User Preferences of Spatio-Temporal Referencing Approaches For Immersive 3D Radar Charts

The use of head-mounted display technologies for virtual reality experiences is inherently single-user-centred, allowing for the visual immersion of its user in the computer-generated environment. This isolates them from their physical surroundings, effectively preventing external visual information cues, such as the pointing and referral to an artifact by another user. However, such input is important and desired in collaborative scenarios when exploring and analyzing data in virtual environments together with a peer. In this article, we investigate different designs for making spatio-temporal references, i.e., visually highlighting virtual data artifacts, within the context of Collaborative Immersive Analytics. The ability to make references to data is foundational for collaboration, affecting aspects such as awareness, attention, and common ground. Based on three design options, we implemented a variety of approaches to make spatial and temporal references in an immersive virtual reality environment that featured abstract visualization of spatio-temporal data as 3D Radar Charts. We conducted a user study (n=12) to empirically evaluate aspects such as aesthetic appeal, legibility, and general user preference. The results indicate a unified favour for the presented location approach as a spatial reference while revealing trends towards a preference of mixed temporal reference approaches dependent on the task configuration: pointer for elementary, and outline for synoptic references. Based on immersive data visualization complexity as well as task reference configuration, we argue that it can be beneficial to explore multiple reference approaches as collaborative information cues, as opposed to following a rather uniform user interface design.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

Designing a 3D Gestural Interface to Support User Interaction with Time-Oriented Data as Immersive 3D Radar Chart

The design of intuitive three-dimensional user interfaces is vital for interaction in virtual reality, allowing to effectively close the loop between a human user and the virtual environment. The utilization of 3D gestural input allows for useful hand interaction with virtual content by directly grasping visible objects, or through invisible gestural commands that are associated with corresponding features in the immersive 3D space. The design of such interfaces remains complex and challenging. In this article, we present a design approach for a three-dimensional user interface using 3D gestural input with the aim to facilitate user interaction within the context of Immersive Analytics. Based on a scenario of exploring time-oriented data in immersive virtual reality using 3D Radar Charts, we implemented a rich set of features that is closely aligned with relevant 3D interaction techniques, data analysis tasks, and aspects of hand posture comfort. We conducted an empirical evaluation (n=12), featuring a series of representative tasks to evaluate the developed user interface design prototype. The results, based on questionnaires, observations, and interviews, indicate good usability and an engaging user experience. We are able to reflect on the implemented hand-based grasping and gestural command techniques, identifying aspects for improvement in regard to hand detection and precision as well as emphasizing a prototype's ability to infer user intent for better prevention of unintentional gestures.Comment: 30 pages, 6 figures, 2 table

Promoting secondary school learners' curiosity towards science through digital public displays

This paper contributes to the understanding of how digital public displays can be utilized in schools taking into consideration educational goals. This work is part of a currently on-going research project that aims to promote students' curiosity in science and technology through creative film-making, collaborative editing activities, and content sharing. In order to explore the design space concerning digital public displays for schools' contexts, six workshops with secondary school teachers in two different countries were conducted to elicit sensitivities towards possible features and interaction techniques as well as inquire about expectations and technology adoption. Our findings suggest that teachers are receptive to the technology and were able to generate scenarios that take advantage of the possibilities offered by digital public displays to stimulate learning processes.However, there are several crucial elements regarding management and control of content that need to be carefully crafted/designed in order to accommodate each schools' organizational issues

Imitation and solving the correspondence problem for dissimilar embodiments : a generic framework

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Open data exploration in virtual reality : a comparative study of input technology

In this article, we compare three different input technologies (gamepad, vision-based motion controls, room-scale) for an interactive virtual reality (VR) environment. The overall system is able to visualize (open) data from multiple online sources in a unified interface, enabling the user to browse and explore displayed information in an immersive VR setting. We conducted a user interaction study (n=24; n=8 per input technology, between-group design) to investigate experienced workload and perceived flow of interaction. Log files and observations allowed further insights and comparison of each condition. We have identified trends that indicate user preference of a visual (virtual) representation, but no clear trends regarding the application of physical controllers (over vision-based controls), in a scenario that encouraged exploration with no time limitations.Open Data Exploration in Virtual Reality (ODxVR

Using Mobile Augmented Reality to Facilitate Public Engagement

This paper presents our initial efforts towards the development of a framework for facilitating public engagement through the use of mobile Augmented Reality (mAR), that fall under the overall project title "Augmented Reality for Public Engagement" (PEAR). We present the concept, implementation, and discuss the results from the deployment of a mobile phone app (PEAR 4 VXO). The mobile app was used for a user study in conjunction with a campaign carried out by Växjö municipality (Sweden) while exploring how to get citizens more engaged in urban planning actions and decisions. These particular activities took place during spring 2016.One of the salient features of our approach is that it combines novel ways of using mAR together with social media, online databases, and sensors, to support public engagement. In addition, the data collection process and audience engagement were tested in a follow-up limited deployment.The analysis and outcomes of our initial results validate the overall concept and indicate the potential usefulness of the app as a tool, but also highlight the need for an active campaign from the part of the stakeholders.Our future efforts will focus on addressing some of the problems and challenges that we have identified during the different phases of this user study.Augmented Reality for Public Engagement (PEAR

