Steffen Werner received his undergraduate and graduate education in mathematics and experimental psychology at the University of Goettingen, Germany. As a post-doctoral researcher at professor Molly Potter’s lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology he investigated visual attention and memory. After his return to the University of Goettingen, Werner worked on questions related to human spatial cognition and navigation. In 2000, he joined the University of Idaho’s Department of Psychology and its human factors graduate program. His main current research interests focus on both applied questions like the design of in-car map displays, general automotive user interfaces, situation awareness in process control and new password systems, and basic questions regarding visual and spatial cognition. He has also created www.gocognitive.net, which is intended to provide educational resources for educators and students in the field of cognitive neuroscience.

• Human-machine interaction
• User experience/usability
• Automotive user interfaces
• Spatial & visual cognition
• Visual & auditory displays
• Human-AI interaction
• Accessible technology
• Development of online educational materials

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• Research on alternatives to traditional alphanumeric passwords systems. We are investigating the potential of graphical and narrative passwords for future authentication technologies.
• A number of small research projects on automotive user interfaces (e.g., gesture based interactions in the car) and a diverse set of additional usability studies using eye-tracking methodology.
• Research on situation awareness of control room operators in complex process control scenarios.
• Continued development of the gocognitive.net website for online educational resources for cognitive neuroscience.