This paper investigates how physical prototyping modules can be designed to facilitate for interactiondesigners to visualize their ideas early on in a design process. As technology is getting cheaper andeasier to use, it has opened up the possibility for others than just engineers to build with technology.We see technology being more and more used by designers for building prototypes and testing ideas.A setback with using technology is that it is time consuming and error occurs easily. By testing a set ofthree prototypes I will investigate the problems at hand for interaction designers and come up with adesign solution to facilitate their design process. I will come to conclusion about making the modulesflexible, functional and user friendly to meet the user’s demands.

Les Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication pour l’Enseignement (TICE) peuvent transformer profondément les pratiques pédagogiques. Cependant, pour que ce bénéfice potentiel se réalise, il faut que les solutions produites en conception puissent à la fois s’intégrer à ces pratiques et être sources d’innovation potentielles, en termes de plus-values pour les activités d’enseignement et d’apprentissage. L’objectif de cette thèse est de mettre en avant des facteurs de conception qui permettent d’articuler ces enjeux dans le cadre d’un projet de conception sur technologie émergente pour l’enseignement. Ainsi, la recherche s’intéresse à une démarche participative mise en œuvre dans la conception conjointe d’un système technique (l’application sur table interactive) et des pratiques enseignantes (par l’intermédiaire de scénarios pédagogiques). Nos hypothèses concernent les effets de différents facteurs sur l’élaboration d’un compromis entre des enjeux d’intégration et d’innovation : implication de futurs utilisateurs « pionniers » ; opportunités de confrontation de leurs hypothèses de conception ; cadrage du champ des possibles. Les analyses portent sur l’ensemble de la démarche de conception, afin de caractériser ces effets d’un point de vue longitudinal en les situant par rapport aux différentes méthodes mobilisées et à l’avancement des solutions de conception. En particulier, les justifications des choix de conception relatifs à certaines composantes de l’artefact en cours d’élaboration sont étudiées pour caractériser, d’une part, les facteurs de la conception qui ont contextualisé ces choix et, d’autre part, leurs liens avec les enjeux d’innovation ou d’intégration, voire les deux. Les résultats montrent que : (i) la mobilisation et la redéfinition des scénarios pédagogiques, l’implication d’enseignants en tant que co-concepteurs, la confrontation des solutions de conception sur prototype et en simulation et enfin le recueil des besoins favorisent la définition de caractéristiques techniques et l’intégration du système technique ; (ii) la définition des caractéristiques techniques de l’application, l’implication d’enseignants pionniers, l’identification de leurs besoins et la simulation des solutions favorisent l’adaptation des pratiques enseignantes aux caractéristiques de la technologie en vue d’optimiser son intégration ; (iii) les différentes formes de confrontation à la nouvelle technologie ainsi que les apprentissages mutuels en conception participative vis-à-vis du potentiel technique et interactif des tables interactives contribuent à l’exploitation de ce potentiel par les concepteurs ; (iv) les caractéristiques innovantes des tables interactives, l’anticipation de leurs usages potentiels en salle de classe, la mise en œuvre des solutions de conception en situation réelle, la participation d’enseignants futurs utilisateurs leur permettant de s’approprier la nouvelle technologie et l’identification de leurs difficultés actuelles favorisent l’innovation dans les scénarios pédagogiques et l’amélioration des activités d’enseignement et d’apprentissage. / Information and Communication Technologies have the potential for deeply transforming teachers’ practices. However, this requires design solutions to be adapted to these practices and, at the same time, to foster innovations, in terms of improvements for teaching and learning activities. This thesis aims at highlighting design factors that allow the articulation between these goals, in the context of a design project with emerging technologies for education. The research focuses onthe design process: joint definition of a technical system (an application on an interactive tabletop) and of teaching practices (via pedagogical scenarios); involvement of future users; design hypothesis assessment modalities; framing the scope of design possibilities. Our hypotheses concern the potential effects of these factors on the reaching of a compromise between integration and innovation related goals.Analyses cover the entire design process, in order to longitudinally examine the various design techniques used and the design process advancement. In particular, design choices related to some of the features of the artifact are analyzed to investigate the links between design factors and integration/innovation related goals.Results show that: (i) using and redefining pedagogical scenarios, involving users as co-designers, confronting the design solutions with prototypes and simulations and identifying users’ needs facilitate the technical definition of the application and its integration in future teaching activities; (ii) defining the technical properties of an artifact, involving teachers as experimenters, identifying their needs and simulating on the design solution foster the adaptation of teachers’ practices to the specificities of the technologies and optimize its integration ; (iii) allowing participants to interact with the emerging technology in different ways and the mutual learning processes between designers, regarding tabletops technical and interactional potential,help them capitalize on this potential ; (iv) identifying the innovative features of tabletops, anticipating their potential uses, testing prototypes in real class situations and involving teachers, to let them learn how to use an emerging technology and to express the existing limits of in their teaching practices, foster innovation in their pedagogical scenarios and, thus, can improve teaching and learning activities.

