Horizontal displays, such as tabletop systems, are emerging as the de facto platform for engaging participants in collaborative tasks. Despite significant efforts in improving the interactivity of information on such systems, very little research has been invested in understanding how groups of people view data visualizations in such environments. Numerous studies introduced different techniques to support viewing visualization for groups of people, such as duplicating or reorienting the visual displays. However, when visualizations compete for pixels on the display, prior solutions do not work effectively. In this thesis, I explore whether orientation on horizontal displays impacts the legibility of simple visualizations such as graphs. I have found that users are best at reading a graph when it is right side up, and takes them 20% less time than when it is read upside down. The main objective of this thesis was to investigate whether the readability and understandability of simple graphs can be improved. I have introduced the Orientation Agnostic Graph (OA-Graph) which is legible regardless of orientation. The OA-Graph uses a radial layout which has several interesting properties such as implicit orientation, points equidistant to center, and flexible rearrangement. OA-Graphs perform better than graphs that are presented upside down. I have converted several popular types of graphs into their OA counterpart for improved legibility on tabletop systems. Guidelines are presented that describe how other visualizations can be converted to being orientation agnostic.

This thesis comprises an exploration of the practice of Holistic Massage, working across the sociological areas of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), body work, emotional labour, sociological phenomenology and narrative inquiry. Holistic Massage is one of a plethora of practices encompassed by the field of CAM. While there has been steadily increasing sociological interest in CAM in recent years, much research has treated this diverse group as relatively homogeneous. This thesis looks at one practice in depth, in order to address issues specific to Holistic Massage – including what ‘holism’ adds up in to in practice, and the devaluation of knowledge based on touch(ing) – as well as those concerning CAM more broadly. Hence, whilst drawing on existing research on CAM, this research also addresses a lacuna within it. This thesis employs the conceptual tool of ‘touching work’, which brings together the concepts of ‘emotional labour’ and ‘body work’ in a way that draws out relevant aspects of each around the fulcrum of touch, thus accounting for the latter in both its sensory and emotional meanings. In so doing, it also contributes to the recently burgeoning literature on the senses in sociology, and to an embodied sociology more generally. The thesis also draws on sociological phenomenology, in particular the notion of the intersubjective ‘stock of knowledge’, and the understanding of talk as constitutive of the everyday social world. The overall methodological approach taken brings together phenomenological theory with narrative inquiry, and specifically with the analysis of the form and content of talk. The analysis presented is based around data from loosely-structured interviews with ten women who do Holistic Massage. The interviews were analysed in terms of their overall shape and distinctive features (Chapter Three) and, in subsequent chapters, with respect to both what was said and how it was said. This analysis examines the constitution of a Holistic Massage stock of knowledge (Chapter Four) and how the practice is bounded (Chapter Five), and concludes in Chapter Six by taking a step back from the detail of the data to look at what can be known from it about Holistic Massage and touching work Piecing together the constitution by practitioners of a stock of professional Holistic Massage knowledge makes a significant contribution to the sociology of CAM. Also, by uniting phenomenological sociology and narrative inquiry, it provides a novel perspective on a form of work which is part of a small but significant contemporary occupational field in the UK. In particular, it draws out the multiple aspects of touch which can in fact be known and articulated through talk and challenges ideas about the supposedly ineffable character of touch. In this regard, it points to similarities between how practitioners talk about this and the Foucauldian challenge to the ‘repressive hypothesis’, which sees people as in fact talking readily and in detail about matters where they claim silence prevails.

