People of ACM European Chapters - Panagiotis Germanakos

April 15, 2025

How did you become interested in human-computer interaction?

It was back in 2002 when my advisor Constantinos Mourlas at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens had an idea for a project that would explore the fundamentals and potential of an Adaptive Web. During one of our regular research walks through the paved surroundings of the Archaia Agora, beneath the Acropolis in the heart of Athens, he asked if I was interested in starting my PhD in this field. I was instantly captivated by the idea and its potential impact on people’s lives and society. I could envision a personalized digital world where every interaction would be tailored to users’ individual differences, like unique preferences, capabilities, and needs. Our subsequent discussions centered on core research questions: How can I create more comprehensive user models to facilitate personalized human-computer interactions? Additionally, how could we map existing content meta-characteristics and structures to generate conditions capable of producing adaptive, personalized environments and experiences?

To address these questions, I pursued an interdisciplinary path at the intersection of computing and psychology, exploring the complex dynamics of human perception, behavior, cognition, personality, and emotions, alongside the deterministic nature of computation. This research journey resulted in numerous theoretical and practical HCI models, paradigms, and innovations (see www.pgermanakos.com). However, the challenge intensifies when faced with a simple yet profound question: What is “optimum HCI?” But this is an answer for another time.

How does your industry-related work at SAP relate to your academic work at the University of Athens?

We live in unique times, marked by the rapid evolution of AI capabilities, hardware capacity and performance, and big data. These advancements formulate a foundation where their intersection is reshaping industry and academia alike. The explosion of AI capabilities, tools, and practices is driving a convergence between the two, as both sectors recognize the transformative potential of these technologies.

In light of this realization, my work in user experience (UX) and human-computer interaction (HCI) at SAP and my research in the Laboratory of New Technologies at NKUA are deeply interconnected, particularly in the areas of data- / ai-driven UX interactions and design, and personalized and transparent digital environments and interfaces.

At SAP, I focus on optimizing the user experience of responsible business AI products by employing user data and AI-driven insights to enhance usability, accessibility, and engagement. By analyzing classical UX data sets, behavioral patterns and interaction inefficiencies, I develop data-driven UX strategies and methodologies that enable smarter, more user-centric design of digital experiences. The real-world challenges directly shape my academic research at NKUA, where I explore AI-driven user modeling and personalization, predictive UX models, and adaptive interfaces. The structured research at NKUA allows me to experiment with, among others, novel AI algorithms, human-centered machine learning, and usability analytics; producing knowledge which I then refine, transfer and apply (where possible) at SAP in given business solutions that adhere to industry-specific requirements and constraints. Conversely, industry insights provide real-world validation for my academic research work, ensuring that theoretical advancements translate into practical solutions. Examples of such solutions include human-centered interfaces and AI-driven digital environments that dynamically adjust based on user behavior, as well as creating more seamless and intuitive interactions.

So, although this is a demanding role, I frequently feel as though I am between the hammer and the anvil. I believe that the touchpoint in both worlds fosters innovation, enabling the development of cutting-edge solutions and creating opportunities for collaborations that define a new era of progress and possibility that were previously unimaginable.

In your most cited paper “A Mobile Agent Approach for Ubiquitous and Personalized eHealth Information Systems,” you (along with co-authors Constantinos Mourlas and George Samaras) argue that mobile agent technologies offer great potential in eHealth applications. Will you discuss this?

This paper argues that mobile agents represent a viable and sustainable technology capable of significantly advancing solutions and services, particularly in highly sensitive, demanding, and complex domains such as the medical sector.

The benefits would be multifaceted, including: (a) reduction of network load, as mobile agents can carry and process data locally, minimizing bandwidth usage—a critical factor in healthcare settings with limited resources; (b) overcoming network latency, which is essential for real-time systems like remote patient monitoring, where agents can respond instantly to changes in vital signs; (c) asynchronous and autonomous execution, enabling agents to operate independently after being assigned tasks, such as reminding patients to take their medication without constant supervision; and (d) dynamic adaptation, where agents can monitor and react to environmental changes, such as adjusting video quality in telemedicine based on a patient’s connection speed.

These capabilities make mobile agents ideal for delivering adaptive, personalized eHealth services that meet the growing needs of citizens. Looking ahead, the field could explore further advancements, such as improved security protocols and architectures to ensure data privacy, integration with emerging technologies to enhance data integrity and interoperability, and the incorporation of advanced machine learning techniques to elevate personalization practices. By enabling mobile agents to learn and predict from dispersed data sources and user behaviors more effectively, these innovations could facilitate the personalization of health information, optimized treatment plans and interventions. I am convinced that such developments would lead to more efficient, secure, and patient-centric eHealth services, ultimately transforming healthcare delivery and accessibility.

