HCI Remixed - Microblogs

Chapter 1: My Vision Isn't My Vision: Making a Career Out of Getting Back to Where I Started

William Buxton

Microsoft Research, Toronto, Canada

J. K. Pulfer, 1971: "Man-Machine Interaction in Creative Applications"

Summary

William Buxton discusses how he went from being an individual who was studying music in his university to someone who integrated his studies in music with computer technology. Where it began as a bribe for him to go to the NRC and tryout there computer music system, what he got to experience there was something that later became his career. He begins to explain the detailed description of this music machine and how a person would interact with it in order to create and produce music and how he sees this system as one that is developed better in HCI than any system ever did for 20 years after that time.

Discussion

I grew to appreciate the author's honesty in how he wasn't extremely fond of the idea of working with a computer system. Yet you could see how his interest were pulled towards this field as he explained the music computer system with such detail and enthusiasm. His enthusiasm also reflected how well the design of this system was done well (however, I'm sure it might not have been so highly praised by all users, as it is impossible to please everyone). It's important to remember that people will be able to be successful at using products and probably have better results when they are given a product that is intuitive in understanding and to use.

Chapter 4: Drawing on SketchPad: Reflections on Computer Science and HCI

Joseph A. Konstan

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.

I. Sutherland, 1963: "Sketchpad: A Man-Machine Graphical Communication System"

Summary

A drawing program called SketchPad and the studies which helped formulate this program is explained in this paper. This software is similar to the early generations of computer-aided design (CAD) software. The author explains the HCI and computer science behind this program by explaining four examples. The first of the examples is pointing with a light pen, which allows the user to point, select and alter objects in the drawing with the use of a certain pen. The second example that is given is to discuss the rendering of lines, circles and text which with rendering algorithms it could help perfect the drawing, even at different angles. The third example discussed was the constraints and their display. These constraints were often at work behind the scenes of the drawing construct the various shapes in the drawing. The last point discussed was the data structures, algorithms and programming structures; which took the object-oriented approach and various algorithms to make this program robust, useful and reliable in computing. He closes the chapter by explaining three lessons learned from this program, demonstrating how HCI along with computer science go hand-in-hand to create such programs.

Discussion

This SketchPad software seems to be a very interesting, useful system. The one thing that I did wonder about it was how "user-friendly" this system really was. While it probably had a lot of great functions, it might have been confusing to some users. It would have been of interest to see screenshots of SketchPad to get a better visual of the program.

The Mouse, the Demo and the Big Idea

Wendy Ju

Stanford University, Stanford, California, U.S.A.

D. Englebart, 1968: "The oNLine System (NLS) Demo"

Summary

This paper begins by discussing the video which demonstrated the Engelbart mouse demo. It was something that to the author originally seemed to fit into their environment, as she explains growing up around computers and her parents worked for IBM. However, in viewing this demo it provided a more in dept look at how the mouse was created and functioned. The author explains how although it was fascinating to her to see the demo, Engelbart had a difficult time getting an audience for his idea even after the NLS demonstration. She ended the paper talking about her perception of Big Ideas taken from the reaction of the mouse demo.

Discussion

People often take for granted the simple things in life and a lot of times it takes a lot to impress and get the approval of someone else when we come up with a idea or product. Just thinking of how products are on the market and yet, often people find some function to complain about them or that they feel the product doesn't add up to par. A big part of evaluating a product in my opinion is how valuable it can be to one's environment and life. Just thinking about the mouse, a simple device perhaps, but it is valuable to how we navigate our computers, and many hand-held devices. Just think how many of us are Really that awesome with keyboard shortcuts, most of us use our mouse or mouse pad to do most things on our computer.

