Grand Challenges in Immersive Analytics

The definitive version will be published in CHI 2021, May 8–13, 2021, Yokohama, JapanInternational audienceImmersive Analytics is a quickly evolving field that unites several areas such as visualisation, immersive environments, and humancomputer interaction to support human data analysis with emerging technologies. This research has thrived over the past years with multiple workshops, seminars, and a growing body of publications, spanning several conferences. Given the rapid advancement of interaction technologies and novel application domains, this paper aims toward a broader research agenda to enable widespread adoption. We present 17 key research challenges developed over multiple sessions by a diverse group of 24 international experts, initiated from a virtual scientific workshop at ACM CHI 2020. These challenges aim to coordinate future work by providing a systematic roadmap of current directions and impending hurdles to facilitate productive and effective applications for Immersive Analytics

Generative AI-Driven Storytelling: A New Era for Marketing

This paper delves into the transformative power of Generative AI-driven storytelling in the realm of marketing. Generative AI, distinct from traditional machine learning, offers the capability to craft narratives that resonate with consumers on a deeply personal level. Through real-world examples from industry leaders like Google, Netflix and Stitch Fix, we elucidate how this technology shapes marketing strategies, personalizes consumer experiences, and navigates the challenges it presents. The paper also explores future directions and recommendations for generative AI-driven storytelling, including prospective applications such as real-time personalized storytelling, immersive storytelling experiences, and social media storytelling. By shedding light on the potential and impact of generative AI-driven storytelling in marketing, this paper contributes to the understanding of this cutting-edge approach and its transformative power in the field of marketing.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figure

An XRI Mixed-Reality Internet-of-Things Architectural Framework Toward Immersive and Adaptive Smart Environments

The internet-of-things (IoT) refers to the growing number of embedded interconnected devices within everyday ubiquitous objects and environments, especially their networks, edge controllers, data gathering and management, sharing, and contextual analysis capabilities. However, the IoT suffers from inherent limitations in terms of human-computer interaction. In this landscape, there is a need for interfaces that have the potential to translate the IoT more solidly into the foreground of everyday smart environments, where its users are multimodal, multifaceted, and where new forms of presentation, adaptation, and immersion are essential. This work highlights the synergetic opportunities for both IoT and XR to converge toward hybrid XR objects with strong real-world connectivity, and IoT objects with rich XR interfaces. The paper contributes i) an understanding of this multi-disciplinary domain XR-IoT (XRI); ii) a theoretical perspective on how to design XRI agents based on the literature; iii) a system design architectural framework for XRI smart environment development; and iv) an early discussion of this process. It is hoped that this research enables future researchers in both communities to better understand and deploy hybrid smart XRI environments

Simulation in higher education: Choice, challenges and changing practice

Advances in educational technologies continue to offer educators choice and challenges across phases of learning and educational settings. Dramatic changes in simulation technologies over the last two decades offer pilots, miners, engineers, doctors and nurses the opportunity to practice the skills required of their profession. However, simulation is yet to be fully embraced within initial teacher education (ITE) to prepare the next generation of teachers. This paper draws on historical literature in the field and the auto ethnographic experiences of the author to examine the benefits, choices and challenges of adopting simulation within ITE. The study includes the re-envisioning of Micro-teaching 2.0 (Ledger &Fischetti, 2019) and incorporates Gartner’s (1995) hype- cycle; the life-cycle status of technologies, to represent the historical uptake of simulation in ITE. The study highlights the benefits of simulation as a preparatory tool for developing and empowering graduates with the skills required to perform the art and science of teaching. It challenges the lack of uptake of simulation in ITE programs and calls for more research into the field

Designing MOOC:a shared view on didactical principles

The innovative impact of the paper can be highlighted by the following statements: 1. Applying the Group Concept Mapping, a non-traditional and power research methodology for objectively identifying the shared vision of a group of experts on MOOC didactical principles. 2. Defining MOOC didactical principles and their operationalisations in more concrete guidelines. 3. Formulating suggestions for combining xMOOC and cMOOC.Supported by European Commission, DG EAC, under the Erasmus+ Programm

