Manifestations of aggressive driving, such as tailgating, speeding, or swearing, are not trivial offenses but are serious problems with hazardous consequences—for the offender as well as the target of aggression. Aggression on the road erases the joy of driving, affects heart health, causes traffic jams, and increases the risk of traffic accidents. This work is aimed at developing a technology-driven solution to mitigate aggressive driving according to the principles of Persuasive Technology. Persuasive Technology is a scientific field dealing with computerized software or information systems that are designed to reinforce, change, or shape attitudes, behaviors, or both without using coercion or deception. Against this background, the Driving Feedback Avatar (DFA) was developed through this work. The system is a visual in-car interface that provides the driver with feedback on aggressive driving. The main element is an abstract avatar displayed in the vehicle. The feedback is transmitted through the emotional state of this avatar, i.e., if the driver behaves aggressively, the avatar becomes increasingly angry (negative feedback). If no aggressive action occurs, the avatar is more relaxed (positive feedback). In addition, directly after an aggressive action is recognized by the system, the display is flashing briefly to give the driver an instant feedback on his action. Five empirical studies were carried out as part of the human-centered design process of the DFA. They were aimed at understanding the user and the use context of the future system, ideating system ideas, and evaluating a system prototype. The initial research question was about the triggers of aggressive driving. In a driver study on a public road, 34 participants reported their emotions and their triggers while they were driving (study 1). The second research question asked for interventions to cope with aggression in everyday life. For this purpose, 15 experts dealing with the treatment of aggressive individuals were interviewed (study 2). In total, 75 triggers of aggressive driving and 34 anti-aggression interventions were identified. Inspired by these findings, 108 participants generated more than 100 ideas of how to mitigate aggressive driving using technology in a series of ideation workshops (study 3). Based on these ideas, the concept of the DFA was elaborated on. In an online survey, the concept was evaluated by 1,047 German respondents to get a first assessment of its perception (study 4). Later on, the DFA was implemented into a prototype and evaluated in an experimental driving study with 32 participants, focusing on the system’s effectiveness (study 5). The DFA had only weak and, in part, unexpected effects on aggressive driving that require a deeper discussion. With the DFA, this work has shown that there is room to change aggressive driving through Persuasive Technology. However, this is a very sensitive issue with special requirements regarding the design of avatar-based feedback systems in the context of aggressive driving. Moreover, this work makes a significant contribution through the number of empirical insights gained on the problem of aggressive driving and wants to encourage future research and design activities in this regard. / Aggressives Fahren, egal ob Drängeln, Rasen oder Fluchen, ist kein Kavaliersdelikt, sondern ein ernstzunehmendes Problem mit schwerwiegenden Folgen—sowohl für den Täter als auch für das Opfer. Es nimmt die Freude am Fahren, beeinträchtigt die Herzgesundheit, verursacht Stau und erhöht das Unfallrisiko. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es daher nach den Prinzipien persuasiver Technologie (engl. Persuasive Technology) eine technische Lösung zu entwickeln, die aggressives Fahren verringert. Als persuasiv werden Systeme bezeichnet, die ein bestimmtes Verhalten oder eine bestimmte Einstellung ihres Nutzers verstärken, verändern oder formen, ohne dabei Zwang auf ihn auszuüben oder ihn zu täuschen. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit der sogenannte Driving Feedback Avatar (DFA) entwickelt. Das System ist eine visuelle Benutzerschnittstelle im Fahrzeug, die dem Fahrer Rückmeldung zu bestimmten aggressiven Verhaltensweisen gibt. Hauptelement ist ein abstrakter Avatar, der in einem Display angezeigt wird. Das Feedback selbst wird durch den emotionalen Zustand dieses Avatars vermittelt. Verhält sich der Fahrer aggressiv, wird er zunehmend wütender (negatives Feedback). Legt der Fahrer hingegen keine aggressiven Verhaltensweisen an den Tag, zeigt sich der Avatar nach und nach entspannter (positives Feedback). Darüber hinaus erhält der Fahrer ein sofortiges Feedback, indem das Display kurz aufblinkt, direkt nachdem eine aggressive Handlung vom System erkannt wurde. Zur Entwicklung des Systems wurden, unter Einsatz menschenzentrierter Forschungsmethoden, insgesamt fünf empirische Studien durchgeführt. Diese dienten dazu, den Nutzer und den Nutzungskontext des zukünftigen Systems zu verstehen, Ideen für mögliche Systeme zu entwickeln und die finale Lösung anhand eines Prototypens zu evaluieren. Zunächst stand dabei die Forschungsfrage im Raum, welche Auslöser für aggressives Fahren es heute gibt. In einer Fahrerstudie auf öffentlicher Straße berichteten