We are now living in a mobile information era, which is fundamentally changing science and society. Location Based Services (LBS), which deliver information depending on the location of the (mobile...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17489725.2018.1508763

Location based services: ongoing evolution and research agenda

This essay contributes a meta-scientific account of human-computer interaction (HCI) research as problem-solving. We build on the philosophy of Larry Laudan, who develops problem and solution as the foundational concepts of science. We argue that most HCI research is about three main types of problem: empirical, conceptual, and constructive. We elaborate upon Laudan's concept of problem-solving capacity as a universal criterion for determining the progress of solutions (outcomes): Instead of asking whether research is 'valid' or follows the 'right' approach, it urges us to ask how its solutions advance our capacity to solve important problems in human use of computers. This offers a rich, generative, and 'discipline-free' view of HCI and resolves some existing debates about what HCI is or should be. It may also help unify efforts across nominally disparate traditions in empirical research, theory, design, and engineering.

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HCI Research as Problem-Solving

In this report, we organize and reflect on recent advances and challenges in the field of sports data visualization. The exponentially-growing body of visualization research based on sports data is a prime indication of the importance and timeliness of this report. Sports data visualization research encompasses the breadth of visualization tasks and goals: exploring the design of new visualization techniques; adapting existing visualizations to a novel domain; and conducting design studies and evaluations in close collaboration with experts, including practitioners, enthusiasts, and journalists. Frequently this research has impact beyond sports in both academia and in industry because it is i) grounded in realistic, highly heterogeneous data, ii) applied to real-world problems, and iii) designed in close collaboration with domain experts. In this report, we analyze current research contributions through the lens of three categories of sports data: box score data (data containing statistical summaries of a sport event such as a game), tracking data (data about in-game actions and trajectories), and meta-data (data about the sport and its participants but not necessarily a given game). We conclude this report with a high-level discussion of sports visualization research informed by our analysis—identifying critical research gaps and valuable opportunities for the visualization community. More information is available at the STAR’s website: https://sportsdataviz.github.io/.

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State of the Art of Sports Data Visualization

Background: Although many smartphone apps and wearables have been designed to improve physical activity, their rapidly evolving nature and complexity present challenges for evaluating their impact. Traditional methodologies, such as randomized controlled trials (RCTs), can be slow. To keep pace with rapid technological development, evaluations of mobile health technologies must be efficient. Rapid alternative research designs have been proposed, and efficient in-app data collection methods, including in-device sensors and device-generated logs, are available. Along with effectiveness, it is important to measure engagement (ie, users’ interaction and usage behavior) and acceptability (ie, users’ subjective perceptions and experiences) to help explain how and why apps and wearables work.

Objectives: This study aimed to (1) explore the extent to which evaluations of physical activity apps and wearables: employ rapid research designs; assess engagement, acceptability, as well as effectiveness; use efficient data collection methods; and (2) describe which dimensions of engagement and acceptability are assessed.

Method: An interdisciplinary scoping review using 8 databases from health and computing sciences. Included studies measured physical activity, and evaluated physical activity apps or wearables that provided sensor-based feedback. Results were analyzed using descriptive numerical summaries, chi-square testing, and qualitative thematic analysis.

Results: A total of 1829 abstracts were screened, and 858 articles read in full. Of 111 included studies, 61 (55.0%) were published between 2015 and 2017. Most (55.0%, 61/111) were RCTs, and only 2 studies (1.8%) used rapid research designs: 1 single-case design and 1 multiphase optimization strategy. Other research designs included 23 (22.5%) repeated measures designs, 11 (9.9%) nonrandomized group designs, 10 (9.0%) case studies, and 4 (3.6%) observational studies. Less than one-third of the studies (32.0%, 35/111) investigated effectiveness, engagement, and acceptability together. To measure physical activity, most studies (90.1%, 101/111) employed sensors (either in-device [67.6%, 75/111] or external [23.4%, 26/111]). RCTs were more likely to employ external sensors (accelerometers: P=.005). Studies that assessed engagement (52.3%, 58/111) mostly used device-generated logs (91%, 53/58) to measure the frequency, depth, and length of engagement. Studies that assessed acceptability (57.7%, 64/111) most often used questionnaires (64%, 42/64) and/or qualitative methods (53%, 34/64) to explore appreciation, perceived effectiveness and usefulness, satisfaction, intention to continue use, and social acceptability. Some studies (14.4%, 16/111) assessed dimensions more closely related to usability (ie, burden of sensor wear and use, interface complexity, and perceived technical performance).

