Chapter 7 - Rat Park
Summary:
TBD
Discussion:
TBD
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Book Reading #25: Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 8 - The Role of the Dance
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Discussion:
Summary:
The primary role of the dance in the Samoan culture is as an expression of individual personality. This is seen as something of compromise in that much of the rest of every day life is conducted much more conservatively and repressively. The secondary role of the dance in the culture is to reduce shyness and self-consciousness. The dance allows individuals of any age or sex to show off their prowess and show their creativity.
Discussion:
In a lot of ways, this is something of the opposite of our own American culture. For one thing, most people I have ever known have felt more uncomfortable out on the dance floor. American popular culture is also quite proud of our individualistic nature in all things, in contrast to the reserved nature of the Samoans. Individuality in the dance, though, is one area where both cultures draw a common area.
Book Reading #24: Emotional Design
Chapter 1 - Attractive Things Look Better
Summary:
TBD
Discussion:
TBD
Summary:
TBD
Discussion:
TBD
Full Blog: Design of Everyday Things
Reference Information:
Title: Design of Everyday Things
Author: Donald Norman
Editor: Basic Books, 2002
Summary:
Discussion:
All in all, this would be a book I would recommend to anyone who is going to be involved in any kind of design work. It is also a good read for those who are curious about the things we use every day and why they have evolved in to their current design and form factors. Two thumbs up!
Title: Design of Everyday Things
Author: Donald Norman
Editor: Basic Books, 2002
Summary:
This book covered topics related to the design practice and principles of things we use on an every day basis. The arguments contained inside it outline what the author considers to be both good and bad design practices. He presents his proofs using examples for many common items we use regularly, such as typewriters, telephones, and water faucets.
He constructs a paradigm of "do's and don'ts" for anyone considering the design of objects. He discusses many of the psychological processes involved. He covers the concept of the natural mapping of objects such that the end user understands intuitively the function intended. He also discusses utilizing constraints in a planned manner such that the end user will have limited choices to make at any point in the operation procedure such that each intermediary step will be simplified, and the whole process is ultimately streamlined.
Making mistakes when using objects designed by others is a common and widespread problems. He introduces the concept of slips, which are errors that refer to intending to do one action and instead doing another. Some of the common slips he outlines are capture errors, description errors, data-driven errors, associative activation errors, loss-of-activation errors, and mode errors. Capture errors have to do with a frequently executed activity taking the place of the current one. Description errors occur when the current activity has a lot in common with other potential activities. Data-driven errors are ones that occur when doing something somewhat instinctual, but doing the wrong thing. Associative action errors are ones in which internal thoughts and associations cause external errors. Loss-of-activation errors is a case in which you simply forget to do something. Mode errors are ones that take place in situations where devices have different modes of operation and the action that is appropriate in one mode is not appropriate in another.
He made several points about the challenges that face designers and the problems they encounter. Among these issues are that sometimes, designer put the aesthetics of the device ahead of the functionality. Another is that often, the designer is not the intended user and views the design differently than the typical user does. He also mentions the pitfalls of feature creep and the temptation to add complexity in where it will only make the operation of the object more difficult.
He made several points about the challenges that face designers and the problems they encounter. Among these issues are that sometimes, designer put the aesthetics of the device ahead of the functionality. Another is that often, the designer is not the intended user and views the design differently than the typical user does. He also mentions the pitfalls of feature creep and the temptation to add complexity in where it will only make the operation of the object more difficult.
Discussion:
This book was a fascinating read. It made me look at things in the real world in a way I hadn't before and challenged me to reconsider many of my own software designs in a new light. This is especially true when I consider the issue of designing user interfaces. Often, I have found that things that seemed intuitive and straightforward to me was perceived by others as confusing and convoluted. I have found that one of the great challenges of software designers is in bringing forth the best UI possible to help the end users operate the end product to their best ability.
A lot of the things he mentioned in the book seem obvious when you read them, though you may not have consciously thought of them much before. I often found myself reading through a section and nodding as I read, because he had pointed out something that I had already grasped. He just managed to pull it into a more cerebral and visceral level that made me take a more profound notice of the issue.
