Fluidic Data – The User Experience of Novel Pneumatic Shape-Changing Interfaces for Dynamic Data Physicalization

除了在屏幕上直观地显示数据，我们还能用其他方式来表示数据吗？数据表示的替代形式，特别是可以触摸和操纵的物理数据表示-所谓的“物理化”（类似于“可视化”）-是最近的一个研究领域，它将人机交互领域（人机交互的一部分）与信息可视化的问题联系起来。这个项目将研究动态形状变化的数据表示接口的潜力。迄今为止，对物理化的研究主要局限于静态表征。通过形状变化，我们可以呈现动态和实时数据，并支持交互式数据探索。为了实现形状变化，我们将主要利用由纺织品和弹性体片材制成的基于流体的压力系统，这是一种界面生成的新选择，具有独特的特性并适合快速原型制作。目前对物理化（和形状变化）的研究很少涉及用户体验。但是，数据物理化可能会带来分析任务效率和数据质量不同体验之外的好处，例如，培养同理心和增加参与度。这对于非专业背景下的“休闲”InfoViz场景尤其重要，例如博物馆或教学，我们希望人们对理解数据感兴趣并与之相关，但也可以改善决策过程，以更深入地参与问题背景或支持隐性知识。该项目有两个主要的工作，相互通报。在建筑工程的层面上，我们将实现受控流体“充气”形状变化，并探索其形状变化和相互作用的新选择。我们将研究“充气”的设计空间，用于数据表示，文档构建机制和原理，控制流体形状变化的技术参数，并开发功能原型。我们利用从中获得的知识来创建新的数据物理化示例。我们进行了一个实证调查的用户体验，这种形状变化的物理化的质量和解释归因于一个表示，形状变化如何影响数据理解的过程中的意义，以及形状变化的物理化是否可以促进同理心（联想和情感水平），并调查可理解性和适当的映射到数据类型（认知水平），。我们进一步研究了能够持有和触摸的表示与只是看到它的变化的影响。我们的项目的新奇在于它的重点是在数据表示和基于流体的机制的上下文中的形状变化的用户体验。该项目将开发一个带注释的设计空间框架，全面概述用于数据物理化的流体形状改变接口的技术能力和原理以及用户体验。

Can we represent data in other ways than just visually on a screen? Alternative forms of data representations, in particular physical data representations that can be touched and manipulated - so-called ‘physicalizations’ (analogue to ‘visualization’) - are a recent area of research which links the field of Tangible Interaction (part of human-computer interaction) with questions from Information Visualization. This project will investigate the potential of dynamic shape-changing interfaces for data representation. Research on physicalization so far is largely confined to static representations. With shape-change, we can present dynamic and live data and support interactive data exploration. To realize shape-change, we will primarily utilize fluid-based pressure systems made from textile and elastomeric sheet material, a novel option for interface generation that offers unique characteristics and lends itself to rapid prototyping. Current research in physicalization (and shape-change) only rarely addresses user experience. But data physicalization may provide benefits beyond efficiency for analytical tasks and a qualitatively different experience of data, for example, fostering empathy and increasing engagement. This is especially important for ‘casual’ InfoViz scenarios in non-professional contexts, e.g. museums or teaching, where we want people to get interested in understanding data and relate to it, but can also improve decision processes to engage deeper with the problem context or to support tacit knowledge. The project has two main strands of work that inform each other. On a constructive-engineering level, we will realize controlled fluid ‘inflatable’ shape-change and explore its novel options for shape-change and interaction. We will investigate the design space of ‘inflatables’ for data representation, document construction mechanisms and principles, technical parameters for controlling fluid shape-change, and develop functional prototypes. We utilize the knowledge gained from this to create novel data physicalization examples. We conduct an empirical investigation of the user experience of such shape-changing physicalizations regarding qualities and interpretations ascribed to a representation, of how shape change affects the sense-making process in data understanding and whether shape-change physicalization can foster empathy (associative and emotional level), and investigate intelligibility and appropriateness of mappings to data types (cognitive level),. We further investigate the impact of being able to hold and touch the representation versus just seeing it change.The novelty of our project lies in its focus on the user experience of shape change in the context of data representation and fluid-based mechanisms. The project will develop an annotated design-space framework giving a thorough overview of technical capabilities and principles and of user experience of fluidic shape-changing interfaces for data physicalization.