Los juegos serios colaborativos tienen un impacto positivo en el comportamiento y el aprendizaje, pero siguen desarrollándose para plataformas tecnológicas tradicionales como videoconsolas y ordenadores de sobremesa o portátiles, los cuales han sido identificados como sub-óptimos para niños en diversos estudios. En su lugar, el uso de dispositivos móviles como tabletas y teléfonos inteligentes presenta diversas ventajas: son económicamente asequibles, están ampliamente distribuidos, y pueden ser transportados, lo cual permite la actividad física y poder iniciar un juego sin necesitar que los usuarios se trasladen a una localización fija, especialmente dedicada para tal fin. Además, combinar varios de estos dispositivos y coordinar la interacción entre ellos en lo que se denomina Entorno Multi-Pantalla (EMP) proporciona beneficios adicionales para la colaboración tales como una mayor escalabilidad, conciencia del espacio de trabajo, paralelismo y fluidez de las interacciones. La interacción en estos entornos multi-tableta es por tanto un aspecto crítico. Los dispositivos móviles están diseñados para ser interactuados mediante el toque de los dedos principalmente, lo cual es muy sencillo y directo, pero está normalmente limitado a la pequeña dimensión de las pantallas, lo que puede conllevar la oclusión de la pantalla y la infrautilización del espacio periférico. Por esta razón, esta tesis se centra en la exploración de otro mecanismo de interacción que puede complementar al táctil: interacciones tangibles alrededor del dispositivo. Las interacciones tangibles están basadas en la manipulación de objetos físicos, lo que presenta un valor adicional en la educación de los niños puesto que resuena con los manipulativos educativos tradicionales y permite la exploración del mundo físico. Por otra parte, la explotación del espacio que envuelve a las pantallas tiene diversos beneficios adicionales para actividades educativas colaborativas: reducida oclusión de la pantalla (lo cual puede incrementar la conciencia del espacio de trabajo), el uso de objetos tangibles como contenedores de información digital que puede ser transportada de forma continua entre dispositivos, y la identificación de un determinado estudiante a través de la codificación de su ID en un operador tangible (lo cual facilita el seguimiento de sus acciones y progreso durante el juego). Esta tesis describe dos enfoques distintos para construir juegos educativos colaborativos en EMPs utilizando interacciones tangibles alrededor de los dispositivos. Una, denominada MarkAirs, es una solución óptica aérea que no necesita ningún hardware adicional aparte de las tabletas excepto diversas tarjetas de cartón impresas. La otra, Tangibot, introduce un robot tangiblemente controlado y otro atrezo físico en el entorno, y se basa en tecnología RFID. Ambas interacciones son respectivamente evaluadas, y se observa que MarkAirs es usable y poco exigente tanto para adultos como para niños, y que se pueden realizar con éxito gestos de grano fino encima de las tabletas con ella. Además, al aplicarse en juegos colaborativos, puede ayudar a reducir la oclusión de las pantallas y la interferencia entre las distintas acciones de los usuarios, lo cual es un problema que puede surgir en este tipo de escenarios cuando solamente se dispone de interacciones táctiles. Se evalúa un juego educativo colaborativo con MarkAirs con niños de educación primaria, y se concluye que este mecanismo es capaz de crear experiencias de aprendizaje colaborativo y de presentar un valor añadido en términos de experiencia de usuario, aunque no en eficiencia. Con respecto a Tangibot, se muestra que controlar colaborativamente un robot móvil mediante unas palas tangibles con cierta precisión es factible para niños a partir de los tres años de edad, e incluso para personas mayores con un deterioro cognitivo leve. Además, proporciona una experiencia divertida / Collaborative serious games have a positive impact on behavior and learning, but the majority are still being developed for traditional technological platforms, e.g., video consoles and desktop/laptop computers, which have been deemed suboptimal for children by several studies. Instead, the use of handheld devices such as tablets and smartphones presents several advantages: they are affordable, very widespread, and mobile---which enables physical activity and being able to engage in a game without requiring