Mark Colley, FHEA
m.colley (at) ucl.ac.uk
Open to mentoring Bachelor, Master, and PhD students.
I am a tenure-track Lecturer/Assistant Professor in HCI at the UCL Interaction Centre.
Before that, I was a Research Associate in the Institute of Media Informatics at Ulm University, Germany with Enrico Rukzio.
In 2023, I visited Cornell Tech, working in the Future Automation Research Laboratory led by Wendy Ju.
Before starting my PhD, I was a Software Engineer at Airbus Defence and Space.
I defended my PhD thesis in April 2024 entitled "Calibrating Trust in Automated Vehicles - Theoretical, Design, and Empirical Insights into Effects of Visualizations on Trust".
My multidisciplinary research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Accessibility, and Computational Modeling and Simulation is dedicated
to tackling complex challenges and seizing opportunities within advanced mobility technologies. It involves designing, implementing, and testing novel simulators to study futuristic mobility scenarios. My work aims to address issues such as undertrust
in automated vehicles and to enhance accessibility in urban (air) mobility, thereby supporting societal and industrial growth.
A significant portion of my research focuses on evaluating innovative interaction paradigms between automated vehicles and
vulnerable road users, utilizing empirical evidence alongside simulation-based approaches to analyze their broad-scale impacts.
Curriculum vitae (May 2026) / Scholar profile / LinkedIn / GitHub / Causal Models (DAGs)
News
April 2026
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January 2026
Research Agenda
Accessibility
Accessibility and Mobility
- Mobility as a critical barrier to participation
Mobility and Computational Modeling and Simulation
- Meeting HCI needs of evolving mobility patterns
Computational Modeling and Simulation
Accessibility and Computational Modeling and Simulation
- Providing design support and building assistive technology
Accessibility, Mobility and Computational Modeling and Simulation
Mark ColleyMobility serves as a cornerstone for societal advancement and industrial growth. As we move towards automated systems and explore unconventional transportation methods like urban air mobility, we face a dichotomy of challenges, such as "undertrust" in technology and opportunities like enhanced accessibility. My multidisciplinary research spans Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Accessibility, and Computational Modeling and Simulation to achieve three core objectives:
- Characterizing Novel Mobility Systems: Conducting empirical studies to unearth the challenges and opportunities associated with emerging forms of mobility, particularly focusing on accessibility issues.
- Behavioral Analytics: Investigating the travel behaviors of both the general populace and vulnerable groups to better understand their unique needs and risks in various traffic scenarios.
- Human-Centric Solutions: Leveraging insights from the above studies to design and implement solutions—ranging from technical prototypes and guidelines to industrial collaborations and educational initiatives—that aim to make traffic safer and more accessible for all.
Resources for Students & Projects
Strong projects usually begin with a solid grounding in HCI theory, methods, and related work. The following readings are useful starting points:
HCI foundations
- Stanford HCI Qual Exam Reading List: Google Doc
- Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction (by Kasper Hornbæk, Per Ola Kristensson, and Antti Oulasvirta): Oxford University Press (open access)
- The Encyclopedia of Human–Computer Interaction: Interaction Design Foundation
- The Design of Everyday Things (by Don Norman): Nielsen Norman Group
- Foundations and Trends® in Human–Computer Interaction series: Emerald Publishing
Research methods and evidence
- Research Contributions in Human-Computer Interaction (by Jacob O. Wobbrock and Julie A. Kientz): ACM DL
- Research Methods in Human-Computer Interaction (by Jonathan Lazar, Jinjuan Heidi Feng, and Harry Hochheiser): Science Direct
- Modern Statistical Methods for HCI (edited by Judy Robertson and Maurits Kaptein): Springer Nature
Interaction and computational design
- Pick, Click, Flick!: The Story of Interaction Techniques (by Brad A. Myers): ACM DL
- Computational Interaction (edited by Antti Oulasvirta, Per Ola Kristensson, and Xiaojun Bi): Oxford University Press
- Bayesian Methods for Interaction and Design (edited by John H. Williamson, Antti Oulasvirta, Per Ola Kristensson, and Nikola Banovic): Cambridge University Press
- 3D User Interfaces: Theory and Practice (by Joseph J. LaViola Jr., Ernst Kruijff, Ryan P. McMahan, Doug A. Bowman, and Ivan P. Poupyrev): Google Books
Publications (Excerpt)
I have authored over 45 first-author and 6 senior-author publications (frequently serving as corresponding author), alongside numerous collaborative works. My most significant research is consistently featured in premier HCI venues, including CHI (30 full papers) and IMWUT (11 full papers). Below is a curated selection of my research highlights.
Bumpy Ride? Understanding the Effects of External Forces on Spatial Interactions in Moving Vehicles
CHI, Association of Computing Machinery, 2025
Markus Sasalovici, Albin Zeqiri, Robin Connor Schramm, Oscar Javier Ariza Nuñez, Pascal Jansen, Jann Philipp Freiwald, Mark Colley, Christian Winkler, Enrico Rukzio
Link, Video
Scalability in External Communication of Automated Vehicles: Evaluation and Recommendations
IMWUT, Association of Computing Machinery, 2023
Mark Colley, Benjamin Eder, Jan Ole Rixen, Enrico Rukzio
Link
Come Fly With Me: Investigating the Effects of Path Visualizations in Automated Urban Air Mobility
IMWUT, Association of Computing Machinery, 2023
Mark Colley*, Luca-Maxim Meinhardt*, Alexander Fassbender, Michael Rietzler, Enrico Rukzio (* Joint First authors)
Link
SwiVR-Car-Seat: Exploring Vehicle Motion Effects on Interaction Quality in Virtual Reality Automated Driving Using a Motorized Swivel Seat
IMWUT, Association of Computing Machinery, 2021
Mark Colley, Pascal Jansen, Enrico Rukzio, Jan Gugenheimer
Link Supplemental
Effects of Semantic Segmentation Visualization on Trust, Situation Awareness, and Cognitive Load in Highly Automated Vehicles
Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Association of Computing Machinery, 2021
Mark Colley, Benjamin Eder, Jan Ole Rixen, Enrico Rukzio
Link
Towards Inclusive External Communication of Autonomous Vehicles for Pedestrians with Vision Impairments
Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Association of Computing Machinery, 2020 
Mark Colley, Marcel Walch, Jan Gugenheimer, Ali Askari, Enrico Rukzio
Link