Every year, the challenge of finding good Christmas gifts returns. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used to suggest ideas, but in an SWR3 interview, Martin Feick from the human-centered systems lab (h-lab) emphasizes that while AI can help overcome “blank page paralysis,” prompts should always include a personal touch. He warns against relying solely on AI — a thoughtful, human-crafted gift still matters most.  In the interview, he also shares tips on how to prompt AI more effectively for meaningful gift ideas.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Frank Hadasch, former member of the research group of Prof. Mädche. as professor at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences. Frank Hadasch worked at the Chair of Information Systems IV (formerly headed by Prof. Mädche at the University of Mannheim) and received his doctorate in 2014. After working in various management roles at Atruvia AG, Frank Hadasch will start his new job at the Faculty of Computer Science and Business Information Systems in the “IT Operations and IT Security” department on March 1, 2026. 

The DFG Research Training Group (RTG) KD²School will receive funding for another five years.  In this RTG, KIT is collaborating with the Universities of Bremen and of Oldenburg to research the design of biosignal-adaptive systems for decision-making processes in economic contexts as well as in private and professional life. The RTG’s spokespersonship is anchored at the Institute for Information Systems (WIN), with Prof. Dr. Christof Weinhardt leading the first funding period and Prof. Dr. Alexander Mädche assuming responsibility for the second.

On 27 November 2025, Markus Baya (Tribe Lead Analytics) and Markus Raster (Data Scientist and Product Owner) from atruvia AG gave an industry talk in our master lecture “Business Intelligence Systems”. 

In their talk, they presented the evolution from Data Warehouses, to Data Lakes and Data Meshes in the last 20 years at Atruvia AG.  They also demonstrated state-of-the-art business intelligence systems in retail banking, showcasing how modern architectures and business intelligence & analytics platforms insight-driven financial services.

Our research team at WIN just hosted the 5th iteration of "Biosignals Connect" (BioCon) in the KD2Lab – an event series that brings together international researchers with shared interests in biosignals and adaptive systems.

On two days, we saw 14 presentations from KIT, Politecnico di Milano, University of Milano, University of Bremen, and SUPSI – covering research from information systems, industrial engineering, marketing, psychology and biomedical engineering.

Whether it's online appointment booking, waste collection calendars, or daycare registration – digital services have long been a part of everyday life. For them to truly make life easier, they must be user-friendly. This is precisely where the first nationwide User Climate Test 2026 comes in: The non-profit organization UIG e.V., in partnership with the Institute for Information Systems (WIN) at KIT aims to determine how user-friendly digital services in German cities actually are.

On November 11, 2025, Dr. David Dann, Jakob Leander Müller, and Katja Speck, Managing Director of Visualvest GmbH, gave a guest lecture providing practical insights into their user research activities. Visualvest GmbH is a 100% owned subsidiary of the Union Investment Group, thus combining the financial expertise and security of one of Germany's leading fund management companies with the flexibility and speed of a FinTech.

We are pleased to announce that Adrian Wegener, research assistant and PhD student at the human-centered systems lab (h-lab) has joined the AI Grid network.AI Grid is an initiative that strengthens collaboration and synergies among young talents in the field of artificial intelligence. The network connects dedicated early-career researchers with leading experts from academia and industry. It currently brings together more than 200 active members and over 100 mentors and AI specialists.

On November 10th, 2025, we were delighted to welcome Dr. Jian Zhao, Associate Professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo and director of the WVisdom Lab, whose research focuses on information visualization, human-computer interaction, and human-centered AI, and Dr. Linping Yuan, Research Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), working at the intersection of VR/AR, HCI, and data visualization, to the human-centered systems lab (h-lab) of the Institute for Information Systems (WIN) at KIT. 

We welcome Tom Weinhardt as a new team member and PhD student at the Chair of Prof. Weinhardt at WIN.

Tom holds a Master of Science in Information Systems from the University of Regensburg and a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Business Management from the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Stuttgart.

We welcome Marie Thederan as a new team member and PhD student at the Chair of Prof. Weinhardt at WIN.
 Marie completed her master’s thesis at our chair, where she explored possible impacts of grid fees on large-scale battery storage using multi-agent reinforcement learning. During her studies, she also contributed to the ASSUME project as a student researcher, gaining valuable experience in electricity market simulation and agent-based modeling with deep reinforcement learning.

In September 2025, our colleague Isabel Bezzaoui participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), organized by the U.S. Department of State and supported by the US Embassy. The program included visits to Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Phoenix, Sacramento, and San Francisco. In the course of three weeks, participants explored topics including artificial intelligence, policy, innovation, and security.