Paper Reading #11: Combining multiple depth cameras and projectors for interactions on, above and between surfaces
Comments:
TBD
Reference Information:
Title: Combining multiple depth cameras and projectors for interactions on, above and between surfaces
Authors: Andrew D. Wilson, Hrvoje Benko, Microsoft Research, Redmond, WA, USA
Summary:
Discussion:
TBD
Reference Information:
Title: Combining multiple depth cameras and projectors for interactions on, above and between surfaces
Authors: Andrew D. Wilson, Hrvoje Benko, Microsoft Research, Redmond, WA, USA
Presentation Venue: UIST '10 Proceedings of the 23nd annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology
Summary:
LightSpace is a small room where various activities related to interaction with computers can be studied. The room is equipped with a number of cameras and 3D projectors that can display geometry on any surface that is visible to both the cameras and the projectors. The internal area is tracked in 3D space in real time. It is also possible to utilize depth information to simulate interaction with virtual objects that are not attached to any virtual surface. Another feature is the ability to transfer an interactive display by simultaneously touching an active and inactive display surface.
This prototype system was demonstrated before an audience of more than 800 people. The researchers were able to gain a lot of feedback about the people's perceptions about it. One thing they have discovered is that with the size of the current prototype, it is best suited for a maximum of 6 people interacting with it. This is one of the improvements they hope to achieve with future iterations. Another improvement they intend to make is to integrate the system with a real-time physics engine to give a more accurate sense to certain features, such as picking up objects.
Discussion:
If I had to express the way this paper made me feel in one word, that word would be "thisthingistotallyfreakingawesome!" Being something of a science fiction geek and enjoying the occasional trip into the world of Star Trek (read: not a hard core Trekker, but like watching the series...), this system goes a great deal of the way to being able to create the HoloDeck. Ever since the Next Generation series came out, I have wanted to be able to interact in something resembling the HoloDeck, and this seems like almost the next best thing.
With further advances and system modifications, I can see how this would make a great training tool for any industry, including the military. I see the possibility of creating an interactive television setup where you not only can choose to passively watch the "main" story created by the designers, but pick branching paths like a visual "Choose Your Own Adventure" book. It would also be impressive to be surrounded by the action. Not only could you hear everything in surround sound, but you can be immersed in the display, as a part of it. Actors could practice their art by taking one of the characters roles and interacting with the other characters being projected into the scene.
Now we just need to figure out the holography part....
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Book Reading #23: Opening Skinner's Box
Chapter 6 - Monkey Love
Summary:
Discussion:
Summary:
Harry Harlow was a 20th century psychologist who performed research on rhesus macaque monkeys. Through his research, he changed the landscape of animal research in addition to enacting numerous changes in the way human adults related to their infants and children. His methods are often considered brutal by many people, but regardless of taking into consideration the moral and ethical aspects related to his work, the results have nonetheless been assimilated into modern psychological cannon.
Harlow started by separating the mothers from their newborns and observed the results. This led to the team constructing simulated monkeys and seeing how the separated newborns would react. From his early results, they deduced that touch was a key component of primate psychological development after birth.
Experiments continued over the years. The teams there eventually found that there was another component in addition to touch that was necessary for development. They found that a small amount of additional physical activity, sometimes in the form of rocking or of play, would be enough for them to turn out normally developed.
Harlow started by separating the mothers from their newborns and observed the results. This led to the team constructing simulated monkeys and seeing how the separated newborns would react. From his early results, they deduced that touch was a key component of primate psychological development after birth.
Experiments continued over the years. The teams there eventually found that there was another component in addition to touch that was necessary for development. They found that a small amount of additional physical activity, sometimes in the form of rocking or of play, would be enough for them to turn out normally developed.
Discussion:
I think the benefits of his research have done much to revolutionize the way child care is done today. While a number of his methods go against my own ethical code, I see that the results have yet made a profound impact on our society. Monster? Angel? He was perhaps both at the same time.
I believe it is best to cause no harm, or barring that, to cause the least amount of harm in any given situation where we have a choice in the matter. It would have been difficult for me to engage in the research on a personal level. I think it is possible to conduct most useful research in a more ethical fashion.
