Nick Bryan-Kinns

Use of multiple digital libraries: a case study

The aim of the work reported here was to better understand the usabili ty issues raised when digital libraries are used in a natural setting. The method used was a protocol analysis of users working on a task of their own choosing to retrieve documents from publicly available digital libraries. Various classes of usability difficulties were found. Here, we focus on use in context - that is, usability concerns that arise from the fact that libraries are accessed in particular ways, under technically and organisationally imposed constraints, and that use of any particular resource is discretionary. The concepts from an Interaction Framework, which provides support for reasoning about patterns of interaction between users and systems, are applied to understand interaction issues.

Designing for Performative Tangible Interaction

We propose that designing tangibles for public interaction requires an understanding of both functional and non-functional aspects informed by Live Art theories. In this paper, we outline design requirements for performative tangible interaction, propose a framework for assessing performative interaction and demonstrate its use through four case studies of the iterative redesign of a highly portable, tangible exertion interface. By reflecting on our experience of designing for performative interaction we develop guidelines for developing multi-participant Digital Live Art.

Daisyphone: the design and impact of a novel environment for remote group music improvisation

Music has lost its role as a central part of many peoples everyday action. This paper reports on the design and impact of a novel environment for remote group music improvisation with the view to understanding how we could design more engaging, social, and serendipitous musical environments. The design reported here focuses on the representation of looping music, support for remote collaboration, and support for idea formulation. Observations of use suggest that the environment developed does encourage some group music, and we identify clear areas for future design consideration.

Evaluation of live human-computer music-making: Quantitative and qualitative approaches

Live music-making using interactive systems is not completely amenable to traditional HCI evaluation metrics such as task-completion rates. In this paper we discuss quantitative and qualitative approaches which provide opportunities to evaluate the music-making interaction, accounting for aspects which cannot be directly measured or expressed numerically, yet which may be important for participants. We present case studies in the application of a qualitative method based on Discourse Analysis, and a quantitative method based on the Turing Test. We compare and contrast these methods with each other, and with other evaluation approaches used in the literature, and discuss factors affecting which evaluation methods are appropriate in a given context.

Identifying mutual engagement

Mutual engagement occurs when people creatively spark together and enter a state of group flow. We present a characterisation of mutually engaging interaction, discuss design features which contribute to mutually engaging interactions, and identify a set of measures for identifying mutual engagement in collaboration. A collaborative music editors interface features are systematically manipulated in an empirical study of their effect on mutual engagement. The results of the study show that providing shared annotation mechanisms and awareness of identity of others significantly increases mutually engaging interaction.

Telematic dinner party: designing for togetherness through play and performance

There is an increasing desire to remain connected when physically distant and computer-mediated communication (CMC) is one means of satisfying this desire. In particular, there is a growing trend for individuals to use commercially available technology to connect with friends and family in social and leisure settings. Drawing on this trend, performative arts and existing telecommunications research, we identify the social practice of sharing a meal together as ripe for reinterpretation within CMC. We explore the opportunities to design a technology platform that supports remote guests in experiencing togetherness and playfulness within the practices of a traditional dinner party. Through both visual and aural channels as well as remote agency, the dinner guests were able to share a holistic telematic dining experience comparable to a traditional co-presence dinner. Based on the findings, we propose that one must consider the social structure and cultural background of users to inform the design of a technological intervention.

Constructing relational diagrams in audio: the multiple perspective hierarchical approach

Although research on non-visual access to visually represented information is steadily growing, very little work has investigated how such forms of representation could be constructed through non-visual means. We discuss in this paper our approach for providing audio access to relational diagrams using multiple perspective hierarchies, and describe the design of two interaction strategies for constructing and manipulating such diagrams through this approach. A comparative study that we conducted with sighted users showed that a non-guided strategy allowed for significantly faster interaction times, and that both strategies supported similar levels of diagram comprehension. Overall, the reported study revealed that using multiple perspective hierarchies to structure the information encoded in a relational diagram enabled users construct and manipulate such information through an audio-only interface, and that combining aspects from the guided and the non-guided strategies could support greater usability.

Designing collaborative musical experiences for broad audiences

This paper reports on the design and audience evaluation of a collaborative interactive music system titled Polymetros. Designed for broad audiences, Polymetros aims to enable users without musical skills to experience collaborative music-making. First, we describe our design approach with reference to related research. A particular interest was to investigate how to provide novices with individual musical control within a collaborative context. We then present an audience evaluation that was conducted during an exhibition at a major art museum in the UK attended by large numbers of the general public across the age range. The results lead us to evaluate our design approach and reflect on implications for facilitating collaborative music-making for broad audiences. Furthermore, the findings provide interesting indications how the context of a public exhibition setting affects the audience interaction with such an interactive multi-player experience.

Sustainable HCI for grassroots urban food-growing communities

Mainstream food growing practices around the world call in to question our future food security, and in particular the sustainability of food consumption in urban centres. At the same time there has been a dramatic recent increase in grassroots urban food-growing communities in the UK and beyond. This paper looks at how research in sustainable human-computer interaction (HCI) can support better social and environmental practices through a focus on urban food-growing communities. In this paper we respond to recent work within sustainable HCI. We report on a field study at an urban city farm in inner London which took a participatory research approach with staff and volunteers. We discuss the values, needs and practices of the farm community which have emerged from the fieldwork. We conclude with a discussion of the implications and opportunities for designing with computational technology to help inform the conceptualisation of sustainable HCI and to serve as a resource for designers engaging with urban food-growing communities.

Mutual engagement and collocation with shared representations

In this paper we explore the use of shared representations to support creative activities, focussing on collaborative music making. We examine the effect that user interface features of shared representations have on mutual engagement and show that providing shared awareness mechanisms increases mutual engagement. In particular, we show through an empirical study of 78 participants that providing cues to identity and shared pointers increases mutual engagement between participants, but together these features can overwhelm users. We also demonstrate that support for free-form annotation and spatial interaction with shared representations mediates interaction and helps participants to manage their collaborative activity effectively. In this paper we develop several measures mutual engagement and demonstrate their use to assess the design of shared representations. A key contribution of this paper is the development of a measure of collocation of participant interaction which indicates mutual engagement. The findings of the study have implications beyond the domain of collaborative music making and we outline some design guidelines for mutually engaging shared representations.