users to gather around a fixed, dedicated, location. Plus, combining several of these devices and coordinating interactions across them in what is called a Multi-Display Environment (MDE) brings on additional benefits to collaboration like higher scalability, awareness, parallelism, and fluidity of the interaction. How to interact with these multi-tablet environments is therefore a critical issue. Mobile devices are designed to be interacted mainly via touch, which is very straightforward but usually limited to the small area of the displays, which can lead to the occlusion of the screen and the underuse of the peripheral space. For this reason, this thesis focuses on the exploration of another interaction mechanism that can complement touch: tangible around-device interactions. Tangible interactions are based on the manipulation of physical objects, which have an added value in childhood education as they resonate with traditional learning manipulatives and enable the exploration of the physical world. On the other hand, the exploitation of the space surrounding the displays has several potential benefits for collaborative-learning activities: reduced on-screen occlusion (which may increase workspace awareness), the use of tangible objects as containers of digital information that can be seamlessly moved across devices, and the identification of a given student through the encoding of their ID in a tangible manipulator (which facilitates the tracking of their actions and progress throughout the game). This thesis describes two different approaches to build collaborative-learning games for MDEs using tangible around-device interactions. One, called MarkAirs, is a mid-air optical solution relying on no additional hardware besides the tablets except for several cardboard printed cards. The other, Tangibot, introduces a tangible-mediated robot and other physical props in the environment and is based on RFID technology. Both interactions are respectively evaluated, and it is observed that MarkAirs is usable and undemanding both for adults and for children, and that fine-grained gestures above the tablets can be successfully conducted with it. Also, when applied to collaborative games, it can help reduce screen occlusion and interference among the different users' actions, which is a problem that may arise in such settings when only touch interactions are available. A collaborative learning game with MarkAirs is evaluated with primary school children, revealing this mechanism as capable of creating collaborative learning experiences and presenting an added value in user experience, although not in performance. With respect to Tangibot, we show how collaboratively controlling a mobile robot with tangible paddles and achieving certain precision with it is feasible for children from 3 years of age, and even for elderly people with mild cognitive impairment. Furthermore, it provides a fun experience for children and maintains them in a constant state of flow. / Els jocs seriosos col·laboratius tenen un impacte positiu en el comportament i l'aprenentatge, però continuen sent desenvolupats per a plataformes tecnològiques tradicionals com videoconsoles i ordinadors de sobretaula o portàtils, els quals han sigut identificats com sub-òptims per a xiquets en diversos estudis. D'altra banda, l'ús de dispositius mòbils com ara tabletes i telèfons intel·ligents presenta diversos avantatges: són econòmicament assequibles, estan àmpliament distribuïts i poden ser transportats, la qual cosa permet l'activitat física i poder iniciar un joc sense necessitat de què els usuaris es traslladen a una localització fixa i especialment dedicada per a eixa finalitat. A més, combinar diversos d'estos dispositius i coordinar la interacció entre ells en el que es denomina Entorn Multi-Pantalla (EMP) proporciona beneficis addicionals per a la col·laboració tals com una major escalabilitat, consciència de l'espai de treball, paral·lelisme i fluïdesa de les interaccions. La interacció amb estos entorns multi-tableta és per tant crítica. Els dispositius mòbils estan dissenyats per a ser interactuats mitjançant tocs de dit principalment, mecanisme molt senzill i directe, però està normalment limitat a la reduïda dimensió de les pantalles, cosa que pot ocasionar l'oclusió de la pantalla i la infrautilització de l'espai perifèric. Per aquesta raó, la present tesi se centra en l'exploració d'un altre mecanisme