On one hand, I want to say that human life is unilaterally more important than any other animal; but at the same time, can I say that any given human life is inherently more valuable than another other organism in existence? Is a person worth more than a dog, or a squirrel, or a tuatara? Cephalopods, such as the octopus, have a more advanced eye than we do. Dogs have a far keener sense of smell. Chimpanzees, our closest genetic relatives, are far stronger than us and posses raw computational skills than we do. Yet, I can build an F-16 with a full munitions load out, and that means I deserve to exist more than they do? I'm not sure that answer can be answered in the affirmative.
Still, just as was stated by the author, I, too, would choose my own child. I don't have a problem admitting that I am selfish and perhaps elitist over the other members of the animal kingdom in this respect. But I'm also not for the wholesale sacrifice of the others solely for our benefits. I'd like to think there is a way in which we can all coexist. We just have to collectively be willing to fight for that reality.
Paper Reading #10: Enabling beyond-surface interactions for interactive surface with an invisible projection
Comments:
Reference Information:
Title: Enabling beyond-surface interactions for interactive surface with an invisible projection
Summary:
Discussion:
Reference Information:
Title: Enabling beyond-surface interactions for interactive surface with an invisible projection
Authors: Li-Wei Chan, Hsiang-Tao Wu, Hui-Shan Kao, Ju-Chun Ko, Home-Ru Lin, Mike Y. Chen, Jane Hsu, Yi-Ping Hung, all from National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan Roc
Presentation Venue: UIST '10 Proceedings of the 23nd annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology
Summary:
The researchers are presenting a programmable infrared technique that will allow mobile devices to have interaction with multi-touch and tangible surface objects. The process utilizes both infrared and visible light projectors to display visible content and invisible markers. Infrared cameras connected to the mobile devices can perceive this input and compute their positions in 3-space. This is supplemented by three tools that the researchers refer to as i-m-View, i-m-Lamp, and i-m-Flashlight that can also be interacted with.
Early results have proven that users enjoy working with the interface. They have found that the users report to them that the larger displays provide easier navigation through the tools, etc. The users found that they intuitively wanted to be able to drag the map around when in use, which was a feature that was not included in the current Trial. The researchers thought it was a good idea and plan to implement this feature in the future.
The researchers also revealed some problems the users reportedly experienced when using the interface. One of these was a sense of disconnection between their use of the tabletop system and their connection to other users. The researchers plan on addressing ways in which to minimize this phenomenon. Their goal is to better facilitate group interaction with the system.
Discussion:
I think this goes a long way towards making certain science fiction interfaces we have seen a reality. I think it could make for some very interesting user interface designs. It could potential free the users up from cumbersome equipment and allow more freedom of usage. It could allow natural gestures and body language to be incorporated into the set of interface tools for the system to recognize and make the users experience more organic.
This type of interface could lead to many distinct applications. With 3D projection, I can see how a geneticist could manipulate DNA strands floating in the air in front of them. An architect could have a 3D projection of their latest building that they could move, scale and rotate to view at different angles with different environmental conditions applied in real time. For game development, modelers could sculpt some of their models with their fingers as if they were sculpting in clay.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Book Reading #18: Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 6
Summary:
Discussion:
Summary:
He talks about the natural evolution of design and the forces that work against it. Much of the forces that work against it have to do with the increasing complexity of the objects we use on a daily basis. Another negative force to continue is the amount of time a craftsman or artisan has to bring an object from conception to market; these days, business moves fast and successful designs must adapt to move fast, as well.
One good example of the evolution of the design process is the typewriter. A main consideration in the design of these items was the layout of the keyboard. Many versions were tried in the beginning. A good deal of these early designs laid out the keys in alphabetical order. The prevalent design we use today is the Qwerty arrangement developed by Sholes in the 1870s. This arrangement of the letters came about because of practical considerations. In the alphabetical arrangement, the keys would often jam when the typist was typing rapidly due to the ordering of the mechanical arms. Today there is a slightly more optimal solution in the Dvorak keyboard; however, the gains are not great enough to overcome millions of people having to relearn to type using this alternate arrangement.
He points out, as well, that there are a number of key areas in which designs go astray. This includes things such as the designers putting aesthetics first, not being the typical users of the end product, and not having their clients as users of the product.
