Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

The inherent freedom of combined with intimate ubiquitous technologies has led to a new breed of guerrilla performance. We draw on theory from computing, performance and club culture to illustrate the Performance Triad model, a method for the analysis, deconstruction and understanding of tripartite interaction in playful arenas. We then apply the Performance Triad model to a part reversal of wearable computing technology where the user is outfitted with an electronic communication display and yet this display is visible to others not the cyborgs themselves. This ubiquitous performance investigates the shifting boundaries between performer, participant and observer and of technology-enhanced guerrilla performance.

Effective and rigorous analysis of cooperative work settings is crucial to the successful development of CSCW systems. This paper investigates the relationship between the social organization of the work settings and the system development. Objectives of this paper are therefore twofold. First, it effectively analyses the social aspects of the work practices using the state-of-the-art techniques of ethnography. Such analysis provides rich and concrete portrayal of the situation thus helps systematic design of CSCW systems. Second it uses the standard Unified Modelling Language (UML) in order to represent and model the findings of the ethnographic analysis. UML-based representation of the findings has proven to be an important aid to the development of CSCW systems.

Designing usable real-time, distributed collaboration tools is a complex but important task. can potentially help in making real-time, distributed collaboration tools more usable through a communication of who is in the shared workspace and what they are doing. We present qualitative evaluations of the workspace awareness features of a gesture-based diagramming tool, , that supports real-time, distributed collaboration. These studies suggest that using simple, non-intrusive awareness means results in fewer breakdowns, more symmetric collaboration patterns, better coordination, and higher perceived usability.

Two layer displays are constructed by overlaying one transparent flat panel on another, with a discernible physical separation between layers. This layout could increase the available pixels without increasing the width and height of the display. However, it is unclear if the second physical layer provides any advantage over simple alpha-blended transparency on a single layer display. We investigate this issue in two controlled experiments that compare performance between one and two layer displays in users’ perception of two potentially interfering virtual layers of information. Results show that for spatially overlapping stimuli, interference from the background stimuli on the perception of foreground stimuli is similar for both displays, while interference from the foreground stimuli on the perception of the background stimuli is higher with two layer displays. For spatially non-overlapping stimuli, perception is degraded on the two layer display if the distracter object is placed on the front layer.

Text input with a PDA is not as easy as it should be, especially when compared to a desktop set up with a standard keyboard. The abundance of attempted solutions to the text input problem for mobile devices provides evidence of the difficulties, and suggests the need for more imaginative approaches. We propose a novel gesture driven layer interaction model using animated transparent overlays, which integrates agreeably with common windowing models.

This paper reports on a study of evaluating and generating requirements for the user interface of a digital library. The study involved observation of librarians using the digital library, working on information finding problems on behalf of clients of the library. The study showed that librarians, familiar with the particular digital library system and with information retrieval work in general, possess a repertoire of relatively simple, yet effective, strategies for carrying out searches, and that non-librarians tend not to deploy the same strategies. After describing the study and the most commonly observed strategies, this paper makes some suggestions for how an understanding of how the librarians organize their activities may generate design ideas for user interfaces that aid ‘ordinary’ users in making use of the strategies that help librarians to be effective users.

Travel and tourism makes up a large proportion of business to customer (B2C) e-commerce activity, and e-commerce in this sector is growing rapidly. Users can find vast amounts of travel related information and purchase a wide range of travel related goods and services through the Internet. This presents users with a complex decision-making task when planning a trip or a holiday using on-line facilities.

This paper examines a range of accounts of decision making developed both in the context of e-commerce and in travel and tourism. The accounts are compared with data from an investigation using a think-aloud protocol examining a simulated decision task. The results of the investigation suggest that neither the e-commerce models nor the accounts of decision making in travel and tourism, provide completely adequate accounts of user behaviours if used in isolation. Rather elements from both sets of models must be considered relevant. Based on the findings a preliminary framework for the design of new decision-support tools is suggested.

Research was carried out with twenty-seven games players, using a number of techniques. This was academic research, but intended to be useful in the development of existing and new genres of game. Considering the future application of such techniques, perhaps outside academia, their cost-benefit will be important. The authors report both on what they discovered about the two games studied, and also on the strengths and weaknesses of the techniques employed.

This paper describes an empirical study with children that compared the three methods of writing — using pencil and paper, using the QWERTY keyboard at a computer, and using a pen and graphics tablet. The children wrote short stories. Where the graphics tablet was used, the text was recognized and presented to the children as ASCII text. Measures of user satisfaction, quantity of writing produced, and quality of writing produced were taken. In addition, the recognition process was evaluated by comparing what the child wrote with the resulting ASCII text. The results show that for the age group considered, writing at the tablet was as efficient as, and produced comparable writing to, the pencil and paper. The keyboard was less efficient. Key usability problems with the handwriting recognition interface are identified and classified, and we propose some solutions in the form of design guidelines for both recognition-based and pen-based computer writing interfaces.

This paper briefly describes the design, development and evaluation of a prototype multimedia Interactive Learning Environment (ILE). This utilized narrative and a game type environment in an attempt to provide an engaging and motivating learning experience for a group of young people attending Salford Youth Service. The main area addressed was how to ensure that the ILE would appeal to children who found traditional approaches to learning difficult. Additionally, an important aim of the project was to engage the learners in the design process as they were identified as having low self-esteem.

A previously developed design framework which focuses on the needs and views of the learners and aims to facilitate both requirements gathering and design issues using a narrative based approach was used. The ILE that has been developed is influenced by the design of computer games as this was a common interest of the focus group who participated in the design. The ILE is briefly described and an initial evaluation of its use presented. The paper concludes by identifying the aspects of the ILE, which appealed to the students and assesses the affect of the motivational aspects.