Paper Reading #20: Rush: Repeated Recommendations on Mobile Devices

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Reference

Dominikus Baur, Sebastian Boring, and Andreas Butz

Rush: Repeated Recommendations on Mobile Devices
Intelligent User Interfaces

Summary

This paper talks about a recommendation based interface for mobile devices. While recommendation interfaces are very popular on desktop products, little has been done in order to adapt them to mobile devices. Even when these interfaces have been ported to such devices, they do not take into account orientation of the screen or occlusion problems that occur while controlling the touch interface in such a small device. In a sense, this interface is very similar to Dasher since it uses continuous gestures to increase efficiency.

Discussion

Final project proposal

For the final project, I am working with Kevin Casey in implementing the TA interface that helps then mark students progress in class

http://kcasey436.blogspot.com/2011/04/final-project-proposal.html

Paper Reading #19: Tell Me More, not just "More of the Same"

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Reference
Francisco Iacobelli, Larry Birnbaum, and Kristian J. Hammond
Tell Me More, not just "More of the Same"
Intelligent User Interfaces

Summary

Given the amount of information that is currently available on the internet, it is important that researchers devise better ways of presenting this information to the user. This is particularly true in the context of media outlets and search engines; who increase the amount of information presented by suggesting similar pages to the one requested. It is important to state that it is up to the user to determine whether the suggested articles constitute new information of not. Tell Me More is an interface that can make this classification automatically. Given a seed article, this interface is able to collect new information based on additional quotes, actors, figures, or information. Furthermore, this information is presented with explicit categorization; as opposed to the binary criteria (new/not new) currently used by other systems. The current system implementation consists of five subsystems that help Tell Me More classify and display new information: content gathering, content filtering, text analysis, difference metrics, and presentation. By using LSA (Latent Semantic Analysis), Tell Me More is able to collect a list of different entities (subjects), quantifiers, and quotes in order to determine if the collected information is new and whether it really constitutes new information.

Discussion
This was a very interesting paper in particular because current search engines fail to recognize whether the related material (or suggested readings) represent additional information or not. This is not only seen in the news outlets, but also when shopping for particular products. For example buying a CD that consists of the best music of an artist where several tracks on the disc are already on another disc belonging to the user. I really see how this system can be useful.

Full Blog: Obedience to Authority

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Paper Reading #16

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Paper Reading #15

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Full Blog: Opening Skinner's Box

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Reference
Lauren Slater
Opening Skinners Box

Summary

In Opening Skinner's Box, Lauren Slater talks about a series of psychological experiments that changed the way researchers experienced the field of psychology and psychiatry. Each chapter in this book talks about an experiment and researcher challenged current thought of the time; and the impact of the concept has on society in general.
One of the most interesting parts about Slater's book is that instead of just writing about experiments, she sometimes puts herself to test on the concepts being studied. In chapter 3, where Slater talks about David Rosenhan and his experiment, the author volunteers to conduct the experiment being studied. At some point in the book, she even drugs herself in order to test the theories proposed by Bruce Alexander.
Slater's book can be described also by the amount of controversial thoughts presented in each chapter. Not only are the concepts controversial in themselves, but they also challenge the reader to look at both sides of the story before forming an opinion about a particular topic. For example, in the chapter named Monkey Love, Slater explorers the attachments theories of Harry Harlow not only from a psychological point of view, but also from an ethical perspective. At the end of the chapter the author finds herself talking about animal rights and whether they should be used for experiments.

Discussion
I found Slater's book to be very fascinating and interesting. One of the things that really caught my attention (aside from the psychological experiments being discussed) is that the author went beyond her duty in exploring each concept. In several occasions she put herself to test the topics being discussed. Even if this book is not directly related to HCI, it can still teach us a lot about the way humans think and the way different theories came to be known.

Book Reading #34 - Obedience to Authority

Chapter 1
Summary
In this chapter the author gives an overview of his experiment and the reasons behind its implementation. For the most part the shocking experiment is conducted in order to understand the role of authority in the holocaust and its relation to the moral values of the general executing the tasks.

Chapter 2
Summary
In chapter 2 Milgram discusses the methods used to conduct the shocking experiment. He talked about the recruiting process as well as the participants (experimenter, teacher, and learner). The author also talked about a post-experiment discussion with the subject where he was explained that no harmed really occurred to the victim and the true purpose of the experiments (subjects were told at first that the experiment aimed to research learning instead of obedience).

Chapter 3
Summary
Milgram talks about people's prediction about the outcome of the experiment. He found out that whether the prediction was about the self or another group, interviewees believed that most people would stop at 150 volts (first request of the victim to be released).

