This item is not the definitive copy. Please use the following citation when referencing this material: Dillon, A. (1990) Accessing information: a psychological analysis of researchers' perceptions of texts. In: M. Feeney and K. Merry (eds.) Information Technology and the Research Process, London: Bowker-Saur, 104-113. Abstract: An important aspect of any application of new technology is understanding how the proposed users of this technology conceptualise the task domain. In terms of the research process this requires an appreciation of researchers' practices and preferences. Only in this way is it possible to develop technology which will support the researcher. The present paper outlines work carried out within the academic community under the British Library funded Project QUARTET. It reports on research aimed at understanding human interaction with a variety of text-based information sources with a view to specifying user requirements for future technologies. By employing personal construct theory and repertory grid analysis it becomes possible to shed light on researchers' perceptions and uses of current sources of information. Results are presented and the implications of such findings for the development of information storage, retrieval and presentation systems will be discussed.

Artificial Intelligence Lab, Department of MIS, University of Arizona / This article reports findings of empirical research that investigated information searchers online query refinement process. Prior studies have recognized the information specialists' role in helping searchers articulate and refine queries. Using a semantic network and a Problem Behavior Graph to represent the online search our study revealed that searchers also refined their own queries in an online task environment. The information retrieval system played a passive role in assisting online query refinement, which was, however, one that confirmed Taylor's four-level query formulation model. Based on our empirical findings, we proposed using process model to facilitate and improve query refinement in an online environment. We believe incorporating this model into retrieval systems can result in the design of more "intelligent" and useful information retrieval systems.

Previous research on gender differences and collaboration technology illustrate the need to investigate gender issues as early as possible in the development cycle in order to avoid any negative consequences the technology may impose. Therefore we are investigating the potential of 3D telepresence technology now when only a proof-of-concept demonstration of the technology exists. We conducted a controlled lab study using a post-test design in which male and female paramedics diagnosed and treated a trauma victim (a computerized mannequin) in collaboration with a physician via 2D video or a 3D proxy. The results show several gender differences that imply male paramedics may inherently receive more benefits from use of the 3D telepresence technology than female paramedics.

This item is not the definitive copy. Please use the following citation when referencing this material: Dillon, A. and Zhu, E. (1997) Designing Web Based Instruction: A Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Perspective. In: Khan (ed.) Web-Based Instruction. Englewood Cliffs. NJ: Educational Technology Publications, 221-225. Introduction: The general interest in the World Wide Web (WWW) as a medium for sharing and distributing textual and graphic information has brought about an increasing number of instruction-oriented web sites and web-based instructional pages. These range from offering supplemental (or even duplicate) instructional materials to students on campus to providing opportunities for off-campus individuals to complete courses via WWW. This chapter briefly discusses the design of web-based instruction from an HCI perspective, raising issues which instructors and designers need to consider in the design of web-based instruction, and suggesting ways in which instructors and designers can build optimal web instructional sites and pages.

This item is not the definitive copy. Please use the following citation when referencing this material: Dillon, A. (1991) New technology and the reading process. Computers in Libraries, 11(6) 23-26. Abstract: The present paper discusses some the important issues involved in presenting text on screen. It is argued that reading is a complex cognitive and physical skill that requires careful analysis if technology is going to support rather than hinder the user. The need to consider texts individually in terms of how and why they are read as well as the type of information they contain is discussed. On the basis of a study of journal usage the implications of this approach for the presentation of electronic journals is described.

Digital Library for Earth Science Education, DLESE / Review of digital educational resources, such as course modules, simulations, and data analysis tools, can differ from review of scholarly articles, in the heterogeneity and complexity of the resources themselves. The Partnership Review Model, as demonstrated in two cases, appears to promote cooperative interactions between distributed resource reviewers, enabling reviewers to effectively divide up the task of reviewing complex resources with little explicit coordination. The shared structural outline of the resource made visible in the review environment enables participants to monitor other reviewersâ actions and to thus target their efforts accordingly. This reviewing approach may be effective in educational digital libraries that depend on community volunteers for most of their reviewing.

This thesis presents a multimodal sonification system that combines video with sound synthesis generated from motion capture data. Such a system allows for a fast and efficient exploration of musicians' ancillary gestural data, for which sonification complements conventional videos by stressing certain details which could escape one's attention if not displayed using an appropriate representation. The main objective of this project is to provide a research tool designed for people that are not necessarily familiar with signal processing or computer sciences. This tool is capable of easily generating meaningful sonifications thanks to dedicated mapping strategies. On the one hand, the dimensionality reduction of data obtained from motion capture systems such as the Vicon is fundamental as it may exceed 350 signals describing gestures. For that reason, a Principal Component Analysis is used to objectively reduce the number of signals to a subset that conveys the most significant gesture information in terms of signal variance. On the other hand, movement data presents high variability depending on the subjects: additional control parameters for sound synthesis are offered to restrain the sonification to the significant gestures, easily perceivable visually in terms of speed and path distance. Then, signal conditioning techniques are proposed to adapt the control signals to sound synthesis parameter requirements or to allow for emphasizing certain gesture characteristics that one finds important. All those data treatments are performed in realtime within one unique environment, minimizing data manipulation and facilitating efficient sonification designs. Realtime process also allows for an instantaneous system reset to parameter changes and process selection so that the user can easily and interactively manipulate data, design and adjust sonifications strategies.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.