4 research outputs found
Designing and evaluating a user interface for continous embedded lifelogging based on physical context
PhD ThesisAn increase in both personal information and storage capacity has encouraged people to
store and archive their life experience in multimedia formats. The usefulness of such
large amounts of data will remain inadequate without the development of both retrieval
techniques and interfaces that help people access and navigate their personal collections.
The research described in this thesis investigates lifelogging technology from the
perspective of the psychology of memory and human-computer interaction. The
research described seeks to increase my understanding of what data can trigger
memories and how I might use this insight to retrieve past life experiences in interfaces
to lifelogging technology.
The review of memory and previous research on lifelogging technology allows and
support me to establish a clear understanding of how memory works and design novel
and effective memory cues; whilst at the same time I critiqued existing lifelogging
systems and approaches to retrieving memories of past actions and activities. In the
initial experiments I evaluated the design and implementation of a prototype which
exposed numerous problems both in the visualisation of data and usability. These
findings informed the design of novel lifelogging prototype to facilitate retrieval. I
assessed the second prototype and determined how an improved system supported
access and retrieval of users’ past life experiences, in particular, how users group their
data into events, how they interact with their data, and the classes of memories that it
supported.
In this doctoral thesis I found that visualizing the movements of users’ hands and
bodies facilitated grouping activities into events when combined with the photos and
other data captured at the same time. In addition, the movements of the user's hand and
body and the movements of some objects can promote an activity recognition or support
user detection and grouping of them into events. Furthermore, the ability to search for
specific movements significantly reduced the amount of time that it took to retrieve data
related to specific events. I revealed three major strategies that users followed to
understand the combined data: skimming sequences, cross sensor jumping and
continued scanning
Investigating the design of Smart Objects in the domain of forgetfulness
PhDWhen we forget things, we feel anxious which can impact our day negatively. Some
individuals believe they are forgetful, so emphatically, it disrupts their day. There has been
little discussion about perceived forgetfulness in design and HCI, combined with few studied
smart objects to aid with memory. However, embedded systems, radio frequency identification
(RFID) and HCI research provides inspiration towards creating a solution. Challenges of
creating a day-to-day smart object that can enhance a user’s lifestyle are explored and
recommended design guidelines for creating a smart object in a specific domain are the focus
of this thesis.
Using an experience-centred approach, ‘Message Bag’ and ‘Tag Along’ are two
purpose built object-based memory aids that have emerged as a result of investigating the
design processes for smart objects. The work examines smart objects in the context of
forgetting what items to pack in a bag. A solution presented is a device consisting of an RFID
system involving (a) pre-tagging essential items; (b) scanning those tagged items and; (c)
viewing a corresponding light illuminate, to communicate to the user. Although the conceptual
model is simple, success depends on a combination of technical design, usability and
aesthetics. These scanning interactions result in a person feeling more confident as suggested
through autoethnography reporting, real-world, third person engagements - single user
walkouts, conference demos, professional critiques, and residential weekends with potential
users (focus group) studies conducted.
My work involved extensive autobiographical research and design-led enquiries.
Testing was undertaken with investigative prototypes, followed by field testing high-fidelity
prototypes. This involved an in-the-wild comparative study involving six users over several
months. Results show that people feel more confident and respondents claim no longer
needing to continually check items are packed, thus ‘gaining time’, and feeling less forgetful.
Although the application of RFID is not new to ubiquitous computing, this
implementation, styling and system immediacy is novel. This thesis presents the development
of ten prototypes as well as design guidelines. The research provides a solid base for further
exploration, and includes discovery of the importance of a user’s style universe and extreme
ease-of-use. I conclude with the presentation of early positive results including; (i) the unique
form factor becomes a reminder itself and; (ii) usability coupled with the intuitive nature of the
system is shown to be essential. We found that when you are creating a smart object, usability
and an intuitive nature is even more important than in a standard system. When dealing within
the domain of forgetfulness, this is paramount.This research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC) through the Media and Arts Technology Doctoral Training Centre from the School
of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary University of London