I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna in the Research Group for Visualization and Data Analysis (Computer Science) and an affiliate researcher at King’s College London, UK.

My research is looking at ways to improve human-data interaction by studying sensemaking with data and visualisations, data discovery and reuse, and ethical and collaborative aspects of data-centric work.  In other words that means I research how data is used, understood, and presented by (and to) different user groups and what implications that might have.

laura.koesten (at) univie.ac.at

Publications

Journals (& books)

Human-Centered Data Discovery

2023, Synthesis Lectures on Information Concepts, Retrieval, and Services, Springer Nature
Kathleen Gregory, Laura Koesten

New Ways of Sliding: An Exploration of Three criteria Decision Making Widgets

2023, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications
Yu Jin, Laura Koesten, Torsten Möller

‘Being Simple on Complex Issues’ - An Expert View on Visual Data Communication of Climate Change

2023, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG)
Regina Schuster, Laura Koesten, Kathleen Gregory, Torsten Möller

Talking metadata - understanding privacy implications of volunteer contributions in participatory projects

2023, EticaPolitica/EthicsPolitics
Gefion Thurmer, Laura Koesten, Elena Simperl

Talking datasets: Understanding data sensemaking behaviours

2020, International Journal for Human Computer Studies
Laura Koesten, Kathleen Gregory, Paul Groth, Elena Simperl

Dataset Reuse: Translating Principles to Practice

2020, Cell Press Journal
Laura Koesten, Pavlos Vougiouklis, Elena Simperl, Paul Groth

Everything you always wanted to know about a dataset: studies in data summarisation

2020, International Journal for Human Computer Studies
Laura Koesten, Elena Simperl, Tom Blount, Emilia Kacprzak, Jeni Tennison

Dataset Search: A Survey

2019, International Journal on Very Large Data Bases
Adriane Chapman, Elena Simperl, Laura Koesten, George Konstantinidis, Luis-Daniel Ibez-Gonzalez, Emilia Kacprzak, Paul Groth

Characterising dataset search—An analysis of search logs and data requests

2018, Journal of Web Semantics
Emilia Kacprzak, Laura Koesten, Luis D Ibáñez, Tom Blount, Jeni Tennison, Elena Simperl

Conferences

Chatting About Data - Interacting with Voice Interfaces to Engage with Election Panel Data

2023, ACM conference on Conversational User Interfaces (CUI)
Bernhard Jordan, Laura Koesten, Torsten Möller

Enabling Discourse about Algorithmic Decision-Making for Lay People

2023, ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (ACM FAccT)
Timothée Schmude, Laura Koesten, Torsten Möller, Sebastian Tschiatschek

Supporting Video Authoring for Communication of Research Results

2023, ACM International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences (IMX)
Katharina Wuensche, Laura Koesten, Torsten Möller, Jian Chen

Understanding the Use of Narrative Patterns by Novice Data Storytellers

2020, International Conference on Computer‑Human Interaction Research and Applications
Tom Blount, Laura Koesten, Yuchen Zhao, Elena Simperl

Collaborative Practices with Structured Data: Do Tools Support What Users Need?

2019, CHI'19 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Laura Koesten, Emilia Kacprzak, Jeni Tennison, Elena Simperl

Making Sense of Numerical Data - Semantic Labelling of Web Tables

2018, International Conference on Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management
Emilia Kacprzak, José M. Giménez‑Garcı́a, Alessandro Piscopo, Laura Koesten, Luis Daniel Ibáñez, Jeni Tennison, Elena Simperl

A Query Log Analysis of Dataset Search

2017, Web Engineering ‑ 17th International Conference, ICWE
Emilia Kacprzak, Laura M. Koesten, Luis Daniel Ibáñez, Elena Simperl, Jeni Tennison

The Trials and Tribulations of Working with Structured Data: a Study on Information Seeking Behaviour

2017, CHI'17 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Laura Koesten, Emilia Kacprzak, Jeni Tennison, Elena Simperl

