3D user interface technologies have the potential to make games more immersive & engaging and thus potentially provide a better user experience to gamers. Although 3D user interface technologies are available for games, it is still unclear how their usage affects game play and if there are any user performance benefits. A systematic study of these technologies in game environments is required to understand how game play is affected and how we can optimize the usage in order to achieve better game play experience. This dissertation seeks to improve the gaming experience by exploring several 3DUI technologies. In this work, we focused on stereoscopic 3D viewing (to improve viewing experience) coupled with motion based control, head tracking (to make games more engaging), and faster gesture based menu selection (to reduce cognitive burden associated with menu interaction while playing). We first studied each of these technologies in isolation to understand their benefits for games. We present the results of our experiments to evaluate benefits of stereoscopic 3D (when coupled with motion based control) and head tracking in games. We discuss the reasons behind these findings and provide recommendations for game designers who want to make use of these technologies to enhance gaming experiences. We also present the results of our experiments with finger-based menu selection techniques with an aim to find out the fastest technique. Based on these findings, we custom designed an air-combat game prototype which simultaneously uses stereoscopic 3D, head tracking, and finger-count shortcuts to prove that these technologies could be useful for games if the game is designed with these technologies in mind. Additionally, to enhance depth discrimination and minimize visual discomfort, the game dynamically optimizes stereoscopic 3D parameters (convergence and separation) based on the user's look direction. We conducted a within subjects experiment where we examined performance data and self-reported data on users perception of the game. Our results indicate that participants performed significantly better when all the 3DUI technologies (stereoscopic 3D, head-tracking and finger-count gestures) were available simultaneously with head tracking as a dominant factor. We explore the individual contribution of each of these technologies to the overall gaming experience and discuss the reasons behind our findings. Our experiments indicate that 3D user interface technologies could make gaming experience better if used effectively. The games must be designed to make use of the 3D user interface technologies available in order to provide a better gaming experience to the user. We explored a few technologies as part of this work and obtained some design guidelines for future game designers. We hope that our work will serve as the framework for the future explorations of making games better using 3D user interface technologies.

Vid prematur födsel finns en ökad risk för kognitiva svårigheter och utmaningar i språkutvecklingen. Tidigare forskning har framhållit vikten av att erbjuda interventioner med fokus på språkutvecklingen redan i tidig ålder för att stödja barns utveckling. En intervention som syftar till att utveckla barns språkutveckling är interaktiv högläsning. Syftet med denna pilotstudie var att utvärdera om en 4-veckors intervention med interaktiv högläsning kunde förbättra kommunikationsfärdigheterna hos små barn födda prematurt. För att undersöka detta filmades och analyserades två föräldra-barn-par i en single-subject design med fyra baslinjetillfällen och nio interventionstillfällen. Resultaten från studien antyder att interventionen kan ha en positiv påverkan på kommunikationsfärdigheterna hos små barn födda prematurt. Ytterligare forskning för att fördjupa förståelsen för metoden och dess tillämpning erfordras. / At preterm birth, there is an increased risk of cognitive difficulties and challenges in language development. Previous research on preterm infants has emphasized the importance of providing interventions focusing on language development at an early age to support children's development. Interactive reading is a method aimed at fostering children's language skills. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate whether a four-week intervention with interactive reading could improve the communication skills of preterm infants. To investigate this, two parent-child pairs were videotaped and analyzed using a single-subject design with four baseline sessions and nine intervention sessions. New instructions/techniques were provided to the parents during the intervention sessions. The results of this pilot study suggest that the intervention may have a positive impact on the communication skills of prematurely born children. Further research to deepen the understanding of the method and its application is warranted.