Sometimes, the design audience are a special subset of the population, as well. This requires them to create special versions of common items and some of the complexity involved with this may be opaque until they actually begin the design process.
Additionally, there are two temptations that designers may fall to at their own peril. One of these is feature creep. The other has to do with falling in love with their design and the complexity entailed therein. These can lead to missed ship dates and difficulty in using the end products.
Discussion:
Naturally design products have a certain quaint charm to them. I do not often buy many, but you can find such things. They are prevalent in sections of Pennsylvania and other locations where the population of Amish people is greater. I tend to stick to mass produced items that are practical for my every day solutions.
One other thing that really struck me in this chapter was the topic of feature creep. This is something the computer software developers the industry over are often guilty of and can be the point of many problems. Take, for example, the game Duke Nukem Forever. It was started at the end of the 1990s. Time after time when it was displayed, it looked great and was going to be a wonderful game to play. However, George Brussard was never satisfied with it. He wanted it to be the ultimate FPS shooter game of all time, and just good enough wasn't good enough for him. Every time a better technology came out, they had to make sure to top it. Unfortunately, with this and all the additional features that were continuously added, the game never came to be a reality. It wasn't until another local company, Gearbox Software, came along and took charge of the project that it came to be a reality. Looking forward to playing that one, guys!
Paper Reading #9: An intuitive texture picker
Comments:
Reference Information:
Title: An intuitive texture picker
Author: Wai-Man Pang
Presentation Venue: IUI '10 Proceeding of the 14th international conference on Intelligent user interfaces
Summary:
Their method's main features include computation, dimensionaltiy reduction, layout arrangement, and visualization. Their goal is to present the artist with a palette of potential textures such that they can select and apply the different patterns with color characteristics. The textures in the palette are to be arranged in a fashion of similarity for easily distinguishing them. In such a way, they hope to reduce the amount of time an artist takes to select from a large variety of texture choices.
Discussion:
As I want to go into game development, I am anxious to see the results of this work. I would love to have a tool of this nature available to the artists on any team I'm working on. I think it would make a wonderful productivity tool to help keep the project out of crunch time. Any optimization of those projects is welcome. Cmon, guys, get it done and release it to us!
Reference Information:
Title: An intuitive texture picker
Author: Wai-Man Pang
Presentation Venue: IUI '10 Proceeding of the 14th international conference on Intelligent user interfaces
Summary:
Many applications exist that allow the picking of colors from a color panel or picker, but the same is not true for picking textures. The researchers are attempting to create an intuitive interface for picking textures to make the lives of artists easier when selecting them. Their tool could apply to such graphics packages as GIMP or Photoshop.
Their method's main features include computation, dimensionaltiy reduction, layout arrangement, and visualization. Their goal is to present the artist with a palette of potential textures such that they can select and apply the different patterns with color characteristics. The textures in the palette are to be arranged in a fashion of similarity for easily distinguishing them. In such a way, they hope to reduce the amount of time an artist takes to select from a large variety of texture choices.
Discussion:
I have played around with a number of graphics packages, including GIMP, Photoshop, and Blender. I can see a distinct value added possibility here with this feature. There have been times when I have wanted to apply a texture to a graphical object in my scene, such as some 3D volumetric object or even text for constructing interesting logo effects. This would have been a nice addition to use for these applications.
As I want to go into game development, I am anxious to see the results of this work. I would love to have a tool of this nature available to the artists on any team I'm working on. I think it would make a wonderful productivity tool to help keep the project out of crunch time. Any optimization of those projects is welcome. Cmon, guys, get it done and release it to us!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Book Reading #17: HCI Remixed
Chapter 6:
The concept of a Creative Programming Environment led to the implementation of the graphic user interface, which is now prevalent is operating systems from Microsoft and Apple. These modern systems stem from a project called Pygmalion, which was done by David Canfield Smith at Xerox Parc in the 1970s. It inspired the concept of programming by example, which deals with the issue of abstraction.
