Archive for November, 2009

DavisTUI: Progress Report 3

November 30th, 2009

Native screen of our DavisTUI application

With regards to the Word objects, which are essentially ScatterViewItems displayed on the native screen, I finally decided to display each word (e.g. “Baroque”, “Renaissance”) using a String datatype, rather than a SurfaceButton or Label data structure. This design choice was made primarily because String datatype was the simplest to implement and sufficient for our purposes. Although conveniently equipped with contact event handlers, the priorly used SurfaceButton data structure had a toggle-like appearance on contact and consequently could not be moved across the ScatterView. Labels were also more complex than Strings than required for the purposes of our Word object.

The grid of thumbnails appears when the user makes contact with a Word object.

Thumbnails appears when the user touches a Word object.

From there, I implemented the Contact Down event handler for the Word object, which gives the appearance of generating a selection of artworks about which to learn more. Rather, the event handler replaces the String in the ScatterView Item with a Grid object. The grid is populated with the word originally presented in the form of a String and, additionally, with the thumbnails of related artwork surrounding the word. For the purposes of the prototype demonstration to take place tomorrow in class, I used canned images for each of the thumbnails.

Towards enhancing the look and feel of our application, I also found a great background — a beautiful blue and black gradient that is darker along the edges. I am happy to report that, at this point, we have achieved high fidelity in the of the look and feel of our native screen!

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DavisTUI: Progress Report 2

November 24th, 2009

As I set back to work on the SurfaceWindow1 file, I debated whether I should use Labels or SurfaceButtons to display the content of each Word object. I decided to use SurfaceButtons, because I knew I could rely on there being built-in the Contact Down, Changed, and Up events.

I also contemplated what the best way to populate thumbnails around each Word would be. Playing around with each of the built-in Microsoft Surface applications, I finally discovered Element Menus, which had a sleek and sexy look and feel. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to figure out how customize each menu in a way that was helpful to our project, so I instead decided to use Grid objects to display the appropriate artwork thumbnails surrounding each word.

I had some difficulty making the Grid object appear. I ran many tests on the Grid generating function, as well as the event handler for Contact Down. At some point, I could make the cell dividers from inside the Grids appear independently. But I eventually realized that the issue was with updating the width and height of the ScatterViewItem containing the Grid to those of the Grid itself.

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Reflections on Visions of Invisible Computing

November 23rd, 2009

A truly remarkable computing interface is one that is invisible. Even today, computer demand a focus of attention from users. Mark Weiser presents in his paper “The Computer for the 21st Century” a paradigm that pushes computers into the background of our daily physical environment. In the 90’s his team at the Palo Alto Research Center (Xerox) implemented a variety of computational devices including Tabs, Pads, and Boards and the infrastructure that allows these technologies to communicate with each other. These inch-scale tabs and paper-sized pads could be spread across the surface of a physical desktop, but they had the ability to store many more times the information than traditional Post-its and 8×11 paper. He envisioned dozens or hundreds of these interfaces embedded in our homes, cars, and offices, made invisible by our dependency on them to perform specific tasks and organize and present information in our daily routine.

In their paper “Tangible Bits: Towards Seamless Interactions Between People, Bits, and Atoms,” Hiroshi Ishii and Brygg Ullmer also strive to move beyond the dominant model of GUI strapped to computing via flat rectangular display, keyboard, and mouse. The main tenet of their research is that only tangible user interfaces (TUI) can make computing truly ubiquitous and invisible. Unlike Weiser’s model to embed new digital technology in our lives, this paper strives to enhance the physical objects in our current world (both analog and digital) through digital technology. For example, the Media Lab at MIT has enhanced the map-viewing experience through graspable map scaling and rotation devices.

I am part of a team that is using the Microsoft Surface to enhance museum learning and visitor experience at Wellesley College’s Davis Museum and Cultural Center. Through a natural set of gestural and token-based interactions with the surface, visitors can explore and generate interest in key pieces in the museum’s art collection and begin to think critically about the art and their awaited museum experience. At the end of their experience, they are invited to become part of a community of art explorers and interpreters by contributing their thoughts and interpretations to a dynamic “guestbook.” Our DavisTUI interface, to be placed at the center of seating clusters across the Davis Museum lobby, serves as a physical and metaphorical center for a naturally formed community of visitors. Seated in comfortable chairs around this enhanced “coffee table”, the visitors’ interactions with the surface will be candid and inspiring like the museum experience. We believe that DavisTUI has the potential to be a great contribution to the world of ubiquitous computing and novel HCI.

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DavisTUI: Progress Report 1

November 20th, 2009

Today we began the first phase of the implementation of our DavisTUI application. I defined the basic information architecture and implemented several functions of the Word class, which defines Word objects with which users interact to see the associated artwork.

