Sketching user experiences: Hands-on course of sketching techniques for HCI research

When designing novel user experiences, paper-pencil sketches can support the design thinking process and are valuable for communicating design ideas to others. This hands-on course will demonstrate how to integrate sketching into researchers' and interaction designers' everyday practice - with a focus on applying the techniques to the design of novel user experiences. Participants will learn fundamental sketching strategies, apply these in practice during many hands-on exercises, and learn the various ways of using sketches as a tool when designing interactive systems

miMic: The microphone as a pencil

miMic, a sonic analogue of paper and pencil is proposed: An augmented microphone for vocal and gestural sonic sketching. Vocalizations are classified and interpreted as instances of sound models, which the user can play with by vocal and gestural control. The physical device is based on a modified microphone, with embedded inertial sensors and buttons. Sound models can be selected by vocal imitations that are automatically classified, and each model is mapped to vocal and gestural features for real-time control. With miMic, the sound designer can explore a vast sonic space and quickly produce expressive sonic sketches, which may be turned into sound prototypes by further adjustment of model parameters

Exploring Research through Design in Animal-Computer Interaction

This paper explores Research through Design (RtD) as a potential methodology for developing new interactive experiences for animals. We present an example study from an on-going project and examine whether RtD offers an appropriate framework for developing knowledge in the context of Animal-Computer Interaction, as well as considering how best to document such work. We discuss the design journey we undertook to develop interactive systems for captive elephants and the extent to which RtD has enabled us to explore concept development and documentation of research. As a result of our explorations, we propose that particular aspects of RtD can help ACI researchers gain fresh perspectives on the design of technology-enabled devices for non-human animals. We argue that these methods of working can support the investigation of particular and complex situations where no idiomatic interactions yet exist, where collaborative practice is desirable and where the designed objects themselves offer a conceptual window for future research and development

Making Spaces: how design workbooks work

In this paper, I discuss design workbooks, collections of design proposals and related materials, both as a method for design and as a design methodology. In considering them as a method, I describe a number of examples of design workbooks we have developed in our studio and describe some of the practical techniques we have used in developing them. More fundamentally, I discuss design workbooks as embodiments of a methodological approach which recognises that ideas may emerge slowly over time, that important issues and perspectives may emerge from multiple concrete ideas, potentially generated by multiple members of a team, rather than being theory-driven, and that maintaining the provisionality and vagueness of early proposals can be useful in supporting a quasi-participatory design approach that allows participants to interpret, react to and elaborate upon the ideas they present

PERSEL, a Ready-to-Use PERsonality-Based User SELection Tool to Maximize User Experience Redesign Effectiveness

Some literature has already demonstrated the widespread influence of human personality on product design. Nevertheless, most of the existing user experience (UX) design methods and tools do not fully exploit knowledge about user personality in selecting the best participants to maximize the effectiveness of the design efforts. This research tries to fill the gap by introducing PERSEL, the ready-to-use PERsonality-based SELector. PERSEL is a Microsoft Excel workbook, free to download, which allows expression of the objectives (needs) and assessment of the user personality; in turn, PERSEL suggests the best users to be involved in UX redesign activities and in what way, in order to get solutions answering to the needs in the best possible way. A comparison of the solutions generated by the first adoption of PERSEL in the field with those coming from the involvement of users selected without obeying any specific criterion, begins validating the research results, mainly in terms of PERSEL functioning and effectiveness

The Effectiveness of Brain Sketching Technique in Writing Descriptive Text

This research aimed to find out the students' improvement in writing descriptive text especially in content and organization by using Brain Sketching Technique. The problem statement of this research was how is the use of Brain-Sketching Technique improved the students' skill in writing descriptive text. The researcher used quasi experimental design, and used two classes they were experimental class and control class, the data was collected by using written test. The pre-test was given to the students' to find out the students' improvement in writing process before the treatment and the post-test was given to find out the students' improvement in writing process after the treatment. The population was the second year students of SMP Aisyiyah Paccinongang that consisted of 20 students in academic year 2014/2015. Meanwhile, the sample of this research was taken by using purposive sampling. The research findings indicated that the achievement of the second year students of SMP Aisyiyah Paccinongang, Gowa, improved after the use of Brain-Sketching Technique. It proven by the mean score of pre-test in experimental class was 67.12 and post-test was 77.32 and the mean score of pre-test in controlled class was 68.12 and post-test was 74.37. The statistical computations showed that Brain-Sketching Technique was likely effective to improve the students' writing in descriptive text

