Desney Tan
http://research.microsoft.com/~desneydesney [at] cs.washington.edu
Affiliate Faculty
Microsoft Research , Computer Science & Engineering
Since 2004, I have been a Researcher in the Visualization and Interaction Group at Microsoft Research, where I now manage the Computational User Experiences group. I also hold an affiliate faculty appointment in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington.
My research interests include Human-Computer Interaction and Brain-Computer Interfaces. Specifically, I spend most of my time understanding and building applications for large displays, multiple device systems, as well as wearable brain imaging devices. However, I am a somewhat schizophrenic researcher and have worked on projects in many other domains.
I received my Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1996, after which I spent a couple of years building bridges and blowing things up in the Singapore Armed Forces. I later returned to Carnegie Mellon University, where I worked with Randy Pausch in his Stage 3 Research Group and earned my PhD in Computer Science in 2004. In 2007, I was honored as one of MIT Technology Review's Young Innovators Under 35 for my work in brain-computer interfaces.
Projects
Publications
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Your Noise is My Command: Sensing Gestures Using the Body as an Antenna Gabe Cohn , Dan Morris , Shwetak N. Patel and Desney Tan Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2011. Full Paper (PDF) 
Best Paper Winner
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Examining Multiple Potential Models in End-User Interactive Concept Learning Saleema Amershi , James Fogarty , Ashish Kapoor and Desney Tan Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2010. CHI Note (PDF) |
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Making Muscle-Computer Interfaces More Practical T. Scott Saponas , Desney Tan , Dan Morris , Jim Turner and James A. Landay Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2010. CHI Note (PDF) |
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Enhancing Input On and Above the Interactive Surface with Muscle Sensing Hrvoje Benko , T. Scott Saponas , Dan Morris and Desney Tan ACM International Conference on Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces, 2009. Full Paper (PDF) |
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Enabling Always-Available Input with Muscle-Computer Interfaces T. Scott Saponas , Desney Tan , Dan Morris , Ravin Balakrishnan , Jim Turner and James A. Landay Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, 2009. Full Paper (PDF) |
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Optically Sensing Tongue Gestures for Computer Input T. Scott Saponas , Daniel Kelly , Babak A Parviz and Desney Tan Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, 2009. Tech Note (PDF) |
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Overview-Based Examples Selection in Mixed-Initiative Interactive Concept Learning Saleema Amershi , James Fogarty , Ashish Kapoor and Desney Tan Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, 2009. Full Paper (PDF) |
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CueFlik: Interactive Concept Learning in Image Search James Fogarty , Desney Tan , Ashish Kapoor and Simon Winder Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2008. Full Paper (PDF) |
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Demonstrating the Feasibility of Using Forearm Electromyography for Muscle-Computer Interfaces T. Scott Saponas , Desney Tan , Dan Morris and Ravin Balakrishnan Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2008. Full Paper (PDF) |
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Feasibility and Pragmatics of Classifying Working Memory Load with an Electroencephalograph David Grimes , Desney Tan , Scott Hudson , Pradeep Shenoy and Rajesh Rao Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2008. Full Paper 
Best Paper Nominee
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Human-Aided Computing: Utilizing Implicit Human Processing to Classify Images Pradeep Shenoy and Desney Tan Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2008. Full Paper |
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Predictability and Accuracy in Adaptive User Interfaces Krzysztof Z Gajos , Katherine Everitt , Desney Tan , Mary Czerwinski and Daniel S. Weld Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2008. CHI Note (PDF) |