EcoSonic: Auditory Displays supporting Fuel-Efficient Driving

Hammerschmidt J, Tünnermann R, Hermann T. EcoSonic: Auditory Displays supporting Fuel-Efficient Driving. In: Thomas O, Ebba H, eds. NordiCHI '14 Proceedings of the 8th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Fun, Fast, Foundational. Helsinki, Finland: ACM New York, NY, USA; 2014: 979-982.In this paper, we present our work towards an auditory display that is capable of supporting a fuel-efficient operation of vehicles. We introduce five design approaches for employing the auditory modality for a fuel economy display. Furthermore, we have implemented a novel auditory display based on one of these approaches, foussing on giving feedback on the engine’s optimal rpm range, which is a major factor for eco-driving. Finally, we report on the development of a simple but physically realistic car simulator, which allows for a reproducible evaluation of prototype auditory displays as well as a comparison to state-of-the-art visual fuel efficiency indicators

Beyond the switch: explicit and implicit interaction with light

The commercial introduction of connected lighting that can be integrated with sensors and other devices is opening up new possibilities in creating responsive and intelligent environments. The role of lighting in such systems goes beyond simply functional illumination. In part due to the large and established lighting network, and with the advent of the LED, new types of lighting output are now possible. However, the current approach for controlling such systems is to simply replace the light switch with a somewhat more sophisticated smartphone-based remote control. The focus of this workshop is to explore new ways of interacting with light where lighting can not only be switched on or off, but is an intelligent system embedded in the environment capable of creating a variety of effects. The connectivity between multiple systems and other ecosystems, for example when transitioning from your home, to your car and to your office, will also be explored during this workshop as a part of a connected lifestyle between different contexts. Keywords: connected lighting; lighting control; user experienc

"Without libraries what have we?" Public libraries as nodes for technological empowerment in the era of smart cities, AI and big data

Since 2014, a growing body of critical research has pointed out flaws in smart city development. It has been described as too technology-led and business-oriented, diminishing citizens' agency and causing digital divides. As the agenda keeps spreading, there is an urgent need to develop more participatory, inclusive and bottom-up approaches to balance interests of those currently in strong power positions, such as large corporations. Participatory design (PD) and participatory approaches in general have been suggested as a remedy, but they often tend to be local, small-scale and short-term. Therefore, their impacts are often modest as well. We suggest that we need to start thinking about ways to create scalable approaches that would grow the temporal and spatial impact of actions and practices that intend to increase citizens' understanding and control over new technologies, i.e. their technological agency. Without making sure that more people have adequate knowledge and sufficient control and mastery of technologies, societal discussion and ultimately, political decisions, are left to few experts. We explore the potential of public libraries to act as an ally and cooperation partner in participatory design and technology education in general, with a significant potential to broaden micro-level actions' impact. The paper consists of a broad literature review mapping the central challenges of current smart city development; this is followed with an introduction to the Finnish library system as a democratic project; finally, we present three examples of how libraries are carrying out technological education connected to emerging technologies, particularly to 3D printing, robotics and virtual reality. Our central argument is that there is a need to bridge micro-level actions, such as those connected to participatory design projects, with the macro-level technopolitical development by collaborating with meso-level actors and networks.Peer reviewe

Evaluate children’s User eXperience with AttrakDiff method: USiena experience

The objective of this paper is to share the results of a pilot study conducted by the University of Siena in collaboration with the “Renato Fucini” Comprehensive Institute. The aim has been to evaluate the User eXperience of 96 children using two different educational formats, the Frontal Teaching and the Multimedia Teaching. Six between subjects experiments have been carried out. At the end of each experiment a multiple-choice questionnaire (learning level evaluation) and the AttrakDiff questionnaire (UX evaluation) have been used. On the values obtained from multiple-choice questionnaire the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test has been applied. The study results highlighted two aspects: the learning level of Multimedia Teaching format has been slightly better than Frontal Teaching format, the UX related to Multimedia Teaching format has been basically similar for all children while the own teacher presence has influenced the Frontal Teaching format UX

Efficacy of augmented reality-based virtual hiking in cardiorespiratory endurance: a pilot study

Exergames can be used to overcome a sedentary lifestyle. Virtual Reality (VR) has made exergames successful, and they can be used to increase heart rate, but some limitations are found, such as the adaptation of the heart rate in exergames to the player's fitness profile. VR technology has been used to simulate virtual cycling and walking experiences. We designed and developed an exergame' Virtual Levadas' in a cave-based VR environment to simulate the Levadas hiking tracks. They are the main attraction for tourists in Madeira Island, Portugal. This study's main objective was to assess player exertion, usability, participation, and realism of the simulation of the Levadas tracks. We performed this study with 13 participants who played Virtual Levadas for 6 minutes and found a significant increase in player's average physical activity and heart rate. Overall, our results demonstrate that Virtual Levada's exergame provides a higher exertion level, immersion, and realism of the virtual environment than the literature.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aesthetic interaction consistency: exploring the foundation for static and dynamic aesthetics

