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CapCHI Activities
Past Activities 2001-2002
- 2002/06/20 - Want Better Users? Performance Support for Making Products Obvious presented by William Bezanson, Performance Solutions Architecture
- 2002/05/16 - CHILights Highlights of CHI 2002 "changing the world, changing ourselves"
- 2002/04/16 - Experiencing Broadband Collaboration presented by Martin Brooks of the NRC Institute for Information Technology
- 2002/03/21 - Demonstrations of Recent Work from the HOTLab at Carleton University
- 2002/02/28 - Improving the Visibility of Desktop Files and Email Messages, presented by Alain VaillancourtVirtual Glyphs Inc.
- 2002/02/08 - Building a Better Compass Tutorial on Functional Navigation Design, presented by Simon Leadlay and David Dewar
- 2002/01/17 - Building a Better Compass Seminar on Functional Navigation Design, presented by Simon Leadlay and David Dewar
- 2001/12/20 - Annual Social & Interactive Holiday Event, A social & interactive gathering.
- 2001/11/22 - HCI Research at NRC's Institute for Information Technology, presented by Janice Singer, Assistant Research Officer, Software Engineering Group, NRC Institute for Information Technology
- 2001/10/02 - Frontiers of User Support: Bridging the Gap Between What Users Know and What They Need to Know, presented by Ron Baecker, Bell University Laboratories Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Toronto
- 2001/09/20 - Raising Awareness for Usability Across the Nation; presented by Alfredo Coppola, Chief Usability Strategist at Venture Communications
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Want Better Users? Performance Support for Making Products Obvious
June 20, 2002 at Nortel Skyline
Download meeting poster (PDF 100K)
Download presentation (PPT 869K)
About the Speaker
William Bezanson, P.Eng, advises organizations on performance support through his company, Performance Solutions Architecture, in Ottawa. Building on experience with Nortel Networks, his vision is enabling business performance through user performance, thus reducing the need for explicit forms of learning and support. His book Performance Support Solutions: Achieving Business Goals Through Enabling User Performance was published by Trafford Publishing in June, 2002.
About the Talk
Nearly all companies have the difficulty that it takes too long and it costs too much to develop proficiency in their employees. The fact that people need to be trained to use products in the first place is the essence of the problem. This presentation addressed that problem by introducing performance support, which helps people develop competence through the normal course of doing work, rather than through off-job training or reading manuals.
Performance means achieving goals. Ultimately, it is business goals that need to be achieved, and that can be done by enabling the performance of individual workers.
This presentation outlined a structure for developing performance support solutions, which provides a phased introduction of performance-enabling features in products over time, to accommodate customers¹ varying budget and infrastructure levels.
Want better users? Making products obvious through the methods of performance support provides a highly effective way of getting them.
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CHILights
May 16, 2002 at Nortel Skyline
About the Talk
A diverse range of presenters from the local HCI community presented their own personal view of the CHI2002 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, highlights and lowlights in research and practice.
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The CHI 2002 Conference was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 20-25, 2002. The annual CHI conference is the leading international forum for the exchange of ideas and information about human-computer interaction (HCI).
For more information about CHI 2002, please visit the conference web site: http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chi2002
CHI2003 will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, April 05-10, 2003.
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Experiencing Broadband Collaboration
April 16, 2002 at Nortel Skyline
About the Speaker
Martin Brooks received a B.Sc. in mathematics from MIT and a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University. He has worked in applied research and software product development in Silicon Valley, Norway, and Ottawa. He currently leads the Broadband Visual Communication Research Program at NRC's Institute for Information Technology.
About the Talk
This talk covered the experiences and new knowledge gained from several years worth of experimental programs in the field of Broadband Video Communication. This included work in the LearnCanada project, the CRC-NRC Virtual Classrrom, McGill Ultra Videoconferencing, and the National Arts Centre Masterclasses with Maestro Pinchas Zukerman.
