BiD Seminar Series 2/7: Collaboratively Crowdsourcing Workflows with Turkomatic && Shepherding the Crowd Yields Better Work

Björn Hartmann and Anand Kulkami Collaboratively Crowdsourcing Workflows with Turkomatic && Shepherding the Crowd Yields Better Work Tuesday, February 7 12:00 - 1:00pm Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions) TITLE: Collaboratively Crowdsourcing Workflows with Turkomatic ABSTRACT: Online crowdsourcing is difficult, requiring us to decompose complex tasks into sequences of simple tasks that individual agents can carry out. How can we use the crowd to make crowdsourcing easier? We present Turkomatic, a tool that recruits crowd agents to aid requesters in planning and solving complex jobs. Requesters can view the status of crowd-designed workflows in real time, intervene to change tasks and solutions, and request new solutions to subtasks from the crowd. These features lower the threshold for crowd employers to request complex work. Turkomatic’s collaborative approach enables us to crowdsource new and more complex types of tasks than ever before. TITLE: Shepherding the Crowd Yields Better Work ABSTRACT: Micro-task platforms provide massively parallel, on-demand labor. However, it can be difficult to reliably achieve high-quality work because online workers may behave irresponsibly, misunderstand the task, or lack necessary skills. This paper investigates whether timely, task-specific feedback helps crowd workers learn, persevere, and produce better results. We investigate this question through Shepherd, a feedback system for crowdsourced work. In a between-subjects study with three conditions, crowd workers wrote consumer reviews for six products they own. Participants in the None condition received no immediate feedback, consistent with most current crowdsourcing practices. Participants in the Self-assessment condition judged their own work. Participants in the External assessment condition received expert feedback. Self-assessment alone yielded better overall work than the None condition and helped workers improve over time. External assessment also yielded these benefits. Participants who received external assessment also revised their work more. We conclude by discussing interaction and infrastructure approaches for integrating real-time assessment into online work. BIO: Anand Kulkarni is a PhD candidate in the Department of IEOR at the University of California, Berkeley, and a co-founder of MobileWorks. Björn Hartmann is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.

BiD Seminar 1/24: Daniela Rosner -- The Material Practices of Collaboration

Daniela Rosner -- The Material Practices of Collaboration
Tuesday, January 24
12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB
(http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Abstract
In this talk, I draw on a three-month bookbinding apprenticeship to examine how people’s coordination work is tightly bound up in material practices: the union of material arrangements and social relations. Through the construction of a book, I reveal how sensitivities to delicacy, flexibility and delay emerge through detailed engagements with the book, the binders and the workshop environment. From small adjustments of the hand, to the coordination and exchange of materials and tools, the accomplishment of each task rests on how digital and age-old resources are woven into everyday collaborative practice. This approach extends how computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) frames and mobilizes the material to recognize materials as compositional elements, surfaces and flows. It also contributes to conversations on digital materiality by emphasizing the temporality of material practice. Thus, I use the bookbinding workshop as a resource for understanding the ways materials, techniques, and relationships are continually re-bound in a digital age.

Bio
Daniela is a design researcher investigating how digital technologies are woven into the production and consumption of the things we create. She combines a deep understanding of people derived from ethnographically-oriented fieldwork with insights into future technological states drawn from design and prototyping. Taken together, these approaches help reveal the social conditions and cultural values that shape and are shaped by digital technology. To date she has explored these issues in the work of handcraft, a domain seemingly meant as a retreat from modern technologies designed for efficiency, but one in which modern technologies, such as digital media, are still in active use. She recently taught a graduate interaction design studio at the California College of the Arts (CCA) and is currently completing her doctorate at UC Berkeley's School of Information. She holds a B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design in Graphic Design and a M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Chicago.

