Améziane Aoussat

How do interactive tabletop systems influence collaboration

This paper examines some aspects of the usefulness of interactive tabletop systems, if and how these impact collaboration. We chose creative problem solving such as brainstorming as an application framework to test several collaborative media: the use of pen-and-paper tools, the around-the-table form factor, the digital tabletop interface, the attractiveness of interaction styles. Eighty subjects in total (20 groups of four members) participated in the experiments. The evaluation criteria were task performance, collaboration patterns (especially equity of contributions), and users subjective experience. The around-the-table form factor, which is hypothesized to promote social comparison, increased performance and improved collaboration through an increase of equity. Moreover, the attractiveness of the tabletop device improved subjective experience and increased motivation to engage in the task. However, designing attractiveness seems a highly challenging issue, since overly attractive interfaces may distract users from the task.

Computer-supported creativity: evaluation of a tabletop mind-map application

The aim of this study is to investigate the usability and usefulness of interactive tabletop technologies to support group creativity. We implemented a tabletop interface enabling groups of 4 participants to build mind-maps (a tool for associative thinking). With 24 users in a within-group design, we compared its use to traditional paper-and-pencil mind-mapping sessions. The results showed no difference in idea production, but the tabletop condition significantly improved both subjective and collaborative dimensions, especially by leading to better-balanced contributions from the group members.

The new product design ‐ a transverse approach

In this paper we introduce our approach on the new product design. It is followed by a definition of the designers knowledge and experience. The first part defines the building blocks of our global approach and its positioning. The main part deals with our design approach, composed of four phases. Each one details and emphasizes the use and organization of different tools and their implications for the different company players. We do underline that these four phases are situated at an abstraction level of the product and can be taken independently. We conclude with the limits and use of this global approach, which opens new investigations in different fields of research.

Inspiration, images and design: an investigation of designers' information gathering strategies

Computational tools should efficiently support, and even enhance, designers creativity. As a ground for such developments, design cognition studies aim at describing designers mental strategies within the design process. So far, most researches have been focused on the idea generation phases, e.g. sketching activity, which is explicit enough to be observed and described. However, the early stages of design remain incompletely understood, while the informational phase is identified as a crucial step of the design process. In this context, our objective is to identify and evaluate inspirational information used by designers before generating ideas, and to describe how inspirational information is used. In this article, we report a two-part study (interviews and experimental protocol) carried out with professional designers. The main outcomes demonstrate that traditional and electronic resources are not used in the same way by designers. We also show that information gathering strategies are strongly influenced by designers preference.

A European emotional investigation in the field of shoe design

In this paper we report the results of a Kansei Engineering System study. A methodology for the application of Kansei Engineering at the European level has been developed and validated in the field of shoe design by means of the development of experimental studies in two different phases of product design: the information phase in the earliest stages of the design process and the generation and evaluation phase corresponding to the latest stages of the process.

TRENDS: a content-based information retrieval system for designers

The TRENDS European project aimed at developing an image and text retrieval engine in order to support the activity of the designers in the early stages of their design process [TRENS 2007]. The study of the designers activity has led us to the production of an image database in which designers will find inspirational material. A content-based image search engine has been elaborated, starting from recommendations taken from the methodology employed by the designers in their activity, to end with a complete system incorporating image retrieval technologies and various tools to extract relevant information from these images.

Role of sketching in conceptual design of car styling

This paper aims at studying the role of sketching in car styling. Prior studies have shown that sketches play a major role in the early phases of design. A definition of the intermediate representations and mental representations will enable a better understanding of how sketches are produced. Two distinct experiments are proposed: a series of interviews of 40 professional car designers and a protocol study with six junior car designers. A comparative study demonstrated that two main phases appear in the specific car design process, including routine and non routine activities linked with external inspiration sources.

Nature and role of intermediate representations (IR) in the design process: case studies in car design

This paper aims to show the key role of the intermediate representations (IR) in the design process and especially in the car design process. For a better understanding of the concept of design, which is by nature conceptual, we propose to study the concept of IR. To this end, we will present the three following parts: description of IR in the design process; nature of IR; and role of IR in the design process. We chose to illustrate this paper with our experience essentially in car design because the design process in this field is historically formatted and very formalised and complex. Besides, this activity is based on the intervention of many professional teams.

Dynamic tabletop interfaces for increasing creativity

We designed a tabletop brainwriting interface to examine the effects of time pressure and social pressure on the creative performance. After positioning this study with regard to creativity research and human activity in dynamic environments, we present our interface and experiment. Thirty-two participants collaborated (by groups of four) on the tabletop brainwriting task under four conditions of time pressure and two conditions of social pressure. The results show that time pressure increased the quantity of ideas produced and, to some extent, increased the originality of ideas. However, it also deteriorated user experience. Besides, social pressure increased quantity of ideas as well as motivation, but decreased collaboration. We discuss the implications for creativity research and Human-Computer Interaction. Anyhow, our results suggest that the Press factor, operationalized by Time- or Social-pressure, should be considered as a powerful lever to enhance the effectiveness of creative problem solving methods.

Design process perceived as an information process to enhance the introduction of new tools

Our research adds its weight to collaboration between companies and the research laboratory in conceiving new products (CPN/ENSAM Paris). Our work focuses on industrial design, creativity and innovation. In this paper we have formalized the design information process to build new tools of communication, decision-making and creativity for the different players in the design process.