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Demonstrations of Recent Work from the HOTLab at Carleton University
March 21, 2002 at the HOTLab (Room 210 in SSRB
Building) at Carleton University
Our March 2002 General Meeting took place at the new HOTLab (Human Oriented Technology) at Carleton University. This meeting featured some demonstrations of their recent work at the lab.
Can interface design influence investment decisions?
Presented by Warren Thorngate and Alieh Rajabi
Abstract
On-line investing allows individual investors to lose more money, more
quickly than ever before. Investment decisions are the result of several
of cognitive, emotional and motivational processes, many of which might
be influenced by assorted features of the interface between investor and
available investment information. Some of these features will be shown
and discussed in the laboratory demonstration of a simple stock market
simulation.
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MonDoc: active hypertext
Presented by Radu Luchianov
Abstract
Speech and conventional writing has shaped human communication into a
serial stream, very different from many cognitive processes (thinking,
perception, decision-making), which happen in parallel and most of the
time below our level of awareness. Referencing and indexing have been
used for a long time in the printed media (books, articles, posters) in
order to escape the unfortunate linearity of imposed on those media. I
will present here MonDoc, a series of principles with which I attempt
to describe a digital medium much closer to the dynamic nature of thought.
MonDoc extends and constrains the hypertext paradigm. The prototypes of
several types of editors I am working on, based on MonDoc, are written
in DHTML.
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Helping Users Make Video Quality of Service Settings
Presented by Ron Boring
Abstract
In this presentation, I will demonstrate recent work on improving user
interaction with multimedia streaming tools. How can users optimize the
quality of the audio and video they receive over the Internet? I'll introduce
a new technique --constrained scaling -- for ensuring that user settings
accurately map onto the quality parameters of streaming media. This research
was conducted jointly with Professor Robert West and Stephen Moore of
Carleton. It will be presented at CHI 2002.
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Applying HCI to Music-Related Hardware
Presented by Gary Fernandes and Cassandra Holmes
Abstract
The ease of use of an electric guitar pre-amplifier interface was investigated
using the traditional HCI methods of heuristic evaluation and usability
testing. The user interface was subsequently modified, and a follow-up
usability test confirmed improvements to ease of use. We will demonstrate
the usability test of the redesigned interface. Our findings will be presented
at CHI 2002.
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Cognitive Modeling for Rapid Prototyping
Presented by Robert West
Abstract
Rapid prototyping is an area in which cognitive modeling is not frequently
used. We have examined some of the reasons behind this and believe that
cognitive modeling could play an important role. Specifically we argue
that usability testing could be improved by testing simulated users. We
will present a demonstration of our simulated users at their current state
of development.
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The HOTLab is located in room number 210 in the SSRB building, at the south end of the Carleton Campus. This is building number 24 on the campus map, next to the Loeb building, number 15. The best place to park is in Lot 1, directly behind the SSRB building. Lot 1 can be accessed from Library Road. There is a flat fee of $5.00 for parking after 5:30 PM.
View map to Carleton University Campus and SSRB (GIF file, 77K)
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Improving the Visibility of Desktop Files and Email Messages
February 28, 2002 at Nortel Skyline
About the Speaker
Alain Vaillancourt is a consultant who has conducted usability studies for several the Government of Québec ministries and organizations (M.R.Q., M.I.C., M.R.C.I., C.T.Q.) For the last five years, he has also been doing research on the potential use of interchangeable glyphs, logos, large icons and thumbnail-sized annotations to represent documents on slightly modified Windows 2000 and Windows XP desktops. He is currently developing a paper prototype to test some aspects of modified desktops and office applications which would use these interchangeable graphical elements.
About the Talk
This talk presented the background problem of trying to give an associative localization to files by establishing a cumulative graphical context.
To put it another way: How can we provide users with an alternate file-identification mechanism that would be more congenial for people who respond better to visual associations than to textual ones? How can this mechanism provide multiple access routes to any given file, so that it will be equally useful to people with a textual orientation, people with a visual orientation, and people who alternate between these two recognition strategies?
