Sharing the experience of urban design schemes through immersive simulation

The recent activity of citizens’ engagement for communicating the redesign scheme of an urban street using immersive simulation techniques is presented in this paper. The use of multiple tools during events with lay people and local stakeholders was tested in order to investigate the potential use of novel technologies for improving the understanding and the sharing of information in relation to urban transformation processes. In particular, the focus of this paper is about the use of immersive and dynamic experiential simulation in public events. The evaluation of the enabled experience was supported by the direct observation of people reactions to simulations and through dedicated surveys submitted right after the visualizations

E-Learning

Technology development, mainly for telecommunications and computer systems, was a key factor for the interactivity and, thus, for the expansion of e-learning. This book is divided into two parts, presenting some proposals to deal with e-learning challenges, opening up a way of learning about and discussing new methodologies to increase the interaction level of classes and implementing technical tools for helping students to make better use of e-learning resources. In the first part, the reader may find chapters mentioning the required infrastructure for e-learning models and processes, organizational practices, suggestions, implementation of methods for assessing results, and case studies focused on pedagogical aspects that can be applied generically in different environments. The second part is related to tools that can be adopted by users such as graphical tools for engineering, mobile phone networks, and techniques to build robots, among others. Moreover, part two includes some chapters dedicated specifically to e-learning areas like engineering and architecture

Diseño arquitectónico centrado en el usuario mediante neurotecnologías inmersivas

The architectural design process is a highly complex task based on crystallizing a unique solution which will satisfy simultaneously a series of requirements of a very diverse nature. In order to meet the technical requirements, the architect is guided by objective criteria based on empirical science, which guarantees the appropriateness of the proposed solutions. Nevertheless, some other more subjective aspects or factors in accordance with the client's particular preferences and demands, such as functionality or aesthetic effect, are usually tackled in a personal and intuitive manner by the project designer. This procedure does not allow the architect to know the client's subjective needs and true preferences exactly, nor how the client will respond to the architect's designs, and therefore it is not possible to quantify what the client's degree of satisfaction with the elaborated project will be. The objective of this work is to propose and verify experimentally a methodology which, through the combination of tools from Environmental Design, Kansei Engineering, immersive visualization and psychophysiological response measuring technologies, will enable us, in a scientific and methodical way, to know the user's response to the architectural space and thus acquire objective information which will be invaluable to the elaboration of the architectural design. For this purpose, six experimental studies deal with the different aspects of the proposed methodology: Differences in design preferences between architects and lay persons, differences in spatial understanding according to the visualization system, identification of affective factors of space and its relationship with design variables by Kansei Engineering and obtaining user¿s emotional response by autoevaluation and physiological measurement. The results of this thesis can be useful for those architects interested in involving the user in the process of architectural design.El proceso de diseño arquitectónico es una tarea compleja consistente en cristalizar una solución única que satisfaga simultáneamente una serie de requisitos de muy distinta naturaleza. Para acometer los requerimientos técnicos, el arquitecto está acostumbrado a respaldarse bajo criterios objetivos que garanticen la idoneidad de las soluciones propuestas. No obstante, otros aspectos más subjetivos o dependientes del usuario, como la funcionalidad o la estética, suelen ser abordados de una forma personal e intuitiva por el proyectista. Esta forma de diseñar no permite conocer las necesidades y preferencias del usuario, ni su respuesta ante los diseños, de tal forma que no es posible cuantificar en qué medida lo proyectado satisfará al futuro usuario. Sin embargo, disciplinas como la Psicología, el Evidence-Based Design o, más recientemente, la Neuroarquitectura, ofrecen instrumentos que pueden ser de utilidad. El objetivo de este trabajo es proponer y comprobar experimentalmente una metodología que, mediante la combinación de herramientas de la Psicología Ambiental e Ingeniería Kansei, sistemas de visualización inmersiva y tecnologías de medición de la respuesta psicofisiológica, permita obtener, de una manera científica y metódica, la respuesta de los usuarios ante el espacio arquitectónico para obtener información objetiva que aporte valor al proceso de diseño arquitectónico. Para ello, se plantean seis estudios experimentales que tratan distintos aspectos de la metodología propuesta: Las diferencias en preferencias de diseño entre arquitectos y no arquitectos, las diferencias en la comprensión del espacio según el sistema de presentación de los diseños, la identificación de los factores afectivos de un espacio y su relación con variables de diseño mediante Ingeniería Kansei y la obtención de la respuesta emocional del usuario ante un espacio mediante escalas de evaluación y medición psicofisiológica. Los resultados de esta tesis pueden ser de utilidad para aquellos arquitectos interesados en hacer partícipe al usuario en el proceso de diseño arquitectónico.El procés de disseny arquitectònic és una tasca molt complexa consistent a cristal¿litzar una solució única que satisfaça simultàniament una sèrie de requisits de molt diferent naturalesa. Per a escometre els requeriments tècnics, l'arquitecte està acostumat a fer ús de criteris objectius, basats en la ciència, que garantisquen la idoneïtat de les solucions proposades. No obstant això, uns altres aspectes més subjectius o dependents de la casuística de l'usuari, com la funcionalitat o l'estètica, són habitualment abordats d'una manera personal i intuïtiva pel projectista. Aquesta forma de procedir no permet conéixer les necessitats i preferències reals dels usuaris, ni la seua resposta davant els dissenys, de tal manera que no és possible quantificar en quina mesura el que es projecta satisfarà el futur usuari. L'objectiu d'aquest treball és proposar i comprovar experimentalment una metodologia que, mitjançant la combinació d'eines de la Psicologia Ambiental i Enginyeria Kansei, sistemes de visualització immersiva i tecnologies de mesurament de la resposta psicofisiològica, permeta obtenir, d'una manera científica i metòdica, la resposta dels usuaris davant els espais arquitectònics per a obtenir informació objectiva que aporte valor al procés de disseny arquitectònic. Per això, es plantegen sis estudis que tracten les diferents aspectes de la metodologia proposada: Les diferències en preferències de disseny entre arquitectes i no arquitectes, les diferències en la comprensió de l'espai segons el sistema de presentació dels dissenys, la identificació dels factors afectius d'un espai i la seva relació amb variables de disseny mitjançant Enginyeria Kansei i l'obtenció de la resposta emocional de l'usuari davant d'un espai mitjançant escales d'avaluació i mesurament psicofisiològica. Els resultats d'aquesta tesi poden ser d'utilitat per a aquells arquitectes interessats a fer partícip l'usuari en el procés de disseny arquitectonic.López-Tarruella Maldonado, J. (2017). Diseño arquitectónico centrado en el usuario mediante neurotecnologías inmersivas [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/89099TESI