BiD Seminar 4/27: Tara Higgins & Francois Cadeau, Designing Learning Solutions at Google

Tara Higgins & Francois Cadeau -- Designing Learning Solutions at Google
Wednesday, April 27
12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Description
Designing learning experiences for Googlers presents a unique set of challenges for instructional designers. Our team, GoogleEDU's Learning Labs, designs learning solutions for employees across Google. This talk will provide 3 perspectives on our work as instructional designers:
How learning fits within the organization
How our previous experiences led us to this role
Three examples of learning problems that our team is working to solve

BiD Seminar 4/13: Ed H. Chi, Model-Driven Research in Social Computing

Ed H. Chi -- Model-Driven Research in Social Computing
Wednesday, April 13
12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract
Our research in Augmented Social Cognition is aimed at enhancing the ability of a group of people to remember, think, and reason. Our approach to creating this augmentation or enhancement is very much model-driven. Our system developments are informed by models such as information scent, sensemaking, information theory, probabilistic models, and more recently, evolutionary dynamic models. The drive to build models and theories for social computing research should further our understanding of how network science, behavioral economics, and evolutionary theories could explain how social systems work. These models have been used to understand a wide variety of user behaviors, from individuals interacting with a search system like MrTaggy.com to groups of people working on articles in Wikipedia. These models range in complexity from a simple set of assumptions to complex equations describing human and group behavior. In this talk, I will attempt to illustrate how a model-driven approach should help to illuminate the path forward for social computing.

Brief Bio
Ed H. Chi is a Research Scientist at Google. Until very recently, he was the Area Manager and a Principal Scientist at Palo Alto Research Center's Augmented Social Cognition Group. He led the group in understanding how Web2.0 and Social Computing systems help groups of people to remember, think and reason. Ed completed his three degrees (B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.) in 6.5 years from University of Minnesota, and has been doing research on user interface software systems since 1993. He has been featured and quoted in the press, including the Economist, Time Magazine, LA Times, and the Associated Press.

With 20 patents and over 90 research articles, his most well-known past project is the study of Information Scent --- understanding how users navigate and understand the Web and information environments. He also led a group of researchers at PARC to understand the underlying mechanisms in online social systems such as Wikipedia and social tagging sites. He has also worked on information visualization, computational molecular biology, ubicomp, and recommendation/search engines, and has won awards for both teaching and research. In his spare time, Ed is an avid Taekwondo martial artist, photographer, and snowboarder.

BiD Seminar 4/6 -- Nic Ducheneaut, Massively multiplayer online games: a virtual social science laboratory?

Nic Ducheneaut -- Massively multiplayer online games: a virtual social science laboratory?
Wednesday, April 6
Presentation = 12:10 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract
Virtual worlds and massively multiplayer games have now become so widespread that they replicate on a large scale important issues social scientists have studied for centuries. Unlike the physical world these online communities can be instrumented easily, which gives us the opportunity to observe a whole range of interesting variables reflecting the social dynamics of online groups. To illustrate how we could take advantage of this opportunity, I will present some highlights from a data set we collected about the social interactions of more than 200,000 players in World of Warcraft over four years in three countries (US, China, and Taiwan). I will also discuss some of the limitations of this "virtual social science lab" with concrete examples from recent projects.

Brief Bio
Nic is a senior scientist in the Computer Science Laboratory at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). He uses a combination of methods (including ethnographic observations, surveys, and data mining) to study and design systems to better support collaboration in online spaces, with a recent focus on 3D virtual worlds and massively multiplayer online games. He conducted the largest and longest (to date) study of social dynamics in World of Warcraft, collecting and analyzing data on the interactions between more than 200,000 characters over four years and uncovering fundamental properties of online social groups. He recently received (jointly with his colleague Nick Yee) a 3-year grant from IARPA to investigate possible links between the online behaviors of game players and their real-world socio-demographics (e.g. age, gender, personality).

3/19 -- CSCW 2011 Workshop, "Tinkering, Crafts, and Inventive Leisure Practices"

BiD graduate student Lora Oehlberg co-chaired a workshop on "Tinkering, Crafts, and Inventive Leisure Practices" at CSCW 2011 in Hangzhou, China. The workshop advisory committee also included fellow BiD graduate student Daniela Rosner. Please read the proposal for additional information about the workshop.

BiD Seminar 3/11 -- Jim Slotta, Sail Smart Space

Sail Smart Space - Jim Slotta, OISE - University of Toