Paper from UIST 2008

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An Application-Independent System for
Visualizing User Operation History
Toshio Nakamura & Takeo Igarashi

Link to UIST paper.

Overview
This paper describes an application created to record and annotate visual representations of operation history. Its purpose is to allow users to find application states easily and quickly.

Related research:
• Chimera system- sequence of small snapshots
• Su's system- history as an annotated diagram
• Mondrian- screen snapshots before and after operations are executed
  

The downside to these applications is that the history-recording system is deeply integrated in the application. These systems can't be easily applied to other existing software. In this paper, the researchers developed an application-independent system that can be used without modifying the existing application.

Visual Design

• Operations with motion are denoted using an arrow
• Operations without motion are denoted using an icon (left-, right-, other-clicks)
  
• Keyboard operations are identified using word balloons
• Snapshots: strobe style (shows movement), inset style (bounding boxes show active regions)

Implementation
GUI events are first sent to an event queue where they are later sent to the specific application to be handled. Instead of modifying the existing application to monitor actions, this system acts as a "middle man" (proxy) between the event queue and the application. First, events are performed and sent to the event queue. Then, before the queue can send them to the application, they are intercepted by the recording system. The recording system tracks all events in an event log.

The system first breaks up these recorded events into basic operations such as "press," "release," and "click." These operations may consist of several lower-level recorded events (click = click + action + repaint). After these are determined, sequences of the same event are converted into "general events." For example, using the mouse wheel to scroll down a page would generate many "wheel" events. These events would be consolidated into one general "iterative operation event." Finally, "semantic operations" can be determined from the different operations. The mouse dragging an object across the screen could consist of clicking the mouse, then dragging, then releasing the mouse button.

Filtering rules can be customized to limit what type of actions the system records. Some user actions, such as erratically moving the mouse around the screen, are pointless to record. Other interactions can be clustered together to be considered a single action.

Finally, the snapshots are annotated using the collected event information using one of the styles (normal, strobe, inset).

Prototype System

• Two areas: upper shows details of particular scene and lower shows the storyboard
  
• Right-click on scene to toggle focus on entire window or only region of interaction
• Specify an area to search for all related user interactions in that area
• Execution states can be restored from each scene in the storyboard

User Study
A study was performed to determine if users could understand the annotated history generated by the system, and whether viewing the history would improve the performance of the users.

The users were first allowed to view a 150sec video (as many times as they wanted) about how to use the system. Then, the users viewed an operation history (sequence of annotated images). Once they started, a dialog containing an image that represented an operation (drawn manually and not system-generated) popped up. They were tasked to find that image in the operation history. Users did this for ten different images. Two groups of six people were formed. Each group consisted of three expert users and three inexperienced users. The experiment was performed using three different types of applications: sketch-based modeling system, icon manipulation, misc GUI widgets.

Results

• No significant differences between completion times among different applications
• Some interfaces were much easier to use with the annotated history
• Annotated history generally outperformed the snapshot history
• Annotated history could be useful for applications that have sketches or gestures
• Using the annotated history resulted in lower error rates for the modeling and GUI systems
• Though the number of errors associated with using the annotated history was higher for the icon manipulation application, the users still finished faster overall
• A survey revealed that all users preferred the annotated history and thought it was easy to understand

Fourth Reading Assignment

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The Design of Future Things
Donald A. Norman

Summary:
This book discusses some important issues that designers will soon face when developing the technology of the future. As technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, more of the everyday tasks that we performed in the past are now being handled by machines. From making smart-homes to creating safer vehicles, the author discusses real problems that designers today are trying to solve.

In the end, the author provides design rules for human designers of "smart" machines:
1.) Provide rich, complex, and natural signals
2.) Be predictable
3.) Provide good conceptual models
4.) Make the output understandable
5.) Provide continual awareness without annoyance
6.) Exploit natural mappings

These are similar to the rules that he discussed in his previous book: The Design of Everyday Things.