I also defined the basic informational architecture of the Art class, which defines Art objects that will display artworks chosen by the museum curator. These are the primary objects with which users interact to enhance their museum learning.

In the SurfaceWindow1.cs file, I implemented functions that populate the Word objects. I also generally implemented the look and feel of the native screen by generating ScatterViewItems on the ScatterView.

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DavisTUI: Use Scenario & Visual Design

November 16th, 2009

USE SCENARIOS

WHO

The system may be used by any visitor to the Davis Museum. This incorporates a wide range of demographics, including children, students, faculty/staff, and visitors to the college. As such, there is a wide range of ages and potential occupations to account for. Additionally, we will want the user interface to be as intuitive and relatable to real life as possible, because there may be a wide gap in computer skills and comfort with technology.

WHAT

The system has four main functions: the user can choose to search the collection by different criteria. They can choose an individual work to look at, and can respond to prompts about the piece or see responses by other visitors to the piece. Notably, they can move pieces across the screen to share them with other users.

HOW

Choose certain criteria by which to search the collection
In its native state, there is a “word cloud” in the center of the Surface which displays the themes by which the works are sorted in the collection. To change the way in which these works are being sorted, the user will pick up a token and place it on the surface, at which point the word cloud will change to reflect the search and its results. The tokens will represent groupings such as time periods, place of origin, medium, etc.
Choose artwork to look at
From the word cloud, the user will drag the word of interest to their “space.” After holding their finger still for a moment, the related images will populate around it, and using their other finger they can “drag” the image of interest out of the cloud, at which point it will act as an independent object on the Surface. After dragging out as many works as the user desires, the user will release the word and it will return to its position in the cloud.

Alternatively, if you have already visited a piece and picked up its corresponding postcard, placing the postcard on the Surface is tantamount to having pulled out its digital version.
Respond to prompts associated with the artwork
When the visitor touches an isolated piece which has previously been chosen from the cloud, a “speech bubble” will populate from the work with a prompt for the user to respond to. Depending on the prompt, the user will be invited to either “draw” on the painting itself, or on the speech bubble, below where the text appears. Using the eraser tool, they can correct their response at any time during the interaction. In order to invite others to respond to the same prompt, the user can either flick the piece in their direction or create duplicate speech bubbles which others can interact with.

If the user is interacting with a postcard version of a piece, pressing down on the postcard will cause the speech bubble to appear to the right of the postcard, and all of the other interactions will take place as above. Notably, you are limited from painting on the postcard, so the system will determine whether or not it is a postcard and will adjust the prompts accordingly.
See responses of other visitors to the artwork
On the speech bubbles, there will also be an icon in the corner depicting three people in a group. Upon pressing that icon, other peoples’ responses will branch out from the speech bubble, which the user can enlarge individually.

WHERE

The Surfaces will be positioned in the lobby by the entrance to the gallery, so that users are invited to interact with them while preparing to enter the gallery as well as preparing to leave.

WHY

Currently the museum has problems with (1) attracting visitors, (2) providing information about the work’s location and its context, (3) engaging visitors in critical thinking over the course of their museum visit, and (4) encouraging contemplation and sharing about their experience after their visit. By placing Surfaces invitingly in the lobby, where users shape their first impressions about the museum and its collections, as well as where they must pass through to enter and exit, the visitors will be engaged by the Surfaces even before they view the galleries, and will be encouraged to reflect on them afterwards.

VISUAL DESIGN

Spatial Layout
Untitled1

Tokens
Untitled2

STORYBOARD (and VISUAL DESIGN cont’d)

Choose certain criteria by which to search the collection:

In its native state, there is a “word cloud” in the center of the Surface which displays the themes by which the artworks are sorted in the collection. To change the way in which these works are being sorted, the user will pick up a token and place it on the surface, at which point the word cloud will change to reflect the search and its results. The tokens will represent groupings such as time periods, place of origin, medium, etc.
Choose artwork to look at:

From the word cloud, the user will drag the word of interest to their “space.” After holding their finger still for a moment, the related images will populate around it, and using their other finger they can “drag” the image of interest out of the cloud, at which point it will act as an independent object on the Surface. After dragging out as many works as the user desires, the user will release the word and it will return to its position in the cloud.
Respond to prompts associated with the artwork:

When the visitor touches an isolated artwork which has previously been chosen from the cloud, a “speech bubble” will populate from the work with a prompt for the user to respond to. Depending on the prompt, the user will be invited to either “draw” on the painting itself, or on the speech bubble, below where the text appears. Using the eraser tool, they can correct their response at any time during the interaction. In order to invite others to respond to the same prompt, the user can either flick the piece in their direction or create duplicate speech bubbles which others can interact with.
See responses of other visitors to the artwork:

On the speech bubbles, there will also be an icon in the corner depicting three people in a group. Upon pressing that icon, other peoples’ responses will branch out from the speech bubble, which the user can enlarge individually.