Future of Work
Collaboration technology encompasses any system designed to help people work together and communicate effectively in their daily professional lives. This broad field is expanding rapidly, including everything from standard messaging platforms like Slack to advanced AI models that are set to radically change how we interact with digital systems. Because learning is a social paradigm, these technologies are essential for integrating individuals into a team’s collective knowledge and ensuring they receive the support and information they need.
Teams in high-pressure environments, such as startups and research labs, rely on these technologies to manage the inherent chaos of fast-moving projects. Modern collaboration tools are evolving to include context-aware AI that can extract meaning from unstructured discussions, provide real-time visibility into complex workflows, and act as an intelligent partner that delivers resources the moment they are required. By fostering social engagement, these systems not only increase an individual's motivation to contribute but also significantly enhance the overall effectiveness and cohesion of the entire group.
While basic communication tools are ubiquitous, there are still significant opportunities to improve how technology handles context, resource retrieval, and automated engagement. This is an opportunity to create tools with the potential to be real-world products or the foundation for rigorous research, allowing you to build your portfolios, and industry-ready skills necessary to define the future of work.
Projects in this domain prioritize stakeholder needs, practical constraints, and real-world impact over specific technologies. Teams choose tools and platforms that best support community workflows and organizational contexts.
Assistant Professor, Temple University
Temple HCI Lab
Stephen MacNeil is an Assistant Professor at Temple University, where he directs the Temple HCI Lab. Combining theories from learning sciences and human-computer interaction, his goal is to democratize design and education by integrating the perspectives of those typically left out. For example, his work in education deeply involves undergraduate researchers (70+ of whom have co-authored peer-reviewed research) and incorporates scaffolding, collaboration, and participatory design.
stephen.macneil@temple.eduSoftware Engineer, Microsoft
Community Lead, Temple HCI Lab
Kenny Angelikas is a Software Engineer at Microsoft and HCI Lab Research & Community Lead. He is passionate about building strong culture and community inside and outside of the lab. Kenny enjoys mentoring students and helping them grow their skills as software engineers and designers.
kenneth.angelikas@temple.edu