Discussion:
In interesting analogy discussed in the book deals with horses and the degree of control that is allowed by their riders. He suggests that the concept of varying the degrees or modes of control ("tight-" and "loose-rein") could be applied to the development of human+machine interfaces. Among other strategies, this could be used to communicate to the system a person's intentions, and vice versa... drive of be driven.

Another point he made that I found interesting was about reducing accident rates by changing people's perception of safety. He notes that with the addition of additional safety features and services, people's behavior has become increasingly reckless. Sometimes, these things give us a false sense of security. When we assume these things are working, we tend to "push the limits." He proposes that by removing some of these safety features (traffic lights, stop signs, wider streets, etc) people will be more cautious about their driving habits.

Though it may not be appropriate for all places, I think it can certainly be applied in some instances. For example, driving back home I don't think twice about driving 75mph down I-35. When it's really pouring down rain and my wipers are barely keeping up, I notice I slow down considerably, try to maintain a LOT of distance between myself and the car in front of me, and rarely change lanes to pass someone. Under these conditions, I'm noticeably more cautious and alert. Good weather definitely gives me a false sense of security when I'm driving. This concept of reverse risk compensation could be applied to automobiles to make drivers more alert and cautious, potentially reducing their risk of accidents.

I found the thought of automated "smart homes" alarming in a way. I'm not sure I would want the house giving me advice about how to live my life. I work out every day and eat fairly healthily during the week, but there's some weekends that I really don't care. I just want to eat the entire 1/2 gallon of ice cream, and I do. I don't want some house telling me that I shouldn't be doing that. Who cares? I'm sure we'd all love to get the call from our insurance providers, "Hey, your house just informed us that you ate two pizzas and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream last Friday night. Expect a rate increase in next month's bill. Have a nice day!" Eww.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It provided some insight into some very interesting issues that we will face in designing the technology of the future.

Ranking:
#1- The Design of Future Things
#2- The Mole People
#3- The Design of Everyday Things
#4- The Media Equation
#5- Doing Ethnographies

Ethnographic Study

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Grocery Shopping: Behavioral Distinctions between Genders
Adam Griffin

Paper: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Summary:
The goal of this ethnographic study is to observe ordinary store patrons as they shop at a local grocery store, and attempt to discover patterns in their behavior. Once these patterns have become apparent, determine if distinct behaviors of different genders exist, and if so, what are the underlying reasons?

• Women were more likely than men to use grocery lists
• More women were observed communicating with other people
• Men were less likely to ask for help when they were unable to find something
• Women appeared to be more particular about the quality of produce they purchased
• Coupons were used more by women than men
• Women stayed closer to their shopping carts than men (possibly due to purses)
• An equal number of men and women positioned their shopping carts in the middle of the aisles
• Men were more likely to push the cart when shopping with a woman
• When women pushed the cart while shopping with a man, all grocery items selected by the men were "inspected" by the women before they were placed in the cart

Conclusion:
After taking the time to observe the behaviors of people in the store, various conclusions were able to be made about the use of grocery lists, gender roles in shopping with other people, social interactions of different genders, and other things. There is obviously more to grocery shopping than was originally thought.

Overall, some of the observations that were made and conclusions that were subsequently drawn conform to existing stereotypes. This isn’t particularly surprising, considering that stereotypes aren’t always untrue. In some instances, they’re based on real observations that are true for a specific group of people. In this case, some stereotypes, such as men refusing to ask for help, appeared to be validated by observations that were made through this study.

Third Reading Assignment

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The Mole People
Jennifer Toth

Summary:
This book is about one woman's encounters and experiences with the "mole people." She writes in detail about where they live--the underground tunnels of New York City. Unseen by many, these tunnels exist many stories below ground and stretch for miles beneath the city. Though they are dark, damp, and lonely, these tunnels are home to an untold number of people.

