CS295J/Working Notes

Working Course Goals

1. better understand the state of HCI research
2. better understand the state of models or theories of human cognition and perception
3. identify research opportunities connecting those areas to visual analytics

Working Course Activities

1. identify a set of scientific analysis problems and examples of work-flows that go with them
2. read about HCI, perception, and cognition (see reading list below)
3. build a taxonomy of metrics for critiquing interactive visual interfaces from
   1. HCI best-practices
   2. HCI theory
   3. perception theory
      1. contrast, color, gestalt, motion
   4. cognition theory
      1. various kinds of memory, processing units, location and time understanding
      2. learning (expert vs. novice)
   5. design best-practices
4. find more readings that are of relevance
5. analyze the work-flows for common aspects (how?)
6. create a definition of the behavior we identify as thinking or analysis
7. critique a number of computer-based thinking/analysis tools
8. "sketch" improved visual interaction techniques
9. "sketch" visual interaction techniques that radically depart from existing tools
10. ponder
    1. can we build a "compiler" that takes high-level problem descriptions and converts them into lower-level tasks that effectively utilize the "thinking elements" of humans? At best, this metaphor would be fairly loose. Humans do not execute steps reliably. Perhaps some confirmational pieces could be put into the "machine code."
    2. memory of various types is one of the scarcest resources for humans; are advanced memory management tools that could be metaphorically leveraged?
    3. can we build an interface checker that evaluates an interface based on:
       1. a workflow to identify places where some human resource will be maxed out
       2. capabilities a user would need to be efficient (ie, above-average visual working memory)
       3. places where training could have a big payoff, and quantified tradeoffs
       4. reorganization of workflow to avoid resource limitations
       5. reorganization of workflow so a more expert user interface would pay off
    4. can we build a "Design Patterns" for this kind of software (idea from Colin Ware)?
    5. human's have a number of cognitive biases: confirmation bias (look to confirm a theory), inflated value of objects in-hand (Economist 6/20/08), bandwagon effect, and framing problems (conclusion is dependent on the framing of the problem); can we identify these in the actions of a user and compensate for them?
    6. humans work better on tasks that engage them. Can we capture that aspect in interfaces? Successful games do so, and games that teach are a hot topic. Can (or should?) interfaces be similarly engaging?
    7. how should time factor in to an interface? should interfaces stay static or change with user experience?
11. final project, perhaps group oriented, solving some problem with sketched approaches

Possible Readings

1. Perception
   1. Colin Ware: Information Visualization: Perception for Design -- insight into some of the theory of perception as it pertains to building visual interfaces
   2. Gestalt
2. Cognition
   1. Colin Ware: Visual Thinking: For Design -- insight into some of the theory of cognition as it pertains to building visual interfaces
   2. some layman's theory of cognition?
   3. wikipedia 7 +- 2
3. HCI
   1. John M. Carroll: HCI Models, Theories, and Frameworks: Toward a Multidisciplinary Science -- a multi-author review of HCI Best-practices in HCI?
4. Design
   1. Wikipedia articles on "A Pattern Language" and "Design Pattern"
   2. Design principles (feedback, etc -- find ref)
   3. Alexander: A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (from architecture) -- what makes a human space work, ineffable best practices, ~250 is enough to do communities and house-sized artifacts
5. Thinking/Analysis
6. Morgan D. Jones: The Thinker's Toolkit: Fourteen Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving -- can these methods for solving problems be incorporated into tools for thinking?
   1. Thomas, Cook: Illuminating the Path -- a research agenda for tools for intelligence analysts.
   2. Keim, Shazeer, Littman: Proverb: The Probabilistic Cruciverbalist -- an automatic crossword-puzzle solver; the software framework for building this program may be a metaphor for some thinking groupware with plug-in modules.
7. Thinking software and meta-software
   1. matlab, mathematica
   2. Mackinlay, Jock D., Hanrahan, Pat and Stolte, C. Show me: automatic presentation for visual analysis,TVCG 13(6): 1137-1144.
   3. Model/View/Controller approach, MacApp, Inside Mac

Issues/Thoughts/Questions

1. How do we analyze workflows? Are there frameworks for doing this that would make sense to use?
2. What other course activities would be instructive?
3. Is there some semester-end project that would make sense?
4. Can we build some groupware thing?
5. Are there more radical departures to consider?
6. What other readings?
7. Can we build on "design patterns" for a project