Clemens Nylandsted Klokmose

The Human–Artifact Model: An Activity Theoretical Approach to Artifact Ecologies

Although devices of all shapes and sizes currently dominate the technological landscape, human–computer interaction (HCI) as a field is not yet theoretically equipped to match this reality. In this article we develop the human–artifact model, which has its roots in activity theoretical HCI. By reinterpreting the activity theoretical foundation, we present a framework that helps addressing the analysis of individual interactive artifacts while embracing that they are part of a larger ecology of artifacts. We show how the human–artifact model helps structuring the understanding of an artifacts action-possibilities in relation to the artifact ecology surrounding it. Essential to the model is that it provides four interconnected levels of analysis and addresses the possibilities and problems at these four levels. Artifacts and their use are constantly developing, and we address development in, and of, use. The framework needs to support such development through concepts and methods. This leads to a methodological approach that focuses on new artifacts to supplement and substitute existing artifacts. Through a design case, we develop the methodological approach and illustrate how the human–artifact model can be applied to analyze present artifacts and to design future ones. The model is used to structure such analysis and to reason about findings while providing leverage from activity theoretical insights on mediation, dialectics, and levels of activity.

Multisurface Interaction in the WILD Room

The WILD (wall-sized interaction with large datasets) room serves as a testbed for exploring the next generation of interactive systems by distributing interaction across diverse computing devices, enabling multiple users to easily and seamlessly create, share, and manipulate digital content. The featured Web extra is a video of Michel Beaudouin-Lafon and his colleagues demonstrating how the WILD (wall-sized interaction with large datasets) room lets users view, explore, manipulate large amounts of digital content.

Shared substance: developing flexible multi-surface applications

This paper presents a novel middleware for developing flexible interactive multi-surface applications. Using a scenario-based approach, we identify the requirements for this type of applications. We then introduce Substance, a data-oriented framework that decouples functionality from data, and Shared Substance, a middleware implemented in Substance that provides powerful sharing abstractions. We describe our implementation of two applications with Shared Substance and discuss the insights gained from these experiments. Our finding is that the combination of a data-oriented programming model with middleware support for sharing data and functionality provides a flexible, robust solution with low viscosity at both design-time and run-time.

Dynamics in artifact ecologies

We increasingly interact with multiple interactive artifacts with overlapping capabilities during our daily activities. It has previously been shown that the use of an interactive artifact cannot be understood in isolation, but artifacts must be understood as part of an artifact ecology, where artifacts influence the use of others. Understanding this interplay becomes more and more essential for interaction design as our artifact ecologies grow. This paper continues a recent discourse on artifact ecologies. Through interviews with iPhone users, we demonstrate that relationships between artifacts in artifact ecologies cannot be understood as static, instead they evolve dynamically over time. We provide activity theory-based concepts to explain these dynamics.

Webstrates : Shareable Dynamic Media

We revisit Alan Kays early vision of dynamic media that blurs the distinction between documents and applications. We introduce shareable dynamic media that are malleable by users, who may appropriate them in idiosyncratic ways; shareable among users, who collaborate on multiple aspects of the media; and distributable across diverse devices and platforms. We present Webstrates, an environment for exploring shareable dynamic media. Webstrates augment web technology with real-time sharing. They turn web pages into substrates, i.e. software entities that act as applications or documents depending upon use. We illustrate Webstrates with two implemented case studies: users collaboratively author an article with functionally and visually different editors that they can personalize and extend at run-time; and they orchestrate its presentation and audience participation with multiple devices. We demonstrate the simplicity and generative power of Webstrates with three additional prototypes and evaluate it from a systems perspective.

VIGO: instrumental interaction in multi-surface environments

This paper addresses interaction in multi-surface environments and questions whether the current application-centric approaches to user interfaces are adequate in this context, and presents an alternative approach based on instrumental interaction. The paper presents the VIGO (Views, Instruments, Governors and Objects) architecture and describes a prototype implementation. It then illustrates how to apply VIGO to support distributed interaction. Finally, it demonstrates how a classical Ubicomp interaction technique, Pick-and-Drop, can be easily implemented using VIGO.

Participatory IT in semi-public spaces

This paper reports on an in-the-wild design experiment aiming to support participation and engagement in the semi-public space of a temporary art exhibition. Through interviews with 19 visitors we analyze the collaborative production of text about artworks in the exhibition in the physical space of the gallery. Our design, deployed throughout the venue for one month, makes use of peoples personal mobile phones to interact with shared digital displays in the gallery. The findings help us understand and develop the notion of local participatory IT from actual use. We discuss peoples diverging perceptions of what one is participating in and why as well as the impact of previous experiences with mobile technology. This leads us to propose three strong concepts to support understanding and design of technologies that foster local participation: Local area networking, hyperlocality, and global read/local write.

Rethinking Laboratory Notebooks

We take digitalization of laboratory work practice as a challenging design domain to explore. There are obvious drawbacks with the use of paper instead of ICT in the collaborative writing that takes place in laboratory notebooks; yet paper persist in being the most common solution. The ultimate aim with our study is to produce design relevant knowledge that can envisage an ICT solution that keeps as many advantages of paper as possible, but with the strength of electronic laboratory notebooks as well. Rather than assuming that users are technophobic and unable to appropriate state of the art software, we explore whether there are something inherent in current ICT infrastructure that invites resistance from the users. The method used is interviews, combined with a modified version of future workshops and the data are analyzed with activity theory. Our results concern issues of configurability, mobility, and the barrier between documentation and control, amongst other things.

WiFi proximity detection in mobile web applications

We present a technique for enabling WiFi proximity detection in mobile web applications based on proximity-adaptive HTTP responses (PAHR). The technique requires zero installation on the client and is client platform independent. Our reference implementation ProxiMagic is low-cost and provides robust and responsive interactivity based on proximity detection. We demonstrate the techniques applicability through a real-world example application deployed during a month-long participatory art exhibition. We document the reliability and suitability of the simple proximity detection employed in ProxiMagic through a controlled experiment.

Quality of learning in ubiquitous interaction

Motivation -- Ubiquitous computing places the user in dynamic configurations of technology. As a result, learning in use has new complexities. Research approach -- We develop concepts to understand and design for learning in ubiquitous settings based on empirical examples and a foundation in activity theory. Findings/Design -- Specifically, we point to core concepts: Quality of an action; functional organs; and routines and strategies as being pivotal in analysing and designing for learning in ubiquitous settings. Research limitations/Implications -- The concepts will ultimately need to be evaluated in use by ourselves and others Originality/Value -- Our approach moves beyond understanding and designing one-off interfaces. Take away message -- We argue that by focusing on general, high-quality routines we can better support learning in dynamically changing webs of technology.