A few examples of "localized" (restricted to specific applications such as prototype graphic bookmarks in Web browsers) and more universal attempts was surveyed. Segments of a paper prototype will be used to demonstrate a complete approach at all stages of file creation or modification. This prototype exploits thumbnail sized images from a variety of sources, such as generated glyphs and iconic notes.
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Building a Better Compass
Seminar and Tutorial on Functional Navigation Design.
Presented by Simon Leadlay and David Dewar
Seminar: January 17, 2002 at Nortel
Skyline
Tutorial: February 08, 2002 at Travelodge
Hotel (Ottawa West)
Seminar Resources...
View presentation slides, part 1 (PDF file, 3861K)
View
presentation slides, part 2 (PDF file, 659K)
Tutorial Resources...
View
tutorial slides, 1. Intro (PPT file 1.8M)
View
tutorial slides, 2. Design Fundamentals (PPT file 3.2M)
View
tutorial slides, 3. Example Application and Exercise 1 (PPT file 836K)
View
tutorial slides, 4. System Design (PPT file 2.0M)
View
tutorial slides, 5. Exercise 2 and Presentations (PPT file 173K)
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Description
From operating systems to online shopping, from bank machines to PDAs, the modern user interface has enabled users everywhere to perform complex operations with the simplest of instructions. In the most general sense, the user interface has put control into the hands of the user—its impact on how we live and work has been, and continues to be, profound.
As we increasingly rely on user interfaces to help us perform daily tasks (from renewing a license plate to finding a dinner date) the ease with which we can navigate between interfaces and interface elements will increasingly impact our quality of life. With good navigation and good interface design, life will move along quickly and easily. Without it, we will be constantly mired in traffic jams of information.
The seminar "Building A Better Compass" seeks to provide a theoretical and practical framework for designing navigation systems that facilitate good interface design and functional information flow. To meet this objective, "Building A Better Compass" introduced two of Ottawa and interface design experts in the realms of the web, mobile devices and internet appliances. This seminar introduced some of the major issues surrounding navigational design for our current environment. The material presented at the seminar was then explored in depth at the "Building Better Compasses" tutorial.
Tutorial Details:
This tutorial provided attendees with the theory and techniques necessary
to design effective navigation systems. We explored design considerations
for end-users and tested these design considerations on the navigation
of different types of devices. The workshop consisted of lectures, group
discussion and hands-on exercises.
In the first part of the session the instructors presented a range of user interface design strategies for:
- Effective navigation design for browsing
- Effective search design
- Ways to let users create custom navigation
- Innovative ideas for making navigation better
- Pointer-less navigation design
The instructors then applied these strategies in a hands-on exercise where workshop participants worked in small teams to design the interface for an interactive device. This exercise required participants to apply the knowledge and expertise gained during the session in developing an effective solution to a challenging design problem. This resulted in further group discussion and exploration around the issues that were introduced during the lectures.
The Take-Away:
Attendees take away a toolkit of ideas and techniques that they can apply
to creating effective navigation systems for a variety of online and other
interactive devices.
Who should attend:
Novice usability professionals who are building a portfolio of skills
and intermediate usability professionals who are looking to develop additional
techniques or be exposed to navigation developments for interactive consumer
devices. Other software development professionals such as interface designers,
software developers, and product managers will also benefit from this
workshop.
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Instructors
Simon Leadlay, Senior UI Designer, Espial
An expert Java application developer with a very keen sense of user interface
design, Simon enjoys designing and developing systems that delight the
user with their ease of use. Outside the world of software, Simon's interest
is held by classical typography, book design, and performance motorcycles.
At Espial, Simon fills many roles, but is currently involved in user interface design for the interactive television market. Previously, Simon supported Espial's Corporate Design Group as a prototyper: developing and testing ground-breaking interaction designs for embedded consumer devices.
