You Belong Here: An \u27Interpellative\u27 Approach to Usability

Given the participatory, immersive Web 2.0 culture that characterizes digital experiences today, what is traditionally understood as \u27usability\u27 is insufficient to drive the engagement Web 2.0 audiences both crave and have come to expect from best-in-class interfaces. Thus, this dissertation presents a \u27constructivist\u27 vision of usability that helps designers \u27speak\u27 to audiences who demand excellence, and who will leave when confronted with mediocrity. The constructivist practice of usability occurs through what I call \u27interpellative design.\u27 Interpellative design is both a complement to, and a critique of, \u27accommodationist\u27 approaches to usability (Howard, 2010a) which tend to be associated with technical problem solving (Jordan, 2001), ease of use (Shedroff, 2001), and \u27expedient\u27 solutions (Katz, 1992) to mechanistic problems. As part of the under-theorized \u27constructivist\u27 approach to usability (Howard, 2010a), interpellative design allows usability to remain a \u27problem-solving discipline\u27 (Jordan, 2001); however, its focus on beauty, argument, and the figural dialogue between designers and users extends the purview of usability into non-algorithmic pursuits. To describe a constructivist approach to usability, I outline a theoretical taxonomy which identifies factors at play in interpellative user interfaces. An \u27interpellative interface\u27 is one which calls out or \u27hails\u27 (Althusser, 1971a) users and indicates that a given interface is a viable \u27place\u27 in which they can exert influence, accomplish tasks, or solve problems. The hail is facilitated through the construction of a habitus and use of social capital (Bourdieu, 1984). Briefly, a habitus is the space into which users are interpellated, and acts and artifacts of social capital are expressions of how they belong in that space. In examining how these factors manifest in digital interfaces, I argue that the constructivist approach to usability enacted through interpellative design enables usability engineers to identify flaws in interfaces that were not apparent before the mechanisms of habitus and social capital were explicated. The lens of interpellative design allows usability engineers to address the constructivist concerns pertaining to emotion, visual communication, and other types of \u27distinctions\u27 (Bourdieu, 1984) that could not be \u27seen\u27 before

World without WMD and without War

Contemporary world is faced with numerous threats and dangers. None of them can be solved by war, military action and economic sanctions. Neither disagreement nor conflicts can be solved by war. Humans are “eusocial” species (the technical term for displaying altruistic behaviour), like ants. Humans are cooperative and competitive, selfish and altruistic. Even if we accept that humans may have a psychobiological propensity for aggressiveness, there is no evidence that the acts of aggression, violence or war are inevitable. The Seville Statement on Violence stated in 1986 that peace is possible and that wars and violence can be ended, making it clear that there is nothing in biology that stands in the way of creating a world without war. Recent history proves that war and even possession of destructive weapons do not guarantee victories in conflicts. Participants at the International Conference on Nuclear Threats and Security organized by the World Academy of Art and Science, European Leadership Network and Dag Hammarskjöld University College under the NATO sponsorship emphasized that nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in general and war do not solve confrontations and that it is imperative to establish nuclear weapons free zones (NWFZ). Several NWFZ have already been established. World without nuclear weapons and eventually, world without war are achievable goals. Countries in the Middle East can benefit if Middle East NWFZ is established and extended to associations of countries similar and better than the EU.Suvremeni svijet suočen je s brojnim prijetnjama i opasnostima. Nijedna od njih se ne može riješiti ratom, vojnom akcijom i ekonomskim sankcijama. Niti neslaganja, niti sukobi ne mogu se riješiti ratom. Ljudi su “eusocialna” vrsta (tehnički termin za prikazivanje altruističnog ponašanja), poput mrava. Ljudi su kooperativni i natjecateljski raspoloženi, sebični i altruistični. Čak i ako prihvatimo da ljudi mogu imati psihobiološku sklonost k agresivnosti, nema dokaza da je čin agresije, nasilja i rata neizbježan. Seviljska izjava o nasilju najavila je 1986. godine da je mir moguć i da ratovi i nasilje mogu biti okončani, naglašavajući jasno da ne postoji ništa u biološkom smislu što bi onemogućavalo stvaranje svijeta bez rata. Novija povijest dokazuje da rat, pa čak i posjedovanje destruktivnog oružja ne jamče pobjedu u sukobima. Sudionici Međunarodne konferencije o nuklearnoj prijetnji i sigurnosti, u organizaciji Svjetske akademije umjetnosti i znanosti, European Leadership Network i Visoke škole međunarodnih odnosa i diplomacije Dag Hammarskjöld pod pokroviteljstvom NATO-a, istaknula je da je nuklearno oružje, oružje za masovno uništenje (WMD) općenito i rat, ne rješavaju sukobe i da je neophodno uspostavljanje zona slobodnih od nuklearnog oružja (NWFZ). Nekoliko takvih zona - NWFZ već je uspostavljeno. Svijet bez nuklearnog oružja, a konačno i svijet bez rata ostvarivi su ciljevi. Zemlje na Bliskom Istoku mogu imati koristi ako Bliski Istok uspostavi NWFZ zonu koja može biti proširena i na druge saveze zemalja, slične i bolje nego EU