Designing interactive mobile services to promote civic participation in northern Uganda

This chapter presents the activities and outcomes of the "People's Voices: Developing Cross Media Services to Promote Citizens Participation in Local Governance Activities" project. The aims of the project were a) to identify and describe a number of cross media services that can be used to promote citizens’ participation in political decisions and civic activities, and b) to develop a conceptual design and a prototype system of such a service. The project included a number of field trips from Sweden to Uganda, and used participatory design and ethnographic techniques for requirements elicitation, actively involving the different stakeholders. The developed system allows people in Uganda to use their mobile phones to submit reports of irregularities in local governance or poor services delivery using an interactive voice menu interface. We hope that our specific contribution will emphasize on how novel ways of integrating and using ICT can provide opportunities to encourage and facilitate civic engagement in North Uganda. The potential massive adoption of the kind of interactive mobile services described in this book chapter can be used in unique ways to provide opportunities to make governmental services more innovative, transparent and cost-effective, as well as to encourage citizens to become more engaged and goal-focused for the common good of their society.The project was partially funded by the Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (Spider) and was a collaboration between the Center for Learning and Knowledge Technologies (CeLeKT) at Linnaeus University (LNU, Sweden), the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), and Makerere University (MAK, Uganda).People's Voices: Developing CrossMedia Services to Promote Citizens Participation in Local Governance Activitie

Designing interactive mobile services to promote civic participation in northern Uganda

This chapter presents the activities and outcomes of the "People's Voices: Developing Cross Media Services to Promote Citizens Participation in Local Governance Activities" project. The aims of the project were a) to identify and describe a number of cross media services that can be used to promote citizens’ participation in political decisions and civic activities, and b) to develop a conceptual design and a prototype system of such a service. The project included a number of field trips from Sweden to Uganda, and used participatory design and ethnographic techniques for requirements elicitation, actively involving the different stakeholders. The developed system allows people in Uganda to use their mobile phones to submit reports of irregularities in local governance or poor services delivery using an interactive voice menu interface. We hope that our specific contribution will emphasize on how novel ways of integrating and using ICT can provide opportunities to encourage and facilitate civic engagement in North Uganda. The potential massive adoption of the kind of interactive mobile services described in this book chapter can be used in unique ways to provide opportunities to make governmental services more innovative, transparent and cost-effective, as well as to encourage citizens to become more engaged and goal-focused for the common good of their society.The project was partially funded by the Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (Spider) and was a collaboration between the Center for Learning and Knowledge Technologies (CeLeKT) at Linnaeus University (LNU, Sweden), the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), and Makerere University (MAK, Uganda).People's Voices: Developing CrossMedia Services to Promote Citizens Participation in Local Governance Activitie

An Empirical Evaluation of Asymmetric Synchronous Collaboration Combining Immersive and Non-Immersive Interfaces Within the Context of Immersive Analytics

Collaboration is an essential part of data analysis, allowing multiple users to combine their expertise and to debate about the interpretation of data discoveries using their contextual knowledge. The design of collaborative interfaces within the context of Immersive Analytics remains challenging, particularly due to the various user-centered characteristics of immersive technologies. In this article, we present the use case of a system that enables multiple users to synchronously explore the same data in a collaborative scenario that combines immersive and non-immersive interfaces in an asymmetric role setup. Such a setup allows for bridging the gap when applying heterogeneous display and interaction technologies, enabling each analyst to have an independent and different view of the data, while maintaining important collaborative aspects during the joint data exploration. We developed an immersive VR environment (head- mounted display, 3D gestural input) and a non-immersive desktop terminal (monitor, keyboard and mouse) centered around spatio-temporal data exploration. Supported through a real-time communication interface, synchronous collaborative features are integrated in both interfaces, facilitating the users in their ability to establish a shared context and to make spatio-temporal references. We conducted an empirical evaluation with five participant pairs (within-subject design) to investigate aspects of usability, user engagement, and collaboration during a confirmative analysis task. Synthesis of questionnaire results in combination with additional log file analysis, audio activity analysis, and observations, revealed good usability scores, high user engagement, as well as overall close and balanced collaboration of enthusiastic pairs during the task completion independent of their interface type, validating our system approach in general. Further supported through the self-constructed Spatio-Temporal Collaboration Questionnaire, we are able to contribute with discussion and considerations of the presented scenario and the synchronous collaborative features for the design of similar applications