Effects of timing on users’ agency during mixed-Initiative interaction

© Yu et al. We explore the role of timing in situations where a human user and semi-autonomous software can each initiate actions, building on cognitive theories of rhythmic expectation and mutual temporal adaptation during conversation. Two controlled experiments demonstrate that adjustments to the rhythm of back-and- forth interaction have significant effects on perceived agency, task performance and stress. Conclusions include design guidance that establishing a predictable rhythm of interaction is likely to be beneficial for mixed initiative systems

Effects of timing on users' perceived control when interacting with intelligent systems

This research relates to the usability of mixed-initiative interaction systems, in which actions can be initiated either through a choice by the user or through intelligent decisions taken by the system. The key issue addressed here is how to preserve the user's perceived control ("sense of agency'') when the control of the interaction is being transferred between the system and the user in a back-and-forth manner. Previous research in social psychology and cognitive neuroscience suggests timing is a factor that can influence perceived control in such back-and-forth interactions. This dissertation explores the hypothesis that in mixed-initiative interaction, a predictable interaction rhythm can preserve the user's sense of control and enhance their experience during a task (e.g. higher confidence in task performance, stronger temporal alignment, lower perceived levels of stress and effort), whereas irregular interaction timing can have the opposite effect. Three controlled experiments compare alternative rhythmic strategies when users interact with simple visual stimuli, simple auditory stimuli, and a more realistic assisted text labelling task. The results of all three experiments support the hypothesis that a predictable interaction rhythm is beneficial in a range of interaction modalities and applications. This research contributes to the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) in four ways. Firstly, it builds novel connections between existing theories in cognitive neuroscience, social psychology and HCI, highlighting how rhythmic temporal structures can be beneficial to the user's experience: particularly, their sense of control. Secondly, it establishes timing as a crucial design resource for mixed-initiative interaction, and provides empirical evidence of how the user's perceived control and other task experiences (such as reported levels of confidence, stress and effort) can be influenced by the manipulation of timing. Thirdly, it provides quantitative measures for the user's entrainment behaviours that are applicable to a wide range of interaction timescales. Lastly, it contextualises the design of timing in a realistic application scenario and offers insights to the design of general end-user automation and decision support tools.Cambridge Commonwealth European and International Trust Scholarship Cambridge Philosophical Society research studentship Gonville & Caius College hardship grant China Scholarship Council (CSC) (The agreement with CSC has been officially cancelled on 28 December 2017.

Ömsesidiga Förklaringar: En förklaringsteknik för Human-AI-samarbete inom konceptutveckling

Advancements in creative artificial intelligence (AI) are leading to systems that can actively work together with designers in tasks such as ideation, i.e. the creation, development, and communication of ideas. In human group work, making suggestions and explaining the reasoning behind them as well as comprehending other group member’s explanations aids reflection, trust, alignment of goals and inspiration through diverse perspectives. Despite their ability to inspire through independent suggestions, state-of-the-art creative AI systems do not leverage these advantages of group work due to missing or one-sided explanations. For other use cases, AI systems that explain their reasoning are already gathering wide research interest. However, there is a knowledge gap on the effects of explanations on creativity. Furthermore, it is unknown whether a user can benefit from also explaining their contributions to an AI system. This thesis investigates whether reciprocal explanations, a novel technique which combines explanations from and to an AI system, improve the designers' and AI's joint exploration of ideas. I integrated reciprocal explanations into an AI aided tool for moodboard design, a common method for ideation. In our implementation, the AI system uses text to explain which features of its suggestions match or complement the current moodboard. Occasionally, it asks for user explanations providing several options for answers that it reacts to by aligning its strategy. A study was conducted with 16 professional designers who used the tool to create moodboards followed by presentations and semi-structured interviews. The study emphasized a need for explanations that make the principles of the system transparent and showed that alignment of goals motivated participants to provide explanations to the system. Also, enabling users to explain their contributions to the AI system facilitated reflection on their own reasons.Framsteg inom kreativ artificiell intelligens (AI) har lett till system som aktivt kan samarbeta med designers under idéutformningsprocessen, dvs vid skapande, utveckling och kommunikation av idéer. I grupparbete är det viktigt att kunna göra förslag och förklara resonemanget bakom dem, samt förstå de andra gruppmedlemmarnas resonemang. Detta ökar reflektionsförmågan och förtroende hos medlemmarna, samt underlättar sammanjämkning av mål och ger inspiration genom att höra olika perspektiv. Trots att system, baserade på kreativ artificiell intelligens, har förmågan att inspirera genom sina oberoende förslag, utnyttjar de allra senaste kreativa AI-systemen inte dessa fördelar för att facilitera grupparbete. Detta är på grund av AI-systemens bristfälliga förmåga att resonera över sina förslag. Resonemangen är ofta ensidiga, eller saknas totalt. AI-system som kan förklara sina resonemang är redan ett stort forskningsintresse inom många användningsområden. Dock finns det brist på kunskap om AI-systemens påverkan på den kreativa processen. Dessutom är det okänt om en användare verkligen kan dra nytta av möjligheten att kunna förklara sina designbeslut till ett AI-system. Denna avhandling undersöker om ömsesidiga förklaringar, en ny teknik som kombinerar förklaringar från och till ett AI system, kan förbättra designerns och AI:s samarbete under utforskningen av idéer. Jag integrerade ömsesidiga förklaringar i ett AI-hjälpmedel som underlättar skapandet av stämningsplank (eng. moodboard), som är en vanlig metod för konceptutveckling. I vår implementering använder AI-systemet textbeskrivningar för att förklara vilka delar av dess förslag som matchar eller kompletterar det nuvarande stämningsplanket. Ibland ber den användaren ge förklaringar, så den kan anpassa sin förslagsstrategi efter användarens önskemål. Vi genomförde en studie med 16 professionella designers som använde verktyget för att skapa stämningsplank. Feedback samlades genom presentationer och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studien betonade behovet av förklaringar och resonemang som gör principerna bakom AI-systemet transparenta för användaren. Höjd sammanjämkning mellan användarens och systemets mål motiverade deltagarna att ge förklaringar till systemet. Genom att göra det möjligt för användare att förklara sina designbeslut för AI-systemet, förbättrades också användarens reflektionsförmåga över sina val

Making evaluations matter: a practical guide for evaluators

This guide is primarily for evaluators working in the international development sector. It is also useful for commissioner of evaluations, evaluation managers and M&E officers. The guide explains how to make evaluations more useful. It helps to better understand conceptual issues and appreciate how evaluations can contribute to changing mindsets and empowering stakeholders. On a practical level, the guide presents core guiding principles and pointers on how to design and facilitate evaluations that matter. Furthermore, it shows how to get primary intended users and other key stakeholders to contribute effectively to the evaluation proces

Water Buy-Back in Australia: Political, Technical and Allocative Challenges

State and Federal governments are increasingly reliant on the re-purchase of water access rights as a vehicle for bringing ‘over-allocation’ in the Murray- Darling Basin into check. Not surprisingly, this has attracted criticism from several quarters, usually on the basis that such mechanisms produce unnecessary hardship for rural communities. Set against this are the views of many economists who have bemoaned the modest endeavours of governments to actively use water markets and the ongoing proclivity of agencies to instead embark on public projects under the guise of water use efficiency (see, for example Watson 2008). This paper focuses specifically on water buyback and traces recent policy episodes in this context. The paper also offers details of alternative market instruments which have the potential to improve on the current, relatively fragmented arrangements. We use contemporary examples to test the efficacy of alternative buyback instruments in the hope of informing policy formulation.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,