Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING / Includes bibliographical references. / by Poh Chuan Lim. / M.S.

The effectiveness of information visualization largely depends on the ease and accuracy with which users can access the information. Visual clutter in a display can detract from a user's ability to properly read the information. An ideal visualization needs to maximize the visibility of patterns and structure and minimize the clutter present. Thus far, there has been surprisingly little work done in finding quantitative ways to measure clutter in information visualizations. The goal of this project was to create clutter measurement and reduction techniques that minimize the presence of visual clutter and maximize a user's ability to accurately read the data. These methods were tested and evaluated on a number of visualizations depicting domestic air traffic data.

Thesis. 1978. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaf 125. / by Avram K. Tetewsky. / M.S.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1980. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Vita. / Bibliography: leaves 98-102. / by Brad Allen Myers. / M.S.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Stasko, John T.; Committee Member: Edwards, Keith; Committee Member: Greenberg, Saul; Committee Member: Grinter, Beki; Committee Member: Guzdial, Mark. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Thesis (M. S.)--Literature, Communication, and Culture, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Mazalek, Ali; Committee Member: Bolter, Jay David; Committee Member: Do, Ellen Yi-Luen; Committee Member: Nitsche, Michael; Committee Member: Winegarden, Claudia R.

With the growth of ubiquitous computing, people are getting familiar and receptive to the idea of using non personal devices in public spaces. An example of such a possible device are the large ambient displays which can be found in airports, subway stations, malls, and bus stops. While most of these devices are not interactive, some offer interaction through touchscreen. This study explored the impact of body-movement-based interaction on engagement of a peripheral information display. We developed and exhibited two versions of the same peripheral information display in a public space. The first version offered interactivity while no interaction was available in the second version. We counted the number of people who watched/interacted with the displays and timed how long they spent doing so. Qualitative data was also gathered through semi structured interviews and non-participant observations. The statistical analysis provide evidences that the mean time spent watching/interacting with the peripheral information display is higher when there is interaction. We are 95% confident that the interval from 0.25 to 13.71 seconds contains the difierence of mean time spent watching/interacting with the display between the two versions. The interviews and observations indicated that the interaction implemented is easily understandable by the public in few seconds without the need of instructions. / Med framväxten av ubik datateknik blir människor allt mer bekanta och mottagliga för att använda allmänt tillgängliga enheter i det offentliga rum. Ett exempel på en sådan enhet är dom stora bildskärmar som placerats på flygplatser, tunnelbanestationer, köpcenter och busshållplatser. Dom flesta av dessa är inte interaktiva, men några är interaktiva genom touch. Denna studie utforskar effekten av kroppsrörelse-baserat interaktion på människors engagemang med perifera informationsskärmar. Vi utvecklade och ställde ut två versioner av en informationsskärm i ett offentligt rum. Den första versionen var interaktiv medans den andra var statisk. Vi räknade antalet människor som uppmärksammade/interagerade med informationsskärmen och tog tiden på hur länge dom eventuellt stannade. Kvalitativ data samlades genom intervjuer genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och icke-deltagande observationer. Statistisk analys av data ger underlag för att säga att medelvärdet för tid spenderat framför informationsskärmen var högre när den var interaktiv. Med ett konfidensintervall på 95% slår vi fast att skillnaden i medelvärde för tid spenderat engagerad med informationsskärmen ligger mellan 0,25 och 13,71 sekunder för dom två versionerna. Intervjuer och observationer pekar mot att den implementerade interaktionen är lätt att förstå inom loppet av några få sekunder utan behov av instruktioner.

In this exploration of the human battery interface, the way in which battery information and notifications effect interaction are analyzed through two small scale studies and a design proposal which is then user tested. With the first study, an attempt is made to gauge user’s feelings toward the current battery information display on their smartphones through a brief online questionnaire. Participants who were selected for further study installed battery monitoring software on their devices and shared the resulting data. This data was then analyzed and some usage patterns were extrapolated. After surveying current market solutions and research in the field, design opportunities were explored and a final design proposal was created and tested with possibilities for further applications being discussed.

Remote personal computer communication with IBM mainframes is often confined to low throughput (less than 19,200 baud), asynchronous serial lines managed by the mainframe through 3270 protocol converters. The capabilities of the personal computer are under utilized and limited to terminal emulation and file transfer. For such an environment, a software solution is presented to improve the computing platform between IBM mainframes and personal computers without modifying any existing, intervening communication equipment. Transparent communication support for distributed, interactive applications is provided through the operation of a data link control protocol. The communication services are applied to the development of a distributed WYSIWYG page previewer for SCRIPT/VS. / Master of Science

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.