The Partner Technologies Research Group is part of the Communications and New Media Programme at the National University of Singapore. We do theoretical and applied work at the intersection of end-user programming language design, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, design methods, media studies, and the arts. It can be divided broadly into the following activities:

  1. Designing end-user programming tools/environments. Such environments enable/empower non-programmers to do/make things they find interesting, useful, and important. In this context, ``programming'' includes not only traditional end-user programming (e.g., Logo), but also different models of control or interaction with computational (or even biological) processes.

  2. Designing intelligent, adaptive, pro-active partner technologies. This combines end-user programming with intelligent tools. It fits broadly into the domain of ``intelligent user interfaces'' or ``intelligent programming languages/environments/tools''.

  3. Studying, analyzing, and modeling cognition of human partnership, teamwork, collaboration, and the like. This involves the design and implementation of microworlds for scientific exploration/experiment -- and the incorporation of those models into partner technologies.

  4. Inventing, evaluating, and applying design knowledge/methods. Beyond designing and implementing solutions that work, we also identify and articulate design knowledge so that others can build similar successful solutions.


Current research projects include:

  1. Partner Technologies: designing intelligent, end-user computer tools for creative expression

  2. Understanding Interactivity: experimental studies contributing to an applied formal theory of interactive digital media

  3. Tools for Telling: How Game Development Systems Shape Interactive Storytelling

  4. Studies in Design Knowledge for Interactive Digital Entertainment

  5. New Music and the Networked Ensemble