SGER: Developing Ethnographic Evaluations for Creativity Support Tools

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Domain experts who are doing work at the frontiers of knowledge often need to use advanced user interfaces for information visualization. Although principles of design for these new tools are emerging, the PI argues that evaluation of efficacy by controlled experimental studies is inadequate to deal with exploratory usage, rather that new evaluation methods based on longitudinal and ethnographic strategies must be developed. Furthermore, the PI contends that a growing number of software tools do more than increase productivity; they are designed to support creativity. The PI believes that a new advanced visualization tool he is developing to support exploration of social networks falls into this latter category. In this project, he will employ Multi-dimensional In-depth Long-term Case studies (MILCs) to study the tool's efficacy when it is used by a team of 4-6 professional sociologists, working within the newly formed National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland, engaged in the collection of data and analysis of the social networks of terrorist organizations. This represents a unique opportunity to test and refine both the visualization tool and the evaluation methods. Project outcomes will, through development of improved guidelines for conducting MILCs, lay the foundation for scaling up to larger evaluations in more ambitious projects that blend individual and social creativity.Broader Impacts: The new tool the PI is developing will make contributions to information visualization design principles. In addition, the longitudinal and ethnographic studies to be conducted as part of this project will lead to refinement of both the MILC approach and the PI's tool. The improved evaluation methods and new visualization tool will, in turn, be of benefit to numerous research and industry groups.