Andrés Lucero

Multi-layer interaction for digital tables

Interaction on digital tables has been restricted to a single layer on the tables active work-surface. We extend the design space of digital tables to include multiple layers of interaction. We leverage 3D position information of a pointing device to support interaction in the space above the active work-surface by creating multiple layers with drift-correction in which the user can interact with an application. We also illustrate through a point-design that designers can use multiple-layers to create a rich and clutter free application. A subjective evaluation showed that users liked the interaction techniques and found that, because of the drift correction we use, they could control the pointer when working in any layer.

Persuasive technologies in education: improving motivation to read and write for children

In this paper we present an example of how principles of motivation can be designed into educational software to support students in achieving their goals. The objective of our software was to develop a reading habit in children between 8 and 11 years of age by motivating them to improve their reading and writing skills. By designing activities that integrate Gardners Multiple Intelligence theory to our software, we were able to motivate children to read while acknowledging individual differences in their learning process. The results on presenting this software to different groups of children from the city and rural environments show how we were able to motivate students to read through the software itself and the activities it proposes, in a way that was credible and connected to the real-world environment children lived in. Our results show the importance of integrating principles from Persuasion such as similarity, tailoring and credibility, together with theories such as Gardners in educational software to achieve motivation to read and write in children.

Augmenting Mood Boards: Flexible and Intuitive Interaction in the Context of the Design Studio

In our studies aimed at understanding design practice we have identified the creation of mood boards as a relevant task for designers. In this paper we introduce an interactive table that supports one part of the mood-board making process (i.e. image browsing) by providing flexible and intuitive interaction for designers in the context of their design studios. We propose an image browser that: 1) merges with the real context allowing designers to work in the comfort of their existing design studio environment, 2) captures the current flexibility of interaction with physical images by allowing designers to work using hand movements, and 3) provides an alternative solution to a cluttered desk and messy design studio by using the space above the table for interaction. Exploratory evaluations show that designers were able to use the system with no prior training, and to see a practical use of the proposed image browser in their design studios.While digital tables can be used with existing applications, they are typically limited by the one user per computer assumption of current operating systems. In this paper, we explore multimodal split view interaction - a tabletop whose surface is split into two adjacent projected views - that leverages how people can interact with three types of existing applications in this setting. Independent applications let people see and work on separate systems. Shared screens let people see a twinned view of a single user application. True groupware lets people work in parallel over large digital workspaces. Atop these, we add multimodal speech and gesture interaction capability to enhance interpersonal awareness during loosely coupled work.

How probes inform and influence the design process

Design and research practitioners have applied probes in their design processes to find new ways of understanding user experience, allowing them to obtain a better understanding of their users and to inspire their designs. Usually in design practice and research, project leaders and managers expect an ultimate solution emerging as a result of probing. However, in most cases such a direct connection is not evident as probes inform and influence the design process in many different ways. We provide illustrative examples of these ways based on a study related to bathroom use for a lighting system. We present a generalization of our findings on how probes can help inform other design processes.

Interacting with piles of artifacts on digital tables

Designers and architects regularly use piles to organize visual artifacts. Recent efforts have now made it possible for users to create piles in digital systems as well. However, there is still little understanding of how users should interact with digital piles. In this paper we investigate this issue. We first identify three tasks that must be supported by a digital pile -- navigation, reorganization, and repositioning. We then present three interaction techniques -- called DragDeck, HoverDeck, and ExpandPile that meet these requirements. The techniques allow users to easily browse the piles, and also allow them to move elements between and within piles in an ad-hoc manner. In a user study that compared the different interaction techniques, we found that ExpandPile was significantly faster than the other techniques over all tasks. There were differences, however, in individual tasks. We discuss the benefits and limitations of the different techniques and identify several situations where each of them could prove useful.

Funky wall: presenting mood boards using gesture, speech and visuals

In our studies aimed at understanding design practice we have identified the creation of mood boards as a relevant task for designers. In this paper we introduce an interactive wall-mounted display system that supports the presentation of mood boards. The system allows designers to easily record their mood board presentations while capturing the richness of their individual presentation skills and style. Designers and clients can play back, explore and comment on different aspects of the presentation using an intuitive and flexible interaction based on hand gestures thus supporting two-way communication. The system records the presentation and organizes it into three information layers (i.e. gesture, sound and visuals), which are first used to segment the presentation into meaningful parts, and later for playback. Exploratory evaluations show that designers are able to use the system with no prior training, and see a practical use of the proposed system in their design studios.

Reducing Complexity of Interaction with Advanced Bathroom Lighting at Home (Reduktion der Interaktionskomplexität bei hochentwickelten Badezimmerbeleuchtungssystemen für die Heimanwendung)

Summary Developments in lighting technology provide a wide range of new opportunities for domestic use which have been demonstrated in several interior design projects. At the same time, available user interfaces providing full control over these systems are too cumbersome to use and are not acceptable for the majority of consumers. To reduce this complexity, we aimed at creating an intuitive user interface control for advanced multi-source lighting systems. Based on participatory design techniques, we invited end-users to help us design and evaluate the new interaction concept. In the final evaluation the user interface design was rated highly with regard to its perceived usefulness and “ease of use”. New designs for ad-vanced lighting systems should aim at user-friendly interfaces that make the transition from ordinary light switches to these new interfaces as simple and natural as possible.

Supporting the creation of mood boards: industrial design in mixed reality

Advancements in mixed-reality (MR) systems have concentrated on the technology required for implementation, providing proof of concepts by means of technology tailored usage scenarios. These systems have been tested mainly on well contained tasks and applications specifically developed for these platforms. The potential impact of such techniques on actual work practices hence remains largely unexplored. We plan to investigate this practical relevance in more detail for industrial designers. Specific activities have been identified during a full ethnographic study conducted by means of cultural probes and workshops with representative participants. For one such activity, creating mood boards, a new MR interaction concept is to be designed and evaluated. We continue to use participatory design techniques to involve industrial designers at different stages of the design cycle.

From Imagination to Experience: The Role of Feasibility Studies in Gathering Requirements for Ambient Intelligent Products

From a User-Centered Design perspective, technology pushes are often regarded to as negative because the ideas behind these pushes not always address user needs, often causing products to fail in the market. Feasibility studies help close the gap between technology pushes and demand pulls. By inviting users to witness feasibility studies in an early stage of a design process, participants not only are able to provide input long before full functionality has been developed, but it also allows them to make that important step from imagining what an Ambient Intelligent product can do for them in their daily lives, to actually experiencing it.

Users' quest for an optimized representation of a multi-device space

A plethora of reaching techniques, intended for moving objects between locations distant to the user, have recently been proposed and tested. One of the most promising techniques is the Radar View. Up till now, the focus has been mostly on how a user can interact efficiently with a given radar map, not on how these maps are created and maintained. It is for instance unclear whether or not users would appreciate the possibility of adapting such radar maps to particular tasks and personal preferences. In this paper we address this question by means of a prolonged user study with the Sketch Radar prototype. The study demonstrates that users do indeed modify the default maps in order to improve interactions for particular tasks. It also provides insights into how and why the default physical map is modified.