William M. Newman

Principles of interactive computer graphics

Principles of interactive computer graphics , Principles of interactive computer graphics , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی

Student readers' use of library documents: implications for library technologies

We report on a study of graduate students conducting research in libraries, focusing on how they extract and record information as they read. By examining their information recording activities within the context of their work as a whole, it is possible to highlight why students choose particular strategies and styles of recording for what these activities provide both at the time of reading and at subsequent points in time. The implications of these findings for digital library technologies are discussed.

CamWorks: a video-based tool for efficient capture from paper source documents

We describe the design and evaluation of CamWorks, a system that employs a video camera as a means of supporting capture from paper sources during reading and writing. The user can view a live video image of the source document alongside the electronic document in preparation. We describe a novel user interface developed to support selection of text in the video window, and several new techniques for segmentation, restoration and resolution enhancement of camera images. An evaluation shows substantially faster text capture than with flatbed scanning.

Better or just different? On the benefits of designing interactive systems in terms of critical parameters

Critical parameters are quantitative measures of performance that may be used to determine the overall ability of a design to serve its purpose. Although critical parameters figure in almost every field of design where there is a demand for progressive improvement, they do not appear to figure significantly in the design of interactive systems. As a result, systems are designed that are recognizably different from other systems but not necessarily better at doing the job intended. This paper discusses the role of critical parameters in design, and illustrates their lack of use in interactive system design by presenting a number of of examples drawn from the HCI literature. It identifies a consequent need for research to establish critical parameters for applications and to build models of the performance of designs against these parameters. Some ideas are presented on how critical parameters might be established for specific applications, and the paper concludes by summarising some of the benefits that might be gained from moving in this direction.

A preliminary analysis of the products of HCI research, using pro forma abstracts

A classification scheme for the products of engineering research is described, involving three principal categories of product: improved modelling techniques, solutions and tools. These categories can be linked to the contributions they make to engineering design. A set of pro forma abstracts are proposed as a reliable means of identifying the three categories. A preliminary sample of published engineering papers indicates that normally at least 90 percent of papers fall into these three categories. For recent CHI and InterCHI conferences, however, only about 30 percent can be thus categorized. The remainder appear mostly to describe radical solutions (solutions not derived from incremental improvements to solutions to the same problem), and experience and/or heuristics gained mostly from studies of radical solutions. Some comments are made about the reasons for these departures from normal engineering research practice.

Locating systems at work: implications for the development of active badge applications

Abstract The paper reports findings from a sociological examination of the use of ‘active badge’ location information systems in two research laboratories. The use, distribution and control of location information is examined in reference to the social roles individuals have in what will be called the ‘moral order’ of workplaces. Suggestions for subsequent versions of location systems are made, and the use of sociological methods in design remarked.

Agenda benders: modelling the disruptions caused by technology failures in the workplace

There is a need to understand the impact of technology failures on work. In the studies reported here, subjects’ plans at the start of each day were compared with their eventual accomplishments, and failures to carry out plans were investigated. A number of sources of disruption were identified; they included technology failures, which had a particular tendency to act as “agenda benders,” preventing the completion of important activities.

Performance targets, models and innovation in interactive system design

This paper presents an approach to designing interactive systems that enables critical performance parameters to be identified and models of performance to be constructed. The methods described are intended to enable designers to improve the performance of systems, and the provision of performance targets is expected to encourage innovation in design. An example is quoted in which digital camera technology was applied to the support of authors using paper source documents, to enable them to capture source text more rapidly and thus increase their productivity, measured in terms of words per hour. A model of the capture task was constructed, and was used to set a target time for capturing short text segments. This target was presented to a design team, who responded with an innovative interface incorporating auto-completion. A prototype auto-completion tool demonstrated that the performance target could be met.

Models of work practice: can they support the analysis of system designs?

An ability to analyse solutions is an essential part of the interactive system designer’s skill base. It complements other essentials such as working with users, prototyping and evaluation, and creative synthesis of new solutions. Analysis techniques come to the designer’s aid when circumstances rule out the use of participative methods or the construction of prototypes. However, there is a shortage of effective techniques for analysing interactive system designs and predicting how they will perform in their users’ hands. Virtually all such techniques apply to the analysis of task performance, and do not extend to the analysis of more complex work practices.

What Application Designers Know: Some Thoughts on Innovation in Interactive Systems

This paper takes as a starting point Walter Vincenti’s seminal book, “What Engineers Know and How They Know It,” and explores the implications for interactive system design of some of his observations on engineering knowledge. In particular, it discusses the obstacles designers face in accessing relevant knowledge, and their consequent difficulties in engaging in design. The paper suggests that a crucial step in building knowledge about interactive system design knowledge is the establishment of critical parameters concerning the human activity that the application supports. It concludes with a discussion of the implications for innovative system design.