Tovi Grossman, Ph.D.

User Interface Researcher

Autodesk Research

Autodesk

Research Internships Available!

Please contact me if you are interested in doing exciting HCI research at Autodesk!

I am User Interface Researcher in the research group at Autodesk, working with Gord Kurtenbach, George Fitzmaurice, Azam Khan, and Jos Stam. In 2008 I received a Ph.D. in computer science (Interaction with Volumetric Displays), in the Dynamic Graphics Project (DGP) laboratory of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto, working with Prof. Ravin Balakrishnan. In my dissertation I investigated human factors associated with 3D Volumetric Displays and implemented and evaluated new techniques for interacting with such displays. My research lies in the general area of Human-Computer Interaction, focused on understanding the human factors associated with both existing and emerging technologies, and based on this understanding, designing, implementing, and evaluating new interactive systems. I am the recipient of an NSERC Canadian Graduate Scholarship (2005), a Microsoft Research Fellowship (2007), and best paper awards at the UIST 2004 and CHI 2005 conferences.

Outside of my research I play baseball. I am an alumni of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Baseball Team (2001 and 2003 OUA Champions), and a member of the East York Bulldogs Senior Baseball Team (Baseball Canada 2006 Senior National Championship Bronze Medalists).

Publications

Refereed Full Papers (journals & conferences)

19.

Lode Vanacken, Tovi Grossman, Karin Coninx. (2008 - in press).
Multimodal selection techniques for dense and occluded 3D virtual environments.

IJHCS Special Issue on 3D User Interfaces:

International Journal of Human-Computer Studies.

17 pages.

18.
Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2008).

Collaborative interaction with volumetric displays.

CHI 2008 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 383-392.

video

17. Tovi Grossman, Daniel Wigdor. (2007).
Going deeper: a taxonomy of 3D on the tabletop.

TableTop 2007 Conference Proceedings:

IEEE International Workshop on Horizontal Interactive Human-Computer Systems

p. 137-144.

16.
Tovi Grossman, Pierre Dragicevic, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2007).

Strategies for accelerating on-line learning of hotkeys.

CHI 2007 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 1591-1600.

15.
Tovi Grossman, Daniel Wigdor, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2007).

Exploring and reducing the effects of orientation on text readability in volumetric displays.

CHI 2007 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 483-492.

14.
Tovi Grossman, Nicholas Kong, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2007).

Modeling pointing at targets of arbitrary shapes.

CHI 2007 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 463-472.

13.
Jeremy Birnholtz, Tovi Grossman, Clarissa Mak, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2007).

An exploratory study of input configuration and group process in a negotiation task using a large display.

CHI 2007 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 91-100.

12.
Raghavendra Kattinakere, Tovi Grossman, Sriram Subramanian. (2007).

Modeling steering within above-the-surface interaction layers.

CHI 2007 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 317-326.

11.
Lode Vanacken, Tovi Grossman, Karin Coninx. (2007).

Exploring the effects of environment density and target visibility on object selection in 3D virtual environments.

3DUI 2007 Conference Proceedings:

IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces

p. 117-124.

10.
Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2006).

The design and evaluation of selection techniques for 3D volumetric displays.

UIST 2006 Proceedings:

ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology

p. 3-12.

video

9.
Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2006).

An evaluation of depth perception on volumetric displays.

AVI 2006 Conference Proceedings:

The Working Conference on Advanced Visual Interfaces

p. 193-200.

8.
Tovi Grossman, Ken Hinckley, Patrick Baudisch, Maneesh Agrawala, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2006).

Hover Widgets: Using the tracking state to extend the capabilities of pen-operated devices.

CHI 2006 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 861-870.

video

7.
Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2005).

A probabilistic approach to modeling two-dimensional pointing.

TOCHI Volume 12, Isuue 3 (September 2005):

ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction

p. 435-459.

online appendix

6.
Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2005).

The Bubble Cursor: Enhancing target acquisition by dynamic resizing of the cursor’s activation area.

CHI 2005 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 281-290.

CHI 2005 Best Paper Award

video

5.
Tovi Grossman, Daniel Wigdor, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2004).

Multi-finger gestural interaction with 3D volumetric displays.

UIST 2004 Proceedings:

ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology

p. 61-70.

UIST 2004 Best Paper Award

video

4.
Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2004).

Pointing at trivariate targets in 3D environments.

CHI 2004 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 447-454.

3.
Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan, Karan Singh. (2003).

An interface for creating and manipulating curves using a high degree-of-freedom input device.

CHI 2003 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 185-192.
published 3min video demonstrating basic aspects of the work
complete 15min video demonstrating the entire system

2.

Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan, Gordon Kurtenbach, George W. Fitzmaurice, Azam Khan, William Buxton. (2002).

Creating principal 3D curves with digital tape drawing.

CHI 2002 Conference Proceedings:

ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

p. 121-128.

1.
Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan, Gordon Kurtenbach, George W. Fitzmaurice, Azam Khan, William Buxton. (2001).

Interaction techniques for 3D modeling on large displays.

I3D 2001 Proceedings:

ACM Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics

p. 17-23.

published video demonstrating the work

additional unpublished video clip on the work

Theses

Tovi Grossman (2008). Interaction with Volumetric Displays. Ph.D. Thesis.Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Tovi Grossman (2004). Alternate User Interfaces for the Manipulation of Curves in 3D Environments. M.Sc. Thesis. Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Popular press coverage

HoverWidgets: Improving the Functionality of Pen-based interfaces. Mobile Enterprise, June 2006.
Once More, With Volume. MIT Tech Review, Feb 2005

Interviewed by David Onley on CityPulse24, where I demonstrated our software for curve editing with ShapeTape. 21 May 2003.

Interviewed by Natasha Stillwell on Daily Planet, where I demonstrated our software for curve editing with ShapeTape. 4 September 2003.