This research examines the nature of visual poetry and its educational potential in the processes of teaching and learning reading and writing in primary education. The first part looks into the internal and external logic of visual poetry, its cultural, historical and technical characteristics, and a knowledge goal is provisionally defined, which is then analyzed as a teaching and learning goal. It reviews the historicist approaches to visual poetry; it examines the definitions that have been established especially regarding its intermedia nature, and also the most interesting definitions that have been made by visual poets themselves. Following on from this, there is a historical overview of this poetic form, focusing mainly on the Western European tradition and on Catalonia from the twentieth century onwards. The second part of the thesis is the empirical research that justifies, applies and interprets the description and analysis of a didactic sequence of a teacher in a classroom in year two of primary education within the methodological and theoretical framework of contemporary research on specific didactics. Above all, it uses the theoretical foundations of comparative didactics and clinical methodologies. Based on close and participatory observation and an all-encompassing analysis of educational action, some interpretations are compared with the overall framework of knowledge of language and literature didactic. Hence the intrinsic cultural value of visual poetry is claimed as a catalyst to encourage the improvement of the reading and writing skills itself, while this teaching goal also serves as a pretext to consider and purpose new ways of teaching and learning reading and writing, in a richer and more complex way, especially in the field of critical literacy, creativity and intermediality / Aquesta investigació es planteja la naturalesa de la poesia visual i el seu potencial didàctic en els processos d’ensenyament-aprenentatge de la lectura i l’escriptura a Educació Primària. La primera part investiga la lògica interna i externa de la poesia visual, els seus trets culturals, històrics i tècnics i es delimita provisionalment un objecte de saber, el qual a continuació s’analitza com a objecte a ensenyar i objecte ensenyat. Es revisen les aproximacions històriques a la poesia visual; s’examinen les definicions que s’han fixat sobretot en el seu caràcter intermedial i també les definicions més interessants que n’han fet els mateixos poetes visuals. A continuació es fa una síntesi històrica d’aquesta forma poètica, centrant-se sobretot en la tradició europea occidental i, a partir del segle xx, a Catalunya. La segona part o recerca empírica justifica, aplica, i interpreta la descripció i anàlisi d'una seqüència didàctica d'una mestra en una aula de cicle inicial d’Educació Primària, dins del marc metodològic i teòric de les investigacions contemporànies en didàctiques específiques, servint-se sobretot dels fonaments teòrics de les didàctiques comparades i les metodologies clíniques. A partir de l'observació atenta i l’anàlisi global de l'acció didàctica, se n’extreuen unes interpretacions que es confronten amb el marc global del saber de les didàctiques de la llengua i la literatura. Així, es reivindica el valor cultural intrínsec de la poesia visual com a revulsiu per fomentar la lectura i l’expressió escrita per se però alhora aquest objecte d’ensenyament serveix de pretext per reflexionar i proposar noves formes d’ensenyar i aprendre la lectura i l’escriptura de forma més rica i complexa, sobretot en l'àmbit de la literacitat crítica, la creativitat i la intermedialitat. / Bei dieser Untersuchung wird die Frage über die visuelle Poesie und deren didaktischem Potential bei den Bildungs- und Lernprozessen beim Lesen und Schreiben in der Grundschule aufgeworfen, die diese Fähigkeiten in ihrem gesamten Umfang zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts nach sich ziehen.

The thesis in its first part outlines in general the iconographical type of pietà and its genesis from the very beginning of the representation of this type until the end of the 14th century. Furthermore the work interprets the literary sources and its impact on the form of medieval pietàs. The emphasis in all chapters of this work will be put in the first place on the type of the so called Beautiful pietàs of the Beautiful Style. In the first, theoretical part of the work the author presents, among others, an interpretation of Beautiful pietàs' gestures. The second part of the thesis treats seven concrete Beautiful pietàs chosen as illustrative representatives of the iconographical type they belong to. The attention will be devoted to the Pietà of Marburg, Pietà of Baden, Pietà of St. Elisabeth in Wrocław, Pietà of the Kreuzenstein Castle, K ivák's Pietà, Pietà from the Hermitage Museum in Petersburg and Pietà of Celje. In the case of these concrete examples will be summarized and interpreted the existing research outputs. Subsequently the author will attempt to solve some of the problems and questions relating to the concrete sculptures concerning in particular the time of their creation, provenance, the original placement and authorship.

Les épopées d’Homère et de Virgile, la Chanson de Roland sont marquées par une alternance qui peut paraître capricieuse. En fait, on la saisit beaucoup mieux dès lors qu’on prend en compte la présence des corps : ceux du jongleur, de l’aède, du récitant ; le corps du public. Postures, gestuelle, mouvements, regard, souffle, musique s’articulent à cette alternance pour en faire une véritable danse. Cette thèse étudie d’abord comment dansent chacun des temps principaux du récit dans ces épopées, en accordant la priorité à Homère et au Roland ; puis elle étudie comment cette danse des temps prend corps dans chacune des petites pièces dont nous décelons que sont composées les épopées anciennes comme le Roland : les laisses. / The Homeric and Virgilian epics, as well as the Chanson de Roland are full of tenseswitching, the use of which might seem capricious to the modern reader. It is in fact much better understood when bodies’ presence is taken into account — these bodies being the bard’s one as well as the audience’s. Postures, gestures, moves, eyes, breath, music are joint partners to tenseswitching, so that tenses really dance in epics. This study is firstly about how each one of the main narrative tenses dances in Homer and the Roland, and also in the Æneid. Then it studies the way tenses dance in each of the small pieces we find in the classical epics as well as in the Roland : the laisses.

