Peter Purgathofer

Hypertext authoring and visualization

Visualizing information structure plays an increasing role in hypertext systems. Empirical evidence shows that such visualizations support the users or readers of hypertext systems. The following study investigates whether such information visualizations in the form of two-dimensional graphical overview maps also support the writers of hypertext documents. It also seems plausible to assume that the process of writing text changes when graphical overview maps integrated into hypertext systems are used. We also analysed the relationship between the authoring process and the character of the finished documents. In general, it can be said that visualizing the information structure inherent in a document plays an important role in hypertext authoring. It was the only innovative feature of the hypertext authoring system we developed which was used intensively by almost all the authors. In contrast to that, the finished documents were rather traditional. Authors did not exploit the novel features of hypertext/hypermedia systems like, e.g. introducing pictures, movies or sounds. On the basis of the analysis of the hypertext authoring process guidelines can be formulated to support writers of hypertext documents.

Workshop on the relationship between design and HCI

INTRODUCTION The field of HCI emerged out of an interaction between computer science and behavioral science; two disciplines with a rationale and scientific approach to research and development. More recently there has been a growing interest in the role designers and the design process can play in HCI. The creation of the Designing Interactive Systems conference (ACM DIS) in 1995; the CHI@20 paper where Don Norman suggests that design is “skill one” and Stu Card calls for a robust HCI component within Industrial Design[4]; and the Design and Emotion theme from last year’s CHI in Florida all offer anecdotal evidence of this growing interest.

Elements of Play for Cognitive, Physical and Social Health in Older Adults

An increasingly older demographic emphasizes the need to deal with a likewise increasing number of people with cognitive disabilities like dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. While no cure exists the preventive potential of activities in the areas of reminiscence, cognitive, social and physical activity has been recognized. This paper looks at the possibilities of technological interventions in this field from a game design perspective. The paper follows the core research question “Which elements of play can be used in a playful holistic application combining reminiscence, cognitive, social and physical activities to prevent or postpone the development of cognitive disabilities such as dementia for older adults?” Examples are qualitatively analysed and lead to the identification of the elements auto-biographical play, musical play, kinaesthetic play, object-based play, adaptive play, collaborative play and role playing. The list of these elements is expendable and lays the foundation for a holistic design space.

A Case Study of a Learning Game about the Internet

This paper describes the design of the learning game Internet Hero, in which the player is transported into a fictional world representing the Internet. The game shall convey learning contents about the technical and social basics of using the Internet. We connect game design to learning principles and evaluate the game through gameplay metrics and interviews with children. We show that we were able to build an engaging game while at the same time building on a strong theoretical foundation on digital game-based learning.

Is informatics a design discipline

The article discusses the theory and practice of software development in the light of design theory. It tries to show that the design process cannot be forced into a predefined operational sequence. To underline this, the history of design methods is retraced, showing that such approaches were abolished not only in practice, but also the theory of design. The essay then discusses the cognitive framework of contemporary design theory and closes with the proposal that informatics should redefine itself as a design discipline in order to tackle the problems of interaction design.ZusammenfassungDer Text diskutiert die Theorie und Praxis der Softwareentwicklung im Lichte aktueller Designtheorie. Es wird zu zeigen versucht, dass sich der Designprozess der operationalen Formalisierung entzieht. Dazu wird die Geschichte der Designmethoden nachgezeichnet, die zeigt, dass solche Ansätze nicht nur in der Praxis, sondern auch in der Theorie gescheitert sind. Der Aufsatz diskutiert dann die kognitiven Rahmenbedingungen aktueller Designtheorien und schließt mit dem Vorschlag, dass sich die Informatik als Designdisziplin verstehen muss, um die Probleme des Interaktionsdesign wirklich lösen zu können.RésuméCe texte s’interroge sur la théorie et la pratique du développement de logiciels à la lumière de la théorie de design actuelle. Il tente de montrer que le processus de design se soustrait à la formalisation opérationnelle. L’histoire des méthodes conceptuelles est par ailleurs retracée, qui montre que de telles démarches n’ont pas seulement échoué dans la pratique, mais aussi en théorie. L’article se penche sur les conditions cadres cognitives des théories de design d’aujourd’hui et s’achève sur la proposition selon laquelle l’informatique doit s’entendre comme discipline de design pour pouvoir véritablement résoudre les problèmes du design d’interaction.

From Research to Design - Sketching a Game to Trigger Reminiscence in Older Adults

This contribution describes a series of design sketches for a playful digital application designed to trigger reminiscence in older adults. The goal of the intervention is to be a preventive measure against cognitive disabilities such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Research shows that reminiscence and cognitive activities are beneficial in this area. The presented sketches have been developed as part of a design workshop and are based upon the results of a focus group study which involved older adults, their families, experts and care personnel. The ideas are all rooted within the context of the project which revolves around the playful use of media such as photos, video clips and audio recordings. These personal media artifacts shall trigger reminiscence and engage players cognitively.

Hypertext writing profiles and visualisation

University students increasingly use hypertextto write their assignments. To employ hypertexteffectively, more information about thehypertext authoring process is needed. Thereare features of hypertext which are notreflected in traditional theories ofcomposition, especially the possibility tostructure information visually. Our studyindicates that graphical overview maps whichcan be edited are a rather attractive featureof hypertext authoring systems. Nevertheless,not all students profit from such features.Students employ different writing styles whenthey create hypertext documents. The majorityof students experiments with hypertexts newfeatures but others are still influenced by themodel of the book.

Analysis of the authoring process of hypertext documents

This paper discusses the hypertext authoring process. The main focus lies in finding the kinds of activities authors of hypertext documents concentrate on. We describe a method to visualize the strategies and priorities of authors while creating a hypertext document, based upon protocol data.

Handle the Way: Enhancing Web Accessibility for People with Disability

The web has become the primary mechanism for information delivery. However, for people with an intellectual disability there can be significant barriers in accessing the web. This research aims to design a novel solution to help people with a disability, especially people who cannot type easily or correctly, to access the web independently. We propose to utilize Near Field Communication tokens to store and materialize website addresses into tangible handles for web access. Most importantly, we use tokens to store frequently used key words and serve as visual aids to enable query through combination of different search tokens. This solution has the potential to improve the quality of life yet is still relatively simple and affordable. Furthermore, together with other advanced technologies such as 3D printing for personalized tokens, it opens up the opportunities for co-design between people with disability and caregivers, customized services and collaborative support for diverse users via online volunteers.

Layout Considered Harmful: On the Influence of Information Architecture on Dialogue

Discussions are an important tool for students to engage with new content, bring up new ideas and generate knowledge. This paper focuses on the representation of asynchronous online discussion forums in an e-learning context and how it influences the outcome of discussions. We compare the results of a traditional discussion visualisation - a vertically threaded comment system - to the two dimensional system Discourse, in which every new statement of the discussion opens a new subthread. We draw our conclusions from a qualitative analysis of pairs of discussions on the same topic conducted in both systems. Our findings suggest that discussions in Discourse are more focused and goal-oriented than in traditional threaded system.