Plus size and inclusivity in design

2015 — Ergonomics & Human Factors
Laura Koesten, Diane Gyi, Annabel Masson

Workshops and other

Applying Interdisciplinary Frameworks to Understand Algorithmic Decision-Making

2023, CHI23 Workshop ‑ AI Literacy: Finding Common Threads between Education, Design, Policy, and Explainability
Timothée Schmude, Laura Koesten, Torsten Möller, Sebastian Tschiatschek

“The main message is that sustainability would help”–Reflections on takeaway messages of climate change data visualizations

2023, CHI23 Workshop ‑ HCI for Climate Change: Imagining Sustainable Futures
Regina Schuster, Laura Koesten, Kathleen Gregory, Torsten Möller

Datenexzellenz: Strategien fuer Oesterreich (Data excellence: strategies for Austria)

2022, Innitiative by the Austrian Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development
Stefanie Schuerz, Stefanie Konzett‑Smoliner, Michael Stampfer, plus Contributors (including Koesten Laura)

UX of data: making data available doesn’t make it usable

2021, ACM Interactions Magazine 28.2
Laura Koesten, Elena Simperl

Smoking gun

2020, ACM Interactions Magazine 27.5
Tom Blount, Dan Barnard, Laura Koesten, Elena Simperl

Structured and uncertainty-aware data storytelling

2020, CHI ’19 Workshop on HCI for Accurate, Impartial and Transparent Journalism: Challenges and Solutions
Yuchen Zhao, Tom Blount, Laura Koesten, Elena Simperl

Thesis: A User Centred Perspective on Structured Data Discovery

2018, Companion of the The Web Conference
Laura Koesten

Report on the DATA: SEARCH’18 workshop - Searching Data on the Web

2018, SIGIR Forum 52.2
Laura Koesten, Philipp Mayr, Paul Groth, Elena Simperl, Maarten deRijke

Characterising Dataset Search Queries

2018, The Web Conference (WWW'18) Companion
Emilia Kacprzak, Laura Koesten, Jeni Tennison, Elena Simperl

Searching Data Portals - More Complex Than We Thought?

2016 — CHIIR 2017 Workshop on Supporting Complex Search Tasks
Laura Koesten, Jaspreet Singh

Position Paper: Dataset profiling for un-Linked Data

2016 — PROFILES@ ESWC
Emilia Kacprzak, Laura Koesten, Tom Heath, and Jeni Tennison

Learning when searching for web data

2016 — SAL@SIGIR 2016
Laura Koesten, Emilia Kacprzak and Jeni Tennison

Talks

Invited talk at the EDGE lecture series (Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna)

Title: Visualizing Data ‑ Through the Eyes of the Reader
Vienna, Austria 2023

Invited talk at VRVis Zentrum für Virtual Reality und Visualisierung Forschungs‑GmbH

Title: Can you see the message?
Vienna, Austria 2023

Invited talk at the retreat of the division of Terrestrial Ecosystem of the Center for Microbiology

Title: Visualizing data - Through the eyes of the reader
Vienna, Austria 2023

Invited speaker at the Wikimedia Research Showcase

Title: Dataset reuse: Toward translating principles to practice
2023

Invited talk at the NYU (New York University) Dataset Search and Discovery seminar

Title: Data Discovery and Reuse: A Human‑Centred View
NYC, US 2023

Invited speaker and co-facilitator of the Strand-Aldwych Data Stories Workshop, by Kings College London & the London Westminster City Council

Title: The Data Stories Project + Data visualisation (a primer)
London, UK 2022

Invited speaker at Data Stories 2022, conference by the Central European University

Title: Talking Charts
Vienna, Austria 2022

Invited lecture at the department of Sociology, University of Vienna, Class: Research Practice

Title: Visualizing data through the eyes of the reader
Vienna, Austria 2022

Invited speaker at the Cognitive Science Lecture Series, University of Vienna

Title: Human Data Interaction
Vienna, Austria 2021

Invited speaker at the uniMind-University Meets Industry workshop

Title: Online Teamwork: Social factors in digital communities
Vienna, Austria 2021