The changing shape of software. University of Toronto Magazine, Summer 2003, Vol 30, No 4, pg. 11.

Team designs twist on software. UofT News, 15 Apr 2003; Innovations Report, 16 Apr 2003; Science Daily, 16 Apr 2003; NewsFactor, 21 Apr 2003; golem.de, 16 Apr 2003

Gazing into the crystal ball. Toronto Star, 20 Jan 2003.

Shaping the future of 3-D. Varsity, 24 Sep 2002

Teaching

Courses that I've taught as a lecturer:

CSC428/CSC2514, "Human Computer Interaction", Fall 2007 (cross-listed grad/undergrad)

CSC428/CSC2514, "Human Computer Interaction", Fall 2006 (cross-listed grad/undergrad)

CSC428/CSC2514, "Human Computer Interaction", Fall 2005 (cross-listed grad/undergrad)

Courses that I've been a teaching assistant for:

CSC236, "Introduction to the Theory of Computation", Fall 2004 (undergrad)

CSC236, "Introduction to the Theory of Computation", Summer 2004 (undergrad)

CSC236, "Introduction to the Theory of Computation", Fall 2003 (undergrad)

CSC238, "Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science", Summer 2003 (undergrad)

Students

Students who have conducted projects under my guidance/supervision:

Lode Vanacken. Project collaboration, summer 2006, 2008 (co-advised with Karin Coninx)

Raghavendra Kattinakere. Project collaboration, summer 2006 (co-advised with Sriram Subramanian)

Nicholas Kong. Undergraduate research assistant, summer 2005, 2006, 2007

Vikas Jain. Undergraduate research assistant, summer 2003

Contact

Mailing Address
Tovi Grossman
Autodesk Research

210 King Street East

Toronto, Ontario

M5A 1J7

Canada

Phone: (416) 874-8472

Fax: (416) 369-6150

Email: tovi.grossman@autodesk.com

Last modified Sept 3, 2008

	19.	Lode Vanacken, Tovi Grossman, Karin Coninx. (2008 - in press). Multimodal selection techniques for dense and occluded 3D virtual environments. IJHCS Special Issue on 3D User Interfaces: International Journal of Human-Computer Studies. 17 pages.

	18.	Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2008). Collaborative interaction with volumetric displays. CHI 2008 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 383-392. video

	17.	Tovi Grossman, Daniel Wigdor. (2007). Going deeper: a taxonomy of 3D on the tabletop. TableTop 2007 Conference Proceedings: IEEE International Workshop on Horizontal Interactive Human-Computer Systems p. 137-144.

	16.	Tovi Grossman, Pierre Dragicevic, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2007). Strategies for accelerating on-line learning of hotkeys. CHI 2007 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 1591-1600.

	15.	Tovi Grossman, Daniel Wigdor, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2007). Exploring and reducing the effects of orientation on text readability in volumetric displays. CHI 2007 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 483-492.

	14.	Tovi Grossman, Nicholas Kong, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2007). Modeling pointing at targets of arbitrary shapes. CHI 2007 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 463-472.

	13.	Jeremy Birnholtz, Tovi Grossman, Clarissa Mak, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2007). An exploratory study of input configuration and group process in a negotiation task using a large display. CHI 2007 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 91-100.

	12.	Raghavendra Kattinakere, Tovi Grossman, Sriram Subramanian. (2007). Modeling steering within above-the-surface interaction layers. CHI 2007 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 317-326.

	11.	Lode Vanacken, Tovi Grossman, Karin Coninx. (2007). Exploring the effects of environment density and target visibility on object selection in 3D virtual environments. 3DUI 2007 Conference Proceedings: IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces p. 117-124.

	10.	Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2006). The design and evaluation of selection techniques for 3D volumetric displays. UIST 2006 Proceedings: ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology p. 3-12. video

	9.	Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2006). An evaluation of depth perception on volumetric displays. AVI 2006 Conference Proceedings: The Working Conference on Advanced Visual Interfaces p. 193-200.

	8.	Tovi Grossman, Ken Hinckley, Patrick Baudisch, Maneesh Agrawala, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2006). Hover Widgets: Using the tracking state to extend the capabilities of pen-operated devices. CHI 2006 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 861-870. video

	7.	Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2005). A probabilistic approach to modeling two-dimensional pointing. TOCHI Volume 12, Isuue 3 (September 2005): ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction p. 435-459. online appendix

	6.	Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2005). The Bubble Cursor: Enhancing target acquisition by dynamic resizing of the cursor’s activation area. CHI 2005 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 281-290. CHI 2005 Best Paper Award video

	5.	Tovi Grossman, Daniel Wigdor, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2004). Multi-finger gestural interaction with 3D volumetric displays. UIST 2004 Proceedings: ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology p. 61-70. UIST 2004 Best Paper Award video

	4.	Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan. (2004). Pointing at trivariate targets in 3D environments. CHI 2004 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 447-454.

	3.	Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan, Karan Singh. (2003). An interface for creating and manipulating curves using a high degree-of-freedom input device. CHI 2003 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 185-192. published 3min video demonstrating basic aspects of the work complete 15min video demonstrating the entire system

	2.	Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan, Gordon Kurtenbach, George W. Fitzmaurice, Azam Khan, William Buxton. (2002). Creating principal 3D curves with digital tape drawing. CHI 2002 Conference Proceedings: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems p. 121-128.

	1.	Tovi Grossman, Ravin Balakrishnan, Gordon Kurtenbach, George W. Fitzmaurice, Azam Khan, William Buxton. (2001). Interaction techniques for 3D modeling on large displays. I3D 2001 Proceedings: ACM Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics p. 17-23. published video demonstrating the work additional unpublished video clip on the work