The Synteraction Lab recently welcomed Xinyi Min, a PhD student from the Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan, for a two-week visit. During her stay, she participated in academic exchange with faculty and students. After the visit, Min wrote the following reflection on her experience at the Synteraction Lab.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to visit the Synteraction Lab and engage in learning and academic exchange.

Prior to this visit, my research primarily focused on elderly care, but it was largely confined to questionnaires, data analysis, and academic papers. In order to explore new perspectives and seek further breakthroughs in my research, I had the valuable opportunity to visit the Synteraction Lab and engage in in-depth discussions and observations with the professors and students there.

During these exchanges, I encountered many fascinating research projects. Most of them are grounded in HCI, yet they go far beyond technology itself, extending into subtle interactions between people and their environments, systems, and one another. What impressed me most was that many of these studies originate from small, often overlooked aspects of everyday life. Although seemingly trivial, they approach problems from unnoticed angles and bring tangible, positive changes to people’s daily experiences. I believe this reflects a shared core motivation underlying much of the research conducted in this laboratory.

In addition, I was able to observe the wide diversity of research themes and projects within the lab. Each project was highly original, and the strong commitment of the researchers was evident. Lab members actively offer feedback to one another, engage in discussions, and exchange ideas, fostering an open and mutually supportive research environment. Moreover, such exchanges are not limited to interactions within the lab itself; meaningful dialogue also takes place between lab members and external collaborators. Different perspectives often give rise to distinct lines of thinking and new inspirations, and this complementary process is itself highly valuable.

Finally, I would like to once again express my sincere appreciation to the professors and all members of the Synteraction Lab for providing me with this invaluable learning opportunity. This experience has offered significant insights that will greatly influence my future research and thinking.”

About the Visitor

Xinyi Min is a PhD student at the Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan, supervised by Professor Sozo Inoue. Her research focuses on elderly care, with particular interests in human-centered data analysis and psychological safety.