<p>Designing computer systems that effectively support the user is the major goal within human-computer interaction. To achieve this, we must understand and master several tasks. This process must initially deal with the question of knowing what to develop and later, with the question of knowing how to design and develop the system. This view might seem off-target at first, since it does not explicitly mention the goals or functions of the system. However, more often than not, there is no objective goal to aim for that can be formally specified and used as a target criterion that will signal when we have designed an appropriate system. Instead, there is a large set of vague goals – some of which may last through the entire project and some that will not. It is therefore somewhat confounding that most of the current methods of systems development require that these goals are explicitly laid out, in order to steer development. </p><p>For researchers in Human-Computer Interaction, the existence of many varying – and possibly conflicting goals – presents is a great challenge. The constructive main focus on producing usable systems is a matter of understanding this complex situation and knowing how to proceed from there.</p><p>There are many existing approaches that can be used to carry out this complex development process. This thesis presents one approach, based on the notion that the elements that constitute a successful system are also a part of the solution. </p><p>This thesis presents this approach as it is applied to the development of systems for computer-supported work in health care. The projected solution suggests that we need to focus more intently on active user involvement in iterative development that is significantly long-term. The traditional, rather narrow circle of focus that encompasses design, development and evaluation is not sufficient.</p>

<p>This thesis addresses some important characteristics of human visual perception and their implications for three-dimensional (3D) information visualization. The effort can be divided into two parts. First, findings from vision science are explored and validated. As a starting point, the compilation of perceptually motivated evidence about what constitutes an effective and efficient method for mapping of data is undertaken. Second, the knowledge obtained is used to create candidate visualizations and to demonstrate the predictive power of the findings.</p><p>Results indicate a general difficulty to convey metric, i.e. quantitative, information in 3D visualizations. Structure as defined by Euclidean geometry is not perceived with accuracy and information encoded by such distinctions are misunderstood or overlooked. On the other hand, qualitative properties as defined by affine geometry are salient are perceived with accuracy (paper I). These findings are also characteristic of two-dimensional (2D) visualizations when these need to be rapidly examined (paper II). </p><p>A novel method (3D surface glyphs) for abstract multivariate data sets was developed to investigate the possible merit of encoding information by qualitative distinctions, (paper III). Evaluations showed that the information conveyed was successfully utilized and that these types of glyph have great potential. The study also illustrated the predictive power of the earlier findings. These issues were further demonstrated when investigating how 3D perspective displays are unaffected by distortions in data when the patterns displayed were defined by affine properties (paper IV). In addition, a new metric for measuring the efficiency of visualizations is presented (paper III). </p><p>It is concluded that as long as visualizations are specified by qualitative properties, they could most probably be effectively and efficiently used. The need for user studies to determine if, when and how to choose a certain visualization technique for a given task is thereby significantly reduced.</p>

This thesis addresses some important characteristics of human visual perception and their implications for three-dimensional (3D) information visualization. The effort can be divided into two parts. First, findings from vision science are explored and validated. As a starting point, the compilation of perceptually motivated evidence about what constitutes an effective and efficient method for mapping of data is undertaken. Second, the knowledge obtained is used to create candidate visualizations and to demonstrate the predictive power of the findings. Results indicate a general difficulty to convey metric, i.e. quantitative, information in 3D visualizations. Structure as defined by Euclidean geometry is not perceived with accuracy and information encoded by such distinctions are misunderstood or overlooked. On the other hand, qualitative properties as defined by affine geometry are salient are perceived with accuracy (paper I). These findings are also characteristic of two-dimensional (2D) visualizations when these need to be rapidly examined (paper II). A novel method (3D surface glyphs) for abstract multivariate data sets was developed to investigate the possible merit of encoding information by qualitative distinctions, (paper III). Evaluations showed that the information conveyed was successfully utilized and that these types of glyph have great potential. The study also illustrated the predictive power of the earlier findings. These issues were further demonstrated when investigating how 3D perspective displays are unaffected by distortions in data when the patterns displayed were defined by affine properties (paper IV). In addition, a new metric for measuring the efficiency of visualizations is presented (paper III). It is concluded that as long as visualizations are specified by qualitative properties, they could most probably be effectively and efficiently used. The need for user studies to determine if, when and how to choose a certain visualization technique for a given task is thereby significantly reduced.

Analyzing human motion is important in a number of ways. An athlete constantly needs to evaluate minute details about his or her motion pattern. In physical rehabilitation, the doctor needs to evaluate how well a patient is rehabilitating from injuries. Some systems are being developed in order to identify people only based on their gait. Automatic interpretation of sign language is another area that has received much attention. While all these applications can be considered useful in some sense, the analysis of human motion can also be used for pure entertainment. For example, by filming a sport activity from one view, it is possible to create a 3D reconstruction of this motion, that can be rendered from a view where no camera was originally placed. Such a reconstruction system can be enjoyable for the TV audience. It can also be useful for the computer-game industry. This thesis presents ideas and new methods on how such reconstructions can be obtained. One of the main purposes of this thesis is to identify a number of qualitative constraints that strongly characterizes a certain class of motion. These qualitative constraints provide enough information about the class so that every motion satisfying the constraints will "look nice" and appear, according to a human observer, to belong to the class. Further, the constraints must not be too restrictive; a large variation within the class is necessary. It is shown how such qualitative constraints can be learned automatically from a small set of examples. Another topic that will be addressed concerns analysis of motion in terms of quality assessment as well as classification. It is shown that in many cases, 2D projections of a motion carries almost as much information about the motion as the original 3D representation. It is also shown that single-view reconstruction of 2D data for the purpose of analysis is generally not useful. Using these facts, a prototype of a "virtual coach" that is able to track and analyze image data of human action is developed. Potentials and limitations of such a system are discussed in the the thesis. / QC 20100601

