Simone Mora

CroMAR: Mobile Augmented Reality for Supporting Reflection on Crowd Management

This paper discusses the usage of Mobile Augmented Reality MAR to support reflection on past events, using reflection on crowd management as scenario. Computer based support to reflection generally relies on the visualization of information connected to the experience one is reflecting upon. Different metaphors have been adopted to support easy access to relevant information within the reflection process, e.g., timelines and word clouds. In this context, MAR represents an interesting alternative because it can be used to promote reflection in the specific location of the event by augmenting it with relevant information. In this way, the authors can expect the reflection process to be grounded in a context that helps to make sense of the information and reflect on alternative paths of action. The paper presents the scenario of usage, together with the design, development, and evaluation of the prototype, CroMAR. Based on this experience, the authors identify challenges connected to the usage of Mobile Augmented Reality in terms of support for reflection, interaction, and design methodology.

Tiles: A Card-based Ideation Toolkit for the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) offers new opportunities to invent technology-augmented things that are more useful, efficient or playful than their ordinary selves, yet only a few tools currently support ideation for the IoT. In this paper we present Tiles Cards, a set of 110 design cards and a workshop technique to involve non-experts in quick idea generation for augmented objects. Our tool aims to support exploring combinations of user interface metaphors, digital services, and physical objects. Then it supports creative thinking through provocative design goals inspired by human values and desires. Finally, it provides critical lenses through which analyze and judge design outcomes. We evaluated our tool in 9 ideation workshops with a total of 32 participants. Results show that the tool was useful in informing and guiding idea generation and was perceived as appealing and fun. Drawing on observations and participant feedbacks, we reflect on the strengths and limitations of this tool.

Context Becomes Content: Sensor Data for Computer-Supported Reflective Learning

Wearable devices and ambient sensors can monitor a growing number of aspects of daily life and work. We propose to use this context data as content for learning applications in workplace settings to enable employees to reflect on experiences from their work. Learning by reflection is essential for todays dynamic work environments, as employees have to adapt their behavior according to their experiences. Building on research on computer-supported reflective learning as well as persuasive technology, and inspired by the Quantified Self community, we present an approach to the design of tools supporting reflective learning at work by turning context information collected through sensors into learning content. The proposed approach has been implemented and evaluated with care staff in a care home and voluntary crisis workers. In both domains, tailored wearable sensors were designed and evaluated. The evaluations show that participants learned by reflecting on their work experiences based on their recorded context. The results highlight the potential of sensors to support learning from context data itself and outline lessons learned for the design of sensor-based capturing methods for reflective learning.

Tangible and wearable user interfaces for supporting collaboration among emergency workers

Ensuring a constant flow of information is essential for offering quick help in different types of disasters. In the following, we report on a work-in-progress distributed, collaborative and tangible system for supporting crisis management. On one hand, field operators need devices that collect information--personal notes and sensor data--without interrupting their work. On the other hand, a disaster management system must operate in different scenarios and be available to people with different preferences, backgrounds and roles. Our work addresses these issues by introducing a multi-level collaborative system that manages real-time data flow and analysis for various rescue operators.

Tiles: An Inventor Toolkit for Interactive Objects

We present the groundwork for Tiles: an inventor toolbox to support the development of interactive objects by non-experts. Tiles is composed by (i) a set of physical input/output primitives to describe interaction styles with technology-augmented objects, (ii) extensible hardware modules easily embeddable in everyday things that implement the primitives, (iii) APIs to code application logics using popular programming languages. We are currently exploring the opportunities of using Tiles to develop applications for learning, games and advanced visual interfaces.

The Interactive-Token Approach to Board Games

Recent advances in interactive surfaces and Tangible User Interfaces created a new interest in digital board games, aiming at mixing the benefits of traditional board games with the interactivity of video games. Within this strand of research, we propose a new approach centered on the concepts of tokens, constraints, spatial expressions and interaction events. While mainstream solutions implement game interaction using interactive surfaces, our approach relies on physical manipulation of interactive objects on conventional surfaces. We illustrate the proposed approach by describing the design and development of a game for training of emergency workers. Building on feedbacks from user evaluation and our experience with the development, we outline design opportunities and challenges of the approach.

