Prototyping audiovisual performance tools: A hackathon approach

We present a user-centered approach for prototyping tools for performance with procedural sound and graphics, based on a hackathon. We also present the resulting prototypes. These prototypes respond to a challenge originating from earlier stages of the research: to combine ease-of-use with expressiveness and visibility of interaction in tools for audiovisual performance. We aimed to convert sketches, resulting from an earlier brainstorming session, into functional prototypes in a short period of time. The outcomes include open-source software base released online. The conclusions reflect on the methodology adopted and the effectiveness of the prototypes

Efficient Regularized Least-Squares Algorithms for Conditional Ranking on Relational Data

In domains like bioinformatics, information retrieval and social network analysis, one can find learning tasks where the goal consists of inferring a ranking of objects, conditioned on a particular target object. We present a general kernel framework for learning conditional rankings from various types of relational data, where rankings can be conditioned on unseen data objects. We propose efficient algorithms for conditional ranking by optimizing squared regression and ranking loss functions. We show theoretically, that learning with the ranking loss is likely to generalize better than with the regression loss. Further, we prove that symmetry or reciprocity properties of relations can be efficiently enforced in the learned models. Experiments on synthetic and real-world data illustrate that the proposed methods deliver state-of-the-art performance in terms of predictive power and computational efficiency. Moreover, we also show empirically that incorporating symmetry or reciprocity properties can improve the generalization performance

Enabling Audiovisual User Interfaces

“Enabling Audiovisual User Interfaces” was a 2-year project, supported by a Marie Curie EU fellowship, conducted at EAVI, Goldsmiths. During the project, I investigated how human-computer interactions can be audiovisualized in order to improve user experience and usability. To address this issue, a new UI paradigm was proposed – AVUI (AudioVisual User Interface). AVUI links interaction, sound and image, building upon the concept of Graphical User Interface (GUI) by adding interconnected sound and image. The research hypothesis was: the introduction of AVUI, integrating interrelated sonic and visual feedback, reacting to user interactions, would lead to more usable, accessible, playful and engaging UIs, as compared to a traditional GUI – particularly in use cases where accessibility and/or engagement were determinant. I applied AVUIs to case studies, which was the object of user testing. After reaching conclusions from these, I proposed an AVUI framework, including software modules and a set of best practices. Dissemination activities were also implemented

Tangible user interfaces : past, present and future directions

In the last two decades, Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) have emerged as a new interface type that interlinks the digital and physical worlds. Drawing upon users' knowledge and skills of interaction with the real non-digital world, TUIs show a potential to enhance the way in which people interact with and leverage digital information. However, TUI research is still in its infancy and extensive research is required in or- der to fully understand the implications of tangible user interfaces, to develop technologies that further bridge the digital and the physical, and to guide TUI design with empirical knowledge. This paper examines the existing body of work on Tangible User In- terfaces. We start by sketching the history of tangible user interfaces, examining the intellectual origins of this field. We then present TUIs in a broader context, survey application domains, and review frame- works and taxonomies. We also discuss conceptual foundations of TUIs including perspectives from cognitive sciences, phycology, and philoso- phy. Methods and technologies for designing, building, and evaluating TUIs are also addressed. Finally, we discuss the strengths and limita- tions of TUIs and chart directions for future research

AVUI: Designing a toolkit for audiovisual interfaces

The combined use of sound and image has a rich history, from audiovisual artworks to research exploring the potential of data visualization and sonification. However, we lack standard tools or guidelines for audiovisual (AV) interaction design, particularly for live performance. We propose the AVUI (AudioVisual User Interface), where sound and image are used together in a cohesive way in the interface; and an enabling technology, the ofxAVUI toolkit. AVUI guidelines and ofxAVUI were developed in a three-stage process, together with AV producers: 1) participatory design activities; 2) prototype development; 3) encapsulation of prototype as a plug-in, evaluation, and roll out. Best practices identified include: reconfigurable interfaces and mappings; object-oriented packaging of AV and UI; diverse sound visualization; flexible media manipulation and management. The toolkit and a mobile app developed using it have been released as open-source. Guidelines and toolkit demonstrate the potential of AVUI and offer designers a convenient framework for AV interaction design

User-centered design of a tool for interactive computer-generated audiovisuals

The present study aims to design a tool for interactive computer-generated audiovisuals. In this paper, we investigate if the tools for audio- visual performance and composition have caught up with the growing interest and the practices in the field. We have adopted a user-centered design approach for our study, based on interviews and a workshop with practitioners. The interviews identified key themes – expressivity, ease of use and connection with the audience – that were explored in the workshop. During the workshop, a novel methodology was adopt- ed – reboot – which expands upon the bootlegging technique. Key ide- as regarding audiovisual performance gathered from the interviews; sketches for novel audiovisual tools resulting from the workshop; and the reboot technique, are the main contributions of this study

Embodied Expressions

Embodied Expressions is an exploration into the possibilities of creating live audiovisual performance systems with the aim of expanding my own artistic practice. This thesis investigates how a performer could express more intuitively with physical and mechanical audiovisual interfaces, and stands in revolt against the total digitalization of live electronic music. I argue that modern electronic music performance has led to a decoupling of sound from its traditional origins in real physical objects and has created a limitation in the live performer’s ability to express themselves through the embodied aspects of their live musical expression. This thesis reflects on the artistic exploration of embodied instruments made up of found objects and their control by a performer’s gestural input. The final artifact of this thesis is a set of heard and seen mechanical instruments placed about the audience’s environment that are controlled by the performer using a custom-designed gesture-based control system

Business process modeling using petri nets with clocks

Petri Nets are tools for the analysis and design of concurrent systems. There is a formal theory, which supports Petri Nets. We propose Petri Nets with Clocks which has a high expressive power in the concurrent and asynchronous process modeling and gives the possibility to model real time systems. The Petri Nets with Clocks are useful to model systems with temporal requirements via specification of clocks, using temporal invariants for the places and temporal conditions in the transitions. Also, we have developed an algorithm for the analysis of Petri Nets with Clocks. For the Business Processes Modeling, we propose to use Petri Nets with Clocks to formalize models, allowing to study the models through a quantitative and qualitative analysis. Petri Nets with Clocks includes additional temporal elements -clocks-, which are appropriate for the Business Processes Modeling and are not taken into consideration in the literature concerning the extensions of Petri Nets with time. Petri Nets with Clocks allows studying the structural properties of Business Processes Modeling. This study not only allows the simulation but also verifies formally the model. It is oriented to the verification and correction of errors in the modeling of the time variable en Business Processes.Eje: Ingeniería de softwareRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Business process modeling using petri nets with clocks

Petri Nets are tools for the analysis and design of concurrent systems. There is a formal theory, which supports Petri Nets. We propose Petri Nets with Clocks which has a high expressive power in the concurrent and asynchronous process modeling and gives the possibility to model real time systems. The Petri Nets with Clocks are useful to model systems with temporal requirements via specification of clocks, using temporal invariants for the places and temporal conditions in the transitions. Also, we have developed an algorithm for the analysis of Petri Nets with Clocks. For the Business Processes Modeling, we propose to use Petri Nets with Clocks to formalize models, allowing to study the models through a quantitative and qualitative analysis. Petri Nets with Clocks includes additional temporal elements -clocks-, which are appropriate for the Business Processes Modeling and are not taken into consideration in the literature concerning the extensions of Petri Nets with time. Petri Nets with Clocks allows studying the structural properties of Business Processes Modeling. This study not only allows the simulation but also verifies formally the model. It is oriented to the verification and correction of errors in the modeling of the time variable en Business Processes.Eje: Ingeniería de softwareRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI