Data Organization - Housing

I've spent some time browsing for houses lately.  I would eventually like to own a home.  While searching for houses I know there are certain points that I will need to be close to. My husband's job, my job and perhaps a friend or family member.  I can't help but think that this is a very common need and that the housing or real estate sites should include this as an option. It should be fairly simple to add in points of personal interest and then create a search that includes a proximity search as well as all the other price, size, amenities type qualifications.  I realize that it is possible to do a search of an area code or even of a specific address, but it would be nice to have the data automatically triangulate some points and realize that you don't want to live south of point A if point B is to the north. (See rudimentary diagram below)

website header video

This site has a really interesting use of video on it.  Typically I'm slightly bothered by video that plays on a website since I want to be the person in control and have the option to press play instead of it just talking at me.  But this video automatically plays in an unobtrusive but interesting way.  They hold the frame so still that it seems to be a typical website header, but there is actually movement within the cropped frame.  An innovative use of video that adds a little pop to the page without being terribly distracting.

Step it UP

Saw this link to workout tech, gadgets that monitor your movement and exercise and graph it online.  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/technology/personaltech/17pogue.html?_r=1&nl=technology&emc=techupdateema1  Made me think of the "Step it Up" project.  These still aren't geared towards kids like that one is.  I think the idea of getting points or helping set goals is a good one.  I've found that product design for adults tries to keep away from "childish" things like that, but I think adults respond to that type of thing almost as well as children do if it's positioned right.

Mayer, R.E. (Ed.) (2005). Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. New York: Cambridge. [Chapter 33]

Annotated Bibliography

In chapter 33 of Mayer's book there is a discussion of games, microworlds, and simulations. In a simulation, interaction is design or teacher directed.  The author discusses the challenge of designing simulations to best show what the underlying model is.  Simulations are built on a set of principles or rules and the learner interacts with the simulation within the confines of those rules.  To address this problem and to direct learners’ attention appropriately, sometimes a gaming aspect is introduced to a simulation where there is a goal that needs to be reached.  However, some studies have shown a disadvantage to games in that learners become so preoccupied with achieving a goal they do not focus on learning a task.  The author also discussed the impact of having students create games as a learning task for the creators as well as the game players.  In a microworld interaction can be directed by the learner.  The author suggests three goals are common to all microworlds, they offer a way to explore concepts and principles that underly complex system, they focus on qualitative understanding and they try to reduce the difference between learning and doing science.  Finally the author discusses the idea of design research as a method of study for these instructional formats.

My Thoughts

The difference between these types of interaction design seems to be a bit hazy.  It is clear that these are identifiable, however a simulation could have a gaming component and microworlds could have simulations etc.  The author actually discusses the benefits of each which would make it logical to assume that there would be advantages to further blurring the lines between these types of interaction and choosing to use each one when it is appropriate for the learning situation. 

In EEMIO we have made what seems to lean towards the label of a microworld with a lot of gaming components.  By adding the physical element there are aspects of a simulation involved or even a virtual world.  It seems best to use the appropriate elements for the learning situation instead of trying to classify or limit the design to one form or another.

Adrienne's Inventions: Electric Business Cards

Idea:
At conventions there are large amounts of people going to large amounts of booths collecting information and leaving their own.  It would all be so much easier if everyone was issued a digital business card that you could just tap at the booth.  You would be able to give them your contact information if you wish, without writing it all out.  They could send you information automatically.  This would eliminate the piles of papers and brochures, saving trees, money and energy.  The interface could be something very user friendly where you type in your ID or log in at the end of or during the conference to access all the brochures/flyers you requested.  You could then star your favorites or mark them for follow up and even comment along with other convention participants or make connections with people so you could meet in person while the convention is still going on.  The people at the booths could create some interesting or interactive online brochures.  The cards could also serve as networking devices by tapping each other to swap contact information with people you are chatting with.  No more messy piles of business cards.  All the contact information could be instantly put into personal databases where they could be pulled into places like your e-mail contacts list (in a specific convention contacts list) or into things like LinkedIn.  RFID technology could work well in this case.   The largest difficulty would be ensuring information privacy and that it was only exchanged at will.

Why We Play Games - Nicole Lazzaro

Annotated Bibilography
In the article, Why We Play Games, the author points out four areas that they believe are important to emotion in game play. These are Hard Fun,  the opportunity to overcome a challenge. Easy Fun, an adventure or something that can hold attention in an enjoyable way. Altered States, the feeling that people get from playing games including distraction from other thoughts and positive sensations. Also The People Factor, is an element that allows for interaction and camaraderie or shared experiences in game play.

My Thoughts
In games, people aren't afraid to fail, in fact they welcome some amount of failure.  In learning it seems that failure can quickly turn people away from the activity.  I wonder if it has something to do with the set up of expectations.  Perhaps in learning failure should be set up as part of the process as opposed to a negative thing.  I have had teachers who encourage failure because it means that a student is trying new things and on the path to finding the right answer.  It seemed much more productive than punishing a failure.  I wonder if there are any studies on encouraged mistakes or positive association with failure in learning.
With games, I've encountered many kids and the study mentions it as well.  There are people who like to just watch other people playing games.  I wonder what is behind that and whether we could take advantage of this for education.  One study showed that out of two people completing an educational language software the one watching learned more than the one playing the game.

Digital Acting By George Maestri 2001

Annotated Bibliography
 In this article, the author talks about creating characters that evoke empathy.  This means that an animator, no matter their medium, needs to be able to understand some of the principles of acting.  Creating empathy for a character can draw an audience in.  One principle that Maestri discussed was the idea of giving a character purpose for every movement.  The purpose can be focused on an object or an idea, but when character's lose focus that's when performances become muddy.

