1,265 research outputs found
Understanding Visual Arts Experiences of Blind People
Visual arts play an important role in cultural life and provide access to social heritage and self-enrichment, but most visual arts are inaccessible to blind people. Researchers have explored different ways to enhance blind people’s access to visual arts (e.g., audio descriptions, tactile graphics). However, how blind people adopt these methods remains unknown. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 blind visual arts patrons to understand how they engage with visual artwork and the factors that influence their adoption of visual arts access methods. We further examined interview insights in a follow-up survey (N=220). We present: 1) current practices and challenges of accessing visual artwork in-person and online (e.g., Zoom tour), 2) motivation and cognition of perceiving visual arts (e.g., imagination), and 3) implications for designing visual arts access methods. Overall, our findings provide a roadmap for technology-based support for blind people’s visual arts experiences.
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TagAlong: Informal Learning from a Remote Companion with Mobile Perspective Sharing
Questions often arise spontaneously in a curious mind, due to an observation about a new or unknown environment. When an expert is right there, prepared to engage in dialog, this curiosity can be harnessed and converted into highly effective, intrinsically motivated learning. This paper investigates how this kind of situated informal learning can be realized in real-world settings with wearable technologies and the support of a remote learning companion. In particular, we seek to understand how the use of different multimedia communication mediums impacts the quality of the interaction with a remote teacher, and how these remote interactions compare with face-to-face, co-present learning. A prototype system called TagAlong was developed with attention to features that facilitate dialog based on the visual environment. It was developed to work robustly in the wild, depending only on widely-available components and infrastructure. A pilot study was performed to learn about what characteristics are most important for successful interactions, as a basis for further system development and a future full-scale study. We conclude that it is critical for system design to be informed by (i) an analysis of the attentional burdens imposed by the system on both wearer and companion and (ii) a knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of co-present learning.Google Inc. Faculty Research Awar
The Emerging Professional Practice of Remote Sighted Assistance for People with Visual Impairments
People with visual impairments (PVI) must interact with a world they cannot see. Remote sighted assistance (RSA) has emerged as a conversational assistive technology. We interviewed RSA assistants ( agents ) who provide assistance to PVI via a conversational prosthetic called Aira (https://aira.io/) to understand their professional practice. We identified four types of support provided: scene description, navigation, task performance, and social engagement. We discovered that RSA provides an opportunity for PVI to appropriate the system as a richer conversational/social support tool. We studied and identified patterns in how agents provide assistance and how they interact with PVI as well as the challenges and strategies associated with each context. We found that conversational interaction is highly context-dependent. We also discuss implications for design
Practical, appropriate, empirically-validated guidelines for designing educational games
There has recently been a great deal of interest in the
potential of computer games to function as innovative
educational tools. However, there is very little evidence of
games fulfilling that potential. Indeed, the process of
merging the disparate goals of education and games design
appears problematic, and there are currently no practical
guidelines for how to do so in a coherent manner. In this
paper, we describe the successful, empirically validated
teaching methods developed by behavioural psychologists
and point out how they are uniquely suited to take
advantage of the benefits that games offer to education. We
conclude by proposing some practical steps for designing
educational games, based on the techniques of Applied
Behaviour Analysis. It is intended that this paper can both
focus educational games designers on the features of games
that are genuinely useful for education, and also introduce a
successful form of teaching that this audience may not yet
be familiar with
Enhancing Qualities of Consciousness during Online Learning via Multisensory Interactions
Online-learning is a feasible alternative to in-person attendance during COVID-19 pan-
demic. In this period, information technologies have allowed sharing experiences, but have also
highlighted some limitations compared to traditional learning. Learning is strongly supported
by some qualities of consciousness such as flow (intended as the optimal state of absorption and
engagement activity) and sense of presence (feeling of exerting control, interacting with and get-
ting immersed into real/virtual environments), behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement,
together with the need for social interaction. During online learning, feelings of disconnection,
social isolation, distractions, boredom, and lack of control exert a detrimental effect on the ability
to reach the state of flow, the feeling of presence, the feeling of social involvement. Since online
environments could prevent the rising of these learning–supporting variables, this article aims at
describing the role of flow, presence, engagement, and social interactions during online sessions and
at characterizing multisensory stimulations as a driver to cope with these issues. We argue that the
use of augmented, mixed, or virtual reality can support the above-mentioned domains, and thus
counteract the detrimental effects of physical distance. Such support could be further increased by
enhancing multisensory stimulation modalities within augmented and virtual environme
Multimodality in {VR}: {A} Survey
Virtual reality has the potential to change the way we create and consume content in our everyday life. Entertainment, training, design and manufacturing, communication, or advertising are all applications that already benefit from this new medium reaching consumer level. VR is inherently different from traditional media: it offers a more immersive experience, and has the ability to elicit a sense of presence through the place and plausibility illusions. It also gives the user unprecedented capabilities to explore their environment, in contrast with traditional media. In VR, like in the real world, users integrate the multimodal sensory information they receive to create a unified perception of the virtual world. Therefore, the sensory cues that are available in a virtual environment can be leveraged to enhance the final experience. This may include increasing realism, or the sense of presence; predicting or guiding the attention of the user through the experience; or increasing their performance if the experience involves the completion of certain tasks. In this state-of-the-art report, we survey the body of work addressing multimodality in virtual reality, its role and benefits in the final user experience. The works here reviewed thus encompass several fields of research, including computer graphics, human computer interaction, or psychology and perception. Additionally, we give an overview of different applications that leverage multimodal input in areas such as medicine, training and education, or entertainment; we include works in which the integration of multiple sensory information yields significant improvements, demonstrating how multimodality can play a fundamental role in the way VR systems are designed, and VR experiences created and consumed
Conceitos e métodos para apoio ao desenvolvimento e avaliação de colaboração remota utilizando realidade aumentada
Remote Collaboration using Augmented Reality (AR) shows great
potential to establish a common ground in physically distributed
scenarios where team-members need to achieve a shared goal.
