Biocybernetic Adaptation Strategies: Machine awareness of human state for improved operational performance

Human operators interacting with machines or computers continually adapt to the needs of the system ideally resulting in optimal performance. In some cases, however, deteriorated performance is an outcome. Adaptation to the situation is a strength expected of the human operator which is often accomplished by the human through self-regulation of mental state. Adaptation is at the core of the human operator’s activity, and research has demonstrated that the implementation of a feedback loop can enhance this natural skill to improve training and human/machine interaction. Biocybernetic adaptation involves a “loop upon a loop,” which may be visualized as a superimposed loop which senses a physiological signal and influences the operator’s task at some point. Biocybernetic adaptation in, for example, physiologically adaptive automation employs the “steering” sense of “cybernetic,” and serves a transitory adaptive purpose – to better serve the human operator by more fully representing their responses to the system. The adaptation process usually makes use of an assessment of transient cognitive state to steer a functional aspect of a system that is external to the operator’s physiology from which the state assessment is derived. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to detail the structure of biocybernetic systems regarding the level of engagement of interest for adaptive systems, their processing pipeline, and the adaptation strategies employed for training purposes, in an effort to pave the way towards machine awareness of human state for self-regulation and improved operational performance

Biocybernetic Adaptation Strategies: Machine Awareness of Human Engagement for Improved Operational Performance

Human operators interacting with machines or computers continually adapt to the needs of the system ideally resulting in optimal performance. In some cases, however, deteriorated performance is an outcome. Adaptation to the situation is a strength expected of the human operator which is often accomplished by the human through self-regulation of mental state. Adaptation is at the core of the human operator's activity, and research has demonstrated that the implementation of a feedback loop can enhance this natural skill to improve training and human/machine interaction. Biocybernetic adaptation involves a loop upon a loop, which may be visualized as a superimposed loop which senses a physiological signal and influences the operators task at some point. Biocybernetic adaptation in, for example, physiologically adaptive automation employs the steering sense of cybernetic, and serves a transitory adaptive purpose to better serve the human operator by more fully representing their responses to the sys- tem. The adaptation process usually makes use of an assessment of transient cog- nitive state to steer a functional aspect of a system that is external to the operators physiology from which the state assessment is derived. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to detail the structure of biocybernetic systems regarding the level of engagement of interest for adaptive systems, their processing pipeline, and the adaptation strategies employed for training purposes, in an effort to pave the way towards machine awareness of human state for self-regulation and improved operational performance

You Watch, You Give, and You Engage: A Study of Live Streaming Practices in China

Despite gaining traction in North America, live streaming has not reached the popularity it has in China, where livestreaming has a tremendous impact on the social behaviors of users. To better understand this socio-technological phenomenon, we conducted a mixed methods study of live streaming practices in China. We present the results of an online survey of 527 live streaming users, focusing on their broadcasting or viewing practices and the experiences they find most engaging. We also interviewed 14 active users to explore their motivations and experiences. Our data revealed the different categories of content that was broadcasted and how varying aspects of this content engaged viewers. We also gained insight into the role reward systems and fan group-chat play in engaging users, while also finding evidence that both viewers and streamers desire deeper channels and mechanisms for interaction in addition to the commenting, gifting, and fan groups that are available today.Comment: Published at ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2018). Please cite the CHI versio

A review of ten years of implementation and research in aligning learning design with learning analytics at the Open University UK

There is an increased recognition that learning design drives both student learning experience and quality enhancements of teaching and learning. The Open University UK (OU) has been one of few institutions that have explicitly and systematically captured the designs for learning at a large scale. By applying advanced analytical techniques on large and fine-grained datasets, the OU has been unpacking the complexity of instructional practices, as well as providing conceptual and empirical evidence of how learning design influences student behaviour, satisfaction, and performance. This study discusses the implementation of learning design at the OU in the last ten years, and critically reviews empirical evidence from eight recent large-scale studies that have linked learning design with learning analytics. Four future research themes are identified to support future adoptions of learning design approaches

Rethinking Interaction: Identity and Agency in the Performance of “Interactive” Electronic Music

This document investigates interaction between human performers and various interactive technologies in the performance of interactive electronic and computer music. Specifically, it observes how the identity and agency of the interactive technology is experienced and perceived by the human performer. First, a close examination of George Lewis’ creation of and performance with his own historic interactive electronic and computer works reveals his disposition of interaction as improvisation. This disposition is contextualized within then contemporary social and political issues related to African American experimental musicians as well as an emerging culture of electronic and computer musicians concerned with interactivity. Second, an auto-ethnographic study reveals a contemporary performers perspective via the author’s own direct interactive experience with electronic and computer systems. These experiences were documented and analyzed using Actor Network Theory, Critical Technical Practice, theories of Embodiment and Embodied Cognition, Lewis’s conceptions of improvisation, as well as Tracy McMullen’s theory of the Improvisative. Analyses from both studies revealed that when and how performers chose to “other” interactive technologies significantly influenced their actions. The implications of this are discussed in terms of identity formation both within performances of interactive electronic music and interactive technologies generally