My Thoughts
Can this link back to the article on emotion and design?  Can you create empathy through a design concept?  It seems like some of these principles could sort of cross over.  Everything in an interaction should have a purpose and it's much better to be clear and have an objective for each element in a design.
This seems a bit cut and dry.  The example of the dog looking at the bowl or looking at the cat, seems too cartoonish.  The author says the dog would just be staring into space if he were at 50% focus on each, but it just seems cheap to have the character looking one way then the other.  I don't think people's focus is really always 100% on things and I think that can be played out on screen by a skilled actor or artist and it would make the performance more nuanced.

Interactive Advertising

I saw this advertisement for scrubbing bubbles, but I thought it did an exceptional job of teaching and providing interaction.  If your mouse moved across the ad, the scrubber followed and 'washed away' some of the grime.  It invites you to interact by having you unknowingly complete something at first, then because this is different than a typical ad you are compelled to try again to see if your mouse is really controlling the scrubber.  When you see that it is, those among us who are the least bit OCD will try to clean off the whole thing.  When you realize that the corners won't get clean you feel mild frustration, echoed by the ad copy that appears.  "What about the corners?" Yeah, what about them?  Apparently scrubbing bubbles will clean them for you.  This seemed like a particularly good example because it engages the user, then brings them to a point of mild conflict which focuses attention on a particular point.  Then, the interaction provides the soloution or resolution to that conflict.  It really makes it stick in your mind.  Using this type of scenario for general educational applications could also work well.

Playing By Ear-from Game Developer Magazine

Annotated Bibliography
The idea behind "Playing By Ear" is to create a video game for blind people. One that can be played completely by listening for audio cues. The author details ideas such as creating halls that emit sound or 3-D audio that gives you a sense of where something is in space. There are certainly challenges to creating a game like this, but in the end some of the features can make game play accessible for non-sighted people and improve game play for those with sight.

My Thoughts
This is an interesting idea, but it makes me wonder what conditions the game could be played in. It would seem to lend itself to a mobile device like an MP3 player, but since you have to be able to hear nuances in sound you wouldn't want the noise of traffic or a train interrupting the game. I wonder if this might lower the age range of gamers. Young children could play the game without having to read. Also, I know that a large majority of legally blind people have some sight or light sensitivity, which is why you often see blind people wearing sunglasses, but not enough that they are able to make out anything with details. I wonder if you could add a more basic sight aspect to the game, something with large blocks of black or white or something like that that gives visual cues. This is also a large concern with website design. Designing for accessibility may soon become a law for large corporate websites.

Raymond Scott Article

Raymond Scott was the father of electronic music, whose ideas about how to create and compose using machines was far ahead of his time. His story is an important one to remember for interaction and education designers. Many people will try to think within the confines of technology, forgetting that it changes so rapidly that what might be no more than an idea today could be tomorrow's standard. It's important to remember not to limit yourself, because surely there is someone out there who can or is creating the perfect technology just waiting for your idea to help it break out. Sort of like a killer app. One of the best exhibits where I work is the markerless motion capture pods. Markerless motion capture is something that only barely existed when we started to design the exhibits but it's breaking out more and more into mainstream applications now. Raymond Scott is an excellent example of someone who didn't constrain his ideas with reality.

Panwapa Review

In Panwapa world a user encounters a home screen with various characters calling for you to come play their game. The site is geared for a wide age range of children from about 5-7 years old. The goal is to introduce children to knowledge about the world and different cultures.

Overall, the site is visually engaging with bright colors and characters, but lacks some depth. Many of the areas that I would expect to be able to click are not active on the home page and in the visitor area. For example, one of the sheep characters on the main screen speaks, but there is no active area near the character. The characters seem visually and personally engaging and the activities are also superficially engaging but it seems like their execution could be improved upon. Another thing the site does to its detriment, is require reading for navigation. So children who can’t read can’t navigate back to the “main” page. Even as an adult, “main” is not a typical Internet term. They could have put an arrow symbol that would have been more effective for children and the adults who might be using the program with them.


Two activities in Panwapa were the video activity and the hide and seek activity.

Video Activity Review
In the video activity, children view a short video on a particular topic and then they are asked to watch it again, this time looking out for places where something in particular happens. When this thing happens they are asked to press a button to identify the instance. For example one that I watched had Navajos bringing water to their farm and the bug asked you to click when you saw water, which is an example of gathering information and scanning for clues. The video itself seemed educational, they clearly presented the challenge of getting water to a farm in the desert. However the subsequent activities didn’t seem to support that learning. Interrupting the flow of the video to click a button and hear the bug say something seemed illogical. Especially when the child is just identifying water. That wasn’t the educational point of the video. I’m pretty sure kids are able to identify water pretty well by the time they are able to interact at this level. The questions afterward pertained to how people around the world get their water, and the user is asked to identify where the water they drink comes from AKA question posing. Afterwards they are presented with a bar graph that seems a little advanced if the user is just barely at the level of identifying water on sight. The learning level of the activities seems inconsistent.