Chapter 7:
Chapter 9:
Chapter 10:
Chapter 47:
Summary:
Discussion:
Summary:
The concept of a Creative Programming Environment led to the implementation of the graphic user interface, which is now prevalent is operating systems from Microsoft and Apple. These modern systems stem from a project called Pygmalion, which was done by David Canfield Smith at Xerox Parc in the 1970s. It inspired the concept of programming by example, which deals with the issue of abstraction.
Discussion:
I'm actually very grateful for this research. I love my GUIs. Back when I first started programming, our computers were so simple that when you turned them on, they would come up to a prompt. We had no mouse. We would type out a program listing in BASIC and execute it. Then came the days in DOS in the 90's and I became adept at moving through that.
When I started using Windows 3.1, I was unsure about it. I liked that I could put up pictures in the background, but still hadn't gotten the concept of folders. I was used to traversing directories from the command line. I don't think it was until Windows 2000 that I started to appreciate it. Now, I widely prefer the flexibility I can get with a GUI and the design possibilities I get that I couldn't get with just a simple command line. I'm looking forward to a future with more touch and haptic feedback possibilities, as well as other innovations that can come from these interfaces.
Summary:
The Xerox Star was a system designed in the late 1970s. It had a reference guide called the Red Book. The user interface for this machine was designed prior to the design of the hardware, and it was considered of primary importance in the design of the system.
There were several design principles employed in the development of this system. These include consistency, a pre-designed user's model, seeing and pointing versus remembering and typing, WYSIWIG, universal commands, simplicity, modeless interaction, and user tailorability.
Discussion:
There are a lot of neat things that came out of Xerox in the 1970s. I like my mouse. I like my GUI. WYSIWIG is a good paradigm, since I hated having a lot of guesswork testing print outs back in the 90's. I don't care that Apple and Bill ripped 'em off. I like the innovations that came out of the work they furthered from the Xerox groups.
Summary:
This chapter introduces a concept concerning the way computers are becoming integrated in ways in which we do not notice them in our everyday lives. The designs are becoming as such that they are indistinguishable from normal objects we use on a continuous basis. Slowly, the technology is beginning to "disappear" and become less obvious.
According to the text, the average user of technology is not very interested in interacting with a computer system so much as they are interested in interacting with information. To this end, much work is being done to make this integration more ubiquitous and easy to use. This includes things like smart buildings and touch screens that seamlessly present information to the users.
Discussion:
I think that we as computer scientists and technologists are a smaller percentage of the population that doesn't like the complexity of computer systems. When I tell someone that I'm a programmer, it's like their eyes glaze over and they make the "Wow" face as if I'm some genius. And I really don't feel all that smart sometimes. My machine has a good tendency to make me feel like a big doofus. And then I remind myself of the process and rewards and I dig back in.
Summary:
Location-based services are applications that involve the location of the user as an integral part of their design and implementation. The market for this is currently undergoing a period of growth and is expected to experience a rapid expansion in the future.
One technology that has come from this arena is the Active Badge system. It allows sensors to pick up an infrared signal wherever the user is located that the system can scan and has the ability to locate the person spatially. It also allows the system and other workstations attached to it to identify the individual. It allows for simple entry and exit at key checkpoints.
Discussion:
Active location technology is simultaneously cool and terrifying. It's nice to be able to see that my friend is at TCBY, so I can text her to pick me up a yogurt "while she's up." However, I also enjoy my semi-anonymity while I'm in public, but if someone can track my movement's because my phone is feeling more social than I am at the moment? .... That's not something that makes me happy. And if I've suddenly got Big Brother on my back at work just because I wanted to go socialize with a co-worker for a couple of minutes, I'm not cool with that, either. Why does the system need to know where I am every stinking minute of the day? I like it for ease of access, but there's a fine line where it goes from being useful to being abusive and oppressive. I think it's important for us to find that line and stay on the proper side of it.
Chapter 46:
Summary:
The concept of mental models in computing become a topic of research in the early 1980s. The idea came from the area of cognitive science, which included topics from such fields as psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, and philosophy. These mental models were assumed by researchers to apply to some abstract representation in the mind's of people. They were used as a way for designing computer systems, based on the way people interacted with the idea of the system.
