Lizzy Bleumers

Seeing the bigger picture: a user perspective on 360° TV

Omnidirectional video (ODV) is a type of video in which viewers can look around in 360° as if turning the camera themselves. This type of video presents opportunities for new interactive television formats. The development of such new formats, however, is accompanied by challenges in terms of user experience and technical and creative development. In this paper, we discuss which issues and opportunities users anticipate. These findings are the result of a human-centered design study in which we first introduced potential users to ODV, gathering their feedback, and then encouraged them to envision suitable ODV-based enhancements of television genres.

Assessing the importance of audio/video synchronization for simultaneous translation of video sequences

Lip synchronization is considered a key parameter during interactive communication. In the case of video conferencing and television broadcasting, the differential delay between audio and video should remain below certain thresholds, as recommended by several standardization bodies. However, further research has also shown that these thresholds can be relaxed, depending on the targeted application and use case. In this article, we investigate the influence of lip sync on the ability to perform real-time language interpretation during video conferencing. Furthermore, we are also interested in determining proper lip sync visibility thresholds applicable to this use case. Therefore, we conducted a subjective experiment using expert interpreters, which were required to perform a simultaneous translation, and non-experts. Our results show that significant differences are obtained when conducting subjective experiments with expert interpreters. As interpreters are primarily focused on performing the simultaneous translation, lip sync detectability thresholds are higher compared with existing recommended thresholds. As such, primary focus and the targeted application and use case are important factors to be considered when selecting proper lip sync acceptability thresholds.

The Innovation Binder Approach: A Guide Towards a Social-Technical Balanced Pervasive Health System

Pervasive health systems aim to support society with the many challenges our healthcare system is facing today.

MEDEA: Crowd-Sourcing the Recording of Metal-Detected Artefacts in Flanders (Belgium)

Abstract Since 2016, hobby metal-detecting is legal in Flanders (Belgium), although it was unofficially tolerated for many years before. However, research on metal-detected artefacts in Flanders is hindered by a low reporting rate. The MEDEA project aims to address this by encouraging detectorists to record their finds on an online platform. Finds experts are invited to enrich records with further information and thus instigate a rewarding feedback cycle. This paper discusses MEDEA’s ‘Human-Centred Design’ development process and the design choices underpinning the platform. MEDEA may be seen as an example of ‘Open Archaeology’ and related trends in digital humanities.

Game-based HCI Methods: Workshop on Playfully Engaging Users in Design

The idea of using game elements outside of the domains of game and play is not new. Similar to the approach of participatory design games, more and more HCI researchers are adopting game design elements in their research methods, e.g. to create a safe and comfortable setting for their participants, to improve group dynamics during research, or to stimulate future thinking. This workshop aims to further experiment with using game design elements to improve HCI research, and to explore how such elements can become part of the different phases of design.

Co-Creating Games with Children: A Case Study

In this paper, the authors investigate the role of and relationship between creative production practices e.g. problem-solving and self-evaluation and cooperative learning mechanisms e.g. building trust and group processing in a case of game co-design. 21 Belgian school children created game concepts together with a game designer, their teacher, and co-design facilitators. During a project week at school, participants moved from idea generation to presenting game concepts through collaboratively created prototypes. This case study, combining observation and survey methods, reveals that self-evaluation and openness to sharing ideas emerged spontaneously, but the critical analysis of digital games and crediting existing work require support. Moreover, as creative choices become part of group deliberation, progress in the creative production process critically depends on group functioning. The authors conclude that by grounding co-design in theory on cooperative learning and media literacy, co-design activities may be better understood and new avenues for supporting co-creators can be identified.

Extending the field of view: a human-centred design perspective on 360° TV

Omnidirectional video (ODV) is a type of video that presents viewers with a new type of interactivity. It enables people to look around in a 360° view of the recorded dynamic scene as if they are controlling the camera themselves. ODV presents opportunities for new interactive television formats. The development of such new formats, however, is accompanied by challenges in terms of user experience and technical and creative development. In this article, we discuss issues and opportunities tied to televising ODV from a user perspective. These findings are the result of a human-centred design study. In this study, we introduced 20 potential users to ODV, as this was new to them. We gathered their feedback on the demonstration, and then encouraged them to envision suitable ODV-based enhancements of television genres. This article offers a discussion of both the methodology (including a form of laddering) applied in the study and the user research findings. We found that people see an added value in ODV under certain conditions (e.g. enabling exploration), but that there are also a number of bottlenecks such as the concern to miss key parts of a television programme while looking around.

Immersive experiences in the home: a field trial on stereoscopic 3DTV

Announced as an immersive technology stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) is actively implemented in consumer electronics. S-3D is capable of producing a sense of presence for the viewers, yet bottlenecks such as visual discomfort still exist. This research investigates the experiences of presence and visual comfort when watching S-3D content in the home, hereby focusing on both user characteristics and environmental factors, in particular light circumstances. This was researched using a mixed method design, involving in-depth interviews, diary study, quantitative survey as well as three subjective tests. Sensations of presence as well as the S-3D visualizations in itself can motivate viewers to watch S-3D. Moreover, there is a clear trade off between these positive sensations and discomforts derived from the nature of S-3D and the S-3D glasses. In addition, both visual comfort and presence are significantly influenced by the given light circumstances.