Summary:
This paper highlighted and described the search for criteria needed in a system to help people find an exercise partner. A survey was taken by 100 people, most of which were active in fitness activities and clubs. They responded to questions about their work outs and whether or not they had a workout partner. The study was done to examine the following questions:
Q1. Do people who exercise have partners? If so, how did
they find them?
Q2. If people do not have exercise partners, what are the
reasons?
Q3. What happens when people do not have an exercise
partner?
Q4. What do people look for in their ideal exercise partner?
Q5. What information would people be willing to share to
find compatible exercise partners?
The data was about what was to be expected from a survey of this type. Most people had exercise partners and the ones that didn't generally said that they did.
Discussion:
I couldn't help but question how this even got published. Everything was common sense. There wasn't even anything in there related to the field of HCI. They claimed that they were designing a system for people to help find exercise partners but thats just a normal software system.
The biggest flaw in the paper was its predictability. They made one significant discovery, that people would rather rate potential exercise partners on a range of skill and not a skill level. I think its a good idea and they should go ahead and make the system but this paper was not needed.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Non-Univeral Usability? A Survey of How Usability is Understood by Chinese and Danish Users
Comments:
none yet
Summary:
When we are designing a computer system we typically take the definition of the term usability for granted. We safely assume that a program aimed at business applications should be clean and effective, applications for the home should work but also have fun, and so forth. Our definition of usability however can change depending on what culture we are creating the program for.
This paper outlines a study done comparing the desires of Danish and Chinese users and how they ranked usability. They found that the Chinese users and the Danish users varied greatly on some key aspects of what they wanted from software. It was found that the Chinese tended to desire more fun and more graphics out of their software while the Danish desired a more clean cut and efective approach to software.
It is worth noting that the Chinese made it clear that they would be apt to desire more graphics and fun out of their software even if it compromised the effectiveness of the piece of software. This could have major implications on the design process if you were trying to target the Chinese market. Many Asian TV shows that I have seen seem to suport this fact. There is alot of jumpy graphics all over the screen without giving much information at all so it would be safe to assume that these desires would be mimiced in their desires for software.
Discussion:
This paper seemed very usefull and I found it to be very interesting. There are many very major implications that come with this knowledge. Assuming universal desires accross cultures has often been done but almost never with great success. If we are trying to sell to another culture it is important to know what exactly they are looking for and what they will want to buy. It was also interesting to see some hard data proving what I had already come to expect.
I wish the paper had focused on more cultures than just the Danish and Chinese. Seeing some American and Indian opinions in there would have made a more balanced report. I would like to see another report with that information in it because there could be big differences accross the Atlantic and we would expect Indian desires to differ if Danish and Chinese desires were so different.
none yet
Summary:
When we are designing a computer system we typically take the definition of the term usability for granted. We safely assume that a program aimed at business applications should be clean and effective, applications for the home should work but also have fun, and so forth. Our definition of usability however can change depending on what culture we are creating the program for.
This paper outlines a study done comparing the desires of Danish and Chinese users and how they ranked usability. They found that the Chinese users and the Danish users varied greatly on some key aspects of what they wanted from software. It was found that the Chinese tended to desire more fun and more graphics out of their software while the Danish desired a more clean cut and efective approach to software.
It is worth noting that the Chinese made it clear that they would be apt to desire more graphics and fun out of their software even if it compromised the effectiveness of the piece of software. This could have major implications on the design process if you were trying to target the Chinese market. Many Asian TV shows that I have seen seem to suport this fact. There is alot of jumpy graphics all over the screen without giving much information at all so it would be safe to assume that these desires would be mimiced in their desires for software.
Discussion:
This paper seemed very usefull and I found it to be very interesting. There are many very major implications that come with this knowledge. Assuming universal desires accross cultures has often been done but almost never with great success. If we are trying to sell to another culture it is important to know what exactly they are looking for and what they will want to buy. It was also interesting to see some hard data proving what I had already come to expect.
