Special Interest Group on Human Factors and Human-Computer Interaction

Putting people at the center of medical innovation

The MICCAI community has long been at the forefront of innovation in medical image computing, machine learning in medical imaging and computer assisted interventions and robotics. Researchers have developed increasingly sophisticated tools to support diagnosis, treatment planning, and clinical decision-making.

As these technologies move from research environments into real-world healthcare settings, a new question is gaining attention: How do we ensure that human needs remain at the center of innovation?

That question is at the heart of the newly established MICCAI Special Interest Group on Human Factors and Human-Computer Interaction (SIG-HCI).

The launch of SIG-HCI reflects a broader evolution taking place across healthcare AI. In the past, much of the field's attention focused on demonstrating what algorithms could do. Today, researchers are increasingly focused on how these technologies can be successfully adopted and used in practice.

“While technical performance remains essential, successful healthcare technology requires more than strong algorithms,” said Mathias Unberath, President of the SIG-HCI.  “AI systems must fit into clinical workflows, support decision-making, and be designed with the needs of end users in mind. The SIG-HCI was created to provide a dedicated home within the MICCAI Society for these important conversations. A dedicated effort to elevate HCI research is particularly important, because the methods and evaluations to rigorously study human factors are quite different from the more methods-oriented MICCAI thrusts.”

The new MICCAI Special Interest Group brings together researchers, clinicians, engineers, and designers who are interested in the intersection of people and technology. Its focus spans topics such as human-centered design principles, the challenges of human-in-the-loop experimentation and the development of human-machine systems that are usable, trustworthy and –eventually – clinically effective.

SIG-HCI aims to build a collaborative community around these challenges. Through HCI-focused challenges, webinars and tutorials and awards highlighting excellence in human factors and HCI research, SIG-HCI members seek to promote knowledge-sharing and encourage greater consideration of human factors throughout the MICCAI community.

Visit the SIG-HCI website for more details.