dazu 34 Teilnehmer während der Fahrt von ihren Emotionen und deren Auslösern (Studie 1). Die zweite Forschungsfrage ergründete Maßnahmen zur Bewältigung von Aggression im Alltag. Hierzu wurden 15 Experten, die sich beruflich mit der Behandlung von aggressiven Personen befassen, interviewt (Studie 2). Insgesamt konnten so 75 Auslöser aggressiven Fahrens und 34 Maßnahmen zur Regulierung von Aggression im Allgemeinen abgeleitet werden. Inspiriert von diesen Erkenntnissen, entwickelten 108 Teilnehmer in einer Reihe von Workshops mehr als 100 Ideen, wie Aggression beim Fahren, unter Einsatz von Technologie, verringert werden könnte (Studie 3). Basierend auf diesen Ideen, entstand das Konzept des DFA. In einer Onlineumfrage mit 1.047 deutschen Teilnehmern wurde das Konzept evaluiert, um eine erste Bewertung der Wahrnehmung des Systems zu erhalten (Studie 4). Später wurde der DFA prototypisch umgesetzt und dessen Effektivität in einer Fahrerstudie unter experimentellen Bedingungen untersucht (Studie 5). Es zeigte sich, dass das System nur schwache und in Teilen auch unerwartete Effekte hat, die eine eingehende Diskussion verlangen. Diese Arbeit hat gezeigt, dass es möglich ist, aggressives Fahren mit Hilfe persuasiver Technologie zu beeinflussen. Jedoch ist dies ein sehr sensibles Vorhaben, das besondere Anforderungen an das Design Avatar-basierter Feedbacksysteme im Kontext aggressiven Fahrens stellt. Darüber hinaus leistet diese Arbeit vor allem aufgrund der gewonnenen empirischen Erkenntnisse rund um das Problem aggressiven Fahrens einen wichtigen Beitrag für Wissenschaft und Praxis und will zu weiteren Forschungs- und Designaktivitäten anregen.

Video game researchers have recently begun to explore qualitative techniques to understand video games and their audiences. Yet many questions remain concerning the significance of gaming media and how video game research should be conducted. This research addresses the changing focus of video game researchers from the "producers," or sender of the video game, to the "audience" or receiver. This is accomplished in the following ways: by exploring meanings created by individuals while "role-playing" in an electronic world as an on-screen video game avatar; by using the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET), to gather a deeper understanding of how players are interpreting the video game creators intended message, and focusing on the relationships formed between a player and their onscreen character. Using the ZMET method the author conducts ten in-depth interviews looking at the interviewees' relation with the Super Mario Bros avatar to gain an understanding of player-avatar relationships. Interviews are then discussed to describe how these individuals understand the video game message and avatar relationship.

No description available.

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the impact of an avatar to dog’s daily pet care for the quantified pet users. Furthermore, it explores the design challenges of creating a dog-like avatar for Human-Pet-Computer Interaction. Pawmoji, an emotionally expressive avatar, was designed as a supporting element on the interface to help users interpret the data and increase motivation. Pawmoji changes emotional states according to pet’s daily activities. The data from the device is conveyed to the user via changes in the emotional state of the avatar. This concept was evaluated by pet activity tracker users. In the evaluation, users interpreted the presented emotions of the dog-like avatar in a similar way to human emotions and generally identified the needs of their dogs with high accuracy. The study has also identified design challenges, such as representation and message delivery, and revealed the potential impact of the avatar in daily pet care activities: unpleasant emotions displayed by the avatar were found to be less motivating by the participants. The study shows that an emotionally expressive avatar has the potential to motivate the dog owners and increase awareness of the dog’s state and feelings during the pet-caretaking process. / Det primära syftet med den här studien är att undersöka en avatars påverkan på hundägares husdjursvård för den kvantifierade användaren. Vidare, en emotionell uttrycksfull hundliknande avatar skapades för att fungera som ett designkoncept. Pawmoji ändrar emotionella tillstånd i förhållande till djurets uppmätta aktiviteter. Data från enheten transporteras till användaren genom förändringar i avatarens emotionella tillstånd. Konceptet utvärderades genom en aktivitetsspårare för husdjur. I utvärderingen tolkade deltagarna känslorna som presenterades av den hundliknande avataren, på samma sätt som en människas känslor kan observeras och kunde generellt sett identifiera hundens behov med hög precision. Studien har också identifierat designutmaningar som framställning och mottagning av meddelande och upptäckte den potentiella påverkan avataren har i dagliga aktiviteter för husdjursvård: Obehagliga känslor som presenterades av avataren ansågs vara mindre motiverande för deltagarna. Studien visar att en emotionell uttrycksfull avatar har potentialen att motivera hundägarna och öka medvetenhet om hundens tillstånd och känslor under processen av djurskötning.

