About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design : 2007

Alan Cooper

“ If we want users to like our software we should design it to behave like a likable person: respectful,
generous and helpful. ” Alan Cooper

Summary: This book is an In depth study of interaction design, emphasizing the importance of goal
directed design in product development. This is a very well written and easy to understand
book that greatly helped me better understand the importance of goal oriented design through personas,
models and testing as a very essential part to the product success.

Click to View Sample Chapter

What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy | 2003

James Paul Gee
“ An academic discipline, or any other semiotic domain, for that matter, is not primarily content, in the sense of facts and principles. It is rather primarily a lived and historically changing set of distinctive social practices. It is in these practices that ‘content’ is generated, debated, and transformed via certain distinctive ways of thinking, talking, valuing, acting, and, often, writing and reading. ”

Summary: The books discusses how video games can actually help people regardless of the age, to obtain knowledge through different methods of learning. He argues that the educational systems can learn a lot from the techniques used by video games to keep students interested in playing the same game over and over again, and
facilitate the process of analytical thinking, and problem solving through ” self directed learning.” This book has particularly been helpful in my research process in developing my prototype that promotes higher level thinking and learning through direct manipulation and interaction with an application.

Click to View Sample Chapter

Design for How People Learn : June 2012

Julie. Dirksen

“ Having a skill is different than having knowledge. To determine if something is a skill gap rather than a knowledge gap, you need to ask just one question: Is it reasonable to think that someone can be proficient without practice? If the answer is Yes, then it’s not a skill.”

Summary: An engaging and visual book on the fundamentals of interactive design principles and how we can learn more efficiently by matching our past knowledge to create new knowledge and thus have a more effective learning outcome. Julie Dirksen also uses a lot of metaphors in learning that have been helpful in my research on the visualization tools and promoting higher order learning.

Click to View Sample Chapter

Video Games and The Future of Learning  | 2003 

David Shaffer, Kurt Squire, Richard Halverson & James Gee | PDF

Summary: This article proposes using games an a learning tool in education by connecting the social and experimental aspect of playing games with it’s learning properties.

This article proposes using games an a learning tool in education by connecting the social and experimental aspect of playing games with it’s learning properties.The paper discusses how video games are changing the way that we learn by arguing that we lean best when the
activities that we engage in, are those that we personally feel meaningful. He argues that by connecting the educational game values to the theory behind those games, the players can become more actively involved in the process of analytical thinking, problem solving and learning. This article was particularly helpful in my research as my camera application promotes higher level thinking and learning through ‘ self directed

NEW RESEARCH : WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY

1- Cooper, Alan, Robert Reimann, and Dave Cronin. About face 3: the essentials of interaction design. [3rd ed. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Pub., 2007. Print.

Web Access: < http://professorbolin.org/More_UserFlows/MAIDF10_Personas_Readings.pdf >

2- Goodwin, Kim. Designing for the digital age: how to create human-centered products and services. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Pub., 2009. Print.

Web Access: < http://www.cooper.com/journal/dda/Cooper_DDA_Ch16.pdf >

3- Weinschenk, Susan. 100 things every designer needs to know about people. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2011. Print.

http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780321767530/samplepages/0321767535.pdf

4- Dirksen, Julie. Design for How People Learn. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2012. Print.

http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Mind-Understanding-Interface-ebook/dp/B003H3IOXM/ref=pd_sim_kstore_7

WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY

5- Ware, Colin. (Dec 2007)" Information Visualization - Perception for Design (Dec 2004)" MorganKaufmann : (pp 1-5). Digital PDF. Web. Last Accessed Sep 19, 2012.

< Website:  > http://www.ifs.tuwien.ac.at/~silvia/wien/vu-infovis/articles/book_information-visualization-perception-for-design_Ware_Chapter1.pdf

6- David H. Jonassen ( Dec 1993) “Computers as Mind tools for Engaging Learners in Critical Thinking”. Web. Last Accessed Sep 19, 2012.

<http://www.siue.edu/education/techready/5_Software_Tutorials/5_AncillaryPages/Mindtools.pdf>

7- Papert, Seymour. "The Children's Machine: Rethinking School In The Age Of The Computer [Paperback].” The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School In The Age Of The Computer: Seymour Papert: 9780465010639: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d.

Web. 30 Sept. 2012.

