Doctoral Consortium

Sunday/Monday, 09:00-17:30, Room B111

Co-Chairs

Jan Gulliksen, Uppsala University, Sweden
Fabio Paternò, ISTI-CNR, Italy

Doctoral Consortium Reviewers

Interactive Sonification of Geo-referenced Data
Haixia Zhao, University of Maryland at College Park, USA
This paper describes an investigation of using interactive sonification (non-speech sound) to present geo-referenced statistical data to vision-impaired users for problem solving and decision making. By working with vision-impaired users, the work will identify effective interaction and sound designs for geo-referenced data, and derive principles that can guide general interactive data sonification designs for auditory information seeking.

Interrupted Cognition and Design for Non-Disruptiveness: The Skilled Memory Approach
Antti Oulasvirta, Helsinki Institute for Information, Finland
Interruptions have risen as a topic in modern HCI research. Through a series of experiments, we take a step toward analyzing the role of human memory in controlling interruptions. As a conclusion, a novel approach to the design of non-disruptive technology is proposed. The memory skills approach suggests how UIs can support memory in skilled management of and recovery from interruptions.

The Value of Shared Visual Space for Collaborative Physical Tasks
Darren Gergle, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
The goal of this research is to elucidate the ways shared visual space supports group communication and performance. This work involves three stages: a series of empirical studies that decompose the features of shared visual space and task, a methodology for assessing the sequential structure of how visible actions serve to augment discourse, and the development of a computational model of discourse to further our theoretical understanding of the ways in which shared visual information serves communication in collaborative physical tasks.

A Framework for Building Reality-Based Interfaces for Wireless-Grid Applications
Orit Shaer, Tufts University, USA
The pervasive adoption of wireless technologies is creating a growing demand for seamless interaction with wireless services. By sharing resources across devices such as PDA's, sensors and cameras, Wireless Grids provide the opportunity to allow users seamless access to services via a new generation of user interfaces. These interfaces draw upon users existing skills of interaction with objects in the real physical world thus, we refer to them as reality-based interfaces. Although these interfaces offer the promise of ease of use, they are currently more difficult to build than traditional ones. The aim of this research is to simplify the task of developing reality-based interfaces and adapting them to a changing landscape of resources. This goal will be accomplished by providing developers with a high level user interface description language (UIDL) and a user interface management system (UIMS) which describes and enables.

A Transformational Approach to Multi-Device Interfaces
Kai Richter, Computer Graphics Center (ZGDV), Germany
Using the same application on different devices requires the user to perform a mental transformation in order to adapt his knowledge to a new platform. In this work we describe how this process can be employed in multi-device development.

Design and Analysis of Groupware for Large Displays
Elaine Huang, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Despite the proliferation of large-scale displays in the workplace, creating groupware applications that take advantage of their potential for collaboration and communication remains challenging. Interactions with large displays yield user experiences that are different from interaction with conventional desktop groupware. Thus, unique hurdles exist for designing large display groupware applications (LDGAs) that are integrated into actual work practice. Our research addresses these challenges through experimental design based on studies of workgroup practices, the formation of a framework of heuristics for LDGA adoption, and its application to the design and analysis of LDGAs.

Improving User Interaction with Spoken Dialog Systems via Shaping
Stefanie Tomko, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
Speech-based interfaces offer the promise of simple humancomputer communication, yet the current state-of-the-art often produces inefficient interactions. Many inefficiencies are caused by understanding or recognition errors. Such errors can be minimized by designing interaction protocols in which users are required to speak in a standardized way, but this requirement presents additional difficulties: this way of speaking can be unnatural for users, and in order to learn the standardized interface, users must spend time in tutorial mode rather than in task mode. I propose a strategy of shaping that helps users adapt their interaction to match what the system understands best, thereby reducing the chance for misunderstandings and improving interaction efficiency.

Non-Speech Sound and Paralinguistic Parameters in Mobile Speech Applications
Peter Fröhlich, ftw. Telecommunications Research Center Vienna, Austria
This paper describes the background, research questions and methodology of user studies on the integration of nonspeech sound and paralinguistic parameters in speechenabled applications. Preliminary results are summarized and future directions are discussed.