Hide and Seek Activity Review
In the language/hide and seek activity one of the first things a child is asked to do is to select the language they want to play in. These are all written down with no visual or audio cues. They could easily have pronounced the language upon rollover to let children make independent choices here. I would have to do research on language acquisition, but on instinct I feel like the penguin character might have been a poor choice for language learning. I assume one of the ways people learn new words is by looking at someone’s face and watching how their tongue and lips move. Simply hearing a word in a totally unfamiliar language doesn’t give much structure or scaffolding. In this case it may have been helpful to write the word so that an adult who is assisting the child could have attempted to pronounce the word and help the child with pronunciation. Aside from language learning, the hide and seek game changed the active objects each time. This was slightly confusing since there was no reason why the penguin couldn’t be hiding behind the books one time and could be there in the next round. I would say that this involved the ability to explore or perhaps interpret data and select from multiple solutions, but really I doubt if many kids get that much out of this activity. I’d have to see someone interact.

Chapter 14 Multimedia Learning- Richard Mayer

Annotated Bibliography

In this chapter on the Guided Discovery Principle, De Jong and Mayer discuss the different situations where learners can gain knowledge from simulations. They find that in general, learners do better when discovery learning includes some guidance or direction from an instructor or program, but that the type of guidance and the amount shifts depending on how much prior knowledge a student has and their particular learning styles.


My Thoughts

It seems that everything I read about teaching students and cognition find that some things work for fairly specific groups of students and anything falling outside of that either doesn't allow for learning or even hinders the learning process. My ultimate dream is to create a sort of knowledge and learning management system that has subtle abilities to present information in the correct way depending upon the learner. This would be a unified program that teachers and students used throughout their school careers, so the system would be learning about what the student understands, the student's learning style etc. In order to present information in the optimal way. This wouldn't replace teachers, just allow for a more personalized education. I wonder if there's a risk in creating this type of thing though. When students go outside the system perhaps, to use a metaphor they'll have been favoring their right leg so much that their left leg would have atrophied. Their skills would have been strengthened but their weaknesses wouldn't have been enhanced so work in the real world might be extra difficult. The other possibility is that the system can now serve students that might have previously dropped out and that everyone is learning more deeply and better and they're better able to apply that knowledge to the real world.

Dust or Magic

Annotated Bibliography
In Child Development for the Developers of Interactive Media, the authors outline the specific learning levels of children and the basic learning theories. He outlines behaviorism, constructivism social learning theory and social constructivism, giving examples of software models that draw upon each theory, such as linear scripted software with external rewards for the behaviorist perspective that assumes a basic stimuli and response framework. The article also specifies the abilities of children in each age range so that designers know what to expect children to be able to do. Finally the article provides an outline of aspects that can be used to evaluate software and it’s effectiveness for use with children.

My Thoughts
The article says that a designer should ensure “initial success within the first 10 to 20 seconds of play” do they mean just the ability to log-in or do something right? I would disagree with the idea of success coming too easily. Kids are well aware of false encouragement, so if success is to be rewarded, especially for older children, it should be a real accomplishment, otherwise it will seem fake or superficial.
They discuss young children using the mouse. It's certainly true that for children 3 and under, using the keyboard is much easier. I haven't seen any web navigation that uses the keyboard. But that could be a good thing to build in. I've seen games that use the keyboard and they're very effective for preschoolers.

The Effect of Positive Emotions on Multimedia Learning

Annotated Bibliography
In this article, the impact of graphic design on emotion and the effect of emotion and design on learning was explored. The subjects were placed into groups where either positive or neutral emotion was induced and then they either viewed an instructional media piece about immunization presented in black and white with no extra aesthetic modifications, or they viewed a more graphically appealing colored version with anthropomorphized parts. They were then tested to see whether there was any impact on their affect depending on which version they saw and whether positive emotions promoted knowledge. The results indicated that the group with the more colorful, aesthetic design and anthropomorphized characters had an increased level of positive emotion. The transfer test showed marginally significant results for greater knowledge transfer in positive emotional states but no effect for the difference in graphic design.

My Thoughts
I wonder if perhaps the positive emotions that were induced by the good graphic design had to do with just the anthropomorphizing of some of the items in the instruction. It seems that seeing something cute or entertaining could be the cause of positive emotional response. Then again, there is probably a reason people like good design, in general, I’m sure it makes them feel good. Positive emotions connection to learning still seems tenuous at best, though I don’t doubt that emotions have an impact on learning in general, but since they’re so complex it doesn’t seem like things can really be reduced to saying people who are happy learn more easily, though if it works in practice and isn’t necessarily how it functions, people will still use it as a principle.

Educational Games Don't Have to Stink - Ernest Adams

Annotated Bibliography
In this article the author talks about the difference between his experiences learning in a classroom and learning via computer. He believes that "the idea that you can teach using computer games is based on a flawed analogy between gameplay and learning." He argues that using gaming encourages users to forget what they've learned once they've accomplished the goals of the game, while learning should be about retaining information. He also argues that games teach too linearly to allow quality learning to take place.

My Thoughts
While the authors arguments are valid based on the arguments he presents, he doesn't seem to consider the possibility of creating games that aren't linear or that require you to retain knowledge and use it again and apply it multiple times to reinforce the learning. Basically I believe that games for learning can be created that use the positive motivational aspects of gaming along with well known strategies for education so that a student enjoys what they are doing and is able to apply what they've enjoyed learning in the world.

Fun Motivation

I like the idea of motivating people to do things by making them fun. This is a pretty brilliant advertising campaign by VW www.thefuntheory.com . Looks like it's mostly been deployed in Europe, they get all the creative adds. I would love to do something like the piano in one of the really long stairways in the subway in NYC. I also read something recently about how simple signs can motivate people to take the stairs. Something about posting signs at the "point of decision" directing people towards the stairs and talking about the benefits. I wonder if a similar program could be created for a computer, something that motivates students to study or do homework instead of going onto facebook. I'd use that! Some sort of reward for the length of time you manage to stay away from your vice sites. I know there are programs that will lock you out of certain sites, but this way would be more fun.