Integrated Web Accessibility Guidelines for Users on the Autism Spectrum - from Specification to Implementation

This research presented a compendium of web interface design guidelines and their implementation on a transport-planning website based on the needs and preferences of users on the autism spectrum. Results highlighted the importance of having simple navigation and meaningful headings, icons, labels and text to facilitate understanding and readability; these findings offer guidelines for the design of web user interfaces to continue improving the web experience of autistic users, and therefore of the whole community

DIGITISING AGRIFOOD Pathways and Challenges. November 2019

As climate change increasingly poses an existential risk for the Earth, scientists and policymakers turn to agriculture and food as areas for urgent and bold action, which need to return within acceptable Planet Boundaries. The links between agriculture, biodiversity and climate change have become so evident that scientists propose a Great Food Transformation towards a healthy diet by 2050 as a major way to save the planet. Achieving these milestones, however, is not easy, both based on current indicators and on the gloomy state of global dialogue in this domain. This is why digital technologies such as wireless connectivity, the Internet of Things, Arti cial Intelligence and blockchain can and should come to the rescue. This report looks at the many ways in which digital solutions can be implemented on the ground to help the agrifood chain transform itself to achieve more sustainability. Together with the solution, we identify obstacles, challenges, gaps and possible policy recommendations. Action items are addressed at the European Union both as an actor of change at home, and in global governance, and are spread across ten areas, from boosting connectivity and data governance to actions aimed at empowering small farmers and end users

Editorial: Rendering Research

To render is to give something “cause to be” or “hand over” (from the Latin reddere “give back”) and enter into an obligation to do or make something like a decision. More familiar perhaps in computing, to render is to take an image or file and convert it into another format or apply a modification of some kind; or in the case of 3D animation or scanning, to render is to animate it or give it volume. In this issue, we ask, what does it mean to render research? How does the rendering of research reinforce certain limitations of thought and action? We ask these questions in the context of more and more demands on researchers to produce academic outputs in standardised forms, in peer-reviewed journals and such like that are legitimised by normative values. So, then, how to render research otherwise

Reporting on contested territory: television news coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict

This thesis is an examination of how British television news reported on the Peace Accords signed between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators at the Wye River Plantation, Maryland USA in October 1998. The research involves three elements. Firstly a review of the historiography of the conflict which sketches out the range of views on the history and origins of the dispute. Secondly a content analysis of the peace negotiations themselves. This examines how journalists drew on the range of views present in the historiography in order to contextualise coverage and provide explanations for the conflict. Thirdly the thesis looks at the various factors in production which influence the construction of news in this area, and links this to theoretical debates in the area