There was a specific model referred to as GOMS. This stands for goals, operators, methods, and selectional rules. Goals are what the user wants to accomplish with the system. Operators are the actions that the user is able to perform within the system. Methods refer to the series of subgoals the user employs in attempting to achieve the main goals. Selectional rules has to do with any goals with multiple methods.
Discussion:
I didn't really connect with this one. I probably should have, considering I acquired a degree in Psychology earlier in my academic career and this topically had some connection to it. I think that the mental models could be useful in predicting human behavior when it comes to interacting with technology. I think that it has many applications to HCI. I have not much more to say on this one. Sorry. Next!
Summary:
The field of HCI relies heavily on qualitative methods more than strict laws. One law that is important to HCI is Fitt's law. This law is simplified as MT = a + b log2 (2A/W). To explain, MT is the movement time, a and b are regression coefficients, A is the amplitude of the movement, and W is the width of the target. In other words, the rime required to move to a specified target are a function of distance one has to move to the target and the size of the target itself.
This law is quantitative, not qualitative. It can be used as a design framework. It has been used to increase efficiency in user interaction, such as lowering selection time. Popup menus inside the operating system are another example of where these values have been used. Another is expansion of menu items. Anything that can be applied to target distance and size can be applied to the design using this law.
Discussion:
Wow! There was an actual equation in there! I was beginning to think there was little to no formalization in this subfield of computing. It's not that I am all for the usual status quo text in computer science. I could just as easily have become an English major or a History major. It's just that I didn't want to be called "Coach" on a daily basis.
I think there are a number of interesting principals embedded in this text. I like that things like popup menus had some immediacy to this material. I hadn't actually thought about why the context menu on my Windows background popped up right where I clicked. I was just used to the convention and went with it. But now it is making me look at a number of things in the design of my system in a whole new light. Maybe I am starting to like that little "Windows" button at the bottom of my computer keyboard a bit more now...
Paper Reading #8: Thanatosensitively designed technologies for bereavement support
Comments:
Reference Information:
Title: Thanatosensitively designed technologies for bereavement support
Author: Michael Massimi
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
Summary:
Discussion:
Reference Information:
Title: Thanatosensitively designed technologies for bereavement support
Author: Michael Massimi
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
Summary:
The researcher is looking at the space of time in a person's life after the loss of a loved one and the way in which computing technologies can better the person's subjective experience in that area. Their research is concerned with thanatosensitive design, which is the design of technologies that are actively engaged in mortality issues.
The thesis for the work is comprised of three stages. The first of these stages consisted of interviews conducted with those in the stage of bereavement on how they "inherit, use, and reflect upon personal technologies." The second of these stages has to do with elaborating on the methodology. Finally, the third stage is about evaluating how to best utilize technology for those currently or expecting to be in bereavement.
Discussion:
Understanding how technology can better make our lives in the difficult time of bereavement is one I look forward to. Possibly more than the average student, I can see the pending mortality of my own parents who are entering the fourth quarter of their lives. While I may not be as close to my parents as other people, I think there is still a grand possibility that I may be struck more deeply on an emotional level than I anticipate.
For one, I am sure I will begin to look at my own mortality in a more striking light. I am not getting any younger, either, and am currently looking around the corner at middle age. I could have my own personal midlife crisis at any moment now! If there were good technologies available that I could have access to to get through morning periods in a more upbeat fashion, I'm all for it.
Paper Reading #7: Real-time interaction with supervised learning
Comments:
TBD
Reference Information:
Title: Real-time interaction with supervised learning
Authors: Rebecca Fiebrink of Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
Summary:
The researcher of this paper is working on a project to determine how the design of certain user interfaces will affect the interaction with machine learning algorithms. By utilizing this approach, the researcher hopes that the artificial intelligence concept of machine learning can be easily integrated into a package that works well for a human user in a real-time environment.
One of the researcher's primary goals is to determine how effective this approach will be for users who do not have a lot of technical knowledge. Through this research, they hope to determine how this will influence the design of HCI interfaces and how it will be perceived and utilized.
Discussion:
Machine learning is an intriguing topic. I find the possibilities envisioned in science fiction literature about the potential capabilities of robots or androids to be fascinating subject. I can see that research done in this field could possibly lead to that. This might be one step on the road to that.