The Interview - 55 word story

He smiled, remembering the tingle of her lips on his skin the night before. Gave a slight shake to focus himself. “Hello sir! Yes I’m definitely qualified.” Surprised - “You don’t think I’m the man for the job?” Dejectedly walking past a mirror he sees the bright red hickey that must have greeted his interviewer.

Affective Aspects-Sharp (From "Interaction Design- beyond human-computer interaction)

This chapter discusses the affective or emotional aspects of design. It discusses the various places users encounter messages that can be designed in ways to minimize user unhappiness or frustration. One of the examples mentioned is the use of the 'men at work' sign for websites under construction. The author says the use of this is gimmicky and increases user frustration. I have never experienced that feeling in relation to that particular message. To me it's just an icon, communicating to me that the website is not yet complete. The author also talks about error messages, and how good error messages provide a clear solution or next step to the problem. One good affective error message in common use is the "Fail Whale" on Twitter. It pops up when too many users are on the system and it can't function. The picture is of a whale with birds trying to lift it. Some people almost enjoy getting a "fail whale" as long as it doesn't happen too often. It is cutesy, but I've never heard any complaints about it. In fact it makes things more anticipated and exciting because usually when the system is overburdened like that, it means there is something going on in the twitter community and you get excited to hear the news. There is also the "Blue Screen of Death" that every computer user fears. Definitely an affective response.
The author says that anthropomorphism in design contributes to affect and discusses Norman's theories of emotional design. According to Norman's model people are more likely to be creative and overlook faulty details when they're happy. They are more likely to nitpick if they are unhappy. Does this mean that when you want people to pay attention to details, such as in a classroom or work setting they should be made unhappy? That doesn't seem quite right.

The author claims that creating software with an adaptive approach to people's emotions is impossible since they shift so rapidly. I disagree, actually that is one of my recent interaction ideas. To create a program that responds to people's emotions and changes based on that input. The science of facial expression and heart rate monitoring could certainly be combined to detect at least strong emotions and an interface could respond accordingly. For example, a music player could provide up tempo or soft music depending on the user's mood.

Norman's emotional model includes visceral behavioral and reflective levels of emotional design. The author disagrees with Norman's quote "things intended to be used under stressful situations require a lot more care, with much more attention to detail." The author says that equally good design should be provided for pleasurable tasks. I agree with this, however I don't believe the author properly understood Norman. I believe Norman was saying something like more details should be provided for designs where the user will be under stress. More, clear feedback is important in emergency situations. In contrast people don't care as much about the details when they're just having fun, so they don't need to have as much provided. Everything should still be clear and well designed. I can't imagine that Norman would mean what the author interprets.

When discussing the model put forth by Patrick Jordan i. physio-pleasure ii. socio-pleasure iii. psycho-pleasure and iv. ideo-pleasure (cognitive) the author says that it might be appropriate to take all of these into account when designing for one group, such as cell phones for teens, and take only some when into account for others, such as landline phones for operators. It seems like this is the same thing Norman said earlier about paying more or less attention to certain details, but now the author is contradicting their earlier statement. Why shouldn't call center people have well designed and positive affect built into something an operator might have to use every day. Perhaps it would increase productivity and help a company's bottom line.

I use a back of house reservation system at work, called "Vista" this reservation system is unattractive and redundant. Very poorly designed. I know that completing reservations is something everyone in the office dreads being tasked with. I believe if the system were more user friendly the job wouldn't be avoided by so many people.

Good design is important everywhere and good affect can always be helpful, unless it is true that people pay less attention to detail if they're happy. I would like to see some scientific proof of this first.

The Importance of Being Playful - Elena Bodrova and Deborah J. Leong

Annotated Bibliography
In the article "The Importance of Being Playful" Bodrova and Leong argue that allowing and encouraging children to engage in mature play enhances their ability to perform well in the classroom, academically in subjects such as literacy, but also in social engagement and classroom behavior.

My Thoughts
The idea that encouraging mature play happens when children interact with older peers is interesting. There are classrooms that include a mix of 2 or 3 grade levels. I wonder if studies have found results in those classrooms mimic the findings of classrooms where teachers provide support for mature play.

Regarding interaction design, the article supports the notion that providing young children with structured materials or games with rules inhibits learning and growth that could come from mature play. This implies that educational materials created for young children shouldn't have rules, but should be more free form and imaginative. This is something that is not always the easiest to program, so I believe there are more programs that involve rules than not. What would a less structured design look like? Something like a paint program? It seems the real world is much more suited to this type of play since it's easier to manipulate real world objects in novel ways.

Interface Critique - Credit Card Machines

Credit card machines can be found in many public places, including grocery stores, department stores or any retail environment. However, these machines vary drastically in the interaction design despite similar or identical functions depending on the location. Even slight variation in a simple task adds confusion to an everyday act.

The first major difference between credit card transactions is that some stores have customer-controlled machines while others will have staff controlled machines. Restaurants and some stores will have the staff process a credit card. I have been in situations where there is a credit card machine placed in reach of the customer, but the cashier directs you to hand the card to them. Just finding out who controls the card swipe can be a confusing process though the presence of a machine within reach should be a cue.

An example that highlights poor design is when the teller stands next to the “self service” machine, and takes the card from the customer and operates the machine for them, clearly having experienced so much customer confusion so frequently, that the teller simply defaults to doing the action themselves.