Will you tell us about some of the regular activities or upcoming events of the Greece ACM SIGCHI Chapter?

The ACM Greece SIGCHI Chapter was established in 2008 to promote collaboration among Greek researchers and professionals from both the public and private sectors with a shared interest in human-computer interaction (HCI). With over 320 members from academia, research institutions, and industry, the chapter brings together a diverse community from urban centers, remote regions, and islands across Greece.

We organize annual networking activities and events with both local and international reach, including:

Our flagship biannual International Conference CHIGreece will be held in Syros this September, focusing on how AI-driven HCI can enhance human capabilities to design relevant, ethical, and inclusive everyday interactions. The conference will be a three day event, featuring plenary sessions with keynote speakers, paper presentations, exhibitions, interactive experiences, and a dedicated track for young researchers. Additionally, a panel of experts will discuss this year’s World Usability Day theme.
Our most notable annual local event is tied to World Usability Day, aligning with each year’s unique theme. Last year, we organized the GreekCHI Symposium 2024, bringing together researchers, professionals, and students from academia and industry to explore how HCI and usability principles can drive inclusive, user-friendly designs. The event included a series of talks offering insights into applying usability principles to improve systems and services alongside extensive discussions that provided opportunities for networking and applying HCI expertise across diverse fields.
A key initiative of the chapter is the establishment of the National Usability Observatory, which identifies usability and accessibility gaps in public service websites and products while providing best-practice guidelines.

All chapter events are open to the public, ensuring broad accessibility. By facilitating communication, coordinating initiatives, and fostering innovation in HCI, the chapter strengthens Greece’s role in the global HCI research community while supporting both theoretical and applied advancements in the field.

What is one example of a research area you are working on now that will be especially impactful in your field?

One impactful research area focuses on applying a quantum-theoretic approach to HCI through the development of Quantum User Experience (QUX) and the Human-AI Quantum Experience Design (HAI-QXD) paradigm, which I initially introduced at ACM CHI 2024. This initiative aims to address the limitations of traditional HCI models, which often struggle to adapt to the complexities, randomness, and uncertainty inherent in today’s mixed realities and AI-driven digital environments.

The foundation of QUX lies in drawing parallels between HCI phenomena and principles from quantum physics to better understand user interactions within blended digital-physical ecosystems. By viewing the digital world through a “quantum lens,” QUX introduces concepts that redefine how we perceive users, interactions, and objects (fundamental ingredients of HCI). Imagine:

Agents - Users are represented as oscillating subatomic “strings,” embodying intrinsic human traits within an agent’s body. This conceptualizes a person as a one-dimensional vibrating entity with properties derived from Individual Differences theories, influencing behavior and states over time.
Objects - Digital content is composed of Experience Elements with dynamic states influenced by Experience Quanta. These elements are reusable, multidimensional, and defined by probabilistic distributions.
Interactions - Exchanges between Agents and Objects are considered as Quantum Experience Energy, reflecting a probabilistic distribution in a quantum field. These interactions inherently involve a degree of uncertainty.

HAI-QXD builds on QUX’s interdisciplinary theoretical framework. It is defined as “a paradigm that unifies the micro- and macro-experiences of observed HCI phenomena under a coherent framework capable of explaining and predicting most behaviors and interactions generated by the various agents within a system.” A key aspect of QUX is the idea that interactions are not definite but exist in multiple states simultaneously, described as wave functions. Measuring these interactions allows for capturing a range of user behaviors and states, which can then be modeled using probabilistic distributions to identify optimal conditions and feedback. This approach embraces the inherent uncertainty and probabilistic nature of user behaviors and choices, providing a robust framework for designing adaptive interfaces and interconnected experiences. Ultimately, QUX seeks to explain HCI phenomena in light of the dynamicity, complexity, and uncertainty of modern interactions.

Panagiotis Germanakos is a User Experience Research Expert at SAP (in Walldorf, Germany), as well as a Senior Research Investigator at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). His research interests include human-computer interaction (HCI), human-centered computing, user experience (UX), adaptive cognitive systems, web personalization and user modeling.

Germanakos serves as Chair of the Greece ACM SIGCHI Chapter.