This thesis describes a machine learning method for automatically imitating a particular person's facial expressions in a human-like avatar through a hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization - Tabu Search algorithm. The muscular structures of the facial expressions are measured by Ekman and Friesen's Facial Action Coding System (FACS). Using a neutral face as a reference, the minute movements of the Action Units, used in FACS, are automatically tracked and mapped onto the avatar using a hybrid method. The hybrid algorithm is composed of Kennedy and Eberhart's Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO) and Glover's Tabu Search (TS). Distinguishable features portrayed on the avatar ensure a personalized, realistic imitation of the facial expressions. To evaluate the feasibility of using PSO-TS in this approach, a fundamental proof-of-concept test is employed on the system using the OGRE avatar. This method is analyzed in-depth to ensure its proper functionality and evaluate its performance compared to previous work.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived effectiveness of mixed reality experiences on resident teachers who successfully completed an undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) degree and were enrolled in a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program as part of RTP3 at a large research university in Orlando, Florida. The population for this study consisted of those selected to be in the RTP3, which included being in the Masters in the Art of Teaching (MAT) and becoming a middle or high school science, mathematics, or engineering teacher. The resident teachers experienced mixed reality as a method of practice on two occasions. The first was to introduce a lesson with avatar middle school students and a second time to conduct a parent conference with an avatar parent. This study was focused on the resident teachers' perceptions of (a) the effectiveness of mixed reality in the lesson experience and parent conference, (b) the coach's helpfulness after the lesson introduction experience and the parent conference experience, and (c) the extent to which the resident teachers believe that their confidence was increased and they were prepared for future classroom instruction and parent interactions through the use of mixed reality. Data were gathered with a feedback form with Likert-type items and open ended items completed immediately upon completion of each experience, as well as an additional open response document completed at a later time after reflection on the entire experience. The researcher analyzed the two qualitative data sources independently to determine trends and themes. Findings in this study were that the mixed-reality laboratory experience did have a positive effect on the perceptions of the resident teachers regarding their level of preparedness. They were more confident and comfortable teaching a lesson and conducting a parent conference after practicing both experiences with the avatars. Resident teachers overwhelmingly responded that the mixed reality experiences should remain a part of the MAT pedagogy and that they gained insight and confidence through the mixed reality practice. ?

Telepresence describes technologies that allow users to remotely experience the sensation of being present at an event without being physically present. An avatar exists to represent the user whilst in a remote location and is tasked to collect stimuli from its immediate surroundings to be delivered to the user for consumption. With the advent of recent developments in Virtual Reality technology, viz., head-mounted displays (HMDs), new possibilities have been enabled in the field of Telepresence. The main focus of this thesis is to develop a solution for visual Telepresence, where an HMD is used to control the direction of a camera‟s viewpoint, such that the user‟s head is tracked by the avatar, while providing visual feedback to the user. The design and development of the device follows a mechatronic approach, where a real time operating system (RTOS) is used in conjunction with a microcontroller for mechanical actuator control. The first-generation prototype, HOG-1 (HMD-Operated Gimbal, rev. 1), developed for this thesis serves as a foundation for study; the implementation and analysis of the prototype contributes to the state of the art by providing a clearer glimpse of hardware and software requirements that are necessary to construct an improved model. Additionally, qualitative and quantitative measurements are developed in the process of this research.