Chapter 4
Summary
This chapter talks about all the variations of the experiment and the effect on its outcome. Milgram determines that the remoteness of the experiment has a big impact on the amount of disobedience; that it, the closer the victim is to the subject, the less likely the subject is to administer the maximum punishment. The author talks about a few reasons explaining why this occurs.

Chapter 5
Summary
In chapter 5 Milgram talks about some of the subjects that took part of the experiment. One person in particular had trouble understanding the experiment and seemed to be controlled by authority. While this subject blamed the experimenter for his actions, other subjects only blamed themselves for administering shocks even after the victim expresses his desire to terminate the experiment.

Book Reading #34 - Opening Skinner's Box

Chapter 10: Chipped

Summary
In this chapter, Slater talks about the impact of lobotomy and similar procedures. She starts the chapter by discussing the unethical beginnings of this procedure; tracing back to Antonio Egas Moniz who selected subjects at random; and later on compares it to other pharmacological treatments. The author also talks about the effect of lobotomy on patients and whether or not it kills the "spark" of human lives.

Discussion
I found this chapter very interesting since I thought that behavior-modifying procedures on the brain were a thing of the future; not realizing that such a thing existed early in the 1900s. 

Book Reading #33 - Coming of Age in Samoa

Chapter 11: The Girl in Conflict

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Paper Reading #14: Combining Multiple Depth Cameras and Projectors for Interactions On, Above, and Between Surfaces

Comments
Alyssa Nabors
Stephen Morrow

Reference
Andrew D. Wilson, and Hrvoje Benko
Combining Multiple Depth Cameras and Projectors for Interactions On, Above, and Between Surfaces
User Interface Software and Technology

Summary
This paper discusses the implementation details of an interactive room with a wide array of different interactions. LightSpace, as the authors call it, is a collection of depth cameras and projectors that provide the users new for of interactions on several atypical displays. While other studies have focused on interactions on specific display surfaces, LightSpace provides an ubiquitous computing room capable of projecting virtual objects on most surfaces (desktops, walls, etc). This type of technology is also able to engage the users in the interactive process by allowing them to hold virtual objects in their hands while interacting with them. For example, the authors make repeated mention of the fact that the user may transfer a virtual object (projection) from his/her desk and place it on the wall simply by touching both surfaces. This generates the idea that the object is being conducted through the user's body. It is also possible to "carry" the object from one location to another.
Besides incorporating the notion of holding objects on the hand, users can also use projected interactive menus on their hand; allowing them to add yet another interactive dimension to the smart room. But the grace of LightSpace is the fact that it requires few cameras and projectors, thus allowing it to blend better than other similar projects

Discussion
I didn't like the paper very much, but that's just my personal preference. I recognize that it is a starting point towards a broader goal, but I think its not worth the investing since it adds little to our current technological arsenal. However, this class is about HCI, therefore the project is important in the sense that it teaches us how users respond to this type of environment

Book Reading #32 - Opening Skinner's Box

Chapter 9: Memory Inc.
Summary
Slater talks about Dr. Scoville's surgery on H.M. where he removes the young boy's Hippocampus. Upon completing the surgery, H.M. became unable to form new memories.
This event triggered researchers such as Eric Kandel to investigate the means by which humans are able to convert short-term events into long-term memories. Kander, owner of a pharmaceutical company, is currently investigating drugs that would enhance human's ability to remember. However, Slater also explores the negative side effects of such drug; citing the needs for human beings to forget horrible events.

Discussion
My favorite part of this chapter is when the author talks about the negative side effects of remembering everything. I have not life a horrible life per se, but it seems logical that some people would not want to remember certain events in their lives.

Book Reading #31 - Coming of Age in Samoa

Chapter 10: The Experience and Individuality of the Average Girl
Summary
In this chapter Mead talks about what it is like for a girl growing up in a Samoan village. In particular, Mead talked about the particular group of girls (age 10 - 20) that she followed throughout many months. Samoan children are exposed to many difficult situations early on in life, however none of this seems to affect them as they grow older. A large part of this chapter is devoted to Samoan girl's habits about the subject of sex.

Discussion
This chapter was kind of interesting particularly in two ways: (1) It seems that adults in the village are not very concerned about what their kids learn in terms of life; that is, parents are more concerned about teaching the duties to their kids. This fact seems to expose kids to several complex experiences. However, maybe the casualty with which parents go about it serves as a neutralizer to this experiences. (2) The other interesting part about this chapter is the amount of sexual exposure among the kids of the village.