Chapter 18: Observing Collaboration: Group-Centered Design

Saul Greenberg

University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

J. Tang, 1989: "Listening, Drawing, and Gesturing in Design: A Study of the Use of Shared Workspaces by Design Teams"

Summary

This paper takes the discipline of computer-support cooperative work (CSCW) and discusses studies of shared work surfaces. A study started by Sara Bly, and later extended by a man named John, observed how people worked together when drawing on a table surface compared to a white board surface on a wall. The following observations were made. The orientation of the drawings, when in front of the person better helped facilitate the meeting compared to using a mounted paper on a wall. Second, the proximity of the paper was better placed on the table compared to the wall in order to be more of a key role in mediating the conversation. Third, simultaneous access also found to be helpful, which is a basic framework, along with gesturing facilitated the conversation. As these discoveries were being made it lead to the development of software which allowed drawings to be shared and conversations guided by pictures and diagrams drawn.

Discussion

This article had more of a visual aid than did the previous papers. It reminded me of a lot of the popular product which is now used to record a conversation connected to what the person draws or writes with the Livescribe pen. Being a visual learner I've grown to appreciate products that take both the audio and visual aspect when documenting a conversation or sharing information with a group at a meeting or lecture. I've come to realize that sometimes just the visual or audio standing alone isn't always as effective (just think of just hearing your lecture or trying to remember what exactly was being said when looking at your notes... sometimes that's hard to piece together from memory).

Chapter 20: Taking Articulation Work Seriously

Geraldine Fitzpatrick

University of Sussex, Brighton, U.K.

K. Schmidt, and L. Bannon, 1992: "Taking CSCW Seriously: Supporting Articulation Work"

Summary

The author of this paper begins by discussing about the discipline of CSCW and how it centered on their college career. Coming from the ground up on this topic the author shares how it focuses on "cooperative work" which combines the "mutual dependencies" and "articulation work" and the importance of taking into consideration the mechanisms of interaction and coordination of mechanisms of that shared social space as described from the work of Schmidt and Bannon.

Discussion

This paper points out the importance of remembering the factor of CSCW and how that connects to all areas of computing and even throughout technology. It's an important factor to remember and can greatly impact the overall design or implementation of a project.

Chapter 23: Video, Toys, and Beyond Being There

Brian K. Smith

The Pennsylvania State University, Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

J. Hollan and S. Stornetta, 1992: "Beyond Being There"

Summary

The author compares computer-mediated-communication (CMC) to face-to-face (F2F) communication and how it can relate to the analogy of crutches or shoes. He emphasizes that often CMC is not 'beyond being there' but rather it can relate to a crutch for communication, and often not chosen when given the option to communicate face-to-face. Through personal experiences he discusses the "emotional design" and "experiment design" are factors of study in HCI and how technology integrates and impacts our lives.

Discussion

I was surprised at the emotional touch of this paper, I suppose I wasn't expecting it from the title. Nonetheless, it did teach and remind me of a few things. I was reminded how valuable communication is and how we're fortunate to be able to communicate via CMC when we can't talk in person. I see now that even our childhood toys (which have an intelligence to them, or maybe not) can remain as a impact on our lives. I thought about my own childhood, but perhaps more of my 2 and a half year-old Godson Ernesto (aka Neto, pronounced in Spanish, not English). I think of all the computer-related toys he has and how it's helped him grow and develop; and yes, I'm guilty of singing along with his musical toys. I often associate the memories of my Godson to the toys he is very fond of, and I suppose I'll carry those memories forever. Nonetheless, without CMC I wouldn't be able to communicate with my friends on the other side of the world and often my family.

Me and Neto: Thanksgiving 2010

Chapter 24: A Simulated Listening Typewriter: John Gould Plays the Wizard of Oz

Chris Schmandt

MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

J. Gould, J. Conti, and T. Hovanyecz, 1983: "Composing Letters with a Simulated Listening Typewriter"

Summary

The author opens this paper by explaining how he was part of some of the first speech recognition projects and transitions to the work of John Gould. While his experiment is known to have a "Wizard of Oz" definition because it wasn't really a speech recognition system, it did give some valid information in user studies and specifications of such a system and how it would be accepted by others.