This thesis investigated the use of novel combinations of multimodal metaphors in the presentation of learning information to evaluate the effect of these combinations on the usability of e-learning interfaces and on the users¿ learning performance. The empirical research described in this thesis comprised three experimental phases. In the first phase, an initial experiment was carried out with 30 users to explore and compare the usability and learning performance of facially animated expressive avatars with earcons and speech, and text with graphics metaphors. The second experimental phase involved an experiment conducted with 48 users to investigate their perception of avatar¿s facial expressions and body gestures when presented in both the absence and presence of interactive e-learning context. In addition, the experiment aimed at evaluating the role that an avatar could play as virtual lecturer in e-learning interfaces by comparing the usability and learning performance of three different modes of interaction: speaking facially expressive virtual lecturer, speaking facially expressive full-body animated virtual lecturer, and two speaking facially expressive virtual lecturers. In the third phase, a total of 24 users experimentally examined a novel approach for the use of earcons and auditory icons in e-learning interfaces to support an animated facially expressive avatar with body gestures during the presentation of the learning material. The obtained results demonstrated the usefulness of the tested metaphors to enhance e-learning usability and to enable users to attain better learning performance. These results provided a set of empirically derived innovative guidelines for the design and use of these metaphors to generate more usable e-learning interfaces. For example, when designing avatars as animated virtual lecturers in e-learning interfaces, specific facial expression and body gestures should be incorporated due to its positive influence in enhancing learners¿ attitude towards the learning process.

This Ericsson project investigates avatar interactions in Augmented Reality (AR) and allows users to interact with a full-sized 3D avatar that is aware of the user’s local environment. This project aimed to evaluate the system's usability and identify potential use cases where users might want to interact with an avatar. The tests were conducted with the main objectives to find out issues in usability and how factors affect the user experience when interacting with an avatar. The prototype for this was adapted for NReal glasses and the testing method used combined quantitative and qualitative approaches. 21 Ericsson employees tested the application and used augmented reality glasses to interact with the avatar. The participants were not guided and instead asked to interact intuitively with the avatar – some even tried to shake hands or talk to the avatar. The data was collected by transcribing notes from each session, noting observations and the responses to the questionnaire. The results from this usability study helped to understand usability issues such as restrictive avatar movements and lack of facial expressions and distinct features when interacting with the avatar. It also highlighted the problems with the current chosen device which has a restrictive Field of View that obstructed the experience for over 60% of the participants. The future scope of this project would focus on making the user experience more realistic by adding expressions, audio, etc., and allowing users to imagine the potential of interacting through a holographic communication application. Overall, the study provides user insights and analysis that could help to develop this application further and make it more engaging, thus bringing the possibility of holographic communication and avatar interaction closer to reality. / Detta Ericsson-projekt undersöker avatarinteraktioner i Augmented Reality (AR) och låter användare interagera med en 3Davatar i full storlek som är medveten om användarens lokala miljö. Detta projekt syftade till att utvärdera systemets användbarhet och identifiera potentiella användningsfall där användare kanske vill interagera med en avatar. Testerna genomfördes med huvudmålen att ta reda på problem med användbarhet och hur faktorer påverkar användarupplevelsen när man interagerar med en avatar. Prototypen för detta var anpassad för NReal-glasögon och testmetoden använde kombinerade kvantitativa och kvalitativa tillvägagångssätt. 21 Ericsson-anställda testade applikationen och använde augmented reality-glasögon för att interagera med avataren. Deltagarna vägleddes inte utan ombads istället att interagera intuitivt med avataren – några försökte till och med skaka hand eller prata med avataren. Data samlades in genom att transkribera anteckningar från varje session, notera observationer och svaren på frågeformuläret. Resultaten från denna användbarhetsstudie hjälpte till att förstå användbarhetsproblem som restriktiva avatarrörelser och avsaknad av ansiktsuttryck och distinkta egenskaper när man interagerar med avatarn. Den belyste också problemen med den nuvarande valda enheten som har ett begränsat synfält som hindrade upplevelsen för över 60 % av deltagarna. Den framtida omfattningen av detta projekt skulle fokusera på att göra användarupplevelsen mer realistisk genom att lägga till uttryck, ljud etc., och tillåta användare att föreställa sig potentialen i att interagera genom en holografisk kommunikationsapplikation. Sammantaget ger studien användarinsikter och analyser som kan hjälpa till att utveckla denna applikation ytterligare och göra den mer engagerande, och på så sätt föra möjligheten till holografisk kommunikation och avatarinteraktion närmare verkligheten.