<http://www.amazon.com/The-Childrens-Machine-Rethinking-Computer/dp/0465010636>

7- Salomon, G. (1993). On the nature of pedagogic computer tools. The case of the wiring partner. In S.P. LaJoie & S.J. Derry (Eds.), Computers as cognitive tools (pp. 179-196). Hillsdale, N J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

8- Ackermann, Edith. “Piaget’s Constructivism, Papert’s Constructionism: What’s the Difference?”
Web. Last Accessed Sep 19, 2012

<http://learning.media.mit.edu/content/publications/EA.Piaget%20_%20Papert.pdf>

9- Costello, Will. “What Constitutes Systems Thinking – A Proposed Taxonomy. What-Constitutes-Systems-Thinking-A-Proposed-Taxonomy. Web. Last Accessed 18 Sept. 2012.

<http://www.scribd.com/doc/33539648/What-Constitutes-Systems-Thinking-A-Proposed-Taxonomy>

10- David H. Jonassen (2000) “Mind tools: Affording Multiple Knowledge Representations for Learning”.

Web. Last Accessed Sep 19, 2012.

<http://web.missouri.edu/jonassend/Mindtoolschapter.pdf>

BOOKS

1- Gee, James. (Dec 2007)” What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition” . Pal Grave MacMillan : (pp 23-27). Digital PDF. Last accessed July 30th, 2012

<http://www.yorku.ca/jjenson/geesituated.pdf>

2- Krug, Steve. Don’t Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. (10-20) Berkeley, Calif: New Riders Pub., 2006. Print.

Summary:  An entertaining book written in lay language that discusses important web concepts and common sense approach to web design through five years of usability consulting and testing.

Click to download the PDF

3-  Ware, Colin. (Dec 2007)” Information Visualization – Perception for Design (Dec 2004)” MorganKaufmann : (pp 1-5). Digital PDF. Last Accessed July 01, 2012.

< Website: http://www.ifs.tuwien.ac.at/~silvia/wien/vu-infovis/articles/book_information-visualization-perception-for-design_Ware_Chapter1.pdf >

Summary:  An indepth study of theory of data visualization, human perception and the science of perception and vision and the relationship
between the brain structures and cognitive mechanisms that have enabled humans to create the huge body of knowledge that now exists.

Click to download the PDF

4- Shneiderman, Ben. Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-computer-interaction. Reading, Mass: Addison Wesley Longman, 1998. Print.

Summary:  A study of practical ways to develop and design high qualityinterface that the user can understand through design process, direct manipulation, usability testing and reviews.The book also discusses the new dynamic media brought by user-generated content of text, photo, music, and video and the raised expectations for compelling user experiences.

Click to visit the website

5- Norman, Donald A. The Design of Everyday Things. (92-103)London: MIT, 1998. Print..

<http://intra.iam.hva.nl/content/1011/cim/design_research/intro-en-materiaal/DesignofEverydaythings.pdf>

Summary:  An indepth study of user-centered design on everyday objects both physical, and virtual and the effects of poor design and equipment failure on human behavior.

Click to download the PDF

6- Anderson, Stephen P. Seductive Interaction Design: Creating Playful, Fun, and Effective User Experiences. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2011. Print.

Summary:  A study of gestalt principles/psychology of web design and looking at a new approach to designing interactivity based on the stages of seduction.

Click to View book

7- Meadows, Mark Stephen. Pause & Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders, 2003. Print.

Meadows, Mark Stephen. Pause & Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders, 2003. Print.

Summary:  I got this book for my ITGM 705. As I was researching for my thesis,I went back to the book and read
” Principles of Interaction and Icon “, which discusses the roles of icons and images in relation to composition and functionality as well as the importance of receiving feedback after attempting a task.

8- Designing the User Interface

Shneiderman, Ben. Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-computer-interaction. Reading, Mass: Addison Wesley Longman, 1998. Print.

Summary: : A study of practical ways to develop and design high qualityinterface that the user can understand through design process, direct manipulation, usability testing and reviews. The book also discusses the new dynamic media brought by user-generated content of text, photo, music, and video and the raised expectations for compelling user experiences.

Scholarly Articles & Papers : PDF 

1- David H. Jonassen ( Dec 1993) “Computers as Mind tools for Engaging Learners in Critical Thinking”. web. Last Accessed July 01, 2012.

<http://www.siue.edu/education/techready/5_Software_Tutorials/5_AncillaryPages/Mindtools.pdf>

Summary: An in-depth analysis to using computer and visualization tools to help student learners become engaged with the learning process and choose the tools that best suits their learning needs through mindful use of technology instead of trying to use technology to decide for the students as to what is best for their learning process or be controlled by them.

Click to Download PDF

2- Dan Saffer (May 2005) “The Role of Metaphor in Interaction Design”. web. Last Accessed July 01,2012.

<http://www.odannyboy.com/portfolio/thesis/saffer_thesis_paper.pdf>

Summary: An analysis on formal and informal education in the new age of technology and how the new web2 tools have empowered students to access information through informal exploration so they can take control over their learning process as it best suits them and become more engaged with the subjects of their interests.