Evaluating Approaches to Participation in Design: The Participants' Perspective.

Landscape architects and other designers rely on users for feedback about their needs, concerns, and reactions to potential solutions. While these well-intended efforts often fail to meet their goals, evaluations of the effectiveness of design participation from the participants’ perspective is lacking. Drawing on the Reasonable Person Model as a conceptual framework, the three studies reported here evaluated participants’ understanding of design options, engagement, and sense of meaningful participation. The first two studies, in the context of a design project for nature trails at a medical campus in Midwest U.S., used design sessions and a photoquestionnaire. The third study followed a more systematic approach to compare the effectiveness of different types of design drawings. Participants found the design sessions engaging and their input meaningful. However, the differences in understandability for the different designs are attributable to presentation format, organization, and design graphics. Furthermore, the more difficulty participants had understanding the design presentation, the less they liked the design option presented. This study also found that the photoquestionnaire compared favorably to the design presentations. The photoquestionnaire, the focus of the second study, showed that this approach performed particularly well in promoting a sense of meaningful participation for the participating visitors and employees. It also revealed the importance of offering multiple avenues for people to express their concerns so they feel that they have been heard. The third study found photorealistic and perspective drawings to be more understandable and engaging and to promote greater confidence in discussing the design than plans and sections. Notably, some plans and sections, characterized as simple, neat, coherent, legible, and using colors that matched common perceptions, performed better than some photorealistic and perspective drawings. Simplification in the representation of design features also enhanced understandability in some cases. This research reveals ways designers can facilitate a participation process that meets the cognitive and psychological needs of participants and leads to reliable, useful feedback. It empowers designers by helping them see they can make a difference in creating an effective participation process.Ph.D.Natural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86328/1/bosworth_1.pd

Cognitive Foundations for Visual Analytics

In this report, we provide an overview of scientific/technical literature on information visualization and VA. Topics discussed include an update and overview of the extensive literature search conducted for this study, the nature and purpose of the field, major research thrusts, and scientific foundations. We review methodologies for evaluating and measuring the impact of VA technologies as well as taxonomies that have been proposed for various purposes to support the VA community. A cognitive science perspective underlies each of these discussions