

Pascal Jansen, Julian Britten, Alexander Häusele, Thilo Segschneider, Mark Colley, and Enrico Rukzio

CHI '23: Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

/ Paper / Video / ACM

A Design Space for Human Sensor and Actuator Focused In-Vehicle Interaction Based on a Systematic Literature Review

Pascal Jansen, Mark Colley, and Enrico Rukzio

IMWUT '22: Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies

/ Paper / ACM / Website

SwiVR-Car-Seat: Exploring Vehicle Motion Effects on Interaction Quality in Virtual Reality Automated Driving Using a Motorized Swivel Seat

Mark Colley, Pascal Jansen, Enrico Rukzio, and Jan Gugenheimer

IMWUT '21: Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies

/ Paper / Video / ACM

The Social Engineer: An Immersive Virtual Reality Educational Game to Raise Social Engineering Awareness

Pascal Jansen and Fabian Fischbach

CHI PLAY '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play,

Audience Choice Award

/ Paper / Video / ACM

ShARe: Enabling Co-Located Asymmetric Multi-User Interaction for Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Displays

Pascal Jansen, Fabian Fischbach, Jan Gugenheimer, Evgeny Stemasov, Julian Frommel, and Enrico Rukzio

UIST '20: Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology

/ Paper / Video / ACM

Teaching

Research Project in Human-Computer Interaction

Co-organized year-long, interdisciplinary team projects on user-centered design, culminating in multiple peer-reviewed publications.

Fall 2021 - Spring 2025

User Interface Software Technologies

Developed course materials and delivered weekly hands-on lectures covering interactive systems, formal HCI methods, and notation.

Spring 2022 - Spring 2024

Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicle Applications

Led weekly practical sessions and one lecture on future mobility, teaching design and evaluation of in-vehicle interfaces.

Fall 2021 - Fall 2024

Research Trends in Media Informatics

Co-organized the course, mentored PhD students on PRISMA literature surveys, and assessed research proposals.

Fall 2021 - Fall 2024

Student supervision Team supervision

Guest Lecturing

2025-02-13 UCL Interaction Centre, London, UK invited by Mark Colley

Volunteering

Member of program committees:

  • CHI LBW '23 - '25
  • AutomotiveUI '24, '25
  • MuC '24, '25
  • CHIWORK '25

Member of organizing committees:

  • Registration and Local Chair AutomotiveUI '23

Reviewer (Excerpt):

  • Conference:
    • AutomotiveUI '21 - '24
    • CHI '22 - '25
    • DIS '22, '23
    • IEEE VIS '23
    • CSCW '24
    • UIST '24
    • TEI '24, '25
  • Journal:
    • IMWUT '22 - '25
    • TVCG '22
    • TRF '24
    • BIT '24

Special recognitions for reviews:

  • IMWUT 2022
  • ISS 2022
  • AutomotiveUI 2022
  • DIS 2023
  • IEEE VIS 2023
  • AutomotiveUI 2023
  • CHI 2024, 2x
  • CHI 2024 LBW
  • CSCW 2024
  • MuC 2024
  • UIST 2024
  • IMWUT 2024
  • CHI 2025


Entrepreneurship

Co-Founder of Zefwih

Supporting digitalization efforts and consult on future multimedia.

Created a serious game to guard against social engineering attacks: The Social Engineer (available on Steam)

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