The author writes of her interviews with teens, men and women, gangs, and entire communities she meets living under the streets of New York. She hears stories of abuse, addiction, and depression. She seems to clear up some of the misconceptions ordinary people might have about the "mole people." It seems that some of them are just ordinary everyday people who are just down on their luck. Others don't feel like they fit in with normal society and have simply chosen to live underground, separating themselves from the world above. In the end, her life is put in danger over a simple misunderstanding, and she is forced to conclude her research and leave the city.

Discussion:
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. We go about our lives in the world around us, never really stopping to think what might exist below our feet. It's disappointing to think that people would actually choose to live that type of lifestyle...some of them anyway.

True, the druggies and addicts are going to do whatever they must in order to support their drug habit. This often means spending everything they make and disregarding their real financial responsibilities. After they are kicked out of their homes, they are forced to live on the street. Living with the constant fear of being raped, robbed, or murdered, some of them move underground into the tunnels.

The author talked to several tunnel-dwellers who had college degrees--this I don't understand. With a college degree, I find it hard to believe that people are unable to find a minimum-wage job of any kind. Some of these people were engineers, nurses, teachers, etc. These people can't expect to receive help when they don't appear to be trying to help themselves. I guess I'll avoid discussing politics.

New York City sounded like it could be a pretty dangerous place during the night. The author came across one gang that claimed to kill people for $20. If you looked at them in the wrong way--dead. If you annoyed them in some way--dead. Sadly, some of these people land in jail only to return to the streets. I suppose we sometimes take our safety for granted.

They live tough lives and do what is necessary to survive. Living underground without a real home, they are sometimes forced to eat rats and even dogs. The author did mention a few fortunate people who managed to successfully move out of the tunnels.

It was an interesting read and provided a view into a world that little know about. It showed that the "mole people" are just regular people who might be down on their luck, slaves to an addiction, or victims of other hardships. Though some of them seem perfectly content with living in the tunnels, some of them hope that one day they will overcome their adversities and return above ground to continue their lives.

Ranking:
#1- The Mole People
#2- The Design of Everyday Things
#3- The Media Equation
#4- Doing Ethnographies

Second Reading Assignment

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The Media Equation
Byron Reeves & Clifford Nass

Summary:
This book discusses research that was made to understand the interactions that take place between humans and media. The authors claim, "We have found that individuals' interactions with computers, television, and new media are fundamentally social and natural, just like interactions in real life." This is the basis of the "media equation," media = real life.

The authors explore areas such as media and manners, personality, emotion, social roles, and form. They claim that social interactions that take place every day between people also apply to forms of media. The experiments involve first finding a rule describing peoples' responses to each other or to their natural environment. Then, the rule is adapted to include media. For instance, "people who like other people who flatter them" becomes, "people will like computers that flatter them." An experiment is then conducted to prove or disprove this assumption.

Discussion:
Overall, I thought the book was fairly interesting and though-provoking. In my opinion, the second half of the book was better than the first, because the authors didn't go into as much detail about how the experiments were conducted. More time was spent analyzing the results and discussing their conclusions.

As for their conclusions, I believe that some of them might be a stretch. Occasionally, it seems that they disregarded some issues/factors in their experiments when analyzing their results. One instance in particular concerned the programmers in their experiment on "politeness" (this subject was beaten to death in class, so I won't discuss it again). Other good points were discussed in class about the memory of disturbing things vs. the memory of everyday things. The authors should have tried to address some of these issues.

The results of an experiment don't necessarily guarantee anything. Results can be interpreted many different ways by the person performing the experiment. Issues or problems with the experiment which might have affected the results may be discovered. Instead of automatically disregarding these issues, the experiment should be refined so its results are less ambiguous or refutable.

These issues aside, I thought the book was decent and raised some interesting issues. As they mentioned, these results can be applied in many different areas such as making advertisements more memorable and making software more enjoyable to use.

Ranking:
#1- The Design of Everyday Things
#2- The Media Equation