Once the confusion of who is actually going to process the transaction has been cleared up a user must figure out how to operate the machine if they are being asked to handle the transaction. Depending on the particular machine and back of house process, this can be simple or complicated. There a few basic steps that most machines use, though I have been places where some steps are skipped and others are seemingly arbitrarily added. The steps include:

1. Swiping the Card
2. Selecting Credit or Debit
3. Approving the total
4. Writing a Signature
5. Getting a Receipt

Step 1: Swiping the Card
This seemingly simple act can be made more or less difficult depending on the design of the machine. Some have excellent intuitive designs, others are clunky. The affordances and mapping here are typically quite good. There is usually a thin slot of some sort that allows for your card to pass through. Most people understand that the machine has to read the black magnetic stripe so they know that the strip should be in the machine. If there is a shallow slot for swiping, then the possibilities are limited to having the stripe face left or right. Some machines give feedback in the form of a tone if the card was swiped correctly, others provide poor feedback by beeping if a card is inserted at all. If the customer is asked to insert a card then there are four possible card positions, although if a machine is designed to accommodate the raised writing in only one way, then it is reduced to a single option, which is the ideal.

Step 2: Selecting Credit or Debit
Most machines allow you to use either a credit or debit card to pay. Ignoring the fact that sometimes people get these two types of cards mixed up since they can look almost exactly the same. There are difficulties with this simple step. At my local grocery store, after you swipe the card, the cashier asks whether you’d like debit or credit even though there are clearly marked buttons on the machine that say Credit and Debit, I don’t know what would happen if I did press them.

Step 3: Approving the Total
Again, it all seems so simple. Are you sure you want to spend x-amount of money for these items? Yes or No? Many machines have a very confusing system of Yes and No buttons plus a separate enter button, plus multifunction buttons. I have been in situations where the screen reads “Do you approve?” and there was a yes and no button, but I was instructed to press “Enter.” At my local grocery store it is now reflexive for at least half of the cashiers to reach over and press the “Enter” button for me. I am familiar with the process, but the word “enter” is rubbed off many of the machines so it’s understandable why the cashiers take initiative. The danger is that they approve a debit that a customer doesn’t want to approve.

Step 4: Writing a Signature
Yes, I learned how to sign my name in 3rd grade, but I look like I’ve regressed to 2nd grade when I sign my name on some of these machines. There is such wide variation between machines that it is difficult to know whether you are expected to sign a paper, sign electronically or not sign at all. Most machines do have a certain degree of mapping when it comes to signatures. If they want an electronic signature there will probably be a stylus somewhere nearby unless it’s been ripped off and lost. There will also be an obvious area where the signature should be placed. Some machines separate this area and some machines have it directly in the main window. The assortment of procedures and the often sluggish response of the handwriting system make for a messy interaction. To add to this I have been places where the signature area is hopelessly scratched up either by pressure from the stylus or from people mistakenly using real pens on a digital surface. The risk in the case of a design that uses the main screen as the area for a signature is that if it becomes scratched, then even when it is in other modes displaying information about actions and totals, the display is unreadable.

Step 5: Getting a Receipt
Some machines will print a receipt for you, sometimes the cashier hands it to you. Sometimes two are handed to you. One you are supposed to sign and the other you are supposed to keep. Depending on the store, the receipts can look identical, although there is a particular one the store is supposed to keep. A good or experienced cashier creates their own affordances by handing you one receipt with a pen and then trading you copies after you have signed.

Good designs do exist. The machines in Target tend to be a good example. Other stores have the credit card machine on top of the counter facing the cashier, which is uncomfortably high to prevent thieves from reaching into the cash drawer, but it also means that people who are average height or lower have to stretch a bit to read the credit card machine. At Target, the machine is on a low counter where you can comfortably/ergonomically look down. The card can be inserted in only one way and the screen tells you what the physical buttons do.

The ideal process would be completely standardized; something like the tap to pay system would make the process effortless, which is what good design accomplishes.

The Design of Everyday Things: Norman- Chapter 2

Annotated Bibliography
In the second chapter of his book, Donald Norman discusses the psychology behind the use of everyday things. He outlines the thought process that most people go through to accomplish a task. He also talks about misconceptions that people can have and the importance of providing a good concept model that clearly shows the actions to be taken. He also says that the object should "provide a physical representation that can be directly perceived and that is directly interpretable in terms of the intentions and expectations of the person."




My Thoughts
My experience with a "gulf of evaluation" was in a "virtual surgery" exhibit. The exhibit has a device called the "Falcon" that provides haptic feedback, so it feels as if the visitor is physically conducting a heart surgery. The device vibrates harshly as you saw through a bone and provides resistance as you cut into the heart. Users hold a knob and manipulate the machine in 3D space. The exhibits were experiencing a very high failure rate because people were being rough with the Falcon device. There was a rubber casing the Falcons were fitted with to protect them. Once we removed this rubber casing, people could see the device and realized that it was a delicate machine and should be handled that way. When the rubber casing was on, they treated it like a joy stick and yanked and pulled quite hard, breaking the machine. By providing a proper view of the device, people's "gaps" were narrowed and most polite people better understood how to use the exhibit, resulting in less breakage.

