HCI as an inter-discipline

This paper responds to a 2014 paper by Liu et al seeking a quantifiable thematic core to CHI. As an alternative, I argue that CHI should strategically avoid the search for such a core, instead seeking its identity as a mode of responding and contributing to other disciplines.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2702613.273250

Interacting with an inferred world: The challenge of machine learning for humane computer interaction

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Classic theories of user interaction have been framed in relation to symbolic models of planning and problem solving, responding in part to the cognitive theories associated with AI research. However, the behavior of modern machine-learning systems is determined by statistical models of the world rather than explicit symbolic descriptions. Users increasingly interact with the world and with others in ways that are mediated by such models. This paper explores the way in which this new generation of technology raises fresh challenges for the critical evaluation of interactive systems. It closes with some proposed measures for the design of inference-based systems that are more open to humane design and use. </span></p></div></div></div>This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the Association for Computing Machinery via http://dx.doi.org/10.7146/aahcc.v1i1.2119

Open Piping: Towards an Open Visual Workflow Environment

The most popular visual programming tools focus on procedural, object-oriented and event-based programming. This paper describes a boxes-and-wires functional programming tool, aimed to be accessible to novice programmers, while also supporting open access to the specified processes, executable programs and results for study and deployment

Natural Notation for the Domestic Internet of Things

This study explores the use of natural language to give instructions that might be interpreted by Internet of Things (IoT) devices in a domestic `smart home' environment. We start from the proposition that reminders can be considered as a type of end-user programming, in which the executed actions might be performed either by an automated agent or by the author of the reminder. We conducted an experiment in which people wrote sticky notes specifying future actions in their home. In different conditions, these notes were addressed to themselves, to others, or to a computer agent.We analyse the linguistic features and strategies that are used to achieve these tasks, including the use of graphical resources as an informal visual language. The findings provide a basis for design guidance related to end-user development for the Internet of Things.Comment: Proceedings of the 5th International symposium on End-User Development (IS-EUD), Madrid, Spain, May, 201

Understanding meaningful participation and the situated use of technology in community music for active ageing

AbstractAn unfortunate tendency in previous HCI research has been to give the impression that it aims to ‘fix the problem’ of human ageing, suggesting a ‘deficit’ model of ageing or a ‘prosthetic’ model of technology. We conducted diary-aided interviews to investigate how technology use is situated in active, healthy older adults’ meaningful participation in community music. We argue that recognizing community music practices and technology use as situated action provides opportunities to grasp the subtleties of social participation and design for active ageing. We identified technology-mediated music practices, such as music sharing and revisiting, and how they evolved through the reconfiguration of connections between technology, competence, and forward-facing identities. We found that identity development, via routes such as exercising control, role transitions, and social spaces, had psychological significance and implications for active ageing. We explore how HCI leverages the perspective of active ageing and might facilitate older adults’ meaningful participation enhanced by technologies.China Scholarship Counci

Exploring expressive augmented reality: The fing AR puppet system for social pretend play

We present “FingAR Puppet”, an Augmented Reality (AR) system enhancing social pretend play by young children. Un-like goal-oriented AR systems that augment reality with in-formative instructions, FingAR Puppet helps children asso-ciate expressive interpretations with immediate reality. Em-pirical results show that FingAR Puppet promotes reasoning about emotional states, communication and divergent think-ing during social pretend play for children 4-6 years old. We suggest that this study opens an interesting space for future AR systems to support complex cognitive and social devel-opment in early childhood. We also identify broader implica-tions from using theories of cognitive development to guide the design of tangible and augmented interactions

Palimpsest: A layered language for exploratory image processing

Palimpsest is a novel purely-visual language intended to support exploratory live programming. It demonstrates a new paradigm for the visual representation of constraint programming that may be appropriate to future generations of keyboardless and touchscreen devices. The current application domain is that of creative image manipulation, although the paradigm can support a wider range of computational expression. The combination of constraint semantics expressed via a novel image-layering metaphor provides a new approach to supporting a gradual slope of abstraction from direct manipulation to behaviour specification. Exploratory evaluations with a range of users give an indication of likely audiences, and opportunities for future development and application.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is published in the Journal of Visual Languages and Computing here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1045926X14000627

Personality and intrinsic motivational factors in end-user programming

We explore the factors that determine whether individuals are likely to experience intrinsic motivation in end-user programming (EUP). We report two experiments: one that tests whether there are reliable psychometric constructs that describe different aspects of intrinsic motivation, and one that tests whether these constructs are successful in predicting individuals' own self-reported intrinsic motivation after using a popular EUP product. We conclude that there are identifiable and distinct motivational factors in EUP, and that these are associated with particular psychometric personality traits. We offer several suggestions for future research that could apply these findings to improve uptake and quality of user experience for educational and general-purpose EUP applications

The practices of programming

© 2016 IEEE.How diverse are the ways that programming is done? While a variety of accounts exist, each appears in isolation, neither framed in terms of a distinct practice, nor as one of many such practices. In this work we explore accounts spanning software engineering, bricolage/tinkering, sketching, live coding, code-bending, and hacking. These practices of programming are analyzed in relation to ongoing research, and in particular HCI's 'practice turn', offering connections to accounts of practice in other contexts than programming. The conceptualization of practice helps to interpret recent interest in program code as craft material, and also offers potential to inform programming education, tools and work as well as future research

Practitioner-customizable clinical information systems: a case study to ground further research and development opportunities

The uptake of electronic records and information technology support in intensive care medicine has been slower than many people predicted. One of the engineering challenges to overcome has been the subtle, but important, variation in clinical practice in different units. A relatively recent innovation that addresses this challenge is practitioner-customizable clinical information systems, allowing clinicians wide scope in adjusting their systems to suit their clinical practice. However, these systems present a significant design challenge, not only of added technical complexity, but in providing tools that support clinicians in doing many of the tasks of a software engineer. This paper reviews the use of a commercially available clinical information system that is intended to be practitioner-customizable, and considers the further design and development of tools to support healthcare practitioners doing end-user customization on their own clinical information systems.Peer Reviewe