Activity Theory Analysis of Heart Failure Self-Care

The management of chronic health conditions such as heart failure is a complex process emerging from the activity of a network of individuals and artifacts. This article presents an Activity Theory-based secondary analysis of data from a geriatric heart failure management study. Twenty-one patients' interviews and clinic visit observations were analyzed to uncover eight configurations of roles and activities involving patients, clinicians, and others in the sociotechnical network. For each configuration or activity pattern, we identify points of tension and propose guidelines for developing interventions for future computer-supported healthcare systems

All in a Day's Work: User Interface Design for Multitasking, Resource Organization, and Collaboration in Knowledge Work

ABSTRACT Knowledge workers manage multiple tasks, collaborate effectively, and leverage the spatial organization of their work area; all of these practices have a relationship to the construct of activity. In this research, I have synthesized data about knowledge workers' practices, findings from the development and evaluation of early activity-based systems, and theoretical understandings of cognition and activity into a set of challenges for the research and development of activity-based systems. I am addressing these challenges and incorporating lessons learned from previous technological explorations in a research prototype, the Giornata system, a demonstration of how the traditional desktop metaphor can be re-envisioned to better match knowledge workers' practices by emphasizing activity as a primary organizing principle in GUI-based interaction

Activity-Centric Computing Systems

• Activity-Centric Computing (ACC) addresses deep-rooted information management problems in traditional application centric computing by providing a unifying computational model for human goal-oriented ‘activity,’ cutting across system boundaries. • We provide a historical review of the motivation for and development of ACC systems, and highlight the need for broadening up this research topic to also include low-level system research and development. • ACC concepts and technology relate to many facets of computing; they are relevant for researchers working on new computing models and operating systems, as well as for application designers seeking to incorporate these technologies in domain-specific applications

Fit’n Bits: Evaluation of the FitBit’s User Friendliness and Motivation

poster abstractWearable computing devices create new opportunities for people to collect data about themselves and interact unobtrusively with a wide variety of information sources. However, these devices also compete for a wearer’s limited attention and have the potential for worsening the problem of information overload. Our study focuses on people’s day-to-day experiences using wearable activity tracking devices, both solo and in motivational groups of 3–4 persons. We are currently collecting a variety of data to understand how differences in the information displayed on the device (and the associated, web-based “dashboard”) affect users’ behavior and attainment/motivation of physical activity goals, influence users’ perception of the usefulness and intrusiveness of the device, and encourage/discourage device use. In addition, we hope to further explore whether or not participation in a group provided additional motivation or simply introduced another type of information overload. A total of 36 participants will be recruited from the IUPUI campus and nearby areas of downtown Indianapolis and will be divided into one of two conditions, working solo or in a squad (group of three of more people). ANOVAs will be conducted to analyze and interpret the data. In particular, we will look for any significant differences in the number of steps taken and in the subjective preference ratings across all conditions. All qualitative responses will be collaboratively coded by a team of investigators. This research effort is currently ongoing, and we are aiming to present initial data analyses based on a large subset of our total participant population at this year’s IUPUI Research Day

Designing Leaderboards for Gamification: Perceived Differences Based on User Ranking, Application Domain, and Personality Traits

Leaderboards, a common gamification technique, are used to enhance engagement through social comparisons. Prior research has demonstrated the overall utility of leaderboards but has not examined their effectiveness when individuals are ranked at particular levels or when the technique is applied in different application domains, such as social networking, fitness, or productivity. In this paper, we present a survey study investigating how preferences for leaderboards change based on individual differences (personality traits), ranking, social scoping, and application domains. Our results show that a respondent's position on the leaderboard had important effects on their perception of the leaderboard and the surrounding app, and that participants rated leaderboards most favorably in fitness apps and least favorably in social networking contexts. More extraverted people reported more positive experiences with leaderboards despite their ranking or the application domain. We present design implications for creating leaderboards targeted at different domains and for different audiences

Personal Information Interfaces

poster abstractAs the ubiquitous computing vision of “computation everywhere” has become increasingly mainstream, people make use of electronic information across multiple form factors, in more places, as part of more activities, and in more social contexts than ever before. This is the crux of the information overload problem: with a vast increase in exposure to information, there is a corresponding increase in the amount of work that people need to invest to keep up with the demands of perceiving, sense-making, organizing, utilizing, and managing that information. Dr. Stephen Voida and his student researchers in the Personal Information Interfaces (PII) laboratory explore ways that the interfaces, interaction techniques, and context-aware infrastructure employed in the next generation of information systems might better respond to the critical, real-world challenges associated with information overload. A new generation of sensor-enabled computing devices stands to magnify the information overload effect by adding streams of data about our environment, our working contexts, and traces of our activities—both online and in the real world—into the mix. A popular example is the growing number of fitness tracking devices that have appeared on the market in the last few years, for example, Fitbits, Nike+ Fuelbands, and the Jawbone Up (just to name a few). Proponents of the “quantified self” movement suggest one way to use the data streams provided by these devices: as a means for self-reflection. However, effective self-reflection requires that a vast amount of information—often highly personal in nature—be captured by our devices, and it introduces new work for end-users, such as finding patterns in the data and translating sensed trends into effective actions. We are currently launching a study of commercial fitness trackers to understand when different representations of self-reflective data streams are effective in helping to facilitate behavior change…and when those representations contribute instead to a sense of information overload. We are also exploring similar questions related to other technologies that collect and present self-reflective data about daily life—time management tools, mood-tracking apps, and the like. In general, we aim to understand how infrastructure and interface design can prevent people’s experiences of sensed data streams from contributing to information overload while still allowing us to capitalize on the positive behavior change and self-reflection potential of this information

