CS295J/Class Members' Pages/Trevor/Week 1

Key to week 1 contributions:

Presentation:

• Implicit Human Computer Interaction Through Context Schmidtt-2000-IHC

A highly cited paper discussing the notion of implicit HCI, including semantic grouping of interactions, and some perceptual rules. (Trevor - OWNER)

SUMMARY:

The key notion addressed in this paper is that in human communication, a significant amount of information is transmitted by exclusively implicit means. Gestures, body language, and voice are all implicit cues that humans use to exchange, disambiguate and affirm information. In this paper, the authors discuss how these implicit modes of communication can be realized in HCI, where interaction systems would be able to perceive and interpret implicit cues.

To implement implicit HCI systems, the authors first give their definition of the building blocks of context:

a. Device

b. Time (absolute, class of time)

c. Number of users

d. Physical environment

e. Social Setting

f. Tasks

The next question the authors address is which aspects of context are useful for a particular system, and whether or not it's feasible to build a system capable of such perception. They introduce four principles for perception:

internal device databases

application input

active environments (i.e. audio)

context sensors

Once these principles have been laid out, a few examples are given as to how the HCI community could benefit from this concept. They describe context aware systems capable of understanding when a user has been interrupted, for instance; (Either motion has stopped, or speech has stopped.) systems that have light sensors to control screen brightness (i.e. iPhone, Macbook keyboards); mobile phones that adapt font size based on how quickly you're moving; clothing that can determine when it's being worn and how it's moving. The list of applications they introduce is compelling, and with sensor technologies becoming more ubiquitous, these principles are becomingly increasingly relevant.

Discussions

• Studying Context, A Comparison of Activity Theory, Situated Action Models, and Distributed Cognition Bonnie A. Nardi

Defines the task of the HCI specialist as the application of psychological and anthropological principles to specific design problems. It posits an inherent feud between the accurate study of relative contexts and the necessary, but more general, development of comparative models and results. Gives a coherent overview of activity theory, situated action models, and distributed cognition; finds that activity theory presents the best overall framework. There is little reason given for this ranking, however, and the description of activity theory is the most theoretical and least developed of the three.

Having spent quite a bit of time studying Soviet psychology (from which came activity theory) last semester, I question the validity of the paper’s claim, as its description of activity theory bears the artifacts of the oppressive regulations which the Soviet government imposed on psychologists. Although the theory may sound more practical, it seems fairly weak as a basis for empirical design analysis.

The paper’s strongest point is the criticisms which follow descriptions, in which theoretical shortcomings of each perspective are discussed. (Owner: Steven, Discussant: --- Trevor O'Brien 23:22, 28 January 2009 (UTC))

• The state of the art in automating usability evaluation of user interfaces Ivory-2000-SAA

Presents a new taxonomy for automating usability analysis. Advantages of automated evaluation are purported to be advantages linked to efficiency, such as comparing alternate designs, uncovering more errors more consistently, and predicting time/error costs across an entire design. Breaks down a taxonomy with individual benefits and drawbacks of each method, and checks observations against existing guidelines (e.g. Smith and Mosier guidelines, Motif style guidelines, etc). Introduces several visual tools. Looks extremely relevant as a comprehensive survey of existing techniques. OWNER: E J Kalafarski 16:02, 26 January 2009 (UTC) Discussant: --- Trevor O'Brien 23:22, 28 January 2009 (UTC) Discussant: Steven Ellis

Postings:

• Tracking Neuropsychological Recovery Following Concussion in Sport

This paper discusses the neurological basis for the ImPact test given to athletes after they've suffered a concussion. It provides testing and quantitative measures for verbal memory, visual memory, and reaction times. These simple measures of cognition may be useful to incorporate in an HCI study. (Trevor)

• The Use of Eye Movements in Human-Computer Interaction Techniques: What You Look at is What you Get Jacob-1991-UEM

One of the first research papers to introduce eye tracking as a viable HCI technique. (Trevor)

• Real-Time Eye Tracking for Human Computer Interfaces Amarnag-2003-RTE

Technical details about the implementation of a recent real-time eye-tracking system. (Trevor)

• Semantic Web HCI: Discussing Research Implications Degler-2007-SWH

A workshop discussion from CHI 2007 discussing the idea of a "semantic internet" and its relevance to the HCI community. Discusses things like adaptive web interfaces, mashups, dynamic interactions, etc. (Trevor)

• The GOMS Family of User Interface Analysis Techniques: Comparison and Contrast (Trevor)

This paper offers an analysis of four types of GOMS (Goals, Objects, Methods and Selection) based interaction techniques. GOMS is a widely used UI paradigm, made popular by Card et al in The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction (1983).

• Analyzing Human-Computer Interaction as Distributed Cognition: The Resources Model (Trevor)

Creates a compelling argument for why distributed cognition research fits in with HCI, and what types of impacts it may have on the HCI community.

• Automatic Facial Expression Interpretation: Where Human-Computer Interaction, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science Intersect (Trevor)

Using advanced computer vision/AI techniques, this work aims to discern and make use of users' emotions in UI design.

• Activity Theory: Implications for Human-Computer Interaction (Trevor)

Discusses the notion of Activity Theory as the basis for HCI research. The most interesting part of this paper for me was the introduction which expressed the need for a Theory of HCI.

• Automatically Personalizing User Interfaces (Trevor)

Discusses some techniques and design decisions for constructing adaptable and customizable user interfaces. There are some useful references in the paper on using HMMs and RMMs (Relational Markov Models) for interaction prediction.

• Exploring the Design Space for Adaptive Graphical User Interfaces (Trevor)

This paper presents comparative evaluations of three methods for implementing adaptable user interfaces. The evaluation methodology gives rise to three key concepts that affect the performance of adaptable UIs: frequency of adaptation, accuracy of adaptation, and the impact of predictability.

• Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge

Really awesome book on the evolution of interactions with technology. (Trevor)

• Sketching User Experiences by Bill Buxton

Another great book on the practices of interaction design. (Trevor)