Jiangnan Xu
HCI Researcher + Speculative Designer + AI Artist
Jiangnan is a Postdoc Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researcher at the Gameful Futures Lab at Tampere University. She earned her Ph.D. from Rochester Institute of Technology and M.S. from University of Edinburgh.
Her research envisions, builds, and evaluates human experiences mediated by digital-physical hybrid spaces, manifested through emerging XR and Generative AI technologies. She explores the socio-cultural implications of hybrid spaces and human-technology relationships through the lens of play.
Research Vision
Hybrid spaces are where the digital and physical blend, revolutionizing how we socialize, work, and learn.
Interactions in hybrid spaces demand Spatial Intelligence—the ability to understand and reason about the physical world beyond digital pixels and semantics. Humans possess this ability intuitively, but today’s interactive systems and machines fall short.
I’m building spatial intelligence for interactive systems to enable Physical AI that moves beyond screen-bounded experiences and meaningfully supports human experience in hybrid spaces.
Selected Publications
Journals & Conference Papers
DiaryPlay: AI-Assisted Creation of Interactive Story Vignettes for Everyday Storytelling
Jiangnan Xu, Haeseul Cha, Gosu Choi, Gyu-cheol Lee, Yeo-Jin Yoon, Zucheul Lee, Konstantinos Papangelis, Dae Hyun Kim, Juho Kim
CHI' 26
We built DiaryPlay, an AI-assisted system that helps everyday storytellers turn personal experiences into RPG-style interactive vignettes, enabling AI-driven storytelling that follows high-level human intent without requiring manual efforts on all detailed authoring.
Understanding Spatiotemporal-Aware Multimodal Conversational Searches in the Outdoor Urban Space
Jiangnan Xu, Suyeon Seo, Joni Salminen, Michael Saker, Joongi Shin, Alan Chamberlain, Konstantinos Papangelis, Dae Hyun Kim
CHI' 26
We developed UrbanSearch, a technical probe for studying how people use and expect spatiotemporal-aware multimodal conversational search, while also identifying key risks and translating them into concrete design implications and technical requirements.
Understanding the Dynamics of Trust in Location-Based Games as Hybrid Spaces: The Players' Perspective
Jiangnan Xu, Sanzida Mojib Luna, Michael Saker, Alan Chamberlain, Nicolas Lalone, Samuli Laato, Garreth W Tigwell, Konstantinos Papangelis
CHI' 26
We conducted semi-structured interviews with players of four 4 location-based games to examine trust dynamics in the hybrid space among players, the game system, the hybrid community, and non-players, and developed a trust model to inform future analysis and design.
Understanding the Interplay Between the Digital and the Physical in Shared Augmented Reality Gaming: Probing through Urban Legends
Jiangnan Xu, Sanzida Mojib Luna, Garreth W Tigwell, Nicolas Lalone, Michael Saker, Samuli Laato, John Dunham, Yihong Wang, Alan Chamberlain, Konstantinos Papangelis
TOCHI '25
We used a Shared AR game (Urban Legends) as research probe, revealed multi-layered social dynamics of collocated collaborative groups in the hybrid space, and provided a suite of design implications for future social AR systems.
Sanzida Mojib Luna, Jiangnan Xu, Garreth W Tigwell, Nicolas LaLone, Michael Saker, Alan Chamberlain, David I Schwartz, Konstantinos Papangelis
CHI '25
We used Angry Birds AR as a probe to compare how DHH and hearing participants experience AR interactions, revealing DHH users’ needs for context-aware interaction, effective haptics, and clearer instructions, and proposing accessibility-focused design recommendations.
Communication, Collaboration, and Coordination in a Co-located Shared Augmented Reality Game: Perspectives From Deaf and Hard of Hearing People
Sanzida Mojib Luna, Jiangnan Xu, Konstantinos Papangelis, Garreth W Tigwell, Nicolas LaLone, Michael Saker, Alan Chamberlain, Samuli Laato, John Dunham, Yihong Wang
CHI '24
We used Urban Legends to study DHH participants through gameplay and interviews, uncovering how verbal and non-verbal communication shapes collaboration in AR environment, and proposing accessibility-focused design implications.
Pokémon GO as an Advertising Platform: The Case for Locative Advertising in Location-based Games
John Dunham, Jiangnan Xu, Konstantinos Papangelis, Nicolas Lalone, Michael Saker, David Schwartz
Games: Research and Practice '24
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 35 small businesses using Niantic’s sponsored locations in Pokémon GO (Aug–Oct 2021) and found that location-based game advertising is perceived as rewarding, can function as a business-provided amenity, and depends heavily on local community engagement for success.
Understanding Social Interactions in Location-Based Games as Hybrid Spaces: Coordination and Collaboration in Raiding in Pokémon GO
Jiangnan Xu, Konstantinos Papangelis, John Dunham, Cati Boulanger, Jin Ha Lee, Nicolas Lalone, Michael Saker
CHI '23
We interviewed 41 Pokémon GO players to examine how the new in-person/remote raiding format reshapes sociability in hybrid spaces, revealing that collaboration relies heavily on external social media groups bridging digital and physical worlds, where emergent leadership and mentor–mentee relationships foster player autonomy despite interoperability challenges.
Book Chapters & Datasets
A Benchmark of Expert-Level Academic Questions to Assess AI Capabilities
Long Phan et al. (Dataset Contribution)
Nature volume 649 (2026)
Workshops, Extended Abstracts & Special Interests Group
🧙 Demos
👣 Footprints
2025/04/26 Presenting work about interpersonal trust in hybrid spaces at CHI'25 🇯🇵.
2025/04/20 Starting Postdoc research at Gamification Group, Tampere University 🇫🇮.
2024/05/12 Our Spatial Computing SIG is successfully happening at CHI'24, 🇺🇸.
🤝 People
Advisors/Mentors: Juho Hamari, Oğuz ‘Oz’ Buruk, Konstantinos Papangenlis, Garreth W. Tigwell, Maria Wolters, Benjamin Bach, Juho Kim, John Dunham, Dae Hyun Kim
Collaborators: Alan Chamberlain, Michael Saker, Nicolas LaLone, Pengyuan Zhou, Jinha Lee, Samuli Laato, Yihong Wang, Cati Boulanger, Federica Lucia Vinella, Ioanna Lykourentzou, Jorge Goncalves, Gyu-cheol Lee, Yeo-Jin Yoon, Joni Salminen, Joongi Shin
Mentees: Sanzida Luna Mojib, Muhammad Raees, Urvashi Dhingra, Haeseul Cha
2023/10/22 I am giving a talk about metaverse at the IDD Webinar! 💬
2023/10/22 I am teaching Game Design Theory for Fall/Winter 23! 📖
2023/04/26 I am presenting a paper about social interactions in hybrid space at CHI'23, 🇩🇪.
🔮 Fun
🎨 Building
2022/06/10 Our AR x Cultural Heritage Exhibition is successfully happening in Xi'An, 🇨🇳.