d'interacció que pot complementar al tàctil: interaccions tangible al voltant dels dispositius. Les interaccions tangibles estan basades en la manipulació d'objectes físics, cosa que presenta un valor addicional en l'educació dels xiquets ja que ressona amb els manipulatius tradicionals i permet l'exploració del món físic. D'altra banda, l'explotació de l'espai que envolta a les pantalles té diversos beneficis addicionals per a activitats educatives col·laboratives: reduïda oclusió de la pantalla (la qual cosa pot incrementar la consciència de l'espai de treball), l'ús d'objectes tangibles com a contenidors d'informació digital que pot ser transportada de forma continua entre dispositius, i la identificació d'un estudiant determinat a través de la codificació de la seua identitat en un operador tangible (cosa que facilita el seguiment de les seues accions i progrés durant el joc). Aquesta tesi descriu dos enfocaments distints per a construir jocs educatius col·laboratius en EMPs utilitzant interaccions tangibles al voltant dels dispositius. Una, denominada MarkAirs, és una solució òptica aèria que no precisa de cap maquinari addicional a banda de les tabletes, exceptuant diverses targetes de cartró impreses. L'altra, Tangibot, introdueix un robot controlat tangiblement i attrezzo físic addicional en l'entorn, i es basa en tecnologia RFID. Ambdues interaccions són avaluades respectivament, i s'observa que MarkAirs és usable i poc exigent tant per a adults com per a xiquets, i que es poden realitzar gestos de granularitat fina dalt de les tabletes amb ella. A més a més, en aplicar-se a jocs col·laboratius, pot ajudar a reduir l'oclusió de les pantalles i la interferència entre les distintes accions dels usuaris, problema que pot aparèixer en este tipus d'escenaris quan solament es disposa d'interaccions tàctils. S'avalua un joc educatiu col·laboratiu amb MarkAirs amb xiquets d'educació primària, i es conclou que aquest mecanisme és capaç de crear experiències d'aprenentatge col·laboratiu i de presentar un valor afegit en termes d'experiència d'usuari, tot i que no en eficiència. Respecte a Tangibot, es mostra que controlar conjuntament un robot mòbil mitjançant unes pales tangibles amb certa precisió és factible per a xiquets a partir de tres anys i inclús per a persones majors amb un lleu deteriorament cognitiu. A més, proporciona una experiència divertida per als xiquets i els manté en un estat constant de flow. / García Sanjuan, F. (2018). CREAME: CReation of Educative Affordable Multi-surface Environments [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/101942 / TESIS

In less than a century, programming languages have assumed many forms in adapting to system’s needs and capacities, of which our cognitive systems are a part. One variation, tailored specifically for the cognitive processes in children’s education of computational concepts, and nowadays successful among novice adult learners too, is that of visual block based programming. From the pool of available block based programming environments, Scratch is the most popular for users, and therefore becomes a good topic for researchers interested in contemporary educational discussions, including that of coding as a curricular activity in schools. Although inspired by the educational philosophy of using abstract physical blocks in foundational learning, the mainly visual interface of Scratch is made for keyboard and mouse mediated interaction with the digital content on-screen, producing audio-visual feedback. This research is a case study of Scratch, where the shortcomings found in interactions with its environment motivate the investigation of a potential hybrid technology – tangible and visual – for enhanced learning of foundational concepts in block based programming. The investigation is characterized by progressive cycles of conceptual design, supported by prototyping and testing. The results from its design process present the benefits and challenges of this hybrid concept to inform and inspire the development of new technologies for learning, as well as it should inspire designers of Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) for learning and the educational community of computing to challenge the current ways of learning. The work here presented is concerned with acknowledging and building onto strengths of existing technologies, rather than substituting them with disruptive ideas.