Discussion

I knew by the title that this would be an twisted outcome. Personally I would be disappointed if I found out I was deceived by a system and it wasn't legitimate. Nonetheless this experiment did show some interesting factors to take into consideration when developing a system which does speech recognition.

Chapter 25: Seeing the Hole in Space

Steve Harrison

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A.

K. Galloway and S. Rabinowitz, 1980: Hole in Space (video)

Summary

The author explains his time at Xerox PARC in 1985 and the Media Space Project (electronically created shared work spaces), which led to encountering the Hole in Space project. Through a friends referral the author meets two artist. Kit Galloway and Sherrie Rabinowitz, which worked in the "astetetic research in telecommunications." Through video-mediated connection the Hole in Space was created, which was between the sidewalks in the Lincoln Center in New York and through the Century City in Los Angeles. It didn't consist of user instructions, local feedback monitor explanatory didactics, but just a projected black-and-white image of the other location. People behaved in ways that they didn't normally with strangers they encountered on sidewalks and they were engaged with each other. It was through video mediation that these people created an event and even 'community.' This led to further experiments in electronic cafes but weren't as successful due to the growth of the Internet.

Discussion

I found the ending of this paper rather interesting. In talking about the Hole in Space I began to recall how we connect to different parts of the world through CMCs and different networks. I can understand why this was probably an intriguing concept back when this project first came into play; however, with the advancement with technology and the Internet it's something that we might take for granted.

Chapter 26: Edward Tufte's 1+1 = 3

Scott Jenson

Google, Mountain View, California, U.S.A.

E.R. Tufte, 1990: Envisioning Information

Summary

The paper opens up with a quote from Edward R. Tufte about the principle of 1+1=3 in information design. The author takes the scenario of the buttons in an elevator and his horrified experience of accidentally closed the elevator doors instead of opening them, because he pressed the wrong button. In an effort to correct the two "sins" he mentioned with the principle of 1+1=3 were reducing the clutter by for example, using pictures to symbolize the meaning versus shapes that could be misinterpreted. The second "sin" he mentions is to remove the choice altogether. Since the choice to close the doors, in his opinion used to hurry the process of the elevator because someone was in a hurry, it wasn't absolutely essential. In working to correcting the 1+1=3 it minimizes that problem and makes a process more effective on a technical aspect.

Discussion

This was something that I was just pondering on today as I was exiting the garage where I park my car. I have noticed how those buttons can sometimes be misused, or in my case I might press a button out of habit, even when the doors are already closing (I don't really know why I do that, probably a delayed reaction which is common for me, but I digress). I have noticed the effectiveness of pictures in my travels around the world. I picked up on that in airports (probably because I was in Germany or Estonia where I couldn't read descriptions). I also liked the idea of color coding objects to guide certain behaviors.

Chapter 27: Typographic Space: A Fusion of Design and Technology

Jodi Forlizzi

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

D. Small, S. Ishizaki, and M. Cooper, 1994: "Typographic Space"

Summary

This paper describes the typographic space system which allowed three dimensional graphics to allow the designer/programmer to apply basic typographic attributes, which included the attribute of motion. This led to the focus of kinetic typography and the RSVP technique which was used to convey an intention of emotion in that message. It could indicate the pitch, loudness and tempo changing by the size of the text. Through mimicking human actions it could convey emotion and used in portraying characters and dialogue.

Discussion

I've seen this concept implemented in a video of a speech where the phrases in a speech where written out and the text was animated with various sizes and colors, so I could see how this is an effective method of communicating a message. The author closes this paper talking about it's been implemented in movies and I can see how this would also be effective. I think it also emphasizes the meaning of the statement because you can associate the various kinetic factors to understand the message.

Chapter 28: Making Sense of Sense Making

Steve Whittaker

University of Sheffield, Sheffield, U.K.