Make2Learn with IoT: Engaging Children into Joyful Design and Making of Interactive Connected Objects

The Make2Learn workshop aims to explore the introduction in the learning processes of tools and methods for creative and joyful ideation, design and prototyping of Internet of Things (IoT) artifacts. Making IoT artefacts enable children to foster co-creativity and joy in learning processes and to construct knowledge; leading to STEM concepts. Making activities for IoT often have a broad perspective that includes not just digital fabrication, but also design thinking concepts such as problem elaboration, brainstorming, ideation and reflection. Make2learn aims to bring together a multidisciplinary group of experts for exploring how the intersection between the design, making, learning and IoT fields can accelerate the acquisition of 21st Century learning competences. During the workshop a set of tools and methods to engage children in ideation and prototyping of IoT artefacts will be demonstrated. Participants are also invited to bring and present their own tools. This will allow us to better understand and improve the value of Maker philosophy and the role of design and making IoT technologies to support teaching and learning.

RapIoT Toolkit: Rapid Prototyping of Collaborative Internet of Things Applications

The Internet of Things holds huge promises to enhance collaboration in multiple application domains. By bringing Internet connectivity to everyday objects and environments it promotes ubiquitous access to information and integration with third-party systems. Further, connected things can be used as physical interfaces to enable users to cooperate leveraging multiple devices via parallel and distributed actions. Yet creating prototypes of IoT systems is a complex task for non-experts because it requires dealing with multi-layered hardware and software infrastructures. We introduce RapIoT, a software toolkit that facilitates prototyping IoT systems providing an integrated set of developer tools. Our solution abstracts low-level details and communication protocols allowing developers to focus on the application logic, facilitating rapid prototyping. RapIoT supports the development of collaborative applications by enabling the definition of high-level data types primitives. RapIoT primitives act as a loosely-coupled interface between generic IoT devices and applications; simplifying the development of systems that make use of an ecology of devices distributed to multiple users and environments. We illustrate the potential of our toolkit by presenting the development process of a IoT system for crowd-sourcing of air quality data. We conclude discussing strength and limitations of our platform highlighting further possible uses for collaborative applications.

From interactive surfaces to interactive game pieces in hybrid board games

Recent advances in interactive surfaces and Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) have created new opportunities for hybrid board games that aim at mixing the social affordances of traditional board games with the interactivity of video games. Within this area of research, we propose an approach centered on the concepts of tokens, constraints, spatial expressions, and interaction events. Rather than using interactive surfaces as the primary interaction medium, our approach relies on physical manipulation of interactive, computer-augmented game pieces on conventional surfaces. The design of our approach has been informed by a literature review that took into account 27 hybrid board games from both academia and industry. This review allowed us to identify technology strands used to implement interactive board games and discuss the pros and cons of the different alternatives in the design space. After describing our approach, we report how it was applied to the design and development of a game for training emergency workers. Building on feedback from user evaluations and our experience with the development, we outline design opportunities and challenges of the approach.

Supporting Debriefing with Sensor Data: A Reflective Approach to Crisis Training

In this paper we present our exploration into the use of sensor data to promote debriefing after training events simulating work experiences. In this way we address one of the core challenges of crisis training, namely the difficulty to exploit the full potential of training events, e.g. during drills. The paper is theoretically grounded in the theory of reflective learning. The theoretical understanding is used for informing the design of WATCHiT, a wearable device for collecting sensor data during an event, and two applications for promoting debriefing in two different scenarios, CroMAR and Procedure Trainer. CroMAR supports disaster managers during in-situ debriefing after large events, while Procedure Trainer supports a team in reflecting after the simulation of a medical emergency procedure. The evaluation of the two applications shows that sensor data can be successfully used to support debriefing in both scenarios. Based on our experience, we draw lessons learned for the design of systems supporting debriefing in training events.