I wish the paper had focused on more cultures than just the Danish and Chinese. Seeing some American and Indian opinions in there would have made a more balanced report. I would like to see another report with that information in it because there could be big differences accross the Atlantic and we would expect Indian desires to differ if Danish and Chinese desires were so different.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Motion-Pointing: Target Selection using Elliptical Motions
Comments:
none yet
Summary:
Motion-pointing is the action of using gestures to indicate a click instead of clicking an actual item. For example a typically click-able item will have a gesture associated with it such as making a circle or an ellipse with your finger or mouse. By associating a gesture with an action the user can make selections with less cost due to the fact that they don't have to make precise movements to the button. The gesture can be done at any location on the screen.
The authors chose cyclic motions because of the human minds ease in understanding and interpreting these motions. They argue that humans are better able to deal with these types of motion there by reducing the learning curve associated with the actions.
One of the proposed uses for this style of interface was for large public screens such as in an airport. The authors propose that multiple pointers would be confusing and users could simply approach the screen and utilize the motions on their iPhone or PDA. In this case the motion, as they argue, would be useful because it would allow multiple people access the the same terminal without having to touch or reach the screen.
Discussion
I personally found this work to be somewhat worthless in todays culture. People are quite dedicated to point and click and this is a radical difference from that style of interface. Their example regarding the airport screen could easily be solved using a keypad on the PDA where each selection corresponds to a number that the user enters instead of requiring the gesture.
The largest concern I would express regarding these gestures would be the lack of precision. I remember attempting the write on the older PDA's that used predetermined gestures for writing. The accuracy was never good enough to do anything useful and it just seems that this paper is attempting to resurrect a thankfully dead technology. The paper even mentions issues in accuracy which could render the entire system useless.
I personally would not want to see this program continue. The system has been tried before and failed then. I can only see headaches resulting from continuing down this path again.
none yet
Summary:
Motion-pointing is the action of using gestures to indicate a click instead of clicking an actual item. For example a typically click-able item will have a gesture associated with it such as making a circle or an ellipse with your finger or mouse. By associating a gesture with an action the user can make selections with less cost due to the fact that they don't have to make precise movements to the button. The gesture can be done at any location on the screen.
The authors chose cyclic motions because of the human minds ease in understanding and interpreting these motions. They argue that humans are better able to deal with these types of motion there by reducing the learning curve associated with the actions.
One of the proposed uses for this style of interface was for large public screens such as in an airport. The authors propose that multiple pointers would be confusing and users could simply approach the screen and utilize the motions on their iPhone or PDA. In this case the motion, as they argue, would be useful because it would allow multiple people access the the same terminal without having to touch or reach the screen.
Discussion
I personally found this work to be somewhat worthless in todays culture. People are quite dedicated to point and click and this is a radical difference from that style of interface. Their example regarding the airport screen could easily be solved using a keypad on the PDA where each selection corresponds to a number that the user enters instead of requiring the gesture.
The largest concern I would express regarding these gestures would be the lack of precision. I remember attempting the write on the older PDA's that used predetermined gestures for writing. The accuracy was never good enough to do anything useful and it just seems that this paper is attempting to resurrect a thankfully dead technology. The paper even mentions issues in accuracy which could render the entire system useless.
I personally would not want to see this program continue. The system has been tried before and failed then. I can only see headaches resulting from continuing down this path again.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Designing Digital Games for Rural Children: A Study of Traditional Village Games in India
Comments:
none yet
Summary:
This paper described a study done on rural Indian children and their interactions with video games. The ultimate purpose of this game is to help build effective learning games for rural children in India. There is a low attendance rate at schools but the cell phone market is growing at a phenomenal rate putting a game platform in many rural hands.
The researchers found many interesting and notable differences in how the rural Indian children would interact with the western games as opposed to how the western children would react. For example many children didn't understand that the frog in Frogger could move side to side. They only attempted to move the frog vertically, modeling their real life experiences in attempting to cross a busy street. The children at the wealthier school however were mostly able to figure this out because they had been exposed to western video games before and knew what to expect in terms of capabilities.