Of course, the argument against creating anthropomorphic automatons on the sole criterion of form factor will come up. Why should be make robots in our own image? I think that many robots do not need to be made up with a human likeness. Robots that would receive greater utility from a different form factor, like having wheels, for example, would be the way to go. However, I can see the desire for humans to create robots that resemble people. It has fascinated popular literature for much of the last century. I don't see that interest in the popular culture waning any time soon. It almost seems that the interface developed from this research would be the human resembling robot.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Paper Reading # 6: Studying and tackling temporal challenges in mobile HCI
Comments:
Reference Information:
Title: Studying and tackling temporal challenges in mobile HCI
Author: Joel E. Fischer
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
One of the key items being examined by the researches is the concept of receptivity. This refers not only to the event of the interruption, but to the persons reaction to the interruption, as well. It is uncertain how the person will react to the interruption. The goal of the research is to attempt to minimize negative responses from the users and maximize the benefits the users receive from such interruptions.
Discussion:
This was an interesting topic from the stand point of being a user. Sometimes, the interruptions I receive -- on my phone, for example -- are useful and I appreciate that they have been provided to me. Things of this nature include the input I get when I receive an important text message or a notification in my email that I have received a notification that my text book has shipped from the publisher.
This is a double-edge sword upon occasion, though, as I have to content with other annoying messages in my mobile space. These include such things as spam from people I don't know, whom I don't care about, and that I want nothing to do with. Additionally, I don't need to know when someone sent me a gift in Farmville or other social gaming application. Thanks, Zynga!
Timing is also an issue. I don't need to receive notifications in the middle of my hard and heavy mid-term examination while I am taking it. After would suffice, but without knowing the timing of the exam, it would be hard to determine when the bad time to send that notification is. I think there is potential in this research and I look forward to seeing how it can be dealt with.
Reference Information:
Title: Studying and tackling temporal challenges in mobile HCI
Author: Joel E. Fischer
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
Summary:
The topic addressed in this paper by the researchers concerns determining a proper time to provide interruptions to the users when there is some needed or useful input the program can use in a mobile setting. This has been demonstrated to be a difficult problem due to the difficulties in being able to know in advance the state of the individual being interrupted, since it is constantly affected by location and time. Without being able to make people wear complicated sensors to feed data into their programs, it is a difficult task to gather this data to make the decision on interruption in longer narratives provided by such things a mobile games.
Discussion:
This was an interesting topic from the stand point of being a user. Sometimes, the interruptions I receive -- on my phone, for example -- are useful and I appreciate that they have been provided to me. Things of this nature include the input I get when I receive an important text message or a notification in my email that I have received a notification that my text book has shipped from the publisher.
This is a double-edge sword upon occasion, though, as I have to content with other annoying messages in my mobile space. These include such things as spam from people I don't know, whom I don't care about, and that I want nothing to do with. Additionally, I don't need to know when someone sent me a gift in Farmville or other social gaming application. Thanks, Zynga!
Timing is also an issue. I don't need to receive notifications in the middle of my hard and heavy mid-term examination while I am taking it. After would suffice, but without knowing the timing of the exam, it would be hard to determine when the bad time to send that notification is. I think there is potential in this research and I look forward to seeing how it can be dealt with.
Paper Reading #5: Creating Salient Summaries of Home Activity Lifelog Data
Comments:
Reference Information:
Title: Creating Salient Summaries of Home Activity Lifelog Data
Author: Matthew L. Lee
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
Summary:
Discussion:
Reference Information:
Title: Creating Salient Summaries of Home Activity Lifelog Data
Author: Matthew L. Lee
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
Summary:
The researchers are studying the way in which it may be possible to create embedded systems that would be able to monitor the activities of elderly individuals who do not live in a managed care environment. The purpose of the system is to make an effort to ensure that the safety and well-being of the elderly individuals in question is maintained such that they can live a full life outside the realm of managed care facilities.
The researchers have gone through a process of requirement gathering in which they observed and interviewed elderly individuals on their daily routines and what their perceptions of their needs are. From this initial data, the researchers are building embedded sensor devices that can attempt to provide the functionality that would fit the needs of their initial findings. The ultimate goal they have for the project is to design an improved, comprehensive home monitoring system for elderly people.