A. Kidd, 1994: "The Marks Are on the Knowledge Worker"

Summary

Analyzing how store and organize our data two claims are made: Memory prosthesis, computers are mainly used for passive storage of information but it may not be useful according to the author of the original paper. Second, sense making is not well done with computers with the current way of techniques of organization, such as the use of folders. Theirs is a distinction between making sense of something and managing tasks. The author states that AI won't help because it's not effective in task management. Now that we're in the digital era where it's vital to remember we process new information as well as valued the stored information.

Discussion

A valid topic to ponder and remember, however I found it strange how the paper just kept reinforcing the concepts by introducing new questions. Maybe I enjoy papers that introduce a concept and then show experiments and results to work towards making that topic more effective at solving a desired problem. I can understand the concerns because I can vividly remember the times I'm trying to go through old saved information to find some specific file and how all I really have is my distant memory of where I put it and the fact that I try to organize them in a chronological order.

Chapter 34: Revisiting an Ethnocritical Approach to HCI: Verbal Privilege and Translation

Micheal J. Muller

IBM Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

A. Krupat, 1992: Ethnocriticism: Ethnography, History, Literature

Summary

What began as an initial interest in finding ways to think about the Native American cultural works the author also got new insights in ethics, politics, and epistemology. This provided people involved in HCI a new perspective on some of the current problems but useful solutions. Taken from the history involving the Native Americans the HCI ethnohistorian can often analyze work based on their own. They are often trying to fit their results to the rules of evidence and argumentation that are used by the 'higher power'. So in order to do things correctly it's important to mediate between both groups. The author explains the three major principles of multiculturalism, polyvocal polity and heterogeneity and closes with the ethnocritical heuristics of the analyst's location, translation as a core process in HCI and verbal prvilige as a core problem in HCI.

Discussion

Before this class I don't think I was as aware of how valuable concepts from anthropology are to the field of technology, specifically in research. It's very important to take into consideration how we analyze things in order to get the fair results and if you want your findings to have truthful impact.

Chapter 6: A Creative Programming Environment

Henry Lieberman

MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

D.C. Smith, 1977 "Pygmalion: A Creative Programming Environment"

Summary

This researcher began in doing research at MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab string to make programming teachable to young children in a way that they could explore, hypothesize, experiment and understand what math and science was all about. When given a copy of a thesis from Standford (1975) it related back to his original interest. It introduced Pygmalion: A Creative Programming Environment and the author and advisor were well known work in Henry's particular line of interest, but was a thesis in both computer science and philosophy. The author then recollects his encounter with Smith and his first experience with Pygmalion and how it crashed. Although there were no backups, there were many innovations of Pygmalion, which had a focus in the notations and meanings behind graphical programming languages. One of the most important ideas that the author had was to "program by example" and it lead to supporting creativity through visual programming by example. Some of the lessons the author took from Pygmalion for today's HCI are: don't let big questions scare you; think globally, act locally; hunt for good stuff, even in the out-of-the-way places; teach by example. In closing something like this probably wouldn't be accepted in HCI today, but it should hold the possibility of profoundly transforming the field with discoveries like this particular one.

Discussion

I thought this was an interesting paper. I appreciated hearing about the author's experience with the original thesis writer. I could connect to this concept because I've always been someone who is focused on working with youth and making programming something that can be graphically represented, understandable and fun.

Chapter 7: Fundamentals in HCI: Learning the Value of Consistency and User Models

Sara Bly

Sara Bly Consulting, Oregon, U.S.A.

The Xerox Red Book: Star Functionality Specification, Revision 5.3 for Start-1, 1981

Summary

The author opens up this paper talking about the system called Xerox Star and the documentation called Xerox Red Book. The book is organized around two categories document creation and document management. There were three aspects that was impacting to the user: user interface specification, consistency, and desktop metaphor. The user interface combined a number of innovations from personal computing, GUI, mouse input device, the office metaphor, email, windows and LAN. This interface design is still in use today. There was consistency in how the functions where implemented in the system. The Desktop metaphor is based on it's office-like function features.