Click to Download PDF

3-  Bum chul Kwon, Waqas Javed, Niklas Elmqvist, and Ji Soo Yi ( 2011) “ Direct Manipulation Through Surrogate Objects”. Web. Last Accessed Aug 20th, 2012.

Summary:An overview on some of the challenges of direct manipulation in interaction and possible solution through surrogate objects that allow the user interact with smaller objects or multiple objects simultaneously.

Click to Download PDF

5- ”People & Technology.” Why Metaphor Is a Double-Edged Sword «. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012.

<http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/blog/?p=77>.

Summary:A visual study of Mental models, Metaphors and Design through Psychological representations

of real, hypothetical, or imaginary situations.

Click to Download PDF

6- The Myth of Metaphor 

Alan Cooper (June1995) “The Myth of Metaphor”. web. Last Accessed August 21, 2012.

<http://tafein2009.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/the-myth-of-metaphor.pdf>

Summary: In this article originally released in 1995, Alan Cooper discusses that metaphors would constrict the thinking mind and

he further argues that the future user interface design would rely on the natural ability of the
human mind to learn better and more effectively, instead of using metaphors in interface design.

Click to Download PDF

7- Visual And Auditory Symbols

“Visual and Auditory Symbols: A Literature Review.” Visual and Auditory Symbols: A Literature Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. <http://hf.tc.faa.gov/products/bibliographic/tn9437.htm>.

Summary: an indepth report on the human factors literature on visual and auditory symbols. The review is the first step in an effort to develop a set of standard symbols for use throughout Airway Facilities.
The topics included in the review are: general principles, experimental findings, and standard guidelines.

Click to Download PDF

9- Mental Models, Metaphor and Design

First postulated by the Scottish psychologist Kenneth Craik ( First posted in 1943)

Summary: A visual study of Mental models, Metaphors and Design through Psychological representations of real, hypothetical, or imaginary situations.

Click to Download PDF

10- Semiotics & and Human-Computer Interaction | Clarisse Sieckenius de Souza 

“1.” The Interaction Design Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June. 2012.

<http://www.interaction-design.org/encyclopedia/semiotics_and_human-computer_interaction.html>.

Summary: An in-depth analysis of the characteristics of Semiotics covering the historical progress and advantages and disadvantages of using them, as well as why and how Semiotics can help advance some of the major goals in HCI. It begins with a definition of Semiotics and a brief explanation of a few central concepts that will be used throughout the chapter.

11 Skeuomorphic Design  

“Skeuomorphic Design: What It Is, Who Uses It, and Why You Need to Know | MediaLoot.” Skeuomorphic Design: What It Is, Who Uses It, and Why You Need to Know | MediaLoot. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2012.

Summery: Analysis of the characteristics of semiotics and looking at advantages and disadvantages of using them in websites.

<http://medialoot.com/blog/skeuomorphic-design/>.

Research on Exisiting Simulators : Design, Typography and more…

1- Visit Visual Thesaurus : This website allows the user to visually find alternative word options to any given word

“Search for Synonyms Using the Visual Thesaurus.” Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2012. <http://www.visualthesaurus.com/>.

2- Visit Learn to Kern : This website allows the user to learn about kerning text for online publishing.

“KernType a Kerning Game.” Kern Type, the Kerning Game. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2012. <http://type.method.ac/>.

3- Visit Learn to wrap text with CSS : This website allows the user to custom wrap text using CSS.

“CSS Text Wrapper.” CSS Text Wrapper. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Aug. 2012. <http://www.csstextwrap.com/>.

4- Visit Adobe Kuler : This website allows the user to create custom color palettes.

“Kuler.” Kuler. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Aug. 2012. <http://kuler.adobe.com/>.

5- Visit Colour Contrast Check : The website allows the user to specify a foreground and a background colour and determine if they provide enough of a contrast on their monitors.

“Colour Contrast Check.” - Snook.ca. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. <http://www.snook.ca/technical/colour_contrast/colour.html>.

6- Visit Different Methods for Choosing Color Schemes in Web Design : This website provides ten different ways of choosing color for the web through online simulators

“Different Methods for Choosing Color Schemes in Web Design.” Vandelay Website Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. <http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design-process/color-schemes/>.

7- Visit The Brain : Mind Mapping Tool : TheBrain Technology helps people make sense of the wide range of information they need to organize and assimilate on a daily basis.

