HCI

Dragonfly: An Ecological Approach to Digital Architectural Design

by Michael J. Braund

Published in ACADIA 2011: Integration Through Computation, ed. by J.M. Taron, V. Parlac, B. Kolarevic and J.S. Johnson, pp.178-186. Stroughton, WI: The Printing House, 2011.

(Co-authored with Daniel Hambleton)

In his keynote address delivered to The American Society for Esthetics in 1976, James J. Gibson wrote, “Architecture... more In his keynote address delivered to The American Society for Esthetics in 1976, James J. Gibson wrote, “Architecture and design do not have a satisfactory theoretical basis.” He then asked, “Can an ecological approach to the psychology of perception and behavior provide it?” (1976, p. 413) We believe that it can, at least in part. In this paper, we expand upon Gibson’s insights into the nature of perceptual experience by applying the concept of “affordances” to the design of architectural objects in general, and to the domain of digital architectural design in particular. On our account, the affordance-concept supplies a useful theoretical basis for conceptualizing the relationship between environments and occupants with respect to the form and behavioral meaning of geometrically constructed layouts.

Donald Norman (1988) first introduced affordances to interaction design theorists, as a conceptual tool for predicting how agents will interact with a given product. The extensive body of literature that has since emerged, from human-computer-interaction studies (Ackerman, 1996; Conn, 1995; Moran, 1997; Norman, 1999) to architectural theory and practice (Koutamanis, 2006; Maier and Fadel, 2009), has followed Norman’s lead in defining affordances, somewhat amorphously, as whichever action-related properties of objects are sufficient to elicit the intended forms of behavioral interaction between the agent and object. However, while this is correct, it is only half the story. It leaves unexplained how human perceivers detect and “pair down” on the potentially vast range of possible affordances (at a given time), to select the ones that will be relevant to the coordination and guidance of the targeted actions. Call this the “selectivity problem,” a proper treatment of which is missing from the literature. This is no small matter. If the theory of affordances is to be useful to architects and designers, if it is to have explanatory and predictive power over how perceivers will interact with their surroundings, then some account of the cognitive procedure by which affordances are selected for the deployment of specific behaviors is necessary. Otherwise, it is unclear what the theory hopes to predict or explain.

To this end, we maintain that the couching of affordances in a framework of human intentionality is not only consistent with Gibson’s theoretical views (i.e., the action-oriented definition of the concept of affordances not only suggests an intentional perspective), indeed, such a perspective is necessary if we are to succeed in implementing the affordance-concept into an architectural design context in a way that addresses the selectivity problem. This is one of the goals of “Dragonfly,” a first attempt at implementing the affordance-based control of perceptually guided-action into a digital design simulation. Dragonfly enables human interaction with geometry by encoding the basic principles of ecological psychology (including a rudimentary form of intentionality) into an interactive CAD environment. New vistas for future research and interdisciplinary approaches to design are then discussed, with a special emphasis on their applicability to architecture.

Emotion in HCI - Designing for people

by Marc Fabri

Peter, C., Crane, E., Fabri, M., Agius, H., Axelrod, L. (eds.) (2010) Emotion in HCI - Designing for people: Proceedings of the 2008 International Workshop, Fraunhofer Verlag, Stuttgart, ISBN 978-3-8396-0089-4

As computing is changing and becoming increasingly social in nature, the role of emotions in computing has become ever... more As computing is changing and becoming increasingly social in nature, the role of emotions in computing has become ever more relevant and commercial. Emotion are central to culture, creativity, and interaction. The topic attracts more and more researchers from a range of multidisciplinary fields including design, gaming, sensor technologies, psychology and sociology. The need for discussion, exchange of ideas, and interdisciplinary collaboration is ever-increasing as the community grows. This workshop will meet requirements of individuals working in the field, giving them a podium to explore different aspects of emotion in HCI, raise questions and network with like-minded people on common subjects. The workshop will focus around working group sessions, and will use predominantly small group work, rather than being presentation-based.

Using Kinect to emulate an Interactive Whiteboard

by Mattia Avancini

Screen design: composing with dynamic symmetry

by Eugene Ch'ng

Screen design: a dynamic symmetry grid based approach

by Eugene Ch'ng

Screen design with dynamic symmetry: A discovery

by Eugene Ch'ng

SIMULATION OF A DESIGN ENVIRONMENT FOR USERS TO INCORPORATE PROPORTIONING SYSTEMS INTO SCREEN DESIGN

by Eugene Ch'ng

Making Ourselves Useful: The evolution of HCI from a Formal to Practical discipline

by Maurice McGinley

draft.

Published histories of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) have presented the development of the discipline from many... more Published histories of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) have presented the development of the discipline from many perspectives, including that of interaction technology, academic disciplines, professional entities, and models of the user. Starting from the constructivist epistemological premise that knowledge cannot be divorced from social context, this article analyses the practical concerns that formed the discipline of HCI and the social context in which the discipline continues to find its relevance.

A historical survey of the development of HCI considers the context within which the discipline of HCI is most frequently practiced: computer (software and hardware) projects. A key theme in this history is shown to be a need for responsiveness to changing understandings of user requirements. The scope of consideration is then expanded to include the contexts of application domains, technology, and society. It is proposed that, considered within these broader contexts, the trajectory of development of HCI can be discerned as a movement from Formal to Practical methods, and the implications for HCI practitioners are discussed.

Television's Job-To-Be-Done

by Maurice McGinley

This article reviews research into why people watch television. Christensen (2003) proposes businesses are best... more This article reviews research into why people watch television. Christensen (2003) proposes businesses are best understood by looking at the way they help people address their jobs-to-be-done. If new forms of television are more likely to succeed to the extent that they do the jobs now done by traditional television; then to understand how people will use future forms of TV, we must understand how viewers use traditional TV.