However, most research efforts in this field have been devoted to
experiment with the enabling technology and propose methods to
support its development. As the field evolves, evaluation and
characterization of the collaborative process become an essential,
but difficult endeavor, to better understand the contributions of AR.
In this thesis, we conducted a critical analysis to identify the main
limitations and opportunities of the field, while situating its maturity
and proposing a roadmap of important research actions. Next, a
human-centered design methodology was adopted, involving
industrial partners to probe how AR could support their needs
during remote maintenance. These outcomes were combined with
literature methods into an AR-prototype and its evaluation was
performed through a user study. From this, it became clear the
necessity to perform a deep reflection in order to better understand
the dimensions that influence and must/should be considered in
Collaborative AR. Hence, a conceptual model and a humancentered
taxonomy were proposed to foster systematization of
perspectives. Based on the model proposed, an evaluation
framework for contextualized data gathering and analysis was
developed, allowing support the design and performance of
distributed evaluations in a more informed and complete manner.
To instantiate this vision, the CAPTURE toolkit was created,
providing an additional perspective based on selected dimensions
of collaboration and pre-defined measurements to obtain “in situ”
data about them, which can be analyzed using an integrated
visualization dashboard. The toolkit successfully supported
evaluations of several team-members during tasks of remote
maintenance mediated by AR. Thus, showing its versatility and
potential in eliciting a comprehensive characterization of the added
value of AR in real-life situations, establishing itself as a generalpurpose
solution, potentially applicable to a wider range of
collaborative scenarios.Colaboração Remota utilizando Realidade Aumentada (RA)
apresenta um enorme potencial para estabelecer um entendimento
comum em cenários onde membros de uma equipa fisicamente
distribuĂdos precisam de atingir um objetivo comum. No entanto, a
maioria dos esforços de investigação tem-se focado nos aspetos
tecnológicos, em fazer experiências e propor métodos para apoiar
seu desenvolvimento. À medida que a área evolui, a avaliação e
caracterização do processo colaborativo tornam-se um esforço
essencial, mas difĂcil, para compreender as contribuições da RA.
Nesta dissertação, realizámos uma análise crĂtica para identificar
as principais limitações e oportunidades da área, ao mesmo tempo
em que situámos a sua maturidade e propomos um mapa com
direções de investigação importantes. De seguida, foi adotada uma
metodologia de Design Centrado no Humano, envolvendo
parceiros industriais de forma a compreender como a RA poderia
responder às suas necessidades em manutenção remota. Estes
resultados foram combinados com métodos da literatura num
protótipo de RA e a sua avaliação foi realizada com um caso de
estudo. Ficou entĂŁo clara a necessidade de realizar uma reflexĂŁo
profunda para melhor compreender as dimensões que influenciam
e devem ser consideradas na RA Colaborativa. Foram entĂŁo
propostos um modelo conceptual e uma taxonomia centrada no ser
humano para promover a sistematização de perspetivas. Com base
no modelo proposto, foi desenvolvido um framework de avaliação
para recolha e análise de dados contextualizados, permitindo
apoiar o desenho e a realização de avaliações distribuĂdas de
forma mais informada e completa. Para instanciar esta visĂŁo, o
CAPTURE toolkit foi criado, fornecendo uma perspetiva adicional
com base em dimensões de colaboração e medidas predefinidas
para obter dados in situ, que podem ser analisados utilizando o
painel de visualização integrado. O toolkit permitiu avaliar com
sucesso vários colaboradores durante a realização de tarefas de
manutenção remota apoiada por RA, permitindo mostrar a sua
versatilidade e potencial em obter uma caracterização abrangente
do valor acrescentado da RA em situações da vida real. Sendo
assim, estabelece-se como uma solução genérica, potencialmente
aplicável a uma gama diversificada de cenários colaborativos.Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Informátic
Considerations For Implementing a Telerehabilitation Treatment Program For Individuals With Chronic Aphasia
The purpose of this research project is to identify the considerations that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) need to review before beginning to use telerehabilitation services to treat patients with chronic aphasia. This research will specifically target therapy treatments for patients with chronic aphasia and the technology adaptations and adjustments necessary for this population. This research project includes a systematic literature review as well as an in-service presentation. As telerehabilitation will continue to develop and grow, practicing SLPs need to have a foundational understanding of what teletherapy is, the patients suitable for services, and the benefits it has the potential to provide. This research project serves to provide SLPs with the foundational information necessary when beginning to learn about telerehabilitation services
Improving Access to Voting: A Report on the Technology for Accessible Voting Systems
Twenty percent of U.S. adults with disabilities--more than 8 million eligible voters--say they have been unable to vote in presidential or congressional elections due to barriers at or getting to the polls. Improving Access to Voting is a new report by technology expert Noel Runyan, published by Demos and Voter Action, that finds that state voting systems are widely noncompliant with federal ADA and HAVA access requirements for voters with disabilities
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