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Previous research shows that territories help people coordinate their task and social interaction at large interactive tabletops. However, little is known about the interplay between territorially and the reorientation of digital objects and their influence on task performance. In this paper, we advance the hypothesis that territories are states of spatial arrangements continually changing during the collaborative activity and seek to better understand their role as a main mechanism in coordinating group activities. We report results from an explorative tabletop study that compares two types of technical settings workspaces supporting a brainstorming task. Our results show evidence of different territorial strategies dependent on the two conditions. We discuss the role of territoriality and orientation of digital notes as a mechanism for coordinating group activity and their influence on task performance and outcome. Finally, we present design recommendations derived from our findings.

Contemporary exhibitions are increasingly staged using extensive and often interactive media. To create such exhibitions, exhibition design companies employ professionals from a wide range of different disciplines. The support of interdisciplinary exhibition designers in the design process is one goal of research in Human-Computer Interaction. This includes the deployment of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Tools that enable professionals from all disciplines involved to design and create interactive media themselves. In this paper, we will present Argus Vision, a DIY Tool, which allows exhibition designers the use of camera-tracking to rapidly prototype and develop immersive exhibitions and interactive installations. We successfully used Argus Vision in an exhibition as well as in a proof-of-concept study in our lab. Additionally, we conducted expert interviews with exhibition designers, investigating its usefulness for them.

Immersive technologies such as augmented reality devices are opening up a new design space for the visual analysis of data. This paper studies the potential of an augmented reality environment for the purpose of collaborative analysis of multidimensional, abstract data. We present ART, a collaborative analysis tool to visualize multidimensional data in augmented reality using an interactive, 3D parallel coordinates visualization. The visualization is anchored to a touch-sensitive tabletop, benefiting from well-established interaction techniques. The results of group-based, expert walkthroughs show that ART can facilitate immersion in the data, a fluid analysis process, and collaboration. Based on the results, we provide a set of guidelines and discuss future research areas to foster the development of immersive technologies as tools for the collaborative analysis of multidimensional data.

We propose, implement and evaluate the use of a smartphone application for real-time six-degrees-of-freedom user input. We show that our app-based approach achieves high accuracy and goes head-to-head with expensive externally tracked controllers. The strength of our application is that it is simple to implement and is highly accessible --- requiring only an off-the-shelf smartphone, without any external trackers, markers, or wearables. Due to its inside-out tracking and its automatic remapping algorithm, users can comfortably perform subtle 3D inputs everywhere (world-scale), without any spatial or postural limitations. For example, they can interact while standing, sitting or while having their hands down by their sides. Finally, we also show its use in a wide range of applications for 2D and 3D object manipulation, thereby demonstrating its suitability for diverse real-world scenarios.

Users' cognitive load while interacting with a system is a valuable metric for evaluations in HCI. We encourage the analysis of eye movements as an unobtrusive and widely available way to measure cognitive load. In this paper, we report initial findings from a user study with 26 participants working on three visual search tasks that represent different levels of difficulty. Also, we linearly increased the cognitive demand while solving the tasks. This allowed us to analyze the reaction of individual eye movements to different levels of task difficulty. Our results show how pupil dilation, blink rate, and the number of fixations and saccades per second individually react to changes in cognitive activity. We discuss how these measurements could be combined in future work to allow for a comprehensive investigation of cognitive load in interactive settings.

Physical tools and materials like pen, paper, sticky-notes, and whiteboards are commonly used in collaborative creative design processes, whereas digital tools play a more marginal role. But what are the benefits and drawbacks of physical, digital, and hybrid physical-digital setups when it comes to supporting collaborative ideation? To answer this question, we present a study and analysis of three different implementations of a well-established collaborative ideation technique called Inspiration Card Workshop, with physical, digital, and hybrid setups. Each setup is a controlled experiment with three different groups of designers. We analyse the setups in terms of how they support five key aspects of collaborative design. Based on our insights, we present implications for future use of digital tools to support card-based collaborative design ideation, in which we argue for a technically lightweight hybrid workflow setup that builds on well-proven physical and digital components.