Conflict, security and the reshaping of society: the civilization of war

This book is an examination of the effect of contemporary wars (such as the 'War on Terror') on civil life at a global level. Contemporary literature on war is mainly devoted to recent changes in the theory and practice of warfare, particular those in which terrorists or insurgents are involved (for example, the 'revolution in military affairs', 'small wars', and so on). On the other hand, today's research on security is focused, among other themes, on the effects of the war on terrorism, and on civil liberties and social control. This volume connects these two fields of research, showing how 'war' and 'security' tend to exchange targets and forms of action as well as personnel (for instance, the spreading use of private contractors in wars and of military experts in the 'struggle for security') in modern society. This shows how, contrary to Clausewitz's belief war should be conceived of as a "continuation of politics by other means", the opposite statement is also true: that politics, insofar as it concerns security, can be defined as the 'continuation of war by other means'. This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, war and conflict studies, terrorism studies, sociology and IR in general. Salvatore Palidda is Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Genoa. Alessandro Dal Lago is Professor of Sociology of Culture and Communication at the University of Genoa. Introduction Alessandro Dal Lago and Salvatore Palidda Part 1: The Constituent Role of Armed Conflicts 1. Fields Without Honour: Contemporary War as Global Enforcement Alessandro Dal Lago 2. The Barbarization of the Peace: The Neo-Conservative Transformation of War and Perspectives Alain Joxe 3. Norm/Exception: Exceptionalism and Governmental Prospects Roberto Ciccarelli 4. Reversing Clausewitz? War and politics in French Philosophy: Michel Foucault, Deleuze-Guattari and Raymond Aron Massimiliano Guareschi 5. Global War and Technoscience Luca Guzzetti Part 2: Securisation 6. September 14, 2001: The Regression to the Habitus Didier Bigo 7. Revolution in Police Affairs Salvatore Palidda 8. Surveillance: From Resistance to Support Eric Heilmann 9. Enemies, Not Criminals: The Law and Courts Against Global Terrorism Gabriella Petti Part 3: The Reshaping of Global Society 10. Media at War Marcello Maneri 11. Global Bureaucracy: Irresponsible But Not Indifferent Mariella Pandolfi and Laurence Mcfall 12. The Space of Camps: Towards a Genealogy of Places of Internment in the Present Federico Rahol

World without WMD and without War

Contemporary world is faced with numerous threats and dangers. None of them can be solved by war, military action and economic sanctions. Neither disagreement nor conflicts can be solved by war. Humans are “eusocial” species (the technical term for displaying altruistic behaviour), like ants. Humans are cooperative and competitive, selfish and altruistic. Even if we accept that humans may have a psychobiological propensity for aggressiveness, there is no evidence that the acts of aggression, violence or war are inevitable. The Seville Statement on Violence stated in 1986 that peace is possible and that wars and violence can be ended, making it clear that there is nothing in biology that stands in the way of creating a world without war. Recent history proves that war and even possession of destructive weapons do not guarantee victories in conflicts. Participants at the International Conference on Nuclear Threats and Security organized by the World Academy of Art and Science, European Leadership Network and Dag Hammarskjöld University College under the NATO sponsorship emphasized that nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in general and war do not solve confrontations and that it is imperative to establish nuclear weapons free zones (NWFZ). Several NWFZ have already been established. World without nuclear weapons and eventually, world without war are achievable goals. Countries in the Middle East can benefit if Middle East NWFZ is established and extended to associations of countries similar and better than the EU.Suvremeni svijet suočen je s brojnim prijetnjama i opasnostima. Nijedna od njih se ne može riješiti ratom, vojnom akcijom i ekonomskim sankcijama. Niti neslaganja, niti sukobi ne mogu se riješiti ratom. Ljudi su “eusocialna” vrsta (tehnički termin za prikazivanje altruističnog ponašanja), poput mrava. Ljudi su kooperativni i natjecateljski raspoloženi, sebični i altruistični. Čak i ako prihvatimo da ljudi mogu imati psihobiološku sklonost k agresivnosti, nema dokaza da je čin agresije, nasilja i rata neizbježan. Seviljska izjava o nasilju najavila je 1986. godine da je mir moguć i da ratovi i nasilje mogu biti okončani, naglašavajući jasno da ne postoji ništa u biološkom smislu što bi onemogućavalo stvaranje svijeta bez rata. Novija povijest dokazuje da rat, pa čak i posjedovanje destruktivnog oružja ne jamče pobjedu u sukobima. Sudionici Međunarodne konferencije o nuklearnoj prijetnji i sigurnosti, u organizaciji Svjetske akademije umjetnosti i znanosti, European Leadership Network i Visoke škole međunarodnih odnosa i diplomacije Dag Hammarskjöld pod pokroviteljstvom NATO-a, istaknula je da je nuklearno oružje, oružje za masovno uništenje (WMD) općenito i rat, ne rješavaju sukobe i da je neophodno uspostavljanje zona slobodnih od nuklearnog oružja (NWFZ). Nekoliko takvih zona - NWFZ već je uspostavljeno. Svijet bez nuklearnog oružja, a konačno i svijet bez rata ostvarivi su ciljevi. Zemlje na Bliskom Istoku mogu imati koristi ako Bliski Istok uspostavi NWFZ zonu koja može biti proširena i na druge saveze zemalja, slične i bolje nego EU