Interactivity, Game Creation, Design, Learning, and Innovation

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Frontmatter

2. Keynote Chapters

   1. Frontmatter

   2. Art and Code: Programming as a Medium

      Ernest Edmonds

      Abstract

      Computer programming is more than a tool for the artist. Writing code is manipulating a medium: a medium that is like no other. This chapter discusses the importance of coding and shows how it is enabling principled investigations into inventing new forms, creating new experiences and extending the nature of engagement with art works. It shows how formal ways of making art, from perspective to the 20^th century use of systems, geometry and mathematics, have pointed to the value of programming. This is a direction that has defined the work of a range of artists. The chapter discusses the use of the medium of code by artists who talked about their art making process. They include pioneers Aaron Marcus, Harold Cohen and Manfred Mohr and other artists, some of whom are live coding practitioners.

   3. Creating with the Digital: Tool, Medium, Mediator, Partner

      Linda Candy

      Abstract

      This chapter is about the different kinds of relationships that creative practitioners have with digital technologies in the making of artworks. Four types of creative process are described in which the role of the digital is differentiated as tool, medium, mediator and partner. In many cases, the digital technology performs more than one role: practitioners are using ready-made tools for making interactive works and at the same time writing algorithms to create digital partners with whom they perform. In this kind of creative practice, the technology is often the material of the creative works as well as the means by which they are made. It can enable a wide range of aesthetic qualities as well as facilitate different kinds of experience for both creators and audiences. This is a journey that many artists are taking in the 21^st century contemporary digital arts world. The discussion is illustrated by the works of creative practitioners for whom digital technology is integral to the way they work.

3. Targeting Experiences

   1. Frontmatter

   2. Targeting Experiences

      Anthony L. Brooks, Eva Brooks

      Abstract

      Shook (2007) informed how Human experience is the ultimate source and justification for all knowledge. Experience itself has accumulated in human memory and culture, gradually producing the methods of intelligence called “reason” and “science.” Having a focus on such experiences as opening theme for this work communicates the ‘human-at-center’ perspectives of this volume. Scholarly perspectives are presented that illustrate across disciplines and cultures.

   3. Real-Time Measurement and Analysis of Audience Response

      Philip Wigham, Ben Challis

      Abstract

      How do you harness a “level” of emotional connectivity from audience/participants? Questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews and other qualitative methods gather retrospective thoughts of the participant and may miss important insights or connections that could be discovered if a real-time response is recorded. The aspiration for real-time audience data recording is problematic in many areas of research, in particular performing arts where the work/research presented is time bound. In addressing this problem within research into the design of novel musical controllers, custom “sliders” were used to measure and examine real-time audience response to short musical performances. The audience moved their sliders in response to the performance, producing continuous data that was recorded into music software and timestamped. The initial test results have shown promising insights and usefulness for real-time data collection and examination. These results and possible methods of data analysis are presented along with discussion on how this approach may be applied in other research contexts.

   4. Out of the Box, into the Cubes: Envisioning User Experiences Through a Tool for Gamification, Toyification and Playification

      Pirita Ihamäki, Katriina Heljakka

      Abstract

      This paper synthesizes the latest design knowledge accumulated with the Comicubes service design tool and solution prototyping method, and shares some of the lessons learned during the multiple workshops organized. The physical prototyping tool combines two-dimensional sketching with a three-dimensional and open-ended play medium – the cube. The method incorporates key aspects of service-oriented interaction design. We have used Comicubes to facilitate co-creation to generate new ideas, solutions or approaches to various design challenges related to the gamification, toyification and playification of services. This study summarizes four case studies where Comicubes has been employed as a platform for 3D prototyping, testing, and simultaneously, a tool to stimulate, envision and co-create interactive user experiences. The findings of the four case studies summarized indicate that the Comicubes tool and method are suitable to be used in design processes interested to facilitate co-creation and innovation of products, services and experiential spaces.

   5. Balancing Enlightenment and Experience in Interactive Exhibition Design

      Peter Vistisen, Vashanth Selvadurai, Jens F. Jensen

      Abstract

      This paper presents insights from a collaborative design research project, in which a zoological aqua park in Denmark integrated multiple gamified digital installations in their new exhibition design. We document how these designs are in a tension between allowing game-based interactions, and the didactic communication about facts in the exhibition. We study the implemented solutions based on qualitative interviews with visitors, and with quantitative data from the backend game analytics of the installations. From triangulating these data sets we show how attempts to deliver purely fact-based information through didactic design elements fail to succeed in engaging the visitors, while stealth learning sparks enlightenment about the subject matter. Our results suggest that this is true both in cases in which users fully understand and play through the intended interactions, as well as when more negotiated interpretations of the digital installations are performed. From this our contribution are guiding principles for the balance, between experience and enlightenment in gamified exhibition designs.

   6. Audience Perception of Exaggerated Motions on Realistic Animated Animal Characters

      Mackenzie Hammer, Nicoletta Adamo

      Abstract

      The recent push for more detailed graphics and realistic visuals in animated productions has sparked much debate around the new films’ photorealistic visual style. Some critics argue that the new “live-action” versions of movie classics such as the Lion King are not as visually stylish as the original ones, and the photorealistic characters are not as likeable, fun and intriguing as their stylized counterparts. This paper reports ongoing research whose goal is to examine whether it is possible to apply traditional animation principles to photorealistic animated animal characters in order to make them more expressive, convincing and ultimately entertaining. In particular, the study reported in the paper investigated the extent to which varying degrees of exaggeration affect the perceived believability and appeal of a photorealistic talking cat character performing a series of actions in a high detail environment. The study included 82 participants and compared three levels of exaggeration applied to the cat’s motions, e.g. no exaggeration, low exaggeration and high exaggeration. Findings show that subjects found the no-exaggeration clip more appealing and believable than the exaggerated versions, although the difference in appeal was not statistically significant. When comparing the two exaggerated clips, participants rated the high exaggeration clip higher for believability and appeal than the low exaggeration one.