Dimensionality reduction (DR) techniques aim to reduce the amount of considered dimensions, yet preserving as much information as possible. According to many visualization researchers, DR results lack interpretability, in particular for domain experts not familiar with machine learning or advanced statistics. Thus, interactive visual methods have been extensively researched for their ability to improve transparency and ease the interpretation of results. However, these methods have primarily been evaluated using case studies and interviews with experts trained in DR. In this paper, we describe a phenomenological analysis investigating if researchers with no or only limited training in machine learning or advanced statistics can interpret the depiction of a data projection and what their incentives are during interaction. We, therefore, developed an interactive system for DR, which unifies mixed data types as they appear in real-world data. Based on this system, we provided data analys ts of a Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) with dimensionally-reduced crime data and let them explore and analyze domain-relevant tasks without providing further conceptual information. Results of our study reveal that these untrained experts encounter few difficulties in interpreting the results and drawing conclusions given a domain relevant use case and their experience. We further discuss the results based on collected informal feedback and observations.

In this paper, we explore how users can control remote devices with a virtual long arm, while preserving the perception that the artificial arm is actually part of their own body. Instead of using pointing, speech, or a remote control, the users' arm is extended in augmented reality, allowing access to devices that are out of reach. Thus, we allow users to directly manipulate real-world objects from a distance using their bare hands. A core difficulty we focus on is how to maintain ownership for the unnaturally long virtual arm, which is the strong feeling that one's limbs are actually part of the own body. Fortunately, what the human brain experiences as being part of the own body is very malleable and we find that during interaction the user's virtual arm can be stretched to more than twice its real length, without breaking the user's sense of ownership for the virtual limb.

HCI research has demonstrated Mixed Reality (MR) as being beneficial for co-located collaborative work. For remote collaboration, however, the collaborators' visual contexts do not coincide due to their individual physical environments. The problem becomes apparent when collaborators refer to physical landmarks in their individual environments to guide each other's attention. In an experimental study with 16 dyads, we investigated how the provisioning of shared virtual landmarks (SVLs) influences communication behavior and user experience. A quantitative analysis revealed that participants used significantly less ambiguous spatial expressions and reported an improved user experience when SVLs were provided. Based on these findings and a qualitative video analysis we provide implications for the design of MRs to facilitate remote collaboration.

Innerhalb der Bildungsinstitution Museum entstehen durch den Einsatz von Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (IuK) neue Möglichkeiten der Informationsvermittlung. Im Blended Museum wird versucht, virtuelle und reale Präsentationsformen miteinander zu vermischen. Dies ermöglicht hybride Vermittlungsstrategien, die neue und vor allem vielfältigere Besuchererfahrungen erlauben, als dies mit konventionellen Hilfsmitteln möglich ist. Aus dem Ansatz des Blended Museum lassen folgende Forschungsschwerpunkte ableiten, welche in diesem Beitrag näher betrachtet werden: Gestaltung einer einheitlichen Informationsarchitektur, Vermischung von realen Objekten und virtuellen Inhalten, soziale Interaktion, personalisierte Inhalte, Rollen der externen Wissensvermittlung und interdisziplinärer Gestaltungsprozess.

The method of loci is a technique to memorize large quantities of information by associating the items to be learned with familiar places (loci). The effectiveness of the technique has been well established, but the initial creation of the loci can be a tedious task. With the aim of supporting flexible learning in situ, we introduce Loci Spheres, a novel concept which facilitates the creation of loci using mobile devices. We present three variants which support the technique to varying degrees: spatial loci (uses spatial input) and panning loci (uses panning) to define and navigate the loci, and no loci (baseline condition), where users have to create the loci within their imagination. In an in-the-wild study we investigated perceived system support, usage behavior, and effectiveness of the three variants. With this work we introduce a novel memorization tool which addresses the potential barrier involved in loci creation and provide a set of four design principles on how to leverage the technique with mobile devices in everyday situations.

