Showing papers by "Ronald M. Baecker published in 1997"

Software visualization for debugging

Abstract: To illustrate these ideas, we present three visualization approaches we have explored—algorithm animation, typographic source code presentation, and interactive auralization for debugging—demonstrating the richness of software visualization media and portraying design trade-offs inherent in their use. We use a 30-minute film (designed to teach nine sorting algorithms) to demonstrate the power of algorithm animation. We show how the design and typesetting of computer program source text can enhance the program’s readability. And we show how a programming environment we created—LogoMedia—is useful for the interactive construction of visualizations during program creation and debugging. Software Vi for Debugging

A multimedia system for authoring motion pictures

Abstract: MAD (Movie Authoring and Design) is a novel design and authoring system that facilitates the process of creating dynamic visual presentations such as motion pictures and lecture-demonstrations. MAD supports the process by enhancing the author's ability to structure and modify a presentation and to visualize the ultimate result. It does this by allowing both top-down design and bottom-up creation with a hierarchical multimedia document representation; by supporting the flexible inclusion and combination of words, images, sounds, and video sequences; and by providing realtime playback of the best approximation to the ultimate presentation that can be produced at any stage of the design process. MAD represents a paradigm shift from traditional methods of authoring and producing motion pictures. Its development therefore requires in-depth observation of a variety of users working on a variety of filmmaking projects. After describing the key concepts underlying MAD and the current, second-generation prototype software, we describe a number of interesting applications of MAD. In doing so, we review how we have worked with users in an iterative design process and how studies of the work of these users have informed key design issues.

A time-based interface for electronic mail and task management

Abstract: Email overload is a growing problem for many users in the workplace [1]. Users often have trouble in retrieving messages for later use or in remembering to reply or to act on a particular message. There are two causes. The first is due to the problems associated with maintenance and retrieval in a semantic hierarchical structure. The second is due to the fact that current email systems are designed around the assumption that messages are informational and are read upon arrival, and that important messages are filed. The use of a semantic hierarchy for filing presents many problems for dealing with a large volume of data. Filing and maintenance is very time consuming and cognitively intensive. Since there can be hundreds of new messages arriving each day, it is difficult to file and maintain a reasonable hierarchy that facilitates efficient retrieval. Moreover, categories can become obsolete over time, and messages in different categories may become semantically related. Therefore, users must spend time periodically to reorganize their mail hierarchies. People use email for more than communication. On the surface, email is a form of asynchronous communication. In reality, email are actually used for purposes such as document delivery and archiving, work task delegation, storing personal names and addresses, and scheduling appointments [1]. Also people need better tools to remind them of their tasks [2, 3] and current email systems lack such support.

A Taxonomy of Internet Communication Tools

Abstract: When looking at the social phenomenon that are arise from the use of Internet communications tools, one must consider the properties of the tool that influence human-to-human interaction. This paper presents a number of such properties and discusses their importance. In addition, existing Internet communications tools are described both in general and with respect to the properties.

How people use WWW bookmarks

Abstract: In this detailed empirical study of WWW browsing and bookmarks we define a personal information space as having five basic properties paralleling those of a larger complex information space. We describe user behavior on the Web and show how a user's bookmark archive is a personal Web information space.

Agora: Shaping Social Space from Information Space

Abstract: Agora is a Java based client-server tool that provides for both synchronous and asynchronous communication within the context of a web page. Real-time text based ‘chat’ is augmented by shared news, personal mail, recent visitor history and user profiles.

Evaluating REAL users, using REAL software, performing REAL tasks, in REAL contexts

Abstract: Our group carries out research on collaborative multimedia We design, build, and test prototype software to aid people in working together on tasks such as writing, making movies, using the Internet, and managing information We continually face the question: How do we study real users working with real software to perform real tasks in real work contexts over real time frames ? Evaluation methodologies from human-computer interaction and human factors (reviewed in Chapter 2 of Baecker et al, 1995) provide only modest assistance with this question Usability testing (Nielsen, 1994) tends to be carried on in a laboratory on relatively prescribed tasks of limited duration Usability inspection (Nielsen and Mack, 1994) makes use of the judgments of experts who typically examine the interface for relatively brief periods of time out of a real work context Contextual inquiry (Holtzblatt and Jones, 1993) stresses real users in a real work context, but tends to focus on employing insights about work process in the design process None of these methodologies address our needs Ideally, in order to gather the most information about real system usage, we would be: omnipresent able to remember and reconstruct everything we see and hear including precise details about user actions and system responses so unobtrusive that we had no effect on the phenomenon we are trying to observe This is impossible; the question is how best to approximate this at a reasonable cost and with minimal interference to the work going on This paper first reviews some case studies in which we have tackle, this problem over the past few years We provide brief descriptions of the study details, data collected, analyses performed, and the problems encountered The paper concludes with a summary of recommendations derived from our studies