Leon Lu

Leon Lu

Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream

Leon is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream at ICCIT, who leverages human-computer interaction techniques and design research methods to understand how technological systems, including creative technologies, open-source hardware design, haptics and wearable technologies, can positively impact marginalized and underrepresented communities, including people with disabilities. Recently, Leon received the 2024 Bill Buxton Award for Best Canadian HCI Dissertation and has published research papers and journals at top tier HCI conferences including CHI, ASSETS and TACCESS

Education
Doctor of Philosophy, School of Information Technology, Carleton University
Master of Design, Digital Futures Program, OCAD University
Bachelor of Chemistry, St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University

Publications

  • Lu, L., Crispin, C., Piao, Z., Eze-Anyanwu, A., & Girouard, A. (2025, April). Project TapTap: A Longitudinal Study Exploring Non-Verbal Communication through Vibration Signals Between Teachers and Blind or Low Vision Music Learners. In Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-15).
  • Lu, L., Crispin, C., & Girouard, A. (2024, October). " We Musicians Know How to Divide and Conquer": Exploring Multimodal Interactions To Improve Music Reading and Memorization for Blind and Low Vision Learners. In Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (pp. 1-14).
  • Lu, L., Kang, J., Crispin, C., & Girouard, A. (2023, October). Playing with feeling: Exploring vibrotactile feedback and aesthetic experiences for developing haptic wearables for blind and low vision music learning. In Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (pp. 1-16).
  • Lu, L., Cochrane, K. A., Kang, J., & Girouard, A. (2023). “Why are there so many steps?”: Improving Access to Blind and Low Vision Music Learning through Personal Adaptations and Future Design Ideas. ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing, 16(3), 1-20.
  • Lu, L., & Girouard, A. Learning Music Blind: Understanding Accessibility Challenges and Future Opportunities.

Other

Specialization
Web & Creative Coding: HTML/CSS, JavaScript, p5.js, Processing, Python, Arduino (C/C++)
Physical & Digital Prototyping: Rhino3D, ShaperTool, Carbide Create, TinkerCAD, Ableton Live
Design & Visualization Tools: Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Miro, Mural
User Research & Evaluation: interviews, surveys, usability testing, focus groups, heuristic analysis
Human-Centered Design Methods: journey mapping, empathy mapping, storyboarding, personas, thematic & sentiment analysis