Xiaojuan Ma

    Research interests

• Assistive technologies for people with Aphasia and cognitive disabilies.


• Assistive technologies for cross-cultural communication.


• Visual/audio languages and visual/audio communication.


• Linguistic competency in medical care.

    Research and Projects (click to see demos) :

• SoundNet: WordNet Extension with Non-speech Audios
  Investigate the potential of conveying concepts with non-speech audios, and build SoundNet, sound-enhanced WordNet. Assess the possibility of common words being expressed by audios, and automatically generate standardized soundnails. Part of the research on Online Multimedia Library Application (OMLA).


• Online Icon and Animation Library for Linguistic Competency Support in Medical Care
  


• AphasiaFox: a FireFox Extension of Popup Pictorial Dictionary and Multimedia Library for Non-Native English Speakers
  Design, implement, and evaluate a web-based browser extension application that provides visual dictionary support for people with language disability or learning requirement to browse webpage. In addition, a sidebar multimedia library allows users to customize the application, share resources, and expand the dictionary.


• Visual Verbs: Illustrating Verbs with Videos for Communication Assistance
  Create a video database illustrating most frequently used verbs to support daily communication for people with aphasia. Assess the effectiveness of such video representations in comparison with three other visual stimuli, analyze possible influential lexical properties and embedded visual factors, and suggest guidelines on creation and modification of verb representations. Part of the research on Online Multimedia Library Application (OMLA).


• Visual Nouns: Illustrating Nouns with Images and Icons for Communication Assistance for People with Aphasia
  Explore efficacy of different visual representations (web images versus stylized icons) for different parts of speech, mainly nouns, to assisti nonlinguistic communication for people with language impairment. Part of the research on Online Multimedia Library Application (OMLA).

    Publication:

• Xiaojuan Ma, Jordan Boyd-Graber, Sonya Nikolova, and Perry Cook. Speaking Through Pictures: Images vs. Icons. In Proc. ASSETS 2009 (ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility), ACM press, October 2009


• Xiaojuan Ma, Sonya Nikolova and Perry Cook. W2ANE: When Words Are Not Enough - Online Multimedia Language Assistant for People with Aphasia. In Proc. ACM Multimedia 2009, ACM press, October 2009


• Xiaojuan Ma. An Online Multimedia Language Assistant for People with Aphasia and Other Language Barriers. In ASSETS 2009 Doctoral Consortium, October 2009


• Xiaojuan Ma and Perry Cook. How Well do Visual Verbs Work in Daily Communication for Young and Old Adults? In Proc. CHI 2009, ACM Press, 2009


• Xiaojuan Ma and Perry Cook. Creating and Evaluating a Video Vocabulary for Communicating Verbs for Different Age Groups (Extended Abstract). In Proc. ASSETS 2008 (ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility), ACM press, October 2008


• Xiaojuan Ma and Perry Cook. How Well do Visual Verbs Work in Daily Communication for Young and Old Adults? In Proc. CHI 2009, ACM Press, 2009


• Xiaojuan Ma and Perry Cook. Creating and Evaluating a Video Vocabulary for Communicating Verbs for Different Age Groups (Extended Abstract). In Proc. ASSETS 2008 (ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility), ACM press, October 2008


• Sonya Nikolova and Xiaojuan Ma. Mobile Communication Support for People with Speech and Language Disabilities. ACL-2008 Workshop on Mobile Language Processing, June 2008

    Profession Experiences:

• June 2008 ~ August 2008: Student Supervisor for SPE (Summer Programming Experiences)


• September 2007 ~ March 2008: Student Supervisor for Senior Independent Work


• June 2007 ~ August 2007: Summer Research Internship in the Department of Psychology and the Department of Computer Science at the University of British ColumbiaMa


• September 2006 ~ March 2007: Internship in the User Experience Design Group of ETS (Educational Testing Service)


• February 2007 ~ May 2007: Teaching Assistant for the course Advanced Programming Techniques


• September 2006 ~ March 2007: Teaching Assistant for the course Human-Computer Interface Technology