“TheBrain :: Mind Mapping Software, Brainstorming, GTD and Knowledgebase Software.” TheBrain :: Mind Mapping Software, Brainstorming, GTD and Knowledgebase Software. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. <http://www.thebrain.com/>.TheBrain Technology helps people make sense of the wide range of information they need to organize and assimilate on a daily basis.

Research on Exisiting Similators - Photography

Below are some of the online simulators that allow the user to virtually copy the camera functionality. I have included an indepth review on one of the similators on one of the videos that I have posted in the prototype page. Please visit the page for my analysis and urgument as to why these simulators are not effective learning tools for beginner learners.

1- Kamera Simulator

“Aperture, Shutter and ISO Value.” Bländare, Slutare Och ISO-värde. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. <http://www.kamerasimulator.se/eng/?page_id=2>.

 2- Simcam

“The SimCam: Film and Digital Camera Simulator – Photonhead.com.” The SimCam: Film and Digital Camera Simulator – Photonhead.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. <http://www.photonhead.com/simcam/>.

 3- Simcam Film and Digital simulator

“CameraSim™.” CameraSim. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. <http://camerasim.com/>.

Research on Existing Animated Photography Simulators

I would like to create a similar visual animation as part of my simulator. Unlike this animation however, my proposed aperture simulator, would lock in to the selected opening so the learner can better understand the relationship between the opening and the amount of light entering the camera. In addition, the learner would automatically see the result on the image instead of having to click additional buttons such as the simulator above.

The Aperture Opening simulation | source : http://digital-photography-school.com/aperture-101

Fig 1.5.1 The iris opens and closes to change the aperture.

The Shutterspeed Opening simulation | Source : http://digital-photography-school.com/photography-1016-shutter

The Shutter

Fast Shutter Speeds

When the shutter has been set for a very short exposure period, such as 1/200th sec or faster, the twin curtain system comes into its own. A single “door” shutter wouldn’t be able to open and close this fast. For such short exposures, the rear curtain starts to fall, covering up the sensor before the front curtain is even fully open. The result is a moving open slit passing in front of the sensor. See the animation below:

Educational & technology Websites

1- Campus Technology

“Campus Technology.” Campus Enterprise Networking & Infrastructure –. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. <http://campustechnology.com/Home.aspx>.

2- HCI Design Approaches

“HCI Design Approaches.” Usability First. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2012. <http://www.usabilityfirst.com/usability-methods/hci-design-approaches/>.

Photography Educational Websites & Resources

3- Smashing Magazine

“50 Incredible Photography Techniques and Tutorials | Smashing Magazine.” 50 Incredible Photography Techniques and Tutorials | Smashing Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web.02 Aug. 2012.
<http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/22/the-ultimate-photography-round-up/>.

4- Digital Photography School

“The Magic of Storytelling: A Rhetoric for Beginners.” Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June. 2012. <http://digital-photography-school.com/tips>.

Efficiency of Multimodal Metaphors in the Presentation of Learning Information

Summery: The paper discusses the effectiveness of using multimodal metaphors on the eLearning interfaces by user testing on two groups, one emphasizing on control learning with traditional eLearning tools and the experimental group which used a combination of methods for learning

http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/ewic_hc08_v2_paper25.pdf

The role of Education in eLearning: An Empirical Study

Summary: The paper investigates the efficiency in edutainment in combination with multimodal metaphors to enhance the effectiveness, the efficiency and to improve the communications between users and e-Learning systems.

Open Source: A Metaphor for E-Learning

Summary: The paper discusses open source as a metaphor for eLearning and instructional practices, design and delivery, instructional platforms – technologies, and instructional philosophy of e-learning as a more effective learning method through both formal and informal channels.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.109.3248&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Social media in education

Summary : The paper discusses how using social media in eLearning education, can both learning and the teaching process by learning through informal channels.

http://www.iicm.tugraz.at/thesis/Diss_%20Christian_Safran.pdf

Surviving the shipwreck: what makes online students stay online and learn?

Summery: The paper discusses and identifies why some students wold stay and learn online while others drop out through and a game metaphor focusing on the roles and competencies of the instructors and on importance of peer support in a non-contact environment

Using learning environments as a metaphor for educational change

Summary : The paper discusses the need for the online learning platforms for higher education to adopt changes that is reflected in today’s society and adapt the new technology to stay relevant to the very society that the universities are helping to shape.

http://nogoodreason.typepad.co.uk/no_good_reason/2009/09/using-learning-environments-as-a-metaphor-for-educational-change.html

Cathy Moore : Lets save the world from boring eLEarning

Summary : great eLearning samples on using samples to interactive graphics, simulations to improve and enhance the eLearning education.

http://blog.cathy-moore.com/resources/elearning-samples/

Camera Simulators

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-online-camera-simulators-photography-beginners/