Title: Suprasegmental level of language and non-verbal aspects of the contemporary teaching French as a foreign language at the czech schools Keywords: French as a foreign language (FLE), teacher-student interaction, the role of teachers, nonverbal communication, gestures, facial expressions, emotions, the European Framework of Reference for Languages, didactics of foreign languages, language level A1 Abstract: The thesis addresses the absence of suprasegmental level of language and non- verbal aspects of the contemporary teaching of French as a foreign language in the textbooks and at the Czech schools and also examines their importance. Moreover, it aims to analyze the above mentioned phenomena in the French textbook with approval clause textbooks: Amis et compagnie 1, Vite ! 1 and Le français entre nous 1 and draw attention to an insufficient integration of these occurrences in the contemporary teaching of the French language, as well as in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Furthermore, this thesis describe the actual situation and indicate the importance to systematically incorporate stated methods into French lessons, and also to indicate that incorporating suprasegmental and non-verbal methods is realistic, practical and even entertaining, as the comprehensible verbal...

The dissemination of new innovative technology requires feasibility and simplicity. The problem with marker-based augmented reality is similar to glove-based hand gesture recognition: they both require an additional component to function. This thesis investigates the possibility of combining markerless augmented reality together with appearance-based hand gesture recognition by implementing a game with good user experience. The methods employed in this research consist of a game implementation and a pre-study meant for measuring interactive accuracy and precision, and for deciding upon which gestures should be utilized in the game. A test environment was realized in Unity using ARKit and Manomotion SDK. Similarly, the implementation of the game used the same development tools. However, Blender was used for creating the 3D models. The results from 15 testers showed that the pinching gesture was the most favorable one. The game was evaluated with a System Usability Scale (SUS) and received a score of 70.77 among 12 game testers, which indicates that the augmented reality game, which interaction method is solely based on bare-hands, can be quite enjoyable.

Large, strongly connected amounts of data, as collected in knowledge bases or those occurring when describing software, are often read slowly and with difficulty by humans when they are represented as spreadsheets or text. Graphical representations can help people to understand facts more intuitively and offer a quick overview. The electronic representation offers means that are beyond the possibilities of print such as unlimited zoom and hyperlinks. This paper addresses a framework for visualizing connected information in 3D-space taking into account the techniques of media design to build visualization structures and map information to graphical properties. / Große, stark vernetzte Datenmengen, wie sie in Wissensbasen oder Softwaremodellen vorkommen, sind von Menschen oft nur langsam und mühsam zu lesen, wenn sie als Tabellen oder Text dargestellt werden. Graphische Darstellungen können Menschen helfen, Tatsachen intuitiver zu verstehen und bieten einen schnellen Überblick. Die elektronische Darstellung bietet Mittel, welche über die Möglichkeiten von Print hinausgehen, wie z.B. unbegrenzten Zoom und Hyperlinks. Diese Arbeit stellt ein Framework für die Visualisierung vernetzter Informationen im 3D-Raum vor, welches Techniken der Gestaltung zur Erstellung von graphischen Strukturen und zur Abbildung von Informationen auf graphische Eigenschaften berücksichtigt.