The researchers attempted to study many traditional non-digital Indian games in an attempt to discover known elements that they could include in a game that would make it easily accessible and entertaining for the rural children. They observed many trends such as that in traditional games there is no sense of partial damage as we see in many western games. When a negative action occurs on a player that player is either out or not. This, as they described, would be a very important concept to add to any game they decide to create.
Discussion:
This is a very important work that could have very widespread consequences in India. I know when I was a kid my dad bought me a few educational games and I loved playing them so I learned a lot from them. My situation was not as dire however because had I not learned from the games I would have learned in school. In the rural Indian communities there is no such guarantee. I feel that this work could be incredibly useful and beneficial to many people.
The paper was overall quite solid. The only complaint that I had was that the group wasn't taking into account the cell phone usage at the moment. One could argue that it would be good to get a head start now before cell phones got big though and I would agree.
I would strongly encourage the researchers to continue their work and use their new found knowledge to attempt to make a game for the Indian children. While this is stated to be their goal it seems as if it is time to fulfill that. The next step after making the games would naturally be to return to India and do yet another round of testing.
none yet
Summary:
This paper described a study done on rural Indian children and their interactions with video games. The ultimate purpose of this game is to help build effective learning games for rural children in India. There is a low attendance rate at schools but the cell phone market is growing at a phenomenal rate putting a game platform in many rural hands.
The researchers found many interesting and notable differences in how the rural Indian children would interact with the western games as opposed to how the western children would react. For example many children didn't understand that the frog in Frogger could move side to side. They only attempted to move the frog vertically, modeling their real life experiences in attempting to cross a busy street. The children at the wealthier school however were mostly able to figure this out because they had been exposed to western video games before and knew what to expect in terms of capabilities.
The researchers attempted to study many traditional non-digital Indian games in an attempt to discover known elements that they could include in a game that would make it easily accessible and entertaining for the rural children. They observed many trends such as that in traditional games there is no sense of partial damage as we see in many western games. When a negative action occurs on a player that player is either out or not. This, as they described, would be a very important concept to add to any game they decide to create.
Discussion:
This is a very important work that could have very widespread consequences in India. I know when I was a kid my dad bought me a few educational games and I loved playing them so I learned a lot from them. My situation was not as dire however because had I not learned from the games I would have learned in school. In the rural Indian communities there is no such guarantee. I feel that this work could be incredibly useful and beneficial to many people.
The paper was overall quite solid. The only complaint that I had was that the group wasn't taking into account the cell phone usage at the moment. One could argue that it would be good to get a head start now before cell phones got big though and I would agree.
I would strongly encourage the researchers to continue their work and use their new found knowledge to attempt to make a game for the Indian children. While this is stated to be their goal it seems as if it is time to fulfill that. The next step after making the games would naturally be to return to India and do yet another round of testing.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Learning from IKEA Hacking: “Iʼm Not One to Decoupage a Tabletop and Call It a Day.”
Comments:
Aaron Loveall
Summary:
Aaron Loveall
Summary:
The paper describes a small but growing subculture of people who call themselves "IKEA Hackers." IKEA hacking involves taking IKEA furniture and modifying it in some way to make it a custom piece. The activity is meant to encourage creativity and originality. The power of the community on a global scale comes from the fact that the exact same parts are available globally at IKEA stores. This allows the community to collaborate and release DIY projects with specific parts.
IKEA hackers are very creative and release many different and odd pieces such as a gynecologist chair, hanging laps, and even a vibrator. Many of the IKEA hackers have different reasons for doing there projects but many list the hobby as their creative outlet. One hacker described that in his 20's he let his creative spirit loose for recognition but has now become obsessed with it. Another lists his children as a motivation for many of his pieces.
Discussion:
I thought this paper was really interesting. I was unaware of the hobby of IKEA hacking and was very intrigued. As I read it I did question the academic qualities of the paper however. I wondered whether describing an internet community was truly an academic pursuit. It would have helped if they had gone into more detail regarding the community, their motivation, organization, and structure.