Guest speaker at TGSW 2020, Open Data Workshop

Title: Dataset reuse indicators: perspectives of data consumers and data producers
Tsukuba, Japan 2020

Invited speaker at UK underwater: Data-driven approaches to communicating flooding

Title: Studies in Human Data Interaction - Data Discovery, Sensemaking and Reuse, June 2020
Online (UK) 2020

Gekoboard, a data visualisation company

Title: User centred data discovery, data sharing and reuse
London, UK 2020

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria

Title: A user centred perspective on the discovery of structured data.
Vienna, Austria 2019

Data Archiving and Networked Services - DANS

Title: Data discovery from a user perspective. Den Haag, Netherlands 2019

Lunchtime lecture at The Open Data Institute

Title: Why can‘t I find data?
London, UK 2018

Data and Storytelling Workshop, The Open Data Institute

Title: Finding data on the web
London, UK 2018

Community engagement & organisation

  • Co‑chair of the CHI24 Workshop ”Sensemaking: What is it today?” at the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

    2023

  • Co‑chair of the initiative ‘Opening research data: Building a WWTF position’ An initiative with the Vienna Science and Technology Fund to rethink data practices in national funding programmes

    2023

  • Member of the Environment and Climate Research Hub an interdisciplinary platform by the University of Vienna

    since 2023

  • Organizer of the workshop ‘Seeing data, understanding the future’ A science communication effort with pupils of a polytechnic school in Vienna

    2023

  • Program committee member for CHIIR ACM SIGIR Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval

    2022, 2023, 2024

  • Member of expert group ‘Data excellence: strategies for Austria’ organised by the Austrian council for Research and Technology Development + Future Operations Platform

    2022

  • Co‑facilitator of a ‘Kinderuni’ (Children University) A workshop day to engage children with data at the University of Vienna

    University of Vienna, 2022

  • Co‑facilitator of the Talking Charts Workshop Connecting the Dots.

    University of Vienna, 2022

  • Organiser of the CogSci Lab Visit at the Research Group Visualization and Data Analysis

    University of Vienna, Austria, 2021 + 2022

  • Advisory Board member of the MediaFutures project (a Data-driven innovation hub)

    EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme

  • Co-facilitator of a `Kinderuni' (Children University) workshop at the University of Vienna

  • ESWC2020 Track Chair of the Social and Human Aspects of the Semantic Web Track

    ESWC 2020

  • EU Project Networking Chair

    ESWC 2019

  • Sponsorship Chair

    International Semantic Web Conference, ISWC 2018

  • Organising Comittee

    Int. Workshop on Profiling and Searching Data on the Web
    @ The Web Conference 2018, Lyon, FR

  • Organising Comittee

    Int. Workshop on Profiling and Searching Data on the Web
    @ The Web Conference 2018, Lyon, FR

  • Chair

    International Workshop on DATA:SEARCH
    @ SIGIR 2018, Ann Arbor, USA

    • Teaching

    Winter 2024:
    Data Visualization, Contributor to the Cognitive Science Lecture Series, Supervision
    Summer 2024:
    Human Computer Interaction, Data Visualization, Supervision
    Winter 2023:
    Data Visualization, Contributor to the Cognitive Science Lecture Series, Supervision
    Summer 2023:
    Human Computer Interaction, Supervision
    Winter 2022:
    Data Visualization, Contributor to the Cognitive Science Lecture Series, Supervision
    Summer 2022:
    Human Computer Interaction, Data Visualization, Supervision
    Winter 2021:
    Data Visualization, Contributor to the Cognitive Science Lecture Series, Supervision
    Summer 2021:
    Human Computer Interaction, Supervision

    Projects

    Current

    Talking Charts - How do people make sense of data visualizations?
    University of Vienna

    Collaboration

    Interpretability and Explainability as Drivers to Democracy
    University of Vienna

    Past

    Data Stories - Engaging with data in a post-truth environment
    King's College London, University of Southampton, The ODI

    TheyBuyForYou - Enabling procurement data value chains
    University of Southampton

    WDAQUA - Answering questions using web data
    University of Southampton