Book Reading #30 - Emotional Design

Chapter 3: Three Levels of Design: Visceral, Behavioral, and Reflective
Summary
In this chapter Norman discusses the three levers of design: Visceral, behavioral, and reflective. Visceral design is related to he effect of the environment in our perceptions of things (for example, the use of bright colors in designing kid's toys). Behavioral design concerns itself with the use of objects (function, understandability, usability, and physical feel). Reflective design talks about the message that is conveyed by the objects. This level also deals with the cultural perception and the image that we want to convey to others.

Discussion
The chapter was interesting, however I get the feeling that the design subjects are pretty repetitive along Norman's books. Nonetheless, this has a different air from the other books.

Paper Reading #13: TeslaTouch: Electrovibration for Touch Surfaces

Comments
Alyssa Nabors
Derek Landini

Reference
Olivier Bau, Ivan Poupyrev, Ali Israr, Chris Harrison
TeslaTouch: Electrovibration for Touch Surfaces
User Interface Software and Technology
Summary

Bau et al. present in this paper a new method for providing tactile feedback to touch surfaces through electronic means. While most tactile feedback today relies on mechanical moving parts, TeslaTouch relies on electric currents flowing through a screen; giving the user the sensation of interacting with different surfaces ranging from paper-smooth to wall-painting rough. It is important to mention that this technology is not the same as electrocutaneous feedback or electrostatic feedback. In eleactrocutaneous feedback, the electric charge passes through the skin and stimulates the nerve endings; when using electrovibration, the feedback is produced by the intermittent attraction of the finger and the surface. This is also different from electrostatic feedback as there is no third party object uniting the skin and the tactile surface. The advantages of electrovibration stimulation vs the mechanical counterparts include: Uniform distribution across the surface, attenuation and magnitude of tactile sensation, noise reduction, reliability, and feedback localization.

Discussion
This was a very interesting paper since it moves away from the traditional approaches for tactile stimulus. I think the authors did a good job at stressing the safety concerns about this kind of technology as the sole thought of using current to stimulate the skin is a little concerning.

Book Reading #29 - Opening Skinner's Box

Chapter 8: Lost in the Mall
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Book Reading #28 - Coming of Age in Samoa

Chapter 9: The Attitude of the Personality
Summary
Margaret Mead talks about Samoan's perception of people's attitude. Samoans do not really question other's personality and are more accepting towards unwillingness and intractability. They seem not to be judgmental; and even when judgments are made, they are made in terms of the age group to which they belong. That is, kids are quiet and obedient, young people work skillfully, and adults are wise. There are few distinctions in terms of intelligence and similar traits.

Discussion
It is interesting that Samoans are so respectful towards other people's unwillingness. Also, negative traits among Samoans are more likely to be qualified than positive ones.

Book Reading #27 - Emotional Design

Chapter 2: The Multiple Faces of Emotion and Design
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Paper Reading #12: Madgets: Actuating Widgets on Interactive Tabletops

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Reference
Madgets: Actuating Widgets on Interactive Tabletops
Malte Weiss, Florian Schwarz, Simon Jakubowski, Jan Borchers
User Interface Software and Technology

Summary

Weiss et al. discuss the use of magnets to fabricate actuating widgets that operate on tabletops. Their approach is innovative and it allows manufacturers to easily prototype their widgets at a relatively low price. Current technologies fall short of allowing physical interaction with the widgets; often times treating them as atomic units that are limited to the use of convex prototypes. Madgests, however, not only allow broader types of widgets but they also add a third dimension into the use of tabletops. This advantage is produced by the attraction and repulsion properties of magnets. Another interesting feature of madgets is their ability to use induction in order to receive power from the table top. By implementing this power conduction system, madgets eliminate the need of batteries or cable that clutter the tabletop space. One important aspect/limitation of madgets is that the interface uses an IR camera in order to capture object position. That being said, the positional system is helped by the use of white paper dots on the madgets; which is not very aesthetically pleasing. Future work will attempt to correct the issue by introducing clear or polarized dots.

Discussion
I thought this paper was very innovative and promising since it incorporates the use of physical gadgets into the user experience. The most important aspect of this research is the use of the third dimension that can communicate with the user. I think this technology opens several HCI design paradigms.

Week 4: Ethnography Results

There were about 30 people on the bus. At first, the bus route was pretty empty, but once we got to the sorority houses, there were a lot more people. It seems that the buses catch most passangers at the cambridge and the sorority houses. These two girls seemed particularly chatty, but even though they seemed to be together, they were both on their phones. A funny observation is: they both had the same phone covers on. These two other guys were standing even though there was still room to sit. After a while, it seemed like everyone was quiet.