Au milieu des espaces collectifs et publics, les afficheurs cylindriques informent les utilisateurs autour d'eux. Nous questionnons l'utilité et l'utilisabilité de la symétrie dynamique de révolution pour les afficheurs cylindriques à changement de forme. Nous présentons CairnFORM, un prototype d'afficheur cylindrique capable de changer de symétrie de révolution à l'aide d'une pile modulaire d'anneaux extensibles illuminés. Nous montrons que la symétrie de révolution est utilisable pour informer les utilisateurs par physicalisation des données : nous observons avec un CairnFORM à 10 anneaux qu'un histogramme à anneaux physiques est plus efficace pour une tâche d'intervalle et une tâche de comparaison plutôt que pour une tâche d'ordonnancement. Nous montrons que le changement de symétrie de révolution est utilisable pour notifier sans déranger les utilisateurs par interaction périphérique : nous observons avec un CairnFORM à 1 anneau que le changement de diamètre d'un anneau avec une vitesse exponentielle est perçu plus souvent et plus calmement en périphérie de l'attention plutôt qu'avec une vitesse constante ou logarithmique. Nous montrons que les afficheurs cylindriques à symétrie dynamique de révolution offrent une expérience utilisateur sur la durée supérieure aux afficheurs planaires : après deux mois en contexte d'usage sur un lieu de travail, nous observons que CairnFORM est aussi pragmatique mais plus hédonique qu'un écran plat. Nous étudions un cas d'usage pour les afficheurs sur le lieu de travail, c'est-à-dire aider les employés à décaler le chargement de batterie des ordinateurs portables vers les heures de pic de production locale d'énergie renouvelable. / In the middle of public and collective spaces, cylindrical displays inform users around them.We question the utility and the usability of dynamic revolution symmetry for shape-changing cylindrical displays. We present CairnFORM, a prototype of cylindrical display that can change its revolution symmetry using a modular stack of expandable illuminated rings.We show that revolution symmetry is usable for informing users through data physicalization: We observe with a 10-ring CairnFORM that a physical ring chart is more efficient for a range task and for a compare task rather than for an order task. We show that revolution symmetry change is usable for unobtrusively notifying users through peripheral interaction: We observe with a 1-ring CairnFORM that a ring diameter change with exponential speed is perceived more often and calmer in the periphery of attention rather than with a constant speed or a logarithmic speed.We show that cylindrical displays with dynamic revolution symmetry offer a greater user experience over time than planar displays: After two months in context of use in a workplace, we observe that CairnFORM is as pragmatic as a flat screen but more hedonic than a flat screen. We study a use case for displays in the workplace: Helping employees to shift laptop battery charge to peak hours of local renewable energy production.