In diesem Beitrag stellen wir vier Einsatzmöglichkeiten von Mixed Reality (MR) zur Unterstützung von motorischem Lernen vor. Wir haben Kinaesthetics-Kurse im Kontext Pflege hospitiert und Interviews mit Kinaesthetics-DozentInnen und -Auszubildenden durchgeführt. Die erhobenen Daten wurden mit Fokus auf den Ablauf des Lernprozesses und bestehende Probleme analysiert. Auf Basis der kontextuellen Analyse wurden Anforderungen an technische Systeme, welche motorisches Lernen unterstützen sollen, identifiziert. In Bezug zu den erarbeiteten Anforderungen und bestehender Literatur werden von uns vier Möglichkeiten vorgestellt, um MR für die Unterstützung von motorischem Lernen einzusetzen.

Im Rahmen eines Kooperationsprojekts von Studierenden der Universität Konstanz und HTWG Konstanz entstand die Ausstellung „Rebuild Palmyra?“, eine multimediale Ausstellung über die Stadt Palmyra und die Frage, ob deren Ruinen wiederaufgebaut werden sollen. In der Ausstellung wurde der Ansatz des Blended Museums verfolgt, welcher eine Verschneidung des virtuellen mit dem klassischen Museum vorsieht. In diesem Beitrag beschreiben wir drei Exponate, in welchen die Ruinen von Palmyra durch die Verwendung neuer Technologien wie Augmented und Virtual Reality rekonstruiert wurden und zeigen auf, inwiefern mit diesen der Ansatz des Blended Museums umgesetzt werden kann. Des Weiteren geben wir Einblicke in die technische Umsetzung der Exponate und diskutieren die Ergebnisse verschiedener qualitativer und quantitativer Evaluationen.

A sizable part of HCI research on cross-device interaction is driven by the vision of users conducting complex knowledge work seamlessly across multiple mobile devices. This is based on the Weiserian assumption that people will be inclined to distribute their work across multiple ``pads' if such are available. We observed that this is not the reality today, even when devices were in abundance. We present a study with 24 participants in 12 dyads completing a collaborative visualization task with up to six tablets. They could choose between three different visualization types to answer questions about economic data. Tasks were designed to afford simultaneous use of tablets, either with linked or independent views. We found that users typically utilized only one tablet per user. A quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed a ``legacy bias' that introduced barriers for using more tablets and reduced the overall benefit of multi-device visualization.

In recent years, research on cross-device interaction has become a popular topic in HCI leading to novel interaction techniques mutually interfering with new evolving theoretical paradigms. Building on previous research, we implemented an individual multi-device work environment for creative activities. In a study with 20 participants, we compared a traditional toolbar-based condition with two conditions facilitating spatially distributed tools on digital panels and on physical devices. We analyze participants’ interactions with the tools, encountered problems and corresponding solutions, as well as subjective task load and user experience. Our findings show that the spatial distribution of tools indeed offers advantages, but also elicits new problems, that can partly be leveraged by the physical affordances of mobile devices.

Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden verschiedene Gestaltungsvarianten für interaktive Multitouch-Tische in ihrem Einfluss auf die dyadische Teamarbeit in Design- und Brainstorming-Aufgaben untersucht. Vier Varianten eines interaktiven Tischs unterschieden sich dadurch, wie sie durch individuelle Arbeitsbereiche vorstrukturiert waren (entweder am Tisch fixiert, verschiebbar oder mobil). In einer experimentellen Studie mit 160 Teilnehmenden wurden die verschiedenen Varianten hinsichtlich ihrer Einflüsse auf kollaborative Prozesse und den Erfolg der Zusammenarbeit verglichen und einer Kontrollbedingung gegenübergestellt. Die Kontrollbedingung enthielt keine individuellen Arbeitsbereiche. Die Ergebnisse von multivariaten Regressionsanalysen zeigen signifikante Effekte der Arbeitsplatzstrukturierung (fixierte, verschiebbare, mobile vs. keine individuelle Arbeitsbereiche) und des Aufgabentyps (Design vs. Brainstorming) auf kollaborative Prozesse und den Erfolg der dyadischen Zusammenarbeit: (1) Individuelle Arbeitsbereiche bewirkten einen positiven Einfluss auf kollaborative Prozesse und den Erfolg der Zusammenarbeit. (2) Individuelle Arbeitsbereiche haben ein höheres Potential für die Lösung von Brainstorming- verglichen mit Design-Aufgaben.