Discussion:
This is a topic that hits home for me. My grandmother on my father's side ended up passing away a couple of years ago. She was found in her home on the floor. If these devices had been employed in her house, there might be a possibility that she would still be here with us today. Further, my wife's grandma is also in a similar situation. Currently, she has a care giver that comes out and helps her out a few times a week. It would be nice and give us peace of mind if we could have some of these systems in place to help monitor the state of her health and well-being.
Additionally, all of us are eventually going to grow old and have to face the prospects of facing these similar dilemmas ourselves. Unless researchers like Aubrey de Grey and others are able to figure out how to stop and/or reverse the aging process. We won't know what our future lives will be like if this becomes possible. But until then, I think that having a smart house with systems that can keep us going is nothing but a good thing. Who knows? Maybe Ray Kurzweil will get to live forever and not have to deal with these kinds of systems.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Paper Reading #3: Lowering the barrier to applying machine learning
Comments:
Jacob Lillard:
http://chi-jacob.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-3-lowering-barrier-to.html
Angel Narvaez:
http://angel-at-chi.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-3-lowering-barrier-to.html
Reference Information:
Title: Lowering the barrier to applying machine learning
Author: Kayur Patel
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
Summary:
Discussion:
Jacob Lillard:
http://chi-jacob.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-3-lowering-barrier-to.html
Angel Narvaez:
http://angel-at-chi.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-3-lowering-barrier-to.html
Reference Information:
Title: Lowering the barrier to applying machine learning
Author: Kayur Patel
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
Summary:
Machine learning algorithms have been applied to difficult problems by researchers, but their findings have shown that such implementations are themselves difficult. This is one aim that this research paper is attempting to address. The researcher has noticed that many of the previous findings on machine learning have not lead to more effective tools. The creation of tools is one of the main motivations for the research.
Prior research of this topic in the area of tools creation has focused on structured tools. One tool example that is provided is once called Crayons, which allows the users to create models for image segmentation tasks. The researchers claim that structured tools tend to lower the level of flexibility needed for good machine learning techniques. They plan to address this flexibility issue with their work.
Discussion:
I think that making machine learning more effective could lead to advances in AI and simplify the way in which humans interact with computers. There are many benefits we could derive from this, including better tools for machine interaction, smarter AI tools and constructs, etc.
More flexible tools could lead to improved interfaces. We would likely achieve more efficient algorithms that would allow us the ability to create software more quickly. This could lead to machines offering suggestions as to more efficient ways in which they also could interact back with us.
Paper Reading #4: The role of tangible technologies for special education
Comments:
Bain Mullins:
http://gspotblogspotblogspotblogspotblogspot.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-4-role-of-tangible.html
Reference Information:
Title: The role of tangible technologies for special education
Author: Taciana Pontual Falcão
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
Summary:
Discussion:
Derek Landini:
http://gspotblogspotblogspotblogspotblogspot.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-4-role-of-tangible.html
Reference Information:
Title: The role of tangible technologies for special education
Author: Taciana Pontual Falcão
Presentation Venue: CHI EA '10 Proceedings of the 28th of the international conference extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems
Summary:
This paper dealt with the topic of using tangible objects to help in the education of special needs children. With the advent of the computer age, many of the tangible teaching methods have migrated to the digital realm and the computer screen. Previously, tangible teaching techniques had been useful in providing rich, multisensory avenues for special needs children to learn. At this time, there are not many similar methods employed in the digital realm.
The researchers have the intention of creating new tangible teaching techniques to be of assistance to special needs children. One thing they wish to determines is to what extent these tangibles have in creating collaboration between other special needs children. They also want to determine how the use of tangibles affect the responses of the special needs children.
Discussion:
I think that this is a very good area of research to pursue. There are many special needs children who could benefit from the benefits of the tangible technology and I think it could potentially act as a bridge to help them achieve an improvement in the overall quality of their life.
I have experience helping special needs kids and I have seen how they behave and react in many different situations. It seems that there is a lot of potential this research could provide them. I am interested to know the final results discovered by this research.
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