Chapter 1 "Designing Gestural Interfaces" and "Tap is the New Click" by Dan Saffer

Annotated Bibiliography
In the first chapter of his book, "Designing Gestural Interfaces" and in his "Tap is the New Click" presentation at Stanford, Dan Saffer outlined the conventions for gesture interfaces. He warns designers to use gesture interfaces in appropriate environments and to create a safe space for users. If the desired action requires delicate manipulation then the use of more traditional tools might be appropriate, but if the desired action is more commonplace then gestural interfaces should be intuitive and approachable. People don't want to appear ridiculous waving their hands around in public trying to get something to work, so gestural interfaces have been introduced in more private places like restrooms and the home.
Saffer also discusses how the type of interaction and the type of sensor available have an impact on each other. Sensors can judge, light, pressure, proximity, acoustics, tilt, orientation and motion and the type of action a user takes must of course match those sensors.
Saffer says that good gestural interfaces have some common characteristics, such as being discoverable meaning not so hidden a novice user can't operate it. It should also be trustworthy and attractive. The system should be responsive and provide feedback. It should be appropriate for the culture, situation etc. It should also be meaningful, smart, clever, playful, pleasurable and good.
The author mentions the importance of physical considerations, such as the fact that for touch screens, the hand will block any information that is below a touch point, so interfaces should be designed with this in mind.
Gesture interfaces take a lot from traditional interfaces, but designers must consider additional factors when creating them.

My Thoughts
One point that Saffer makes is that people don't want to feel like idiots and might feel more comfortable using gestural interfaces in the home or more private spaces. Another consideration for using gestural interface in more private spaces is that it prevents accidental triggers. When people are alone they don't tend to gesture as much as when they are out communicating with other people. So an accidental trigger is less likely.
Saffer touches on the idea that the type of sensor is important for the type of interaction. This is VERY important for designers and engineers to communicate on. Recently, when designing a robotics exhibit to teach the idea of programming to children, I experienced a miscommunication where the physical robots did not have the attributes that they were assumed to have. We referred to the robots as "hearing" things when there were no acoustic sensors, it was actually wireless transmission of signals taking place. This caused real confusion when the action of the robots did not perfectly match what people were seeing take place given the script and expectations. I think engineers will work at things and create a desired action, without explaining the more technical details, but when a project gets modified based on certain assumptions, that is when work arounds can cause problems and the importance of matching sensors to actions comes in.
In discussing nuanced gestural interface, the "smile detectors" on some new digital cameras comes to mind. Gestural interfaces could be created based on mood detection and emotional responses. If you're in a good mood, peppy music could automatically play etc.
In his talk, Saffer mentions how fake nails can be awful for touch screens. I wonder if we'll ever get to the point where fake nails are created to be used as a stylus and purposely created and worn for computer interface work.

In this gesture interface situation in a museum I have seen first hand what Saffer is talking about when he says functions like hovering are not good for gestural interface. In this dance motion capture exhibit, people are asked to manipulate a cursor (another thing saffer says to avoid) over a "next" button and hold it there. Visitors have a difficult time doing this and it is not instinctual to hold their hand still in a point in space. They often need assistance with this. It might have been better to design a specific action sequence for the "next" function. Any other ideas on a better option? Perhaps a clear swipe of the arm from side to side?

"What Every Game Developer Needs to Know about Story"-Game Developer Magazine

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In the article "What Every Game Developer Needs to Know about Story" by John Sutherland, the author outlines the basics of classic storytelling and explains how they are applicable to game design. Sutherland emphasized that video games are a type of story not just a toy. He explains that basic story structure includes a hero, inciting incident, a gap between the hero and ordinary life, and then a risk and unexpected reversals that take place. The hero has to overcome difficulties to reach an 'object of desire." Sutherland outlines the types of conflicts which include Internal, Interpersonal and External, and explains that external conflict often happens most naturally in movies and games. He suggests that having writers involved in game design from the beginning is important for overall story structure, not just intermittent dialog.

My Thoughts
The idea of story is something that applies to game design but also to educational design and many other forms of design and creativity. Even when composing a photograph, a good photographer will look at a scene and try to tell a story through an image. Stories are what makes for compelling material, whether it is educational or entertaining. Though it is very important for educational designers to keep in mind, since motivation is often one of the main obstacles that teachers and educators face. If the interaction design provides motivation through a story line, not only will students want to participate, but the hope is that they will learn more deeply because they are able to connect information into a structure or context that allows them to access the information and recall it more readily.
Even in areas like museum design, there should be a story in place, so that all the exhibits are not isolated and disjointed, but flow together to tell a cohesive story that engages visitors. For example, one of the more interesting museum designs that I have heard about recently was in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. where visitors are given an identity card, and they experience the museum through the story of their person, and at the end they find out if they went to a concentration camp or if they survived etc. This really drives home the idea of story within education and museum spaces.

Iconic Autobiography

Here is my iconic autobiography from birth to present.

Donald Norman: The Design of Everyday Things - Chapter 1

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In the first chapter of his book, The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman discusses everyday objects that bring frustration into the user's life. Norman says that when a person is unable to use a simple object then it is the fault of the designer and not of the person, though people have a tendency to blame themselves for not being able to figure out how to operate an object. According to Norman, good design has a few key characteristics, including affordances, good and visible conceptual models, natural mapping and feedback. Affordances are what objects allow to happen naturallyl Conceptual models are how people think an object functions, this should be matched to how it actually functions through design cues. Natural mapping shows the relationship between things and feedback allows people to make adjustments to their actions and see if they are correct. Norman talks about the trade off between visual simplicity and conceptual simplicity using the example of a phone system. At the extremes there could be a button for every function, or there could be just a few buttons that have to be pushed in certain combinations in order to achieve the desired function. Both are confusing and good design finds balance between the two.