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dc.contributor.author: Babic, Teo; Haller, Michael

Augmented Reality (AR) displays have been suggested as shared-space technology to support remote collaboration, e.g., in design and building tasks. But with AR displays, the shared space typically consists of only the virtual work objects (e.g., design artifacts) while collaborators' interaction is grounded in their individual, physical environment. This can become problematic during activities that involve the positioning of virtual objects because the collaborators may require shared spatial references to coordinate their actions. In a lab experiment with 16 dyads, we studied how collaborators deal with that issue, and whether the provisioning of additive, virtual landmarks influences collaboration. As a result the landmarks improved user experience and decreased the reported temporal demand. In addition, we identified task-specific problem situations and provide implications for the design of distributed ARs to facilitate the collaborative positioning of virtual objects.

Existing empty-handed mid-air interaction techniques for system control are typically limited to a confined gesture set or point-and-select on graphical user interfaces. In this paper, we introduce GestureDrawer, a one-handed interaction with a 3D imaginary interface. Our approach allows users to self-define an imaginary interface, acquire visuospatial memory of the position of its controls in empty space and enables them to select or manipulate those controls by moving their hand in all three dimensions. We evaluate our approach with three user studies and demonstrate that users can indeed position imaginary controls in 3D empty space and select them with an accuracy of 93% without receiving any feedback and without fixed landmarks (e.g. second hand). Further, we show that imaginary interaction is generally faster than mid-air interaction with graphical user interfaces, and that users can retrieve the position of their imaginary controls even after a proprioception disturbance. We condense our findings into several design recommendations and present automotive applications.

People's ability to remember and recall spatial information can be harnessed to improve navigation and search performances in interactive systems. In this paper, we investigate how display size and input modality influence spatial memory, especially in relation to efficiency and user satisfaction. Based on an experiment with 28 participants, we analyze the effect of three input modalities (trackpad, direct touch, and gesture-based motion controller) and two display sizes (10.6" and 55") on people's ability to navigate to spatially spread items and recall their positions. Our findings show that the impact of input modality and display size on spatial memory is not straightforward, but characterized by trade-offs between spatial memory, efficiency, and user satisfaction.

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We present a quantitative and qualitative analysis of interruptions of interaction with a public display game, and explore the use of a manual pause mode in this scenario. In previous public display installations we observed users frequently interrupting their interaction. To explore ways of supporting such behavior, we implemented a gesture controlled multiuser game with four pausing techniques. We evaluated them in a field study analyzing 704 users and found that our pausing techniques were eagerly explored, but rarely used with the intention to pause the game. Our study shows that interactions with public displays are considerably intermissive, and that users mostly interrupt interaction to socialize and mainly approach public displays in groups. We conclude that, as a typical characteristic of public display interaction, interruptions deserve consideration. However, manual pause modes are not well suited for games on public displays. Instead, interruptions should be implicitly supported by the application design.

In this workshop, we will review and discuss open issues, technical challenges and conceptual models for multi-device spatial or proxemic interaction. We aim to bring together researchers, students and practitioners working on technical infrastructures, studies and designs of spatial in-terfaces, or domain specific multi-device applications that use space as a unit of analysis. We focus specifically on analysing how such interfaces, tools and tracking technolo-gy can be deployed "in the wild". The workshop will facili-tate knowledge exchange about the current state of spatial and proxemic interactive systems, identify application do-mains and enabling technologies for cross-surface interac-tions in the wild, and establish a research community to develop effective strategies for successful design of cross-device interactions.

Size and resolution of computer screens are constantly increasing. Individual screens can easily be combined to wall-sized displays. This enables computer displays that are folded, straight, bow shaped or even spread. As possibilities for arranging the screens are manifold, it is unclear what arrangements are appropriate. Moreover, it is unclear how content and applications should be arranged on such large displays. To determine guidelines for the arrangement of multiple screens and for content and application layouts, we conducted a design study. In the study, we asked 16 participants to arrange a large screen setup as well as to create layouts of multiple common application windows. Based on the results we provide a classification for screen arrangements and interaction areas. We identified, that screen space should be divided into a central area for interactive applications and peripheral areas, mainly for displaying additional content.