Aesthetics is a powerful means for creating consistency across a product range. During the design process consistency is subject to risk. The existing tools do not integrate static as well as dynamic approaches. This paper explores how to integrate and combine both. The framework considers that, firstly, the users perceive the product thought all their senses (product presentation). Based on the perceptions, users will interact through gestures or movements (user action). These action will create a product reaction (product reaction). Finally, the frame has been applied in an experiment

A systematic mapping study of HCI practice research

Human–computer interaction (HCI) practice has emerged as a research domain in the HCI field and is growing. The need to transfer HCI practices to the industry began significantly with the works of Nielsen on usability engineering. To date, methods and techniques for designing, evaluating, and implementing interactive systems for human use have continued to emerge. It is, therefore, justified to conduct a systematic mapping study to determine the landscape of HCI practice research. A Systematic Mapping Study method was used to map 142 studies according to research type, topic, and contribution. These were then analyzed to determine an overview of HCI practice research. The objective was to analyze studies on HCI practice and present prominent issues that characterize the HCI practice research landscape. Second, to identify pressing challenges regarding HCI practices in software/systems development companies. The results show that HCI practice research has steadily increased since 2012. The majority of the studies explored focused on evaluation research that largely contributed to the evaluation methods or processes. Most of the studies were on design tools and techniques, design methods and contexts, design work and organizational culture, and collaboration and team communication. Interviews, case studies, and survey methods have been prominently used as research methods. HCI techniques are mostly used during the initial phase of development and during evaluation. HCI practice challenges in companies are mostly process-related and on performance of usability and user experience activities. The major challenge seems to be to find a way to collect and incorporate user feedback in a timely manner, especially in agile processes. There are areas identified in this study as needing more research

Biosignals reflect pair-dynamics in collaborative work : EDA and ECG study of pair-programming in a classroom environment

Collaboration is a complex phenomenon, where intersubjective dynamics can greatly affect the productive outcome. Evaluation of collaboration is thus of great interest, and can potentially help achieve better outcomes and performance. However, quantitative measurement of collaboration is difficult, because much of the interaction occurs in the intersubjective space between collaborators. Manual observation and/or self-reports are subjective, laborious, and have a poor temporal resolution. The problem is compounded in natural settings where task-activity and response-compliance cannot be controlled. Physiological signals provide an objective mean to quantify intersubjective rapport (as synchrony), but require novel methods to support broad deployment outside the lab. We studied 28 student dyads during a self-directed classroom pair-programming exercise. Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activation was measured during task performance using electrodermal activity and electrocardiography. Results suggest that (a) we can isolate cognitive processes (mental workload) from confounding environmental effects, and (b) electrodermal signals show role-specific but correlated affective response profiles. We demonstrate the potential for social physiological compliance to quantify pair-work in natural settings, with no experimental manipulation of participants required. Our objective approach has a high temporal resolution, is scalable, non-intrusive, and robust.Peer reviewe

Using games as learning tools for design research planning

Designers are required to understand human behavior and people’s needs in order to design solutions. According to Muratovsky (2015), society today demands designers to not only design products and communications, but also a system for living. The definition of design is changing from a craft-oriented profession where the emphasis is on individual creativity and commerce, to a discipline that is robust and committed to conceptualization, configuration, and the implementation of new ideas (Muratovsky, 2015). Therefore, the current demands become the reason cross-disciplinary studies is a required skill for designers (Muratovsky, 2015). In order to broaden their knowledge, designers need to become strategic planners and thinkers who can work across disciplines. In order to meet the current demands for designers to become strategic planners, the designer needs to find a way of improving the design research planning process. Based on the author’s experience and observations, novice designers or design students found difficulties when they plan to design research in professional and academic contexts on their teams. It seems that they often forget the various methods, theories, or tools about design methods that should be used for the research. To solve these issues, games could convey a solution that helps designers to understand the whole process of design research. Games can be used for designers as an activity to learn the planning design research experimenting method by knowing what is a better plan in a particular case. Design games enable design actions to be studied in a manipulable and well-bounded environment that creates situations similar to real-life situations (Habraken & Gross, as cited in Vaajakallio, 2012). Games can be used as a tool or medium in a cross-disciplinary team for having engaging discussion and collaboration process. This thesis explores how to create games that help the designer to plan research in order to guide designers to understand better the design research context. This knowledge can help designers to expand their emphasis based on individual creativity towards conceptualization, configuration, and implementation of new ideas. The outcome of this thesis is games that help designers to plan design research