There isn't really much to do beyond this study. More depth could be added but there is not a very large reason to pursue this information. While I see this as an interesting article it may have been more usefull to study the differences and similiarities between different, small internet groups.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Team Analytics: Understanding Teams in the Global Workplace
Summary:
The paper describes a web based software called Team Analytics. The purpose of this software is to allow global corporate teams to better interact with one another. In todays corporate world many teams are rushed together and assembled ad-hoc with no face to face interaction between team members. This forces team members to communicate via email, phone, or instant message and removes much of the personal connection from the team.
Team Analytics attempts to ease the team environment by providing information about the team as a whole instead of in a one by one fashion. The application features a bio about the team members with a picture, time zone aware meeting scheduling, team statistics and more. With Team Analytics, team members can feel more integrated into the team and organizing the team is made a great deal easier.
Discussion:
Team Analytics really seemed like a great piece of software. Technology has been very slow in keeping up meaningful personal connections. Team Analytics, with something as simple as a picture of the team members, allows the team to feel better connected. Its approach of looking at the team as a whole allows team members to quickly jump in and makes scheduling much easier. I have worked on a couple teams were I never met the other people in the team and it was very frustrating. Team Analytics seems like it would have been a dream come true.
By in large the software seemed very good as is. The meeting pain feature seemed like a good idea on paper but in practice I didn't feel that it was implemented the right way. It seemed complicated to understand and user comments replayed my sentiments. I would suggest to the team that they quickly fix that aspect of the software and continue to push it. I see a great need for something like Team Analytics.
The paper describes a web based software called Team Analytics. The purpose of this software is to allow global corporate teams to better interact with one another. In todays corporate world many teams are rushed together and assembled ad-hoc with no face to face interaction between team members. This forces team members to communicate via email, phone, or instant message and removes much of the personal connection from the team.
Team Analytics attempts to ease the team environment by providing information about the team as a whole instead of in a one by one fashion. The application features a bio about the team members with a picture, time zone aware meeting scheduling, team statistics and more. With Team Analytics, team members can feel more integrated into the team and organizing the team is made a great deal easier.
Discussion:
Team Analytics really seemed like a great piece of software. Technology has been very slow in keeping up meaningful personal connections. Team Analytics, with something as simple as a picture of the team members, allows the team to feel better connected. Its approach of looking at the team as a whole allows team members to quickly jump in and makes scheduling much easier. I have worked on a couple teams were I never met the other people in the team and it was very frustrating. Team Analytics seems like it would have been a dream come true.
By in large the software seemed very good as is. The meeting pain feature seemed like a good idea on paper but in practice I didn't feel that it was implemented the right way. It seemed complicated to understand and user comments replayed my sentiments. I would suggest to the team that they quickly fix that aspect of the software and continue to push it. I see a great need for something like Team Analytics.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Overview-Based Example Selection in End-User Interactive Concept Learning
Comments:
None Yet
Summary:
This paper aimed to demonstrate a new program called CueFlik. CueFlix's goal is to create a learning agent that will allow users to better access large datasets. The paper describes the problem's users face when accessing large datasets using key words, explaining how the nature of keyword search forces users to have to go through large amounts of data manually to find what they are looking for.
CueFlix attempts to fix this problem by learning about what the user is looking for. This program focuses on image search and trying to narrow down the results from a keyword search on images. To do this the user will input a keyword such as "radio" and a grouping of images will be displayed. Then the user will select images similar to what they are looking for. For example if they are looking for a cartoon image of a radio the user would select and submit the cartoon images. This will tell CueFlik to display more cartoonish images.
Discussion:
The paper outlined the methods used to help narrow down searches and reduce the amount of extraneous results given to the user. This is significant because it allows the user to better tailor results to them instead of having to wade through the results that the search engine thinks the average user would most likely enjoy.