Sociotechnical Approaches to Fieldwork and Trace Data Integration

The 2015 Sociotech Workshop focuses attention to the possibilities of leveraging trace data (data that is created from the use or presence of digital artifacts and interactions) with data collected through fieldwork. This combination is sociotechnical both in its form and value to better engaging human/ machine interactions. To this end, the workshop provides a forum for: (1) introducing scholars to the basic conceptual premises of sociotechnical scholarship; (2) sociotech scholars to advance their own work and thinking relative to the opportunities of combining the various types of evidence gathered through fieldwork with the range of trace data possibilities that are emerging. Like the seven previous pre-iConference Sociotech Workshops, this event also provides participants an introduction to the Consortium for the Science of Sociotechnical Systems (CSST). The CSST serves a trans-disciplinary community, connecting like-minded scholars from many different intellectual communities whose interests are towards the mutual constitution of social and technological phenomena. A 250-word position paper is due March 9; see the iConference workshop web page for details.ye

Ictus: A User-Centered System of Score Study for Semi-Novice Conductors

Ictus supports the study and preparation of musical scores by semi-novice conductors. It does so by representing the complex analytical processes in which professional conductors routinely engage. Through iterative design and prototyping and with feedback from expert conductors, we have developed a prototyped system for use as a learning tool. This paper presents a brief overview of the complexities of the conductor's task, including the difficulties inherent in externalizing it; a description of the Ictus system; and a discussion of some of the feedback and forward-looking issues that have been raised

Exploring user interface challenges in supporting activity-based knowledge work practices

The venerable desktop metaphor is beginning to show signs of strain in supporting modern knowledge work. Traditional desktop systems were not designed to support the sheer number of simultaneous windows, information resources, and collaborative contexts that have become commonplace in contemporary knowledge work. Even though the desktop has been slow to evolve, knowledge workers still consistently manage multiple tasks, collaborate effectively among colleagues or clients, and manipulate information most relevant to their current task by leveraging the spatial organization of their work area. The potential exists for desktop workspaces to better support these knowledge work practices by leveraging the unifying construct of activity. Semantically-meaningful activities, conceptualized as a collection of tools (applications, documents, and other resources) within a social and organizational context, offer an alternative orientation for the desktop experience that more closely corresponds to knowledge workers' objectives and goals. In this research, I unpack some of the foundational assumptions of desktop interface design and propose an activity-centered model for organizing the desktop interface based on empirical observations of real-world knowledge work practice, theoretical understandings of cognition and activity, and my own experiences in developing two prototype systems for extending the desktop to support knowledge work. I formalize this analysis in a series of key challenges for the research and development of activity-based systems. In response to these challenges, I present the design and implementation of a third research prototype, the Giornata system, that emphasizes activity as a primary organizing principle in GUI-based interaction, information organization, and collaboration. I conclude with two evaluations of the system. First, I present findings from a longitudinal deployment of the system among a small group of representative knowledge workers; this deployment constitutes one of the first studies of how activity-based systems are adopted and appropriated in a real-world context. Second, I provide an assessment of the technologies that enable and those that pose barriers to the development of activity-based computing systems.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Mynatt, Elizabeth D.; Committee Member: Abowd, Gregory D.; Committee Member: Edwards, W. Keith; Committee Member: MacIntyre, Blair; Committee Member: Moran, Thomas P

A study on the manipulation of 2D objects in a projector/camera-based augmented reality environment

Are the object manipulation techniques traditionally used in head–mounted displays (HMDs) applicable to augmented reality based projection systems? This paper examines the differences between HMD – and projector/camera– based AR interfaces in the light of a manipulation task involving documents and applications projected on common office surfaces such as tables, walls, cabinets, and floor. We report a Wizard of Oz study where subjects were first asked to create gesture/voice commands to move 2D objects on those surfaces and then exposed to gestures created by the authors. Among the options, subjects could select the object to be manipulated using voice command; touching, pointing, and grabbing gesture; or a virtual mouse. The results show a strong preference for a manipulation interface based on pointing gestures using small hand movements and involving minimal body movement. Direct touching of the object was also common when the object being manipulated was within the subjects ’ arm reach. Based on these results, we expect that the preferred interface resembles, in many ways, the egocentric model traditionally used in AR