My Thoughts
This concept is very important when it comes to education. I watch people try things and call themselves names for being unable to do them whether it's open a drawer or accomplish a more difficult task. People tend to assume it's their fault and that they're dumb or incompetent. When it comes to designing educational software, the hazard in bad design is that by making a student feel incompetent they are less motivated to try again or to have positive associations with a particular subject or even school in general. Good design could have enormous impact on education. The challenge with designing for education it seems is that good design will be different for each person because mental strengths and weaknesses vary. Physical constraints become challenging to incorporate in a virtual environment, but it is not impossible.

Also, there is a door in my office building that I always push instead of pulling. I felt stupid about it every time until I read this. Now I see that the affordances are all wrong and the reason is that the door used to swing in the opposite direction but it was switched when the space was renovated. They just didn't change out the hardware. Now I feel smarter than the door.

Wolfgang Schnotz/Maria Bannert-Construction and interference in learning from multiple representation

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In this article, the authors propose an alternative to Paivio's dual coding theory. They hypothesize the the dual coding theory, which states that people have two channels for information input, is too simplistic and that the type of pictures can have an effect on learning. Their structure mapping hypothesis says that the mere fact that pictures are present along with words does not not mean that learning will be enhanced. Instead, they predict "different effects for different pictures on performance in different tasks" They studied whether The type of pictures that are presented have an impact on the learning task if they are matched or mismatched with the type or structure of the question. The findings showed that the dual coding hypothesis was not completely correct since different pictures showed different effects when combined with various questions or tasks. The author says that the import of this for instructional design is that pictures are not always appropriate tools since different learners have varied needs and can benefit or it can be to their detriment when pictures are included. Also the type of image that is included is very important since again it can aid or hinder learning.

My Thoughts
This research is subjective because the way an image is structured can certainly change learning outcomes, but so can the way a paragraph is structured. I'm not clear on whether or how you would control for the structure of language. I know they used questions in different formats, but it still seems like there is something missing in this experiment. Perhaps what bothers me is that they only meausured whether students got an answer right, not how much time they thought about it. I would be curious to know what the data would look like on the amount of time it took students to answer questions because it may give insight into whether students who got the mismatched images right took more time to think or if they just got the concept as a whole regardless of the images.

It seems bold for cognitive researchers to talk about the path information paths in the brain. That seems like a subject best left to neuroscientists. Though I understand that it is important because it affects the outcomes of cognition.

Schneiderman-Information Visualization

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Schneiderman discusses the types of information visualization and breaks them down into categories based on the number of variables involved and the types of data. These include 1,2,3 and multidimensional data types as well as temporal, network and tree. The author also discusses the main tasks that are involved in data visualization which are Overview, zoom, filter, provide details-on-demand, showing relationships and history and allowing for extraction. Different examples of graphs are shown and the author discusses the purpose and usefulness of each type in different situations. The author says that the advantage of visualization is that humans are well equipped to process visual information. They can use graphs and visualizations to understand relationships between data points at a glance. The author also emphasizes use control when it comes to asking for details and viewing history or undoing history and exporting the information to be used elsewhere. Schneiderman describes some of the challenges of information-visualization. These include how to organize data so that the input is correct, how to combine visual and textual labels, how to allow the user to access deeper or related information, how to view large volumes of data, and how to integrate data mining. Other challenges are how to aid collaboration and achieve usability for a diverse group of users.

My Thoughts

What are excentric labels? They are mentioned on page 598 in the context of mapmakers and user-controlled approaches. Are they like pop up help?

In the context of building exhibits in Sony Wonder Technology Lab (SWTL) an interactive technology museum, information-visualization concepts are very important. The users are diverse not only in age but also in nationality and the educational concepts need to be clearly explained.

In the signal station exhibit, students are supposed to learn what a pixel is. The exhibit automatically uses a call out box to zoom in on a picture to show a pixel. It seems that it might be more effective for the user to zoom in to experience the details for themselves so they are better oriented in space. Although progressive refinement is meant to describe information refinement in this article. Allowing for progressive refinement of the picture zooming into a pixel in this case could teach the lesson more effectively.

Information-vizualization challenges including the question of how to input data makes me think that some form of standardization would greatly benefit science and other fields. There is probably a lot of research that has been done or connections that have been made that have fallen into disuse or been forgotten over time. If there were a standard that allowed information-visualization systems to make connections between discoveries and knowledge from disparate places and even languages we could probably make some great discoveries. I guess you could call it data mining, but the data needs to become more uniform so it can be mined more efficiently.

Design Notes

I was babysitting an 8 year old girl one evening and she wanted to go online to play games. She loved the Polly Pocket and Bratz doll websites. In one of the activities, the visitor is able to choose some objects to decorate a room, one of the choices was a jukebox. She turned to me and asked what it was, since it wasn't labeled. I explained it to her, but I thought it was a great example of icons and cultures. For her, a jukebox was completely unfamiliar. Obviously the designers were adults who didn't think about the fact that most children wouldn't have knowledge of such an object.

Another thing this girl did unprompted, was to create a story for the activity. She knew that the activity involved decorating a room, but she gave it her own context, she decided the character is a hip, trendy, fashionista and was going to have a party. Then she decorated the room based on those qualifications. The girl turned what would have otherwise been a somewhat dull activity into one that had emotional meaning and personality.

This girl was obviously intelligent, but I wonder, would the interaction design have been improved if the user was prompted to make up a background story, or would most children make up their own story without being prompted? Is it better to leave things open ended or provide more guidance/direction in this case?