Previous to working at Espial, Simon worked as a Rapid Prototyper at Nortel Networks' Design Interpretive group, and as a web developer with a local Ottawa company, Ingenia. Simon's skillset is very broad, ranging from user interface design to system administration, Java, C/C++, and Visual Basic programming. Simon has been recognized by Netscape Communications as a JavaScript Champion.
Simon has presented user interface development presentations on several occasions, including last year at Embedded Systems Europe, in Nuremberg. Several of Simon's articles on embedded user interface design and development have been translated and published in various European computer engineering magazines. Simon has also trained several university classes in the use of Espial's software suite through devicetop.com's university programme.
David Dewar, Software Engineer, New Products
at Cognos Incorporated
David Dewar is currently a member of the New Products team at Cognos
where he works on next generation products. He has been a leader in the
design of over 40 software applications at a number of organizations:
Cognos, Mozilla.org, Nortel
Networks, and OEone. These products have
ranged from reverse engineering software applications to consumer oriented
Internet appliances.
He is the co-founder of Dewar Enterprises, which provides environmental management software to track and report on Hazardous Materials used in research and industrial settings.
He is an avid follower of new technologies and techniques used to bring software products to life (and enjoys telling people about them).
David is also the co-author of the Addison-Wesley Science Handbook.
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Venue (Tutorial)
Travelodge Hotel Ottawa West
1376 Carling Ave. Ottawa, Ontario K1Z 75L
Tel. (613) 722 7600
http://www.the.travelodge.com/ottawa11311
The tutorial registration desk opened at 7:00 AM. Continental breakfast was served from 7:30 AM. The tutorial ran from 8:00 AM. to 12:00 PM. Price included breakfast, coffee and tea.
The tutorial took place in the Greenery Room.
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Annual Social & Interactive Holiday Event
A social & interactive gathering
December 20, 2001 at The Clock Tower Brew
Pub
What?
Friends of CapCHI and their guests joined us for pool, food and drinks.
Where and When?
The meeting took place on Thursday, December 20, 2001 from 6:30 PM at the Clock Tower Brew Pub, 575 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Bank Street just south of the Queensway/Hwy 417)
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HCI Research at NRC's Institute for Information Technology
November 22, 2001 at Nortel Skyline
Download the poster (PDF file, 79K)
About the Speaker
Janice Singer is Assistant Research Officer, Software Engineering Group at the NRC IIT. Her current work focuses on empirical studies of software engineering. She investigates, through both qualitative and quantitative means, the work that software engineers do. In doing so, she hopes to help create better tools that are specifically tuned to the needs of software engineers. She is also working on a CSER sponsored project Knowledge Based Reverse Engineering. She is involved in the study part of the project. She is characterizing the work of the software engineers with the goal of informing the design of reverse engineering tools.
Prior to working with NRC, she examined the relationship between perception and cognition as the foundation for early mathematical concepts. During graduate school summers, she worked for IBM Yorktown Heights Research Center with John Carroll doing research in HCI. She was the original designer of the View-Matcher. She has also worked summers at Xerox PARC in the Institute for Research on Learning looking at CSCW and situated cognition. Before graduate school, she worked at Tektronix doing among other things HCI and Smalltalk programming on the Tek 4401. As an undergraduate, she worked for the US Navy designing a system to teach Navy pilots about foreign aircraft.
She holds a B.A.Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA (1984) and a Ph.D.Cognitive Psychology, Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA (1992).
About the Talk
Janice's talk presented some of the HCI related research under way and planned at NRC's Institute for Information Technology in the newly formed HCI Program. This work includes interaction with voice input, navigation in virtual spaces, social technologies, and good old usability evaluation.
