Designing Co-Adaptive Instruments to Support Design
Type
We are interested in taking advantage of instrumental interaction to create more effective human-computer partnerships,
specifically by providing creative professionals with simpler, yet more powerful interactive tools.
Context
We are developing a novel theoretical framework, based on the concepts of substrates and co-adaptive instruments, in which we treat the interaction between people and computers as a first class object. Co-adaptation refers to how users both adapt their behavior to manage novel technologies, through learning, and adapt these technologies for their own purposes, through appropriation (Mackay, 2002, Mackay, 2008). Instrumental interaction (Beaudouin-Lafon, 2000, Beauduoin-Lafon & Mackay, 2000), identifies a set of principles for creating simpler, yet more powerful tools for interacting with computers. We have also begun exploring the concept of substrates in which instruments are made more powerful through the use of interactive structures, under the user's control.
Objectives
The goal of this internship is to explore how we can use substrates as co-adaptive instruments to support creative professionals, either scientists or designers.
Specific Activities
After an initial review of the literature, the student will work with users to explore their current uses of interactive tools, then convert them into substrates and co-adaptive instruments. These instruments should enhance the interaction between users and the objects-of-interest, providing a mix of user-defined constraints and flexibility. The student will use wizard-of-oz or other methods to test the effectiveness of this instrument. This is a research stage designed to prepare the student for a Ph.D. grant.
Expected Results
Our goal is to produce a research paper for a top HCI conference, ideally CHI or DIS.
Required Skills
Students should have a strong interest in graphic or industrial design, ideally with some training or experience in using design tools,
as well as a computer science background, with experience using participatory design and evaluation techniques. Programming in C, C++, Java, or Javascript is important.
References
Beaudouin-Lafon, M. (2000) Instrumental Interaction. In Proceedings of ACM CHI 2000 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
Beaudouin-Lafon, M. and Mackay, W. (2000) Reification, Polymorphism and Reuse: Three Principles for Designing Visual Interfaces. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Advanced Visual Interfaces (AVI 2000). ACM, pages 102-109.
Garcia, J., Tsandilas, T., Agon, C. and Mackay, W. (2012) Interactive Paper Substrates to Support Musical Creation. In Proceedings of ACM CHI 2012 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1825-1828.
Mackay, W. (2000) Responding to cognitive overload: Co-adaptation between users and technology. Intellectica. Vol. 30 (1), pp. 177-193.
Mackay, W. (2008) From Gaia to HCI: On Multi-disciplinary Design and Co-adaptation. In HCI Remixed, Reflections on Works That Have Influenced the HCI Community, pages 247-251. MIT Press.
More
To apply, contact Wendy Mackay at: mackay@lri.fr.