About HIT Lab NZ
HIT Lab NZ is a multidisciplinary research centre in the Faculty of Engineering whose work focuses on the intersection between people and technology. Operating since 2002, we are recognised internationally as a leader in Human Interface Technology research and education.
Human Interface Technology takes a human-centred approach to the analysis, design, and development of interactive technologies to better meet users’ needs.
As the largest interaction lab in New Zealand, HIT Lab NZ provides researchers and students with access to a wide range of cutting-edge equipment and facilities for experiments that explore, design and develop novel interactions across a range of interactive media and technologies.
Our Mission
Our mission is to support and empower people through the study, invention, development and dissemination of knowledge, technologies and processes that solve human interface technology problems and have a positive social impact in a globally-aware context. We aspire to this by:
- Providing multidisciplinary, project-based experiences for students.
- Maintaining a world-class centre of excellence for human interface technology research.
- Developing and transitioning to industry leading-edge human-computer interfaces to accelerate economic development in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Study Programmes
Our programmes focus on equipping students with the skills and knowledge to address real-world challenges. Our graduates go on to work as:
- User experience design professionals
- VR, AR, & MR developers
- Software developers
- Senior product designers
- Researchers in academia and industry
- Consultants.
HIT Lab NZ offers two postgraduate research degrees in the field of Human Interface Technology:
Our Research
The multi-disciplinary research team collaborates widely with partners, both nationally and internationally, from industry, academia, and government. We collaborate with many sectors including education and training, health, high performance sport, disaster management, gaming, transportation, tourism, and construction.
Our People
The international, multidiscipliary team at HIT Lab NZ is made up of world-leading academics, researchers, and professional staff. We have expertise in:
- Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality
- Applied Games Design and Development
- Haptic Feedback
- (Socially) Intelligent Virtual Agents
- Human Augmentation
- Artificial Intelligence
As an applied research centre, most projects are funded by external organisations and/or research grants. If you want to support our research or students, donations can be made to HIT Lab NZ through the UC Foundation.