   7. Towards a Conceptual Design Framework for Emotional Communication Systems for Long-Distance Relationships

      Hong Li, Jonna Häkkilä, Kaisa Väänänen

      Abstract

      Couples living in long-distance relationships (LDRs) may lack ways to keep emotionally connected. Previous research has presented a wealth of systems and user studies that offer insights of individual systems and their user interface designs. These studies have revealed a multitude of design attributes of the relatedness strategies of LDRs and the user interfaces used in computer-mediated communication (CMC) systems for LDRs. In this paper, we synthesise the multitude of different design attributes, and present a design framework that addresses the five main areas of LDR systems: users (the remote couple), the LDR itself, the used technology, the design of the device, interaction, nature of messages and supported connectedness strategies, and the context of the use. We validate the framework by analysing and presenting a set of six existing systems and prototypes in light of this framework, and show how they take into account the central design attributes. As a conclusion, we propose that this framework can be used to assist in designing and evaluating the user interfaces of CMC systems for emotional communication to support LDRs.

   8. Developing a User-Centred Communication Pad for Cognitive and Physical Impaired People

      Chaudhary Muhammad Aqdus Ilyas, Kasper Rodil, Matthias Rehm

      Abstract

      It is always challenging for people with disabilities, particularly having speech inhibition to communicate. In this research article, we explored the case study of the resident at the neurological centre, having a complication in conveying messages due to physical and speech paralysis. For making effective communication, we have developed a user-centred communication pad where the resident needs to swipe a finger on the pad with printed alphabets and digits (we called it communication pad). A camera placed over the communication pad detects the finger movement of the resident and extract the message to display on the computer screen or the tablet. Our tracking method is robust and can track the fingers even in varying illumination conditions. This paper also covers the main steps of design methods with various design prototypes and its user feedback. Result analysis of different design modules and user experience evaluation shows that our designed system has provided independence and convenience to the resident in conveying a message successfully.

   9. Evaluating Interactions with a Cognitively Biased Robot in a Creative Collaborative Task

      Jonathan Jung Johansen, Lasse Goul Jensen, Brian Bemman

      Abstract

      Within the field of human-robot interaction (HRI), robots designed for social interactions are not only evaluated in terms of efficiency and accuracy. Factors related to the “personality” or “cognitive” ability of the robot such as perceived likability and intelligence are important considerations because they must engage with their human counterparts in deeper, more authentic and sometimes creative ways. Interactive art allows for the exploration of such interactions, however, the study of robots in interactive art remains relatively less commonplace and evaluations of these robots in creative contexts are similarly lacking. In this paper, we present an interactive robot inspired by Norman White’s The Helpless Robot (1987), which has been endowed with a cognitive bias known as the Dunning-Kruger effect and the ability to collaborate with participants in a creative drawing task. We evaluate the participants’ interactions with both biased and unbiased versions of this robot using the Godspeed Questionnaire Series (GQS), which has been modified to include measures of creativity, and relate these findings to analyses of their collaborative drawings. Our results indicate a significant difference between the versions of the robot for several measures in the GQS, with the unbiased version rated more positively than the biased robot in all cases. Analysis of the drawings suggests that participants interacting with the biased robot were less inclined to collaborate in a cooperative manner.

   10. A Positional Infrared Tracking System Using Non-individualised HRTFs to Simulate a Loudspeaker Setup and Its Influence on Externalisation of Music

       Rasmus Eklund, Cumhur Erkut

       Abstract

       Many artists produce and mix their virtual reality, game, or screen media audio productions only with headphones, but deploy them to stereo or multi-channel loudspeaker setups. Because of the acoustical and perceptual differences, listening on headphones might sound very different compared to loudspeakers, including the perception of sound sources inside the head (externalisation problem). Nevertheless, by using Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) and accurate movement tracking, it is possible to simulate a loudspeaker setup with proper externalisation. In this paper, an infrared-based positional tracking system with non-individualised HRTFs to simulate a loudspeaker setup is conceptualised, designed and implemented. The system can track the user with six degrees of freedom (6-DOF); an improvement over current commercial systems that only use 3-DOF tracking. The system was evaluated on 20 participants to see if the additional DOF increased the degree of externalisation. While tracking increased the externalisation in general, there was no significant difference between 3-DOF and 6-DOF. Another test indicated that positional movement coupled with positional tracking may have a greater effect on externalisation compared to positional movement coupled with only head movement tracking. Comparisons between these results and previous studies are discussed and improvements for future experiments are proposed.

   11. Finding, Feeling and Sharing the Value of a Landscape

       Rui Jesus, Catarina Conceição, Gonçalo Lopes

       Abstract

       The value of a landscape is often associated with its visual aesthetic value, but a landscape goes beyond that. It has other important values, such as historical or social value. The guides and tourist itineraries are useful to help visiting monuments but as far as reading and experiencing a landscape, these are still insufficient. This work consists of developing a mobile application with gaming and social features, to support the experience of visit and reading places with valuable landscapes. The paper describes the design principles used and presents the main issues of the study conducted during the development process of the application. It also presents the results obtained by the tests carried out to evaluate the user experience when visiting and appreciating the value of a landscape with the application. The experiments were carried out in the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, considered world heritage since 1995  [6].