The biggest problem with the work was stated in the user comment, "it was weird, sometimes it would start out doing really well, but as I kept going it did worse” and “it is hard to know if more data is better as I should probably stop occasionally to see the results as I am going." The general problem with learning systems such as Pandora, or this one is that the user doesn't know when to stop training the system. The user has anxiety about over training the system and then pigeon holing themselves into a small niche that they might not even know they are in but they don't want to under train the system and not get the full range of functionality that they could be getting.
If I were in charge I would definitely keep the project going. It seems to have a lot of promise but there is some refinement that needs to be done. For example the previously mentioned problem with letting the user know when to stop teaching the system needs to be addressed more in depth than is already being addressed.
None Yet
Summary:
This paper aimed to demonstrate a new program called CueFlik. CueFlix's goal is to create a learning agent that will allow users to better access large datasets. The paper describes the problem's users face when accessing large datasets using key words, explaining how the nature of keyword search forces users to have to go through large amounts of data manually to find what they are looking for.
CueFlix attempts to fix this problem by learning about what the user is looking for. This program focuses on image search and trying to narrow down the results from a keyword search on images. To do this the user will input a keyword such as "radio" and a grouping of images will be displayed. Then the user will select images similar to what they are looking for. For example if they are looking for a cartoon image of a radio the user would select and submit the cartoon images. This will tell CueFlik to display more cartoonish images.
Discussion:
The paper outlined the methods used to help narrow down searches and reduce the amount of extraneous results given to the user. This is significant because it allows the user to better tailor results to them instead of having to wade through the results that the search engine thinks the average user would most likely enjoy.
The biggest problem with the work was stated in the user comment, "it was weird, sometimes it would start out doing really well, but as I kept going it did worse” and “it is hard to know if more data is better as I should probably stop occasionally to see the results as I am going." The general problem with learning systems such as Pandora, or this one is that the user doesn't know when to stop training the system. The user has anxiety about over training the system and then pigeon holing themselves into a small niche that they might not even know they are in but they don't want to under train the system and not get the full range of functionality that they could be getting.
If I were in charge I would definitely keep the project going. It seems to have a lot of promise but there is some refinement that needs to be done. For example the previously mentioned problem with letting the user know when to stop teaching the system needs to be addressed more in depth than is already being addressed.
Ethnograpy: Peer Teacher Study
I plan on doing an ethnography to study the differences between students and how they interact with the TA's and the peer teachers in lab. I am entering my third semester as a peer teacher here at A&M in the Computer Science department. In the previous two semesters and already in this semester I have noticed a great deal of differences in students and their interactions with me and other peer teachers.
The point of doing this is to improve the peer teacher program. Arguably one of the better programs in the lab's, the peer teaching program depends greatly on the peer teachers themselves. At the conclusion of the study we should have some concrete suggestions for peer teachers to better aid the students.
To do this I plan on interacting with the students in modified and measurable manners. For example are students more apt to ask questions if I am sitting at a computer or walking around? Is there a difference in class year, gender, major? These are some of the questions I plan to try to answer. I would like to run tests such as for 10 minutes I would sit at the desk and count the questions received, and then for 10 minutes I would walk around and count the questions recieved. One would expect more questions to be asked when I am walking around but are they from the same people as when I am sitting down?
These controlled interactions with the students should allow me to get a better gauge as to who asks what types of questions.
The point of doing this is to improve the peer teacher program. Arguably one of the better programs in the lab's, the peer teaching program depends greatly on the peer teachers themselves. At the conclusion of the study we should have some concrete suggestions for peer teachers to better aid the students.
To do this I plan on interacting with the students in modified and measurable manners. For example are students more apt to ask questions if I am sitting at a computer or walking around? Is there a difference in class year, gender, major? These are some of the questions I plan to try to answer. I would like to run tests such as for 10 minutes I would sit at the desk and count the questions received, and then for 10 minutes I would walk around and count the questions recieved. One would expect more questions to be asked when I am walking around but are they from the same people as when I am sitting down?
These controlled interactions with the students should allow me to get a better gauge as to who asks what types of questions.
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