Els instruments musicals digitals es descomponen usualment en dues parts: la interfície d'usuari i el motor de síntesi. Tradicionalment la interfície d'usuari pren el nom de controlador musical. L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és el disseny d'un interfície que permeti el control de la síntesi de sons instrumentals a partir de la veu cantada.Amb la present recerca, intentem relacionar la veu amb el so dels instruments musicals, tenint en compte tan la descripció del senyal de veu, com les corresponents estratègies de mapeig per un control adequat del sintetitzador.Proposem dos enfocaments diferents, d'una banda el control d'un sintetitzador de veu cantada, i d'altra banda el control de la síntesi de sons instrumentals. Per aquest últim, suggerim una representació del senyal de veu com a gests vocals, que inclou una sèrie d'algoritmes d'anàlisis de veu. A la vegada, per demostrar els resultats obtinguts, hem desenvolupat dos prototips a temps real. / Los instrumentos musicales digitales se pueden separar en dos componentes: el interfaz de usuario y el motor de sintesis. El interfaz de usuario se ha denominado tradicionalmente controlador musical. El objectivo de esta tesis es el diseño de un interfaz que permita el control de la sintesis de sonidos instrumentales a partir de la voz cantada.La presente investigación pretende relacionar las caracteristicas de la voz con el sonido de los instrumentos musicales, teniendo en cuenta la descripción de la señal de voz, como las correspondientes estrategias de mapeo para un control apropiado del sintetizador. Se proponen dos enfoques distintos, el control de un sintetizador de voz cantada, y el control de la sintesis de sonidos insturmentales. Para este último, se sugiere una representación de la señal de voz como gestos vocales, incluyendo varios algoritmos de analisis de voz. Los resultados obtenidos se demuestran con dos prototipos a tiempo real. / Digital musical instruments are usually decomposed in two main constituent parts: a user interface and a sound synthesis engine. The user interface is popularly referred as a musical controller, and its design is the primary objective of this dissertation. Under the title of singing-driven interfaces, we aim to design systems that allow controlling the synthesis of musical instruments sounds with the singing voice. This dissertation searches for the relationships between the voice and the sound of musical instruments by addressing both, the voice signal description, as well as the mapping strategies for a meaningful control of the synthesized sound. We propose two different approaches, one for controlling a singing voice synthesizer, and another for controlling the synthesis of instrumental sounds. For the latter, we suggest to represent voice signal as vocal gestures, contributing with several voice analysis methods.To demonstrate the obtained results, we developed two real-time prototypes.

