Kam-Kwai Wong
Postdoctoral Fellow · HKUST VisLab
I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at HKUST VisLab, where I work with Prof. Huamin Qu. During my Ph.D. studies, I had the pleasure of visiting Prof. Wei Chen at Zhejiang University, Prof. Siming Chen at Fudan University, and Prof. Yalong Yang and Prof. Jessica Roberts at Georgia Institute of Technology. I completed my bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering at HKUST.
I build visual and immersive tools that help people understand complex information and make better decisions together. My work combines data visualization, immersive technology, and human-centered design to make complex and changing situations easier to see, discuss, and act on. I create systems that help people explore data more effectively, communicate ideas more clearly, and make plans with greater confidence.
Seeking postdoctoral opportunities starting in Fall 2026 in data visualization, AR/VR, and HCI.
Research Vision
Steerable Spaces
Important decisions increasingly depend on information distributed across people, models, and media. As machine intelligence increasingly recommends and sometimes carries out actions, my research asks how people can preserve collective control rather than become passive monitors.
I pursue this question by designing spatial interfaces for steerable spaces: computational environments where teams can collectively arrange information, compare interpretations, and redirect inquiry around automated alternatives. These environments support better collective reasoning across people, representations, and realities rather than confined to a single analyst or device.
This vision builds on two foundations. Information visualization shows that abstract information becomes easier to reason about when it is given visual form and arranged in space. Distributed cognition explains why those external forms can support thinking across people and tools. I extend these foundations into interactive environments that provide collective leverage for judgment, coordination, and foresight. In the long run, I view this as one path toward more capable and accountable forms of collective intelligence. This vision is guided by three principles:
Principle
Steerability
Good spaces reduce the friction of action. People can redirect attention, manipulate representations, and guide inquiry without losing agency.
Principle
Intelligibility
Good spaces reduce the opacity of shared work. People can see what is in play, how it connects, what changed, and what to do next.
Principle
Prospection
Good spaces reduce the lag between choice and consequence. People can compare alternatives, surface trade-offs, and rehearse decisions before they act.
Publication archive
Publications
Selected works
2026
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LandSAR: Visceralizing Landslide Data for Enhanced Situational Awareness in Immersive Analytics
Lets planners rehearse landslide scenarios on a physical terrain model before disasters strike.How it works
Pairs real-time what-if landslide simulation with a tangible terrain interface, turning hazard assessment into prospective spatial reasoning for mitigation and situational awareness.
2025
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Prismatic: Interactive Multi-View Cluster Analysis of Concept Stocks
Helps investors see why stocks belong together instead of trusting correlations alone.How it works
Couples data-driven co-movement with explicit business relations so analysts can steer concept-stock generation, exploration, and validation across time horizons.
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CultiVerse: Towards Cross-Cultural Understanding for Paintings with Large Language Model
Makes culturally specific symbolism in paintings easier for outsiders to understand.How it works
Builds cross-cultural intelligibility through a mixed-initiative workflow and cultural-norm dataset that align symbols across cultures, surface context across visual/symbol/custom levels, and validate acceptable interpretations.
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TangibleNet: Synchronous Network Data Storytelling through Tangible Interactions in Augmented Reality
Gives live presenters a more natural way to manipulate network stories in space.How it works
Maps tangible AR actions to node-link operations so presenters can steer synchronous network storytelling in real time without breaking presentation flow.
2023
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Anchorage: Visual Analysis of Satisfaction in Customer Service Videos via Anchor Events
Turns long service videos into readable evidence for where satisfaction breaks down.How it works
Anchors multimodal behavior to semantically meaningful service events, letting analysts navigate long videos directly through operational causes of satisfaction change.