Role of Danmu Function in User Experience and Engagement: A Double-edged Sword

Digital video sites currently seek new ways to build a platform to encourage user engagement and enable users to connect with one another through multiple means and channels. The widespread introduction of danmu technology has aroused concerns of academia. However, comparatively little work has been done to explicate the role of danmu function and research progress has been falling behind practical interest. In this study, we seek to investigate user experience and engagement to understand the double-side effect of danmu technology. Using S-O-R framework, we propose that danmu features, namely proximity and coherence, play essential roles in creating augmentation experience of para-social interaction and degradation experience of goal impediment and information overload. Additionally, we investigate user experience to understand user engagement in the danmu-enabled situation. We suggest that para-social interaction will elicit increased user engagement; yet goal impediment and information overload will lead to less user engagement

Interactive Sound in Performance Ecologies: Studying Connections among Actors and Artifacts

This thesis’s primary goal is to investigate performance ecologies, that is the compound of humans, artifacts and environmental elements that contribute to the result of a per- formance. In particular, this thesis focuses on designing new interactive technologies for sound and music. The goal of this thesis leads to the following Research Questions (RQs): • RQ1 How can the design of interactive sonic artifacts support a joint expression across different actors (composers, choreographers, and performers, musicians, and dancers) in a given performance ecology? • RQ2 How does each different actor influence the design of different artifacts, and what impact does this have on the overall artwork? • RQ3 How do the different actors in the same ecology interact, and appropriate an interactive artifact? To reply to these questions, a new framework named ARCAA has been created. In this framework, all the Actors of a given ecology are connected to all the Artifacts throughout three layers: Role, Context and Activity. This framework is then applied to one systematic literature review, two case studies on music performance and one case study in dance performance. The studies help to better understand the shaded roles of composers, per- formers, instrumentalists, dancers, and choreographers, which is relevant to better design interactive technologies for performances. Finally, this thesis proposes a new reflection on the blurred distinction between composing and designing a new instrument in a context that involves a multitude of actors. Overall, this work introduces the following contributions to the field of interaction design applied to music technology: 1) ARCAA, a framework to analyse the set of inter- connected relationship in interactive (music) performances, validated through 2 music studies, 1 dance study and 1 systematic literature analysis; 2) Recommendations for de- signing music interactive system for performance (music or dance), accounting for the needs of the various actors and for the overlapping on music composition and design of in- teractive technology; 3) A taxonomy of how scores have shaped performance ecologies in NIME, based on a systematic analysis of the literature on score in the NIME proceedings; 4) Proposal of a methodological approach combining autobiographical and idiographical design approaches in interactive performances.O objetivo principal desta tese é investigar as ecologias performativas, conjunto formado pelos participantes humanos, artefatos e elementos ambientais que contribuem para o resultado de uma performance. Em particular, esta tese foca-se na conceção de novas tecnologias interativas para som e música. O objetivo desta tese originou as seguintes questões de investigação (Research Questions RQs): • RQ1 Como o design de artefatos sonoros interativos pode apoiar a expressão con- junta entre diferentes atores (compositores, coreógrafos e performers, músicos e dançarinos) numa determinada ecologia performativa? • RQ2 Como cada ator influencia o design de diferentes artefatos e que impacto isso tem no trabalho artístico global? • RQ3 Como os diferentes atores de uma mesma ecologia interagem e se apropriam de um artefato interativo? Para responder a essas perguntas, foi criado uma nova framework chamada ARCAA. Nesta framework, todos os atores (Actores) de uma dada ecologia estão conectados a todos os artefatos (Artefacts) através de três camadas: Role, Context e Activity. Esta framework foi então aplicada a uma revisão sistemática da literatura, a dois estudos de caso sobre performance musical e a um estudo de caso em performance de dança. Estes estudos aju- daram a comprender melhor os papéis desempenhados pelos compositores, intérpretes, instrumentistas, dançarinos e coreógrafos, o que é relevante para melhor projetar as tec- nologias interativas para performances. Por fim, esta tese propõe uma nova reflexão sobre a distinção entre compor e projetar um novo instrumento num contexto que envolve uma multiplicidade de atores. Este trabalho apresenta as seguintes contribuições principais para o campo do design de interação aplicado à tecnologia musical: 1) ARCAA, uma framework para analisar o conjunto de relações interconectadas em performances interativas, validado através de dois estudos de caso relacionados com a música, um estudo de caso relacionado com a dança e uma análise sistemática da literatura; 2) Recomendações para o design de sistemas interativos musicais para performance (música ou dança), tendo em conta as necessidades dos vários atores e a sobreposição entre a composição musical e o design de tecnologia interactiva; 3) Uma taxonomia sobre como as partituras musicais moldaram as ecologias performativas no NIME, com base numa análise sistemática da literatura dos artigos apresentados e publicados nestas conferência; 4) Proposta de uma aborda- gem metodológica combinando abordagens de design autobiográfico e idiográfico em performances interativas

What do volunteers want from citizen science technologies? A systematic literature review and best practice guidelines

Although hundreds of citizen science applications exist, there is lack of detailed analysis of volunteers' needs and requirements, common usability mistakes and the kinds of user experiences that citizen science applications generate. Due to the limited number of studies that reflect on these issues, it is not always possible to develop interactions that are beneficial and enjoyable. In this paper we perform a systematic literature review to identify relevant articles which discuss user issues in environmental digital citizen science and we develop a set of design guidelines, which we evaluate using cooperative evaluation. The proposed research can assist scientists and practitioners with the design and development of easy to use citizen science applications and sets the basis to inform future Human-Computer Interaction research in the context of citizen science