Large, strongly connected amounts of data, as collected in knowledge bases or those occurring when describing software, are often read slowly and with difficulty by humans when they are represented as spreadsheets or text. Graphical representations can help people to understand facts more intuitively and offer a quick overview. The electronic representation offers means that are beyond the possibilities of print such as unlimited zoom and hyperlinks. This paper addresses a framework for visualizing connected information in 3D-space taking into account the techniques of media design to build visualization structures and map information to graphical properties.:1 EINFÜHRUNG S. 9 1.1 Zusammenfassung des Gestaltungsentwurfs S. 9 1.2 Ziel des Belegs S. 10 1.3 Interdisziplinäres Projekt S. 10 2 VORGEHEN S. 12 2.1 Ablauf S. 12 2.2 Konkrete Beispielinhalte S. 13 2.3 Beispielimplementierung S. 13 3 DATENMODELL S. 15 3.1 Ontologien S. 15 3.2 Ontologie Konstruktion S. 15 3.3 Analyse der Domain Design S. 18 3.8 Erstes Ordnen S. 19 3.9 Verwendete Ontologie-Struktur S. 21 3.10 Design-Ontologien S. 23 3.11 Schwierigkeiten bei der Ontologiekonstruktion S. 28 3.12 Einpflegen der Daten mit Protégé S. 29 3.13 Facetten S. 29 3.14 Filter S. 32 4 DATENVISUALISIERUNG S. 35 4.1 Visualisierung zeitlicher Daten S. 35 4.2 Hyperhistory S. 35 4.3 Graphisches Vokabular - graphische Dimensionen S. 37 4.4 Mapping S. 39 5 FRAMEWORK UND GESTALTUNG DES MEDIUMS S. 43 5.1 Technologien und Werkzeuge S. 44 5.2 Architektur S. 46 5.3 Konfiguration S. 51 5.4 DataBackendManager S. 52 5.5 Mapping im Framework S. 53 5.6 atomicelements S. 54 5.7 Appearance Bibliothek S. 55 5.8 TransformationUtils S. 56 5.9 Structures S. 57 5.10 LOD S. 64 5.11 Häufung von Einträgen [+] S. 66 5.12 Darstellung von Relationen [+] S. 69 5.13 Head Up Display [+] S. 71 5.14 Navigation S. 72 5.15 Performanz S. 73 5.16 Gestaltung des Mediums S. 74 6 AUSBLICK S. 80 7 FAZIT S. 81 8 ANHANG A – Installation S. 82 8.1 Vorraussetzungen S. 82 8.2 Programmaufruf S. 82 8.3 Stereoskopie S. 82 9 ANHANG B – Beispielimplementierung zur Visualisierung des Themas „Geschichte des Designs in Deutschland im 19. und 20. Jh.“ S. 84 9.1 Eingrenzung des Umfangs S. 84 9.2 Überblick zur deutschen Designgeschichte S. 84 9.3 Vorgehen S. 85 9.4 Unscharfe Datumsangaben S. 85 9.5 Kontextereignisse S. 85 9.6 Ursache-Wirkung-Beziehungen S. 86 9.7 Mehrsprachigkeit S. 86 9.8 Quellenangaben S. 86 9.9 Bildmaterial S. 87 LITERATURVERZEICHNIS S. 88 GLOSSAR S. 90 ABBILDUNGSVERZEICHNIS S. 91 / Große, stark vernetzte Datenmengen, wie sie in Wissensbasen oder Softwaremodellen vorkommen, sind von Menschen oft nur langsam und mühsam zu lesen, wenn sie als Tabellen oder Text dargestellt werden. Graphische Darstellungen können Menschen helfen, Tatsachen intuitiver zu verstehen und bieten einen schnellen Überblick. Die elektronische Darstellung bietet Mittel, welche über die Möglichkeiten von Print hinausgehen, wie z.B. unbegrenzten Zoom und Hyperlinks. Diese Arbeit stellt ein Framework für die Visualisierung vernetzter Informationen im 3D-Raum vor, welches Techniken der Gestaltung zur Erstellung von graphischen Strukturen und zur Abbildung von Informationen auf graphische Eigenschaften berücksichtigt.:1 EINFÜHRUNG S. 9 1.1 Zusammenfassung des Gestaltungsentwurfs S. 9 1.2 Ziel des Belegs S. 10 1.3 Interdisziplinäres Projekt S. 10 2 VORGEHEN S. 12 2.1 Ablauf S. 12 2.2 Konkrete Beispielinhalte S. 13 2.3 Beispielimplementierung S. 13 3 DATENMODELL S. 15 3.1 Ontologien S. 15 3.2 Ontologie Konstruktion S. 15 3.3 Analyse der Domain Design S. 18 3.8 Erstes Ordnen S. 19 3.9 Verwendete Ontologie-Struktur S. 21 3.10 Design-Ontologien S. 23 3.11 Schwierigkeiten bei der Ontologiekonstruktion S. 28 3.12 Einpflegen der Daten mit Protégé S. 29 3.13 Facetten S. 29 3.14 Filter S. 32 4 DATENVISUALISIERUNG S. 35 4.1 Visualisierung zeitlicher Daten S. 35 4.2 Hyperhistory S. 35 4.3 Graphisches Vokabular - graphische Dimensionen S. 37 4.4 Mapping S. 39 5 FRAMEWORK UND GESTALTUNG DES MEDIUMS S. 43 5.1 Technologien und Werkzeuge S. 44 5.2 Architektur S. 46 5.3 Konfiguration S. 51 5.4 DataBackendManager S. 52 5.5 Mapping im Framework S. 53 5.6 atomicelements S. 54 5.7 Appearance Bibliothek S. 55 5.8 TransformationUtils S. 56 5.9 Structures S. 57 5.10 LOD S. 64 5.11 Häufung von Einträgen [+] S. 66 5.12 Darstellung von Relationen [+] S. 69 5.13 Head Up Display [+] S. 71 5.14 Navigation S. 72 5.15 Performanz S. 73 5.16 Gestaltung des Mediums S. 74 6 AUSBLICK S. 80 7 FAZIT S. 81 8 ANHANG A – Installation S. 82 8.1 Vorraussetzungen S. 82 8.2 Programmaufruf S. 82 8.3 Stereoskopie S. 82 9 ANHANG B – Beispielimplementierung zur Visualisierung des Themas „Geschichte des Designs in Deutschland im 19. und 20. Jh.“ S. 84 9.1 Eingrenzung des Umfangs S. 84 9.2 Überblick zur deutschen Designgeschichte S. 84 9.3 Vorgehen S. 85 9.4 Unscharfe Datumsangaben S. 85 9.5 Kontextereignisse S. 85 9.6 Ursache-Wirkung-Beziehungen S. 86 9.7 Mehrsprachigkeit S. 86 9.8 Quellenangaben S. 86 9.9 Bildmaterial S. 87 LITERATURVERZEICHNIS S. 88 GLOSSAR S. 90 ABBILDUNGSVERZEICHNIS S. 91