Gender HCI Issues in Problem-Solving Software
Laura Beckwith, Oregon State University, USA
Thus far, researchers have not investigated gender HCI issues in the context of end-user problem-solving software. Designers’ ignorance of gender differences is particularly evident in studies showing software is unintentionally designed for males. We are investigating gender HCI issues using quantitative and qualitative empirical methods, using formative work to consider gender-conscious design features, implementing these features in our research prototype, and following up with summative work to evaluate effectiveness.

Automatic Generation of High Coverage Usability Tests
Renee Bryce, Arizona State University, USA
Abstract Software systems are often complex in the number of features that are available through the user interface and consequently, the number of interactions that can occur. Such systems are prone to errors when interactions do not work as anticipated. This research introduces a combinatorial method for setting up task-based usability tests. The method bridges contributions from mathematics, design of experiments, software test, and algorithms with application to usability testing.

Designing Interfaces to Afford Enjoyable Social Interactions by Collocated Groups
Sian Lindley, University of York, UK
The main aim of this research is to understand how domestic technologies for collocated groups can be designed to afford enjoyable social interactions. A secondary aim is to devise process measures to assess the nature of these interactions. This study presents a number of process measures and uses them to evaluate differences in groups’ social behaviour when sharing photos as prints compared to when photos are presented using a television. Differences in gesturing behaviour towards the photos were evident across the two conditions. However, the aspects of verbal behaviour that were measured were not found to vary.

The effect touching a Projection Augmented model has on perception and object-presence
Emily Bennett, University of Portsmouth, UK
This paper outlines the PhD thesis entitled ‘The effect touching a Projection Augmented model has on perception and object-presence’.

Breaking the Laws of Action in the User Interface
Per-Ola Kristensson, Linköping University, Sweden
Fitts’ law, Steering law and Law of crossing, collectively known as the laws of action, model the speed-accuracy trade-offs in common HCI tasks. These laws impose a certain speed ceiling on precise actions in a user interface. My hypothesis is that for some interfaces, the constraints of these laws can be relaxed by using context information of the task. To support this thesis, I present two systems I have developed for pen-based text input on stylus keyboards. These systems either break Fitts’ law or the Law of crossing by taking advantage of high-resolution information from the pen, and the fact that words can be seen as patterns traced on the keyboard. Using these systems users can potentially gain higher text entry speed than on a regular stylus keyboard that is limited by the laws of action. I conclude by discussing planned future research, primarily improved visual feedback and empirical evaluation.

Context-Aware Collaborative Filtering System: Predicting the User's Preferences in Ubiquitous Computing
Annie Chen, IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, Switzerland
In this paper I present a context-aware collaborative filtering system, which can predict a user’s preference in different context situations using past user experiences. The system finds what other like-minded users have done in similar context to predict a user’s preference towards an item in the current context.

Phonological and Visual Working Memory in Processing of Route Guidance Information
Patricia Trbovich, Carleton University, Canada
The goal of my proposed thesis is to examine the role of working memory in processing route guidance information while driving. I will also assess how changes in the presentation and processing of route guidance and secondary task information influences the primary task of vehicle control. Results will be analyzed in terms of whether a change of route navigation presentation from visual to auditory will change the memory resources used to process the information. Furthermore, analyses will be done to assess whether changes in the processing of route navigation and secondary task information affect driving performance. To examine what working memory subsystems (i.e., phonological, visual, spatial, central executive) are used to process visual versus auditory route guidance information, the present research will require participants to drive a driving simulator while performing a route navigation task and a secondary working memory task.

Evaluating Technology for Coordinating Communication Laura Dabbish, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
The goal of this work is two-fold: (1) propose a model of communication initiation and response, and (2) evaluate the utility of a set of technology interventions based on that model for coordinating communication. The contribution to the field of human-computer interaction will be useful recommendations for the design of electronic communication systems.