Human-Computer Interaction

In this book the reader will find a collection of 31 papers presenting different facets of Human Computer Interaction, the result of research projects and experiments as well as new approaches to design user interfaces. The book is organized according to the following main topics in a sequential order: new interaction paradigms, multimodality, usability studies on several interaction mechanisms, human factors, universal design and development methodologies and tools

To Affinity and Beyond: Interactive Digital Humans as a Human Computer Interface

The field of human computer interaction is increasingly exploring the use of more natural, human-like user interfaces to build intelligent agents to aid in everyday life. This is coupled with a move to people using ever more realistic avatars to represent themselves in their digital lives. As the ability to produce emotionally engaging digital human representations is only just now becoming technically possible, there is little research into how to approach such tasks. This is due to both technical complexity and operational implementation cost. This is now changing as we are at a nexus point with new approaches, faster graphics processing and enabling new technologies in machine learning and computer vision becoming available. I articulate the issues required for such digital humans to be considered successfully located on the other side of the phenomenon known as the Uncanny Valley. My results show that a complex mix of perceived and contextual aspects affect the sense making on digital humans and highlights previously undocumented effects of interactivity on the affinity. Users are willing to accept digital humans as a new form of user interface and they react to them emotionally in previously unanticipated ways. My research shows that it is possible to build an effective interactive digital human that crosses the Uncanny Valley. I directly explore what is required to build a visually realistic digital human as a primary research question and I explore if such a realistic face provides sufficient benefit to justify the challenges involved in building it. I conducted a Delphi study to inform the research approaches and then produced a complex digital human character based on these insights. This interactive and realistic digital human avatar represents a major technical undertaking involving multiple teams around the world. Finally, I explored a framework for examining the ethical implications and signpost future research areas

Ergonomic Simulation Revisited Using Parametric Virtual Humans in the Biomechanical Framework

The conventional CAD/CAM approach to design does not show the essential spatial relationships between user and product that are crucial for intuitive design analysis. As populations age and the home appliance market stagnates, Universal Design principles implemented with computerized virtual worlds become more important for meeting the ergonomic problems of heterogeneous populations that are increasingly difficult to adequately test with real-world subjects. Digital Human Modelling (DHM) is an emerging area that bridges computer-aided engineering design, human factors engineering and applied ergonomics. The most advanced forms of this technology are being used by many researchers for practical applications, including ergonomic analysis. However, a state of the art model of this technology has never been conceived for the conceptual design stage of a product development cycle as most conventional DHM techniques lack real time interaction, require considerable user intervention, and have inefficient control facilities and non-adequate validation techniques, all contributing to slow production pipelines. They have also not addressed the needs of the growing ageing population in many societies across the globe. The focus of this dissertation is to introduce a complete framework for ergonomic simulation at the conceptual design stage of a product development cycle based on parametric virtual humans in a prioritized inverse kinematics framework while taking biomechanical knowledge in to account. Using an intuitive control facility, design engineers can input a simple CAD model, design variables and human factors in to the system. The evaluation engine generates the required simulation in real-time by making use of an Anthropometric Database, Physical Characteristic Database and Prioritized Inverse Kinematics architecture. The key components of the total system are described and the results are demonstrated with a few applications such as kitchen, wash-basin and bath-tub. By introducing a quantitative estimation of ageing algorithm for anthropometric digital human models, products can be designed from the start to suit the ergonomic needs of the user rather than the biases and assumptions of the designer. Also, by creating a tool that can be used intuitively by non-specialists in a dynamic, real-time environment, designers can stop relying on specialists to test the safety of their ideas and start to effectively use data about populations to discover designs that can be used more easily by more people. Results have been validated with real human subjects indicating the practical implication of the total system as an ergonomic design tool for the conceptual design stage of a product development cycle

CTRL SHIFT

CTRL SHIFT makes a case for design under contemporary computation. The abstractions of reading, writing, metaphors, mythology, code, cryptography, interfaces, and other such symbolic languages are leveraged as tools for understanding. Alternative modes of knowledge become access points through which users can subvert the control structures of software. By challenging the singular expertise of programmers, the work presented within advocates for the examination of internalized beliefs, the redistribution of networked power, and the collective sabotage of computational authority

Advances in Human-Robot Interaction

Rapid advances in the field of robotics have made it possible to use robots not just in industrial automation but also in entertainment, rehabilitation, and home service. Since robots will likely affect many aspects of human existence, fundamental questions of human-robot interaction must be formulated and, if at all possible, resolved. Some of these questions are addressed in this collection of papers by leading HRI researchers

Calibrating trust between humans and artificial intelligence systems

As machines become increasingly more intelligent, they become more capable of operating with greater degrees of independence from their users. However, appropriate use of these autonomous systems is dependent on appropriate trust from their users. A lack of trust towards an autonomous system will likely lead to the user doubting the capabilities of the system, potentially to the point of disuse. Conversely, too much trust in a system may lead to the user overestimating the capabilities of the system, and potentially result in errors which could have been avoided with appropriate supervision. Thus, appropriate trust is trust which is calibrated to reflect the true performance capabilities of the system. The calibration of trust towards autonomous systems is an area of research of increasing popularity, as more and more intelligent machines are introduced to modern workplaces. This thesis contains three studies which examine trust towards autonomous technologies. In our first study, in Chapter 2, we used qualitative research methods to explore how participants characterise their trust towards different online technologies. In focus groups, participants discussed a variety of factors which they believed were important when using digital services. We had a particular interest in how they perceived social media platforms, as these services rely upon users continued sharing of their personal information. In our second study, in Chapter 3, using our initial findings we created a human-computer interaction experiment, where participants collaborated with an Autonomous Image Classifier System. In this experiment, we were able to examine the ways that participants placed trust in the classifier during different types of system performance. We also investigated whether users’ trust could be better calibrated by providing different displays of System Confidence Information, to help convey the system’s decision making. In our final study, in Chapter 4, we built directly upon the findings of Chapter 3, by creating an updated version of our human-computer interaction experiment. We provided participants with another cue of system decision making, Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping, and investigated whether this cue could promote greater trust towards the classifier. Additionally, we examined whether these cues can improve participants’ subjective understanding of the system’s decision making, as a way of exploring how to improve the interpretability of these systems. This research contributes to our current understanding of calibrating users’ trust towards autonomous systems, and may be particularly useful when designing Autonomous Image Classifier Systems. While our results were inconclusive, we did find some support for users preferring the more complicated interfaces we provided. Users also reported greater understanding of the classifier’s decision making when provided with the Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping cue. Further research may clarify whether this cue is an appropriate method of visualising the decision-making of Autonomous Image Classifier Systems in real-world settings