Hall, S. (1997). Representation, meaning, and language. In S. Hall (Ed.), Representation. Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, pp. 15–

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In his chapter on Representation, meaning and language, Hall discusses three approaches to representation: reflective, intentional, and constructionist. Though the chapter focuses on the constructionist approach, the reflective approach is defined as one where words simply convey meaning already existing in the object or world. This is discarded since, words can also represent things that do not exist, or exist in different states, such as a sheep and a drawing of a sheep. The Intentional approach is explained as being very relativistic, meaning that everyone creates their own meaning and that it is specific to the person. The author makes the argument that this is not an accurate approach because then everyone could speak in their own made up language and expect to be understood.
The constructionist approach is more of a living organic one. The meanings and the words, signs and language evolves through time along with social norms. In this approach, things themselves don't have an inherent word or meaning associated, we ascribe those meanings to different things. The key is that the things can be differentiated, for example different colors or even types of snow. By being able to identify differences between things, we can assign a value however mutable and use that as its meaning.
The linguist Sassure contributed significantly to representation and linguistics. Sassure broke language or "signs" down into two elements, the actual word or photo etc and the concept of the object in your mind. He calls these the signifier and the signified.
My Thoughts
In terms of interaction design, the idea and definition of representation is important because often the only way a designer communicates with a student or end user is through representation and language. It is important to keep in mind that these students might be part of a culture that is different than the designer's which could impact the understanding and ability for students to learn, or for proper communication of material to take place.

Plass, J.L., & Salisbury, M.W. (2002). A living systems design model for web-based knowledge management systems. Educational Technology Research & Dev

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This article outlines the process of creating a knowledge management structure for an organization that is also a living system, in that the users can contribute to the system in order to help it grow and the system itself can analyze the users and adapt in order to accommodate the users needs. This is a function of the organization which has a large contingency of more experienced learners who will soon be leaving for retirement and the organization would like to capture their knowledge and experience so it can be used by the incoming group of workers. The system will be living with an environment with changing conditions, therefore the model used to create the system must be constantly evaluating the environment at each step to determine whether needs are being met. According to the Iterative-prototyping approach to software development, the steps are a nearly linear process of evaluation, establishing the problem space, designing solutions, implementing solutions and final summative evaluation and delivery. (p. 37) This process combined with the Instructional systems design (ISD) approach were combined to create the Living-Systems Approach. The steps of this approach are. Analyze the end-user requirements, design instructional information architecture, develop instructional interaction design, develop instructional information design, implement system design and conduct developmental evaluation (pg. 40). The purpose of this design is to accommodate changing learners and environments in which the final system will live. The article outlines the implementation and use of this method in creating software for a government agency. It concludes that this new design was necessary since the standard ISD process wouldn’t work for a situation with changing needs and evolving design.
My Thoughts
It seems that this type of system will be more in demand as technology progresses. Though the initial investment may be greater, the possibility of having a system in place that can grow and change with the organization is tantalizing. One concern would be that users would stop using it after awhile. Many times resources go unused because people prefer to muddle through on their own, similar to the way people don’t read instructions or ask for directions. Another concern is that a living system will grow, but not necessarily remain trim. The article doesn’t discuss what happens to outdated information or whether it reacts to policy changes that would make certain information on the site obsolete. The danger becomes that the system could grow and become so dense and bogged with information that people quit using it, if it isn’t carefully and clearly organized and accurate. The whole thing very much depends on the situation and the content. This structure works well in this particular case, but it remains to be seen whether it can be generalized to other living system applications, though there doesn’t seem to be any reason why this wouldn’t work.

Horn, R. (1999). Information Design. In Jacobsen, R. (Ed.), Information Design, pp. 15–33. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

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In his article on Information Design, Horn describes how the profession of information design has come to exist. He notes that it is still a growing field that is struggling to define and differentiate itself from the various professions it has grown from. Horn defines Information Design as "the art and science of preparing information so that it can be used by human beings with efficiency and effectiveness." He describes three primary objectives for an information designer. One is to create documents that are easily understood and translated into the correct action, the other is to design interactions with equipment that are instinctive and comfortable. The final objective is to "enable people to find their way... with comfort and ease."
Some of the pioneers in the information design field such as Florence Nightingale and William Playfair were inventors who used graphs to visually display information and make it more comprehensible. Universalists are those that believe a "purely iconic language could substitute in certain situation such as travel for normal spoken language." This is in the hopes of creating a language that could be universally understood, but such languages have yet to catch on except a few symbols in the area of travel.
As the field has evolved, so too has literature on the topic. The literature now includes visual dictionaries, notably one by Thompson and Davenport (1980), instruction manuals, and popular books. Researchers in a variety of fields have contributed knowledge to information design, though they write about it using a variety of terms. Because the field is so "recently self-conscious" Horn says that few information designers are aware of the research being done in their own field.
Horn describes tension between the different groups that contribute to the field of information design. Graphic designers focus on aesthetic, Technical Communicators care about simplicity and comprehensibility. Likewise the Profession itself has some tension with amateurs who can create graphs and charts with the current tools without years of experience and education.
The use of graphics and visual aids is becoming more and more prevalent. Information designers need to build their field and become more self aware in order to continue to develop the field through research and developing shared good practices.
My Thoughts
Emerging fields must reach a point where they coalesce under a unified banner, or even split into a variety of named groups. Is there ever a point where people sit down and create a sort of organizational chart that shows where each field is subsumed and what it is called? Is is better for a field to become more established and organized or does that stifle some of the creations that could come about in the grey areas that are done away with when distinct categories are created?