<p>This thesis presents a set of concepts and a general design approach for designing Mixed Reality environments based on the idea that the physical (real) world and the virtual (digital) world are equally important and share many properties. Focus is on the design of a technology infrastructure intended to relieve people from some of the extra efforts currently needed when performing activities that make heavy use of both worlds. An important part of the proposed infrastructure is the idea of creating Physical-Virtual Artefacts, objects manifested in the physical and the virtual world at the same time.</p><p>The presented work challenges the common view of Human-Computer Interaction as a research discipline mainly dealing with the design of “user interfaces” by proposing an alternative or complementary view, a physical-virtual design perspective, abstracting away the user interface, leaving only physical and virtual objects. There are at least three motives for adopting such a design perspective: 1) people well acquainted with specific (physical and virtual) environments are typically more concerned with the manipulation of (physical and virtual) objects than the user interface through which they are accessed. 2) Such a design stance facilitates the conceptualisation of objects that bridge the gap between the physical and the virtual world. 3) Many physical and virtual objects are manifested in both worlds already today. The existing conceptual link between these physical and virtual objects has only to be complemented with causal relations in order to reduce the costs in crossing the border between the physical and the virtual world.</p><p>A range of concepts are defined and discussed at length in order to frame the design space, including<i> physical-virtual environment gap, physical-virtual activity, physical-virtual artefact, </i>and<i> physical-virtual environment</i>.</p><p>Two conceptual models of physical-virtual space are presented as a result of adopting the physical-virtual design perspective: for the analysis of object logistics in the context of physical-virtual activities, and for describing structural properties of physical-virtual space respectively. A prototype system offering some degree of physical-virtual infrastructure is also presented.</p>

This thesis presents a set of concepts and a general design approach for designing Mixed Reality environments based on the idea that the physical (real) world and the virtual (digital) world are equally important and share many properties. Focus is on the design of a technology infrastructure intended to relieve people from some of the extra efforts currently needed when performing activities that make heavy use of both worlds. An important part of the proposed infrastructure is the idea of creating Physical-Virtual Artefacts, objects manifested in the physical and the virtual world at the same time. The presented work challenges the common view of Human-Computer Interaction as a research discipline mainly dealing with the design of “user interfaces” by proposing an alternative or complementary view, a physical-virtual design perspective, abstracting away the user interface, leaving only physical and virtual objects. There are at least three motives for adopting such a design perspective: 1) people well acquainted with specific (physical and virtual) environments are typically more concerned with the manipulation of (physical and virtual) objects than the user interface through which they are accessed. 2) Such a design stance facilitates the conceptualisation of objects that bridge the gap between the physical and the virtual world. 3) Many physical and virtual objects are manifested in both worlds already today. The existing conceptual link between these physical and virtual objects has only to be complemented with causal relations in order to reduce the costs in crossing the border between the physical and the virtual world. A range of concepts are defined and discussed at length in order to frame the design space, including physical-virtual environment gap, physical-virtual activity, physical-virtual artefact, and physical-virtual environment. Two conceptual models of physical-virtual space are presented as a result of adopting the physical-virtual design perspective: for the analysis of object logistics in the context of physical-virtual activities, and for describing structural properties of physical-virtual space respectively. A prototype system offering some degree of physical-virtual infrastructure is also presented.

Visualizations in the most general sense of external, physical representations of information are older than the invention of writing. Generally, external representations promote external cognition and visual thinking, and humans developed a rich set of skills for crafting and exploring them. Computers immensely increased the amount of data we can collect and process as well as diversified the ways we can represent it visually. Computer-supported visualization systems, studied in the field of information visualization (infovis), have become powerful and complex, and sophisticated interaction techniques are now necessary to control them. With the widening of technological possibilities beyond classic desktop settings, new opportunities have emerged. Not only display surfaces of arbitrary shapes and sizes can be used to show richer visualizations, but also new input technologies can be used to manipulate them. For example, tangible user interfaces are an emerging input technology that capitalizes on humans' abilities to manipulate physical objects. However, these technologies have been barely studied in the field of information visualization. A first problem is a poorly defined terminology. In this dissertation, I define and explore the conceptual space of embodiment for information visualization. For visualizations, embodiment refers to the level of congruence between the visual elements of the visualization and their physical shape. This concept subsumes previously introduced concepts such as tangibility and physicality. For example, tangible computing aims to represent virtual objects through a physical form but the form is not necessarily congruent with the virtual object. A second problem is the scarcity of convincing applications of tangible user interfaces for infovis purposes. In information visualization, standard computer displays and input devices are still widespread and considered as most effective. Both of these provide however opportunities for embodiment: input devices can be specialized and adapted so that their physical shape reflects their functionality within the system; computer displays can be substituted by transformable shape changing displays or, eventually, by programmable matter which can take any physical shape imaginable. Research on such shape-changing interfaces has so far been technology-driven while the utility of such interfaces for information visualization remained unexploited. In this thesis, I suggest embodiment as a design principle for infovis purposes, I demonstrate and validate the efficiency and usability of both embodied visualization controls and embodied visualization displays through three controlled user experiments. I then present a conceptual interaction model and visual notation system that facilitates the description, comparison and criticism of various types of visualization systems and illustrate it through case studies of currently existing point solutions. Finally, to aid the creation of physical visualizations, I present a software tool that supports users in building their own visualizations. The tool is suitable for users new to both visualization and digital fabrication, and can help to increase users' awareness of and interest in data in their everyday live. In summary, this thesis contributes to the understanding of the value of emerging physical representations for information visualization.