Virtual Reality (VR) is a growing frontier of immersive consumable content. It provides an additional layer of immersion, namely presence, which can be described as the feeling of being somewhere, in this case, inside a virtual environment, thus accepting it as real. We utilise existing game design, VR, and perception models and theories to create prototypes that test the effect of realism in the representation of the player avatar on the felt presence in VR. We consider the concepts of “game feel”, “presence”, “scales of realism” and the “Uncanny Valley” theory when building the framework for this study. Furthermore, we create three prototypes with increasing levels of visual polish and three test groups (N = 36 adults) are made to play through one of the prototypes each. Galvanic skin response (GSR) is used to measure arousal response, a measure used to quantify degrees of presence. Participants are instructed to interact with two stimuli that share the same behaviours, first a virtual toy car and then a virtual spider. The instructions for the interactions with each stimulus are identical. Results from t-tests and linear mixed-effects modelling (LMM) show indications of effectiveness of increased player avatar visual polish on producing higher arousal response readings, suggesting an increased sense of presence. Additionally, some behavioural patterns that emerged suggest a heightened sense of embodiment. We argue that the findings validate the implementation of higher visual fidelity in player avatars, in pursuit of impacting a subject’s level of arousal when exposed to a virtual spider. This has implications for game designers, psychotherapists, and researchers who aim to use VR to induce an immersive state in individuals. / Virtuell verklighet (engelska: “Virtual Reality”) är ett växande område av konsumerbara innehåll som medverkar till att användaren ska kunna försvinna bort i en artificiell verklighet. Den engelska termen “immersion” är välanvänd inom speldesign och syftar inom denna kontext på ett uppslukande av användarens uppmärksamhet när de interagerar med ett datorspel. Virtuell verklighet bidrar med ytterligare ett lager av “immersion” nämligen genom närvaro (engelska: “Presence”). Närvaro hänvisar till känslan att befinna sig på en viss plats, i detta fall i en virtuell miljö. Vi har nyttjat sedan tidigare kända modeller och teorier relaterade till speldesign, virtuell verklighet och kognitiva förmågor som utgångspunkt för att utveckla tre prototyper. Målet med dessa prototyper är att testa vilken effekt en mer realistisk representation av en användares virtuella kropp (engelska: “Player Avatar”) kan ha på den upplevda närvaron i en virtuell verklighet. De tre prototyperna har avsikten att öka den visuella detaljrikedomen (engelska: “Polish”) på en skala från en abstrakt representation av en mänsklig kropp till en mer realistisk och faktisk representation. Deltagande i experimenten bestod av N = 36 vuxna individer, uppdelade i tre testgrupper. Vi använder galvanisk hudrespons (“GSR”) för att mäta fysiologiska responser, vars data vi använder för att kvantifiera olika grader av närvaro. Deltagarna är instruerade att interagera med två olika stimuli, som innehar samma beteendemönster, först en virtuell leksaksbil och sedan en virtuell spindel. Resultaten från t-testerna och de linjära modellerna med blandade effekter (engelska: “Linear Mixed-Effect Modelling” eller “LMM”) gav indikationer på att en högre visuell trofasthet av deltagarens virtuella kropp resulterade i en större fysiologisk respons vilket kan tolkas som att deltagarna upplevde en större närvaro. Vidare upptäcktes vissa upprepade beteendemönster som kan tolkas som indicier på att deltagarna upplevde en högre nivå av förkroppsligande i korrelation till de mer visuellt imponerande prototyperna. Vi lägger fram argumentet att fynden i denna studie validerar implementationen av en högre visuell trofasthet i spelarnas virtuella kroppar med syftet att påverka deltagarens fysiologiska respons när de exponeras för en virtuell spindel. Detta har implikationer för speldesigners, psykoterapeuter och forskare som eftersträvar att inducera ett sorts uppslukande tillstånd bland individer.