Background: Touching exists in different forms and can be experienced through the skin. By touching oxytocin is released like a relaxing hormone which counteracts anxiety and depression. Therapeutic contact and healing touch are methods nurses’ uses to give positive feeling of serenity, warmth and wellbeing for the patients. Touching can be a method for communication and happiness when word is not enough. By touching can nurses notice if a patient is, for example, anxious. The hands of the nurse are important caring of the patient such as adequate touching calms and sooths anxiety and pain. Aim:  To describe the significance to give touch in nursing. Method: A literary summary of scientific articles published between 1995 until 2012, where seven of them have qualitative approach and three have quantitative and all of them found via the databases CINAHL and MEDLINE. Result: Nurses were describing how touching had positive significance for the patients. The nurses could by touching reduce the patient’s pain, anxiety and worries. Different sorts of touching was mentioned like massage. A general theme was touching by non-verbal communication which gave a sense of security to the patients. The nurses’ attitude to touch became a problem since the nurses only touched the patients when necessary, for example when caring by hygiene without respecting the patients’ integrity. Discussion: In the result discussion it was described how the limited knowledge by the nurses of touching. By training (and education) they could carry though touching with help of different types of touching, massage, tactile touching, therapeutic touch etc. It relieved the state of pain, anxiety, and it also created security, closeness, better sleep and well-being of the patient. The touch adapted to the patients’ needs was described as positive and meaningful. To build an interpersonal relationship was essential and fundamental before the nurse approached the patient.

The primary aim of the present thesis was to investigate how the human brain handles and distributes limited processing resources among different sensory modalities. Two main hypothesis have been conventionally proposed: (1) common processing resources shared among sensory modalities (supra-modal attentional system) or (2) independent processing resources for each sensory modality. By means of four EEG experiments, we tested whether putative competitive interactions between sensory modalities – regardless of attentional influences – are present in early sensory areas. We observed no competitive interactions between sensory modalities, supporting independent processing resources in early sensory areas. Consequently, we tested the influence of top-down attention on a cross-modal dual task. We found evidence for shared attentional resources between visual and tactile modalities. Taken together, our results point toward a hybrid model of inter-modal attention. Attentional processing resources seem to be controlled by a supra-modal attentional system, however, in early sensory areas, the absence of competitive interactions strongly reduces interferences between sensory modalities, thus providing a strong processing resource independence.

This research details the development of a large-scale, computer vision-based touch screen capable of supporting a large number of simultaneous hand interactions. The system features a novel lightweight multi-point tracking algorithm to improve real-time responsiveness. This system was trialled for six months in an exhibition installation at World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, providing a robust, fault-tolerant interface. A pilot study was then conducted to directly compare the system against other, more established input methods (a single-touch case, a two-mouse case and a physical prototype) to determine the effectiveness and affordances of the multi-touch technology for arranging information on a large-scale wall space in a paired collaborative task. To assist in this study, a separate visualisation and interaction classification tool was developed, allowing the replay of XML log data in real time to assist in the video analysis required for observation and hypothesis testing.

Syftet med studien var att beskriva vad som krävs för närvaro i den vårdande relationen, utifrån vårdares och vårdtagares erfarenheter. Att se på vad som ger en närvaro som berör, ger ett samspel samt verkar lindrande i vårdmötet. Tolv vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativa metodansatser analyserades med avsikt att utifrån denna uppsats syfte beskriva innehållet. Innehållsanalysen resulterade i fyra kategorier; Att se hela människan, Själslig och kroppsligberöring, Vägen till att knyta an samt Vårdarens tillgångar. Resultatet visar att bekräftelse, vårdarens bemötande, fysisk och mental närvaro samt kommunikationen är väsentligt för hur närvaro upplevs av människor. Närvaro kan skapa en beröring som sker mellan vårdare och vårdtagare i den vårdande relationen. För att kunna mötas behövs avsatt tid samt kroppslig och mental närvaro. Beröring påverkar människan och därmed vårdandet. Att se på det osynliga som sker i närvarons sken kan ge kunskap till vårdare, som kan användas i det dagliga omvårdnadsarbetet, i mötet med vårdtagare. / The aim of this study was to describe what is required for presence in the caring relationship, based on caregivers and care receivers experience. To look at what gives a presence that touch, gives an interaction and soothes suffering. Twelve scientific articles with qualitative methodology approaches were analyzed, with the aim to describe the content from this paper´s point of view. The content analysis resulted in four categories: Seeing the whole person, Spiritual and physical touch, The path to connection and The assets of the caregiver. The result shows that confirmation of the care receiver, caregivers attitude, physical and mental presence and communication is essential for how people experienced presence. Presence can create an interface that takes place between caregivers and care receivers in the caring relationship. In order to meet, time, physical and mental presence is required. Touch affects humans and thus caring. To look at the invisible that is happening in the light of presence, can provide insight to caregivers, which can be used in daily nursing care, in meetings with the care receivers.

