GHItaly'17: 1st Workshop on Games-Human Interaction

The 1st Workshop on Games-Human Interaction (GHItaly ‘17) aims at bringing together scholars and industry practitioners to establish a common ground on the topic

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

Toward Creative Cities: Assessing the Culturally Emerging Creative Doha City- Qatar

Through the holistic visionary plan 2032, Qatar is aiming for a future knowledge and economic creative based development. It is taking one main pillar in the country vision strategy to build a well-established human force that will sustain the country growth. Doha City is assigned to be a cultural and creative hub that attracts creative workers from around the globe and establish its local creative human capital. Since the 2011-2016 national development strategy plan varied initiatives have been serving the country to put itself on the creative map such as Katara and Qatar museum authority investments. In that regard, one can raise two essential questions: 1) is this vision enough to start the creative culture economy and reduce its dependency on the oil-based economy to accelerate the creative city growth? 2) or do we need to adjust our city planning to flourish and support Doha creative cultural aspect? This study responds to these questions in the analysis chapter of it through running a comparative study of the creative cultural state of Doha before the strategic plan and after it, to assess the move toward the creative city planning direction. In the end, strategies are proposed to promote the level of activities in Doha physical environment to support its global position

A visitor-centric Approach to Socially Sustainable Museums: The Egyptian Geological Museum

The greatest threat that museums are facing in different parts of the world, including Egypt, is that museums no longer have the capacity to sustain themselves and their activities. Therefore, museums are in need to change the way they function to become more sustainable. New models for museums seek to give power to its visitors. A Visitor-centric approach in museums ultimately focuses on providing a product and a service which is compatible with the needs and expectations of visitors. This research represents an initial step in analyzing the relationship between customer-satisfaction and the quality of the education service on one hand and the concept of social sustainability on the other. These are three areas through which museums are expected to achieve the intended development. The study aims to evaluate visitors’ experience, which study also proposes a definition and measurement scale for social sustainability of the museum, and examines the relationship between visitors’ experience and the level of social sustainability. The proposed framework was empirically tested on the Egyptian Geological museum. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the museum’s management team and staff that helped in constructing a perspective about the museum, gaining information about the museum’s vision, mission, services, visitor numbers and demographics. A survey questionnaire was developed and administered to respondents among three hundred of the Egyptian Geological museum visitors. The survey was composed of three instruments: 1) the Servqual instrument, which measures the level of satisfaction of museum visitors with the quality of the service, including their experiences and perceptions; 2) the knowledge instrument, which assess the change a visitor knowledge; 3) and the subjective visitor perceptions of the social sustainability of the museum. The study findings carry important implications for the museum’s management, with specific actionable recommendations in key areas such as: strategic marketing, communication and service. Findings revealed that better the service quality as perceived by the customer, the greater the customer satisfaction with the core service. Findings showed that the better the quality of educational service as perceived by customers, the greater the museums social sustainability. On the scientific level, the study is a preliminary attempt to deepen understanding and measurement of an important construct in the sustainability field, namely social sustainability. The study points the way toward a promising approach for fostering the sustainable development of museums by providing a conceptual framework that integrates the services marketing and sustainability literature. Finally, the study alludes to important policy implications that may inform government decisions regarding national museums

Exploring "DIGITAL ECOLOGY" as a tool for environmental conservation through : The design of a virtual eco-pack for Port Elizabeth

This treatise deals with the design of a new Virtual Eco-Park and humankind's relationship to the natural world. The cultural institution of captivity has been positive and negative for the study and conservative approaches of fauna and flora. While this has had benefits, it has resulted in a dominated mindset over the 'other'. This treatise looks at the zoo and aquarium as an outdated educational platform and proposes a new perspective. This treatise explores 'digital ecology' as a tool of theoretical application. The intention is to provide environmental conservation. The design will use the virtual medium for a new immersive experience instead of the 'live exhibit'. The 'digital ecology' is also seen as spatial stacking of layers. Using Timothy Lukes theories on the three natures, this thesis applies this theory in a post-anthropocentric way by its role in generating the Virtual Eco-Park. The layers are terrestrial as an ecosystem, the territorial as the built environment and the digital as the immersive experience. These components form the skeleton of the application to the site. The Port Elizabeth manganese ore and tank farm and the surrounding area has been a dump and polluted landscape for forty years. This treatise, in its entirety, has set up an urban framework that promotes a reconnection to the ecological systems in Port Elizabeth. The 'digital ecology' and the Virtual Eco Park as a 'building' intends to regenerate/ reestablish an old industrial landscape into a new park. The building is designed to become a component of the landscape and not an object on the landscape. The result of this research will result in a final design that hosts immersive experience—bringing the 'true wild' into the urban landscape by replacing the 'tamed natural'—thereby solving the Anthropocene of the Zoo building type by reframing it as the virtual eco-park of nature.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 202

Exploring "DIGITAL ECOLOGY" as a tool for environmental conservation through : The design of a virtual eco-pack for Port Elizabeth

This treatise deals with the design of a new Virtual Eco-Park and humankind's relationship to the natural world. The cultural institution of captivity has been positive and negative for the study and conservative approaches of fauna and flora. While this has had benefits, it has resulted in a dominated mindset over the 'other'. This treatise looks at the zoo and aquarium as an outdated educational platform and proposes a new perspective. This treatise explores 'digital ecology' as a tool of theoretical application. The intention is to provide environmental conservation. The design will use the virtual medium for a new immersive experience instead of the 'live exhibit'. The 'digital ecology' is also seen as spatial stacking of layers. Using Timothy Lukes theories on the three natures, this thesis applies this theory in a post-anthropocentric way by its role in generating the Virtual Eco-Park. The layers are terrestrial as an ecosystem, the territorial as the built environment and the digital as the immersive experience. These components form the skeleton of the application to the site. The Port Elizabeth manganese ore and tank farm and the surrounding area has been a dump and polluted landscape for forty years. This treatise, in its entirety, has set up an urban framework that promotes a reconnection to the ecological systems in Port Elizabeth. The 'digital ecology' and the Virtual Eco Park as a 'building' intends to regenerate/ reestablish an old industrial landscape into a new park. The building is designed to become a component of the landscape and not an object on the landscape. The result of this research will result in a final design that hosts immersive experience—bringing the 'true wild' into the urban landscape by replacing the 'tamed natural'—thereby solving the Anthropocene of the Zoo building type by reframing it as the virtual eco-park of nature.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 202