Interstice

When I was about three years old, I distinctly remember being too small to see what was on top of the table. A couple of years later, when I could see those objects, I thought the world around me had grown smaller. In a way, it did, as I experienced, lived, captured, remembered, and shared the space repeatedly. This sense of the world shrinking was exaggerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing new behaviours and modes of interaction to emerge. Continually shaping our modern lives, virtual technologies redefine how we access and share information and stories or even explore new places. Thanks to the exponential increase in our computing powers, we live in hyper- connectivity, constantly in sync with our multiple screens, tabs, devices and profiles. Smartphones serve as two- way communication bringing the world in and letting the home out. As people increasingly rely on digital tools for work, communication, and leisure, the boundaries between physical and digital realms have become blurred. The overlap of our stories, information and spaces has subsequently led to challenges in managing the clutter and disorganization that can arise in physical and digital realms, affecting productivity, well-being, and overall user experience. In response, this thesis aims to create a hybrid space that carefully calibrates information and architecture to initiate interactivity within home settings. The thesis adopts a human-centred design approach, including user interviews and iterative prototyping, to understand how augmented reality (AR) augments reality. Research focuses on young adults, primarily students and working professionals who have access to smart devices where increasing demand for personalized experiences present an ideal environment for AR to grow and thrive. Overall, the research and prototypes are representative of AR as a tool for novelty in familiarity, offering new ways of enhancing interactions and immersive experiences within the home. I believe this synthesis of our physical and digital elements will lead to a de-cluttered and productive mode of engagement

Factors Influencing the Establishment of Clothing Retailers in the Metaverse: The Role of Metaverse Technology as a Mediator

The metaverse is a virtual environment where people may interact with one another via avatars. As the metaverse has gained in popularity over the last several years, the retail industry has indicated an interest in using it for product promotion and sales. However, opening a clothes store in the metaverse has unique challenges, and prospective investors should keep a few things in mind. This study aimed to uncover the factors that led Dubai investors to create a virtual apparel brand for sale online. Independent factors were creativity, safety, and confidentiality. The advent of Dubai's Metaverse clothes store was the dependent variable, while the technology enabling the metaverse was the mediator. The study used a quantitative methodology, including a survey questionnaire. For demographic and structural equation modeling objectives, we employed SPSS and AMOS software. The mediator variable was shown to be significantly affected by all independent factors, according to data from a survey of 398 participants. The successful debut of apparel in the metaverse in Dubai may be primarily attributed to the metaverse's cutting-edge technological innovations in security and privacy. Customers may be unwilling to provide personal information or engage in virtual transactions if they do not trust the safety of their data in the metaverse; thus, these issues must be addressed. Investors should prioritize developing private and secure metaverse technologies to win users' confidence. The findings call attention to the absence of study in this area and provide valuable insight into the factors contributing to the success of retail clothes launches in the metaverse. When taken as a whole, this study paves the way for more investigation into the metaverse and its possible implications on the retail industry in Dubai.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Databrarian ed? Preparing information specialists for participation in an open datafied society

Environmental scans, futures studies and technology assessments have defined multiple trends affecting libraries and librarians in the 21st century; but arguably it is the confluence of three key factors that are currently driving and will continue to shape the future of our profession – the open movement, the data revolution, and participatory culture. Industry commentators, thought leaders and enterprising practitioners have observed evolving library specialties, suggested alternative professional paradigms, and implemented new service models for the complex pluralist context of our changing digital world. Professional educators are similarly reviewing curricula, rethinking pedagogies, and redesigning programs to meet the needs of the current and future workforce. This chapter explores the challenges and debates surrounding pre-service education and continuing professional learning for an environment in which data literacy, user experience, open scholarship, community engagement, relationship management, and social impact are among the critical success factors and key performance indicators for all information service organisations. It argues that education for library and information work needs to change radically to build professional capacity for transforming libraries into open participatory data-centric organisations: educators need to move beyond tinkering and quick fixes to more fundamental re-engineering of programme content, course delivery and professional engagement. Data management, open cultures, pedagogical know-how, collaborative working, experiential learning and reflective practice must become central elements of the required core curriculum for all library and information professionals instead of being treated as optional specialist tracks. Forward-thinking educators in the UK and US have risen to the challenge; others need to do likewise