Les visualisations, dans le sens général de représentations externes et physiques de données, sont plus anciennes que l'invention de l'écriture. De manière générale, les représentations externes encouragent la cognition et la pensée visuelle, et nous avons développé des savoir-faire pour les créer et les exploiter. La révolution informatique a augmenté la quantité de données qu'il est possible de collecter et de traiter, et a diversifié les façons de les représenter visuellement. Les systèmes de visualisation assistés par ordinateur, et étudiés dans le domaine de la visualisation d'information, sont aujourd'hui si puissants et complexes que nous avons besoin de techniques d'interaction très sophistiqués. Grâce au développement des possibilités technologiques au-delà des ordinateurs de bureau, un large éventail d'utilisations émerge. Non seulement des surfaces d'affichage de formes et de tailles variées permettent de montrer des visualisations plus riches, mais aussi des dispositifs d'entrée de nouvelle génération peuvent être utilisés qui exploitent les aptitudes humaines à manipuler les objets physiques. Cependant, ces technologies sont peu étudiées dans le contexte de la visualisation d'information. Tout d'abord, un premier problème découle d'une terminologie insuffisante. Dans cette thèse, je définis et étudie entre autres le concept de corporalisation (embodiment) pour la visualisation d'information. Concernant les visualisations, la corporalisation réfère à la congruence entre les éléments visuels d'une visualisation et leurs formes physiques. Ce concept intègre des concepts déjà connus tels que la tangibilité. Par exemple, l'interaction tangible s'attache à la représentation d'objets virtuels par des objets physiques. Mais en réalité, leur forme physique n'est pas nécessairement congruente avec l'objet virtuel. Un second problème découle du peu d'exemples convaincants d'interfaces tangibles appliquées à la visualisation d'information. Dans le domaine de la visualisation d'information, les écrans standard et les dispositifs d'entrée génériques tels que la souris, sont toujours les plus courants et considérés comme les plus efficaces. Cependant, aussi bien la partie affichage que la partie contrôle fournit des possibilités de corporalisation : les dispositifs d'entrée peuvent être spécialisés et adaptés de façon à ce que leur forme physique ressemble à leur fonction; les écrans peuvent être rendus déformables ou, dans l'avenir, être composés d'une matière programmable capable de prendre n'importe quelle forme imaginable. Mais la recherche sur les écrans et matières déformables est pour l'instant principalement dirigée par l'innovation technologique sans tenir compte des applications possibles à la visualisation d'information. Dans cette thèse, j'propose la corporalisation comme principe de conception pour la visualisation d'information. Je démontre l'efficacité et l'utilisabilité des dispositifs d'entrée corporalisés ainsi que des affichages corporalisés, en présentant trois expériences contrôlées. Par la suite, je présente un modèle d'interaction conceptuel et un système de notation visuelle pour décrire, comparer et critiquer différents types de systèmes de visualisation, et j'illustre l'utilisation de ce modèle à partir d'études de cas. Enfin, je présente un outil de conception pour aider à la création de visualisations physiques. Cet outil s'adresse à des utilisateurs novices en visualisation d'information et en fabrication numérique, et peut contribuer à sensibiliser ces utilisateurs à l'intérêt d'explorer des données qui les concernent dans leur vie quotidienne. En résumé, cette thèse contribue à la compréhension de la valeur ajoutée des interfaces physiques pour la visualisation d'information. / Visualizations in the most general sense of external, physical representations of information are older than the invention of writing. Generally, external representations promote external cognition and visual thinking, and humans developed a rich set of skills for crafting and exploring them. Computers immensely increased the amount of data we can collect and process as well as diversified the ways we can represent it visually. Computer-supported visualization systems, studied in the field of information visualization (infovis), have become powerful and complex, and sophisticated interaction techniques are now necessary to control them. With the widening of technological possibilities beyond classic desktop settings, new opportunities have emerged. Not only display surfaces of arbitrary shapes and sizes can be used to show richer visualizations, but also new input technologies can be used to manipulate them. For example, tangible user interfaces are an emerging input technology that capitalizes on humans' abilities to manipulate physical objects. However, these technologies have been barely studied in the field of information visualization. A first problem is a poorly defined terminology. In this dissertation, I define and explore