Rapport: A system designed to limit digital distraction within romantic relationships

Technology continues to take a more prominent role within our relationships. Although the Internet allows for more connectivity, it also disconnects people from family and friends in face-to-face situations. As mobile digital technologies continue to advance, they create more and more opportunities for distraction and overuse. With an ever-growing market of smart devices with enhanced abilities, it\u27s important that partners are aware of the implications of their use. To develop a deeper understanding of how digital technology impacts romantic relationships, a digital survey and two data collection studies were administered. Vital information was collected to further develop an understanding of the problems that exist between digital technology and romantic relationships. The data collected helped to outline how relevant digital distraction is within relationships. The data also clearly showed that every relationship is unique and that not every usage problem is the same. The information and data collected were used to create a design solution to help target the issue. Rapport is designed to help couples with their device usage challenges. It aims to help users identify their individual usage problems and understand how their usage might be affecting their romantic relationships. It also helps users establish realistic goals while developing long-term solutions. Rapport aims to promote positive communication, teach compromise and trust, and develop better device usage habits. The system contains three simple parts: the self- and partner-assessment pages, the Rapport usage tracking device, and the monthly analytic reports. Rapport is also aware of the users\u27 vicinity to their partners. When users are on their devices excessively in the presence of their partners, it helps remind them to disconnect. Rapport\u27s goal is to help minimize digital distraction and promote the importance of face-to-face interaction within romantic relationships

Empathy, connectivity, authenticity, and trust: A rhetorical framework for creating and evaluating interaction design

Relationships are synergistic. Relational theories describe how we create and sustain relationships and take into consideration our own experiences, our own social location and include broad cultural signifiers. Part of our development as people is to learn about power; our own power, and others\u27 power. This thesis offers the combinational addition of Relational-Cultural Theory and the Connectivity Model to the spectrum of interaction design. Since interaction design is about designing mediating tools for people and their subsequent behaviors, particular attention is needed into establishing and maintaining relationship between designer and audience. Relational-Cultural Theory pushes against typical patriarchal structures and values in the United States. These typical power over values/structures include men over women, whites over blacks, logic over emotion, provider over nurturer, and so on. Relational-Cultural Theory seeks a flatness of power. It creates a sense of shared power, or power with others. This idea of shared power can lead to collaborative creation in interaction design to produce useful and good designs. Empathy, mutuality, and authenticity are essential in recognizing our own limits and strengths in connection with others. Building trust requires a mix of all three of these tenets, as well as evolution through conflict. Interaction designers can move toward creating an inclusive theory for this discipline by becoming vulnerable and sharing power with the people with whom they design interactions. Therefore, the rhetorical framework of empathy, connectivity, authenticity, and trust (e-CAT) is presented as a means of creating and evaluating interaction design

Sketchy rendering for information visualization

We present and evaluate a framework for constructing sketchy style information visualizations that mimic data graphics drawn by hand. We provide an alternative renderer for the Processing graphics environment that redefines core drawing primitives including line, polygon and ellipse rendering. These primitives allow higher-level graphical features such as bar charts, line charts, treemaps and node-link diagrams to be drawn in a sketchy style with a specified degree of sketchiness. The framework is designed to be easily integrated into existing visualization implementations with minimal programming modification or design effort. We show examples of use for statistical graphics, conveying spatial imprecision and for enhancing aesthetic and narrative qualities of visual- ization. We evaluate user perception of sketchiness of areal features through a series of stimulus-response tests in order to assess users’ ability to place sketchiness on a ratio scale, and to estimate area. Results suggest relative area judgment is compromised by sketchy rendering and that its influence is dependent on the shape being rendered. They show that degree of sketchiness may be judged on an ordinal scale but that its judgement varies strongly between individuals. We evaluate higher-level impacts of sketchiness through user testing of scenarios that encourage user engagement with data visualization and willingness to critique visualization de- sign. Results suggest that where a visualization is clearly sketchy, engagement may be increased and that attitudes to participating in visualization annotation are more positive. The results of our work have implications for effective information visualization design that go beyond the traditional role of sketching as a tool for prototyping or its use for an indication of general uncertainty