The primary objective of this study was to determine which presentation format leads to better decision performance when the decision maker solving a problem of certain complexity is experiencing a certain level of time pressure.

Thesis (M. S.)--Industrial Design, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Winegarden, Claudia; Committee Member: Mullick, Abir; Committee Member: Sanford, Jon.

The design discipline is reliant on communication as a means to express and share ideas during the creation of products. Design communication can take place in two distinct settings: formal communication presentations and informal interaction communication. Group design communication involves the communication of various attributes of a design. Attributes such as the scale, shape and functionality of a product are communicated. Designers employ various mechanisms including verbal, non-verbal (e.g. hand gestures), and physical tools (e.g. sketches and models) to communicate attributes. Although the verbal and physical tools are commonly used effective tools, hand gestures remain underused. Yet, hand gestures are extensions of the human mind, which may reveal thoughts that verbal communication may not be able to communicate (McNeil, 1992). Hand gestures have the potential to reveal thoughts and if used as an interface mechanism, can augment the information space. As such, hand gestures may facilitate design communication within a group. This study explores the potential of hand gestures as tools in design communication. Moreover; the purpose of this study is to understand how gestures can facilitate the design communication that occurs within a group. A two-phase study was proposed: a research phase and a design phase. During the research phase, ethnographic research in design education environments was conducted to understand what gestures are produced and how they are used during formal and informal design communication settings. The data collected was analyzed and categorized to reveal quantitative and qualitative results. Survey studies were also conducted to validate the hand gesture meaning. The data was used to create design guidelines that directed the design phase, where concepts used hand gestures as interface mechanisms, to augment the experience of a design information exchange. The significance of this project is to generate new knowledge to be applied to the development of more natural technological systems where gestures are used as an alternative to current input devices (e.g. mouse and keyboard) for navigation and manipulation of design material amongst a group. The goal was to improve the communication between designers and their materials and enhance the experience of distributing and receiving design information.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 364-370). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 364-370). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Iowa, 2001. / Supervisor: Steve Duck. Title-page, preliminaries, Certificate of approval, and Table of contents also issued in paper (xv, 9 leaves ; 28 cm.). Includes bibliographical references. Also issued on CD-ROM (104 files, 37 megabytes).

The purpose of this research was to determine whether changes in the presentation format of items in a computer display could be used to alter the impact of specific cognitive biases, and to add to the knowledge needed to construct theory-based guidelines for output design. The problem motivating this study is twofold. The first part of the problem is the sub-optimal decision making caused by the use of heuristics and their associated cognitive biases. The second part of the problem is the lack of a theoretical basis to guide the design of information presentation formats to counter the effects of such biases. An availability model of the impact of changes in presentation format on biases and heuristics was constructed based on the findings of a literature review. A six-part laboratory experiment was conducted utilizing a sample of 205 student subjects from the college of business. The independent variable was presentation format which was manipulated by altering the visual salience or visual recency of items of information in a visual computer display. The dependent variables included recall, perceived importance, and the subjects' responses to three judgment tasks. The results clearly demonstrate that changes in presentation format can be used to alter the impact of cognitive biases on human decision making. The results also provide support for the availability model, with the exception of the proposed influence of learning style. Learning style was found to have no significant impact on decision making whether alone or in combination with changes in presentation format. The results of this investigation demonstrate that by using our knowledge of cognitive processes (e.g., the visual salience effect, the visual recency effect, and the availability heuristic), presentation formats can be altered in order to moderate the effects of certain biases and heuristics in human decision making. An understanding of these results may be useful in improving DSS design.

This study was designed to determine the general volume of multi-image production in Dallas County, Texas from 1979 through 1981 as categorized by: the presentation, number of projectors utilized, and by relevant aspects of presentation with analysis of 85 respondents. The questionnaire yielded 633 variables in the computer analysis. The study revealed significant growth in multi-image production with the 1981 total being more than twice the 1979 total. 1988 consensus indicates that the multi-image use is dictated by the business climate. Having been adopted initially, it is retained by those who find it effective and a suitable medium for larger screens.

Graphic figures and various types of infographics have become an essential part of the scientific papers, business presentations and study materials. Although, authors of these documents often lack the knowledge of basic rules and principles of graphic design and learn how to create figures by trial and error. Literature addressing the issues of effective verbal (presentation skills) and non-verbal (principles of scientific writing) is available and accessible. Though literature addressing the issues of scientific figure design and general visual design are very few, sometimes non existent, despite the fact that images, figures and various charts are one of the most effective mediums for information sharing. This lack of material knowledge is detrimental to the quality of works of managers, professors and researchers. This thesis attempts to fill in this gap and motivate readers to further development and research of the issue. The thesis addresses the issue of figures from its core, those being the basic principles of image perception and interpretation. Building on concepts of theorists like Peirce, Saussure and Eco the thesis will then define the meaning and purpose of "Image Interpretation Value". Selected principles of figure construction and interpretation will be introduced. These principles will then be further analyzed and applied on the level of business and scientific figures. Each chapter will include various graphic figures and practical examples to enhance further understanding of the issue. The primary purpose and goal of this thesis is to create an easy-to-follow set of instructions and suggestions on how to design effective and intelligible figures to be used in the fields of business communication, scientific research and academic teaching.