More information about the IIT at the NRC:
http://iit-iti.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/
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Frontiers of User Support: Bridging the Gap Between What Users Know
and What They Need to Know
October 02, 2001 at Nortel Skyline
Download the poster (PDF file, 23K)
About the Speaker
Ronald Baecker is the Bell University Laboratories Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in the Department of Computer Science of the University of Toronto. He is the founder and Chief Scientist of the Knowledge Media Design Institute, and is also cross-appointed to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Faculty of Management. His B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. are from M.I.T.
Baecker is an active researcher, lecturer, and consultant on human-computer interaction and user interface design, software visualization, multimedia, computer-supported cooperative work and learning, the Internet, entrepreneurship and strategic planning in the software industry, and the role of information technology in business. He has published over 100 papers and articles on topics in these areas. He is also the author or co-author of two published videotapes and of four books:
- Readings in Human-Computer Interaction: A Multidisciplinary Approach
- Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs
- Readings in Groupware and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work:Facilitating Human-Human Collaboration, and
- Readings in Human-Computer Interaction: Toward the Year 2000.
Baecker is also the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Expresto Software Corp, a firm specializing in visual, interactive, self-serve explanations, designed to help users understand software and other complex technology. He was previously the founder, CEO, and Chairman of HCR Corporation, a Toronto-based UNIX contract R&D and technology development and marketing firm, sold in 1990 to a U.S. competitor.
About the Talk
Today's computer systems are often characterized by system complexity and poorly-crafted interfaces which lead to confusion, frustration, and failure. One of the key challenges is the gap between what users know and what they need to know. Bridging this gap is the function of user support systems. This phrase generally includes documentation, online help, customer support, and training. The state-of-the-art in these areas were reviewed in the talk.
Ron described a number of recent approaches to improving user support:
- Minimalist documentation
- Users helping themselves with Web-based support
- Intelligent help agents; and
- Enabling access to the expertise of peers through collaborative networks and technologies, i.e., users helping users.
Ron also presented early results from three research projects designed to close the gap between what users know and what they need to know:
- Providing multiple concurrent and in one case user-adaptableinterfaces to software with very extensive functionality, i.e., the software which is sometimes known as "bloatware" (Ph.D. research of Joanna McGrenere)
- Eliminating the need to file and retrieve by name large quantities of electronic data; and
- Providing documentation and support of complex software through animated icons (joint work with Apple Computer) and through structured Internet video explanations (joint work with Expresto Software) as opposed to conventional text descriptions.
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Raising Awareness for Usability Across the Nation
September 20, 2001 at Nortel Skyline
Download the poster (PDF file, 20K)
View the presentation slides (PPT file, 517K)
About the Speaker
Alfredo Coppola is dedicated to upholding the company's reputation for delivering highly usable websites and interactive-media products. In 1999, he devised Easy Does It, a proven user-centered design process for website development where he has also introduced a variety of new techniques for conducting end-user research, prototyping and product testing. He has led several usability projects for numerous national and international clients such as Aer Lingus, Infospace.com, CMHC and many federal government departments. Before joining Venture Communications he was a senior partner at Filament Communications and Animatics Interactive. His relevant background covers many aspects of user interface design and visual communications.
About the Talk
The recent market downturn has put growing pressure on companies to fiscally perform better than ever. Investors are demanding accountability in e-business expenditures. Employing usability practices throughout the development cycle will help them find it. The end-user experience is vital to a company's successes, its competitive advantage and potentially its survival.
There are currently many opportunities to capitalize on this significant market trend, as many e-business 'professionals' whom have emerged from various disciplines such as advertising, marketing, graphic design, and management consultants, are not adequately equipped to make informed choices about employing usability.
In this presentation Alfredo discussed his new role as CAPCHI's Vice-chair - working to raise awareness about usability as well as acting as a lobbyist of sorts to ensure that policy makers within government and other industry associations are well-equipped to implement intelligent integration of design and technology.
Areas of discussion included:
- The end-user - the only one who matters in the new, New Economy
- The usability expert as facilitator
- Usability and Government On Line (GOL)
- Celebrating successful techniques for conducting research, design and testing
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