Syftet studiens syfte var att belysa vilken betydelse fysisk beröring har för unga personer med bristande hälsa. Metoden var en litteraturstudie i form av en forskningsöversikt där 15 vetenskapliga artiklars resultatdelar analyserades. Resultatet Av analysen framkom fyra teman: Tillfrisknande, Stärkande av välbefinnande, Relationsskapande och Det svåra mötet, vilka redovisades som resultat. Diskussionen utgick från analysfynden, som ställdes mot en teoretisk referensram, byggd på psykoanalytikern Erik H Erikssons utvecklingsteorier. Slutsatser Beröringens betydelse innebar att unga i sin utveckling kan bli hjälpta att övervinna splittring i sin identitet genom att tillfriskna från ett liv av ohälsa och få ett liv med stärkt välbefinnande. Beröring kan även stärka den ungas självkänsla, självmedvetenhet och identitet då den hjälper den unga att hitta en positiv relation till sig själva och skapa samspel med sin omgivning. Unga personer som saknar grundläggande trohet till andra har svårt att ta emot beröring. Beröringen visar sig dock ha betydelsen att, då den ges på rätt sätt, kunna ge grundläggande trohet och välbefinnande i livet. / The aim of the study was to elucidate the meaning of physical touch for young people with lack of health. The method was a literature overview where the results of fifteen scientific articles were analysed. The result four themes emerged from the result: regain health, wellbeing, bonding relationships, and difficult encounters. The discussion was based on findings and Erik H Eriksson theory. Conclusions The meaning of touch was that youngsters in their development and their quest for identity could be helped to overcome the fragmentation of their identity by recovering from a life of illness and gain a life with enhanced wellbeing. Touch can also strengthening the sense of themselves, self-esteem and identity by building positive relationship with themselves and others. Young people who lack basic trust to people in their surroundings experience difficulties to embrace touch. The meaning of touch, when used correctly, had the ability to create basic allegiance and wellbeing.