Discussion

I found this as an interesting way to describe the functionality of a computer system. It had some obvious factors that I never really deemed as important, but now that I've read this paper I see how valuable and under appreciated they are at times.

Chapter 9: The Disappearing Computer

Norbert A. Streitz

Fraunhofer IPSI, Darmstadt, Germany

M. Weiser, 1991: "The Computer for the 21st Century"

Summary

The concept of the disappearing computer was for the 21 century. The author of this paper ponders on how we are now in the 21st century, the time intended for this concept. The goal of this concept was to minimize the interaction problem. Live Board was a computer that was designed to test this concept. Building on the Live Board system allowed the DOLPHIN system to be put in place. The author notes the shift between human-computer interaction to human-information interaction and human-human-interaction and cooperation, which implies the computer should disappear from the scene. The author points out two types of disappearance: physical and mental. Physical being size and mental being that they are no longer seen as computers but everyday objects. They then transition to LiveBoard to Romeware where it spans an entire wall. They also emphasize the importance of smart, people-oriented systems.

Discussion

The first thing that came to mind when seeing the title was how we are seeing a disappearing factor in today's society. Just looking at how computers have gotten smaller in size and a lot of technology has gotten smaller. I do believe we have several devices that we don't see as computers anymore, but rather vital objects that are a part of our life.

Chapter 10: It Really Is All About Location

Anind K. Dey

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

R. Want, A. Hopper, V. Flacao, and J. Gibbons, 1992: "the Active Badge Location System"

Summary

The phrase "location, location, location" is not only applicable to businesses but to technology as well. The Active Badge is introduced in the paper and they discuss it's capabilities to be able to track a person based on just wearing the badge, based on picking up sensor input. They tried this on a study done with 32 employees for two weeks. Although they found that the system could be compromised, for example they could stop tracking by just not wearing the badge. Nonetheless, based on this invention it led people to study more intently and 16 years after the Active Badge the use of GPS and network services became very popular.

Discussion

I found it interesting to learn about a system similar to our present day GPS navigation systems. Over the years this has been a novel design that is now very useful for many, many things.

Chapter 46: The Essential Role of Mental Models in HCI: Card, Moran, and Newell

Kate Ehrlich

IBM Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

S.K. Card, T. Moran, and A. Newell, 1983: The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction

Summary

This paper describes the psychology behind computer-human interaction, specifically the mental models used in CHI. The mental models outlined earlier were GOMS, which stood for Goals, Operators, Methods, Selectional Rules. Goals represented the set of things that the user wanted to do using the computer. Operators are the actions that belong to the user's skills. Methods were the sequence and subgoals accomplish the overall goal. Selectional rules correspond to the multiple methods that could be done to do some task. The model would have to specify what method is to be used to accomplish the task.

Discussion

This reminds me of something I would have found in "The Design of Everyday Things." I think a lot of times we don't realize how valuable it is to specify the Selectional rules because it can cause confusion since there is often multiple ways of performing a task.

Chapter 47: A Most Fitting Law

Gary M. Olson

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.

P.M. Fitts, 1954: "The Information Capacity of the Human Motor System in Controlling the Amplitude of Movement"

Summary

Based on information from psychology Fitts's law is introduced MT = a + b log2 (2A/W) where MT is movement time, a and b are constants, A is distance of movement and W is the width of the target. A number of ideas came from the understanding of Fitts's law. The value of the edge on the screen. One of the things that Mac and Windows do differently. The value of pop-up menus, selecting from a pop up window, Fittsizing a menu, organization of walking menus, expanding items as you move toward them. While there are a number of movements which Fitts's Law is too simple, but it does factor into a successful design.

Discussion

The user interface of a Mac and Windows computer is different indeed. I do appreciate the menu layout on Mac's versus Windows can get confusing because they aren't always directly on the edge. I think maintaining the Fitts's Law is applicable when it comes to designing a successful interface to avoid confusion.