Conclusions: The rapid increase of research into the impact of physical activity apps and wearables means that evaluation guidelines are urgently needed to promote efficiency through the use of rapid research designs, in-device sensors and user-logs to assess effectiveness, engagement, and acceptability. Screening articles was time-consuming because reporting across health and computing sciences lacked standardization. Reporting guidelines are therefore needed to facilitate the synthesis of evidence across disciplines.

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Evaluating the Impact of Physical Activity Apps and Wearables: Interdisciplinary Review

Self-monitoring offers benefits in facilitating awareness about physical exercise, but such data-centric activity may not always lead to an enjoyable experience. We introduce EdiPulse a novel system that creates activity treats to offer playful reflections on everyday physical activity through the appealing medium of chocolate. EdiPulse translates self-monitored data from physical activity into small 3D printed chocolate treats. These treats (

EdiPulse: Investigating a Playful Approach to Self-monitoring through 3D Printed Chocolate Treats

Despite technological improvements in commercial activity trackers, little attention has been given to their emotional, social, or fashion-related qualities, such as their visual aesthetics and their relationship to self-expression and social connection. As an alternative integrated approach incorporating HCI, fashion, and product design, our project made use of the characteristics of patina to improve activity trackers as fashionable wearables. We developed the Patina Engraving System, which engraves patina-like patterns on an activity tracker according to a user's activity logs. Using a piercing technique, the patina of activity logs has been made abstract, visually rich, gradually emerging, and historically accumulated. During the field trial, we found that the patina motivated the participants to increase exercises for engraving aesthetic patinas. A tracker with patina triggered spontaneous social interactions in face-to-face situations. The participants also cherished the trackers that held their own history. Based on the field trial, we discuss design implications for utilizing patina in designing future fashionable technologies.

Patina Engraver: Visualizing Activity Logs as Patina in Fashionable Trackers

We present Gleamy, a lamp supporting ambient information display in everyday environment by the shade with controllable transparency. Information can be displayed abstractly by static or animated patterns on the shade. A preliminary study with twelve users showed that Gleamy naturally blended in a home environment. It satisfied practicality both as an ambient display and as a lighting device. We found that representation of information by Gleamy was unobtrusive and informative. The changes of the pattern on the shade delivered information in an emotionally rich and private manner, and enhanced aesthetic value as well. In this paper, we discuss design considerations that could improve peripheral information display using the shade with changeable transparency.

Gleamy: An Ambient Display Lamp with a Transparency-Controllable Shade

Using multiple sensor-embedded devices enables detection of usage contexts that extend new interaction opportunities (e.g., a gesture and posture composite interface). In this study, we explored a design space of contextual interactions using a mobile device and two wrist-worn devices, suggesting Mo-Bi, the bimanual posture-based mobile interface system. Mo-Bi recognizes a user's hand posture compositely utilizing the spatial configurations of the three devices. It provides the contextually appropriate interface layout or application function according to the inference based on bimanual posture information. We suggested four interface scenarios of Mo-Bi that are applicable for common use applications in mobile context. A technical evaluation shows the feasibility of the system, and users found that Mo-Bi enhanced physical comfort and stability, providing interfaces that fit their context without increasing interaction steps for the adaptive interface.

Mo-Bi: Contextual Mobile Interfaces through Bimanual Posture Sensing with Wrist-Worn Devices

Despite technologic improvements in home video systems, minimal research has been carried out on the potential to enhance the audience's reflective state and content appreciation. We explored the value of video systems that leave digital traces to support the movie-watching experience. By developing video-watching systems involving the application of a digital trace, we investigate how the movie-watching experience changed. We conducted semi-structured interviews with participants after they had experienced the systems. Our findings revealed that the digital trace became a source of deeper reflection on the storyline. Active trace logging was useful for revisiting impressive scenes and for encouraging audiences to express their thoughts. The passively generated digital trace acted as a catalyst for interpreting the storyline from a self-oriented viewpoint. We found that the digital trace might support content appreciation as a developmental process. We then discussed issues related to designing vi...

Seijin Cha

Papers

Patina Engraver: Visualizing Activity Logs as Patina in Fashionable Trackers

Gleamy: An Ambient Display Lamp with a Transparency-Controllable Shade

Mo-Bi: Contextual Mobile Interfaces through Bimanual Posture Sensing with Wrist-Worn Devices

Impact of digital traces on the appreciation of movie contents