Bakgrund: Att beröra någon annan ger känslor och känslouttryck hos både individen som utför handlingen och mottagaren. Mellanmänsklig beröring är ett uttryck för kärlek eller tillgivenhet inom familjer och även i andra miljöer. I kliniska sammanhang är beröring viktigt p.g.a. den lugnande effekt och emotionella påverkan som sker. Att lägga handen på någon som lider kan skapa trygghet. Inom omvårdnad är beröring det viktigaste av alla icke-verbala beteenden. Beröring lugnar, tryggar, ger värme och stimulerar patienten. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva patienters och sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av expressiv beröring. Metod: Litteraturöversikt innehållande 10 vetenskapliga artiklar varav nio kvalitativa och en kvantitativ. Artiklar söktes i databaserna CINAHL, MEDLINE samt manuell sökning i Google scholar. Resultat: Beröring var ett centralt behov för patienter. Vid beröring kände de sig sedda som individer. Sjuksköterskorna hade ett behov av att beröra patienter och att bli berörda. Sjuksköterskor använde beröring för att anknyta emotionellt. Sjuksköterskor och patienter hade behov av att beröra och att bli berörda på ett sätt som passade dem och beröringen gjorde att patienterna och sjuksköterskorna fick en samhörighet på ett djupare existentiellt plan. Det fanns skillnader i hur kvinnor och män uppfattade beröring. En god relation var avgörande för hur beröringen uppfattades. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskorna ser expressiv beröring som något positivt medan patienternas uppfattningar varierar stort. Relationen med sjuksköterskan som utför beröringen är avgörande för hur beröringen uppfattas. Detta visar på nödvändigheten i att stämma av med patienten vid fysisk kontakt och att anpassa beröringen individuellt. Klinisk betydelse: Att vara medveten om hur beröring används gör att sjuksköterskor kan skapa goda vårdrelationer från första ögonblicket och snabbt undvika missförstånd. / Background: Touching provides emotional expression to both parties involved. Human touch is an expression of love or affection within families and other environments. Expressive touch in a clinical context is important due to its calming and emotional effect. Laying a hand on a suffering individual can provide comfort. Touch is the most important non-verbal behavior in caring. Touching calms comforts and stimulates the patient. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe patient´s and nurse´s experiences of expressive touch. Method: A literature review of 10 scientific articles consisting of nine was qualitative and one was quantitative. Articles were found using the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE and manually searched in Google scholar. Result: Touch was a central need for patients. When they were touched, they felt that they were seen as individuals. Nurses also had the need to touch and to be touched by the patients. Nurses used touch to connect emotionally with patients. The touch made nurse´s and patient´s feel solidarity on a deeper existential level. There was a difference in perceptions of touch between men and women. A good nurse patient relationship was crucial to how the touch was perceived. Conclusion: The nurses see expressive touch as something positive whilst the patient's perceptions vary. The nurse patient relationship is crucial to how the touch is perceived. This shows the necessity of checking with the patient while engaging in physical contact and to adapt the touch to the individual. Clinical significance: Being aware of how expressive touch should be used enables nurses to establish good nurse patient relationships and quickly avoid misinterpretations.

The visual cortex of human observers changes its functionality in response to visual deprivation (Boroojerdi et al., 2000). Behavioral studies have recently documented enhanced tactile abilities following a short period of visual deprivation (Facchini & Aglioti, 2003; Weisser, Stilla, Peltier, Hu, & Sathian, 2005). The current study investigated the effects of visual deprivation on two unique tactile tasks. While Facchini and Aglioti observed significant effects of visual deprivation, neither Wong, Hackeman, Hurd, and Goldreich (2011) nor Merabet et al. (2008) observed these effects. Corroborating these more recent results, no difference in grating orientation discrimination performance was observed between the sighted and visually deprived participants in the first experiment. A significant effect of experience was seen in both groups, however, irrespective of the deprivation period of 90 minutes. The second experiment immediately followed the conclusion of the first experiment. Using the same stimuli and procedures from past experiments (Norman, Clayton, Norman, & Crabtree, 2008), it investigated the participants’ haptic discrimination of 3-dimensional object shape. Again, no significant difference in performance was found between the sighted and visually deprived participants. Together, the current results show that a brief period of visual deprivation (1.5 hours) produces no significant behavioral changes for these tactile and haptic tasks.

Horizontal displays, such as tabletop systems, are emerging as the de facto platform for engaging participants in collaborative tasks. Despite significant efforts in improving the interactivity of information on such systems, very little research has been invested in understanding how groups of people view data visualizations in such environments. Numerous studies introduced different techniques to support viewing visualization for groups of people, such as duplicating or reorienting the visual displays. However, when visualizations compete for pixels on the display, prior solutions do not work effectively. In this thesis, I explore whether orientation on horizontal displays impacts the legibility of simple visualizations such as graphs. I have found that users are best at reading a graph when it is right side up, and takes them 20% less time than when it is read upside down. The main objective of this thesis was to investigate whether the readability and understandability of simple graphs can be improved. I have introduced the Orientation Agnostic Graph (OA-Graph) which is legible regardless of orientation. The OA-Graph uses a radial layout which has several interesting properties such as implicit orientation, points equidistant to center, and flexible rearrangement. OA-Graphs perform better than graphs that are presented upside down. I have converted several popular types of graphs into their OA counterpart for improved legibility on tabletop systems. Guidelines are presented that describe how other visualizations can be converted to being orientation agnostic.