This thesis is about the design of technology for museum exhibitions. More specifically, it explores different ways in which visitors can contribute to museum exhibition design and how technology can support learning-related activities within museum exhibitions. Most contemporary museums collect, preserve, and provide access to important cultural and historical artefacts with the explicit intention of educating and informing the general public about those artefacts. For many exhibition designers, the audience's encounter with the exhibition is of primary concern, and technology is often seen as a means for providing visitors with new experiences and opportunities for learning. However, it appears to be only very recently that researchers have begun to show an interest in how modern technology is actually being used by visitors and many museums are struggling in their efforts to incorporate new technologies in their established exhibition design practices. Thus, on the one hand, many museums are seeking more visitor-focused ways of carrying out design (with the help of, for example, different forms of evaluation or feedback). On the other hand, many museums seem to have limited experience with designing technology in a user-oriented fashion. Consequently, human-computer interaction, with its long tradition of involving users in design, is in a position to provide museums with new ways for audiences to contribute to exhibitions with their knowledge, experience, opinions, and desires. The papers in this thesis explore this topic through a number of case studies where visitors have been invited to contribute to the design and evaluation of exhibitions. The analysis of the results suggests that visitors can provide relevant contributions in all of the main phases of museum exhibition production. This thesis also addresses the issue of how technology can support learning-related activities in museums. It appears that many museums base their notion of learning on epistemologies which suggest that activities such as interpretation, communication, and collaboration are fundamental to most museum learning processes. Consequently, the papers in this thesis explore a number of different techniques for supporting and orchestrating such social activities. The result is a set of design approaches that has the ability to encourage collaboration and dialogue between co-present visitors and allow visitors to create dynamic and evolving contexts for existing exhibits. In summary, the contributions of this thesis explore museum exhibition design from two different, yet interrelated perspectives. From the first perspective, visitors' desires, wishes, experiences, and knowledge are seen as important contributions to museum exhibition design. From the second perspective, different social activities and relationships between visitors in museums become the focus of the design activities. Together, these two perspectives outline an approach to museum exhibition design where visitors are of primary concern, both with respect to the content presented in exhibitions and with respect to the way exhibitions orchestrate and support different forms of social interaction. / QC 20101004

Zugl.: Regensburg, University, Diss., 2006.

Zugl.: Bielefeld, Universiẗat, Diss., 2008.

Zugl.: Kampen, Protestant Theol. University, Diss., 2008.

Användandet av pekplattor i skolan och utvecklandet av så kallade läromedelsapplikationer har ökat kraftigt de senaste åren i Sverige. Trots det ökade användandet så saknas det undersökningar i området. För att undersöka området har en fallstudie genomförts på en specifik läromedelsapplikation i matematik för grundskolan. Läromedelsapplikationen heter Parama Matte 1 och är baserad på den svenska läroplanen i matematik. Från ett interaktionsperspektiv undersöker studien hur en läromedelsapplikation kan designas i relation till hur den är utvecklad för att fungera som ett läromedelsverktyg. Studien undersöker också de möjligheter och begränsningar användaren möter och vilka interaktionsmöjligheter som finns i användandet av läromedelsapplikationen. För att undersöka området utgick undersökningen från tre stycken frågeställningar. Datainsamling i form av en intervju med en projektledare på Parama har genomförts för att ge en bakgrund till applikationen och fördjupa undersökningen. Grundat på detta har sedan en analys av läromedelsapplikationens design, innehåll och funktioner samt observationer på barn som använder läromedelsapplikationen för första gången genomförts. I slutsats och diskussion besvaras frågeställningarna baserat på analyser av datainsamlingarna och relaterade teorier. Undersökningen visar på att läromedelsapplikationen kan vara ett användbart verktyg i undervisningssammanhang och att det möjliggör till interaktion i form av tal, gester och kroppsplacering. / The use of tablets at school and the development of so called educational applications have increased significantly the last years in Sweden. Despite the growing use, there is a lack of investigations on this phenomenon. In order to contribute to the field we have conducted a casestudy in an educational application in mathematics for children in primary school. The application is called Parama Matte 1 and is based on the Swedish curriculum. From an interaction perspective this study investigates how an educational application can be designed in relation to how it is developed to function as an educational material. This study also investigate the opportunities and limitations the user may encounter and the interaction potential, when using the application. To make a deeper investigation in the field an interview with a project manager at Parama, ananalysis on the educational application's design, content and functionality and observations on children using the educational application has been conducted. Conclusion has been drawn by findings and previous theories. Our findings indicate that the educational application can be an useful teaching aid and provides opportunities for interaction.

Samhället idag sitter på ett stort kulturarv av bilder som nu digitaliserats i stora digitala bildarkiv. För att allmänheten ska få möjlighet att ta del av detta så har denna studie undersökt hur man kan skapa en interaktiv tjänst som ger åtkomst till ett stort antal bilder med en intresseväckande visuell upplevelse. För att besvara detta har en kvalitativ studie genomförts med en blandning av forskning genom design och fallstudie. Studiens har bestått av intervjuer med en intendent på Norrköpings stadsmuseum och fokusgrupper som besvarar målgruppens efterfrågan. Utifrån detta skapades designförslag som testades med hjälp av användbarhetstester och som därefter utvärderades genom en induktiv kvalitativ analys. Studiens resultat visar att skapandet av en interaktiv tjänst som ger åtkomst till ett stort antal bilder med en intresseväckande visuell upplevelse bör utgå från en tydlig och engagerande interaktion. Med bilder som får ta stor plats och med element som kan öka intresset i form av karta som visualliserar bildens position och tidslinje som ger möjlighet till filtrering.