A map of the television experience

by Maurice McGinley

This paper presents an analysis of the experience of television based on a definition of experience as 'understanding... more This paper presents an analysis of the experience of television based on a definition of experience as 'understanding situated in time'. Citing Heidegger's phenomenological investigations of everyday experiences, as well as tenets from Distributed Cognition, and Activity Theory, the experience of interaction with television is shown to be situated within personal and cultural contexts, which determine the meaning and therefore the quality of the experience. A diagram of television use cases representing television practices is presented, ordered according to proximity to cultural practice. The diagram and method are discussed. The method is recommended as a tool to direct user-interface design and requirements development priorities.

The Senstylus: a novel rumble-feedback pen device for CAD application in Virtual Reality

by Michele Fiorentino

3D POINTING IN VIRTUAL REALITY: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AND VALIDATION

by Michele Fiorentino

VR Interaction for CAD Basic Tasks Using Rumble Feedback Input: Experimental Study

by Michele Fiorentino

Distributed design review using tangible augmented technical drawings

by Michele Fiorentino

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TYR-4TX33RP-1&_user=10&_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2010&_rdoc=3&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_origin=browse&_zone=rslt_list_item&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235625%232010%23999579994%231847710%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5625&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=c7b4bcfd530fc0a3c38fb905c27a1e0d&searchtype=a

In this work we integrate augmented reality technology in a product development process using real technical drawings... more In this work we integrate augmented reality technology in a product development process using real technical drawings as a tangible interface for design review. We present an original collaborative framework for Augmented Design Review Over Network (ADRON). It provides the following features: augmented technical drawings, interactive FEM simulation, multimodal annotation and chat tools, web content integration and collaborative client/server architecture. Our framework is intended to use common hardware instead of expensive and complex virtual or augmented facilities. We designed the interface specifically for users with little or no augmented reality expertise proposing tangible interfaces for data review and visual editing for all the functions and configurations. Two case studies are presented and discussed: a real-time “touch and see” stress/strain simulation and a collaborative distributed design review session of an industrial component.

Keywords: Augmented reality; Collaborative design review; FEM data visualization; 3D model annotation

6dof manipulators for curves and surfaces bi-manual modelling in virtual environment

by Michele Fiorentino

SmartSnap: addressing 3D pointing anisotropy in Virtual Reality CAD application

by Michele Fiorentino

Analysis in Practical Usability Evaluation: A Survey Study

by Asbjørn Følstad

Følstad, A., Law, E.L.-C., Hornbæk, K. (2012) Analysis in practical usability evaluation: A survey study. In: Proceedings of CHI '12 (p. 2127-2136), ACM Press, New York, NY. ISBN: 978-1-4503-1015-4.

Analysis is a key part of conducting usability evaluations, yet rarely systematically studied. Thus, we lack direction... more Analysis is a key part of conducting usability evaluations, yet rarely systematically studied. Thus, we lack direction on how to do research on supporting practitioners’ analysis and lose an opportunity for practitioners to learn from each other. We have surveyed 155 usability practitioners on the analysis in their latest usability evaluation. Analysis is typically flexible and light-weight. At the same time, practitioners see a need to strengthen reliability in evaluation. Redesign is closely integrated with analysis; more than half of the respondents provide visual redesign suggestions in their evaluation deliverables. Analysis support from academic research, including tools, forms and structured formats, does not seem to have direct impact on analysis practice. We provide six recommendations for future research to better support analysis.

Flying a Manta with Gesture and Controller: An Exploration of Certain Interfaces in Human-Robot Interaction

by Jon Schull

Abstract. We document and discuss a number of interface explorations conducted while building a cable-array robotic... more Abstract. We document and discuss a number of interface explorations conducted while building a cable-array robotic sculpture in the form of a fiberglass bio-mimetic flying manta ray.

Our two primary interface devices were a gesture sensing Essential Reality P5 glove and a Microsoft Xbox 360
game controller. We also offer a conceptual design space comprising three axes: mapping, frame of reference, and interface location. This design space lets us discuss and compare all of our explorations and envision other potentially
interesting interfaces.

A Candour in Reporting: designing dexterously for fire preparedness

by Yoko Akama

Co-authored by Yoko Akama, RMIT University and Ann Light, Northumbria University

Paper presented at AltCHI 2012, May 5-10, 2012, Austin Texas, USA

This paper challenges the domination of repeatable methods in HCI discourse and, instead, offers a design case study... more This paper challenges the domination of repeatable methods in HCI discourse and, instead, offers a design case study that details ad-hoc, contextually-driven decisions as to how processes can unfold in a community-based project, taking on fire awareness in Australia. The paper draws out details which enable us to understand why and how methods were modified or abandoned to overcome obstacles, and what was made a priority in arriving at greater understanding of communicating risk. This reporting differs from an established research accounting, but offers complexity and richness in human-centered research as we seek to develop our epistemologies of design research practice.

GAMBIT: Addressing Multi-platform Collaborative Sketching with HTML5

by Ugo Sangiorgi

EICS’12, June 25–26, 2012, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Prototypes are essential tools for design activities since they allow designers to realize and evaluate ideas in early... more Prototypes are essential tools for design activities since they allow designers to realize and evaluate ideas in early stages of the development. Sketching is a primary tool for constructing prototypes of interactive systems and has been used in developing low-fidelity prototypes for a long time. The computational support for sketching has been receiving a recurrence of interest in the last 45 years and again nowadays within the mobile web context, where there are diverse devices to be considered.
The tool presented on this paper was built with HTML5 and Javascript in order to run on any device with browsing capabilities, for the main purpose of aiding an investigation on addressing issues of multi-platform collaborative sketching.