the conceptual space of embodiment for information visualization. For visualizations, embodiment refers to the level of congruence between the visual elements of the visualization and their physical shape. This concept subsumes previously introduced concepts such as tangibility and physicality. For example, tangible computing aims to represent virtual objects through a physical form but the form is not necessarily congruent with the virtual object. A second problem is the scarcity of convincing applications of tangible user interfaces for infovis purposes. In information visualization, standard computer displays and input devices are still widespread and considered as most effective. Both of these provide however opportunities for embodiment: input devices can be specialized and adapted so that their physical shape reflects their functionality within the system; computer displays can be substituted by transformable shape changing displays or, eventually, by programmable matter which can take any physical shape imaginable. Research on such shape-changing interfaces has so far been technology-driven while the utility of such interfaces for information visualization remained unexploited. In this thesis, I suggest embodiment as a design principle for infovis purposes, I demonstrate and validate the efficiency and usability of both embodied visualization controls and embodied visualization displays through three controlled user experiments. I then present a conceptual interaction model and visual notation system that facilitates the description, comparison and criticism of various types of visualization systems and illustrate it through case studies of currently existing point solutions. Finally, to aid the creation of physical visualizations, I present a software tool that supports users in building their own visualizations. The tool is suitable for users new to both visualization and digital fabrication, and can help to increase users' awareness of and interest in data in their everyday live. In summary, this thesis contributes to the understanding of the value of emerging physical representations for information visualization.

This thesis is an investigation of the complex processes and relationships between the physical human performer and the technologically manufactured cyber-human counterpart. I acted as both researcher and the physical human performer, deeply engaged in the moment-to-moment creation of events unfolding within a shared virtual reality environment. As the primary instigator and activator of the cyber-human partner, I maintained a balance between the live and technological performance elements, prioritizing the production of content and meaning. By way of using practice as research, this thesis argues that in considering interactions between cyber-human and human performers, it is crucial to move beyond discussions of technology when considering interactions between cyber-humans and human performers to an analysis of emotional content, the powers of poetic imagery, the trust that is developed through sensory perception and the evocation of complex relationships. A theoretical model is constructed to describe the relationship between a cyber-human and a human performer in the five works created specifically for this thesis, which is not substantially different from that between human performers. Technological exploration allows for the observation and analysis of various relationships, furthering an expanded understanding of ‘movement as content’ beyond the electronic connection. Each of the works created for this research used new and innovative technologies, including virtual reality, multiple interactive systems, six generations of wearable computers, motion capture technology, high-end digital lighting projectors, various projection screens, smart electronically charged fabrics, multiple sensory sensitive devices and intelligent sensory charged alternative performance spaces. They were most often collaboratively created in order to augment all aspects of the performance and create the sense of community found in digital live dance performances/events. These works are identified as one continuous line of energy and discovery, each representing a slight variation on the premise that a working, caring, visceral and poetic content occurs beyond the technological tools. Consequently, a shift in the physical human’s psyche overwhelms the act of performance. Scholarship and reflection on the works have been integral to my creative process throughout. The goals of this thesis, the works created and the resulting methodologies are to investigate performance to heighten the multiple ways we experience and interact with the world. This maximizes connection and results in a highly interactive, improvisational, dynamic, non-linear, immediate, accessible, agential, reciprocal, emotional, visceral and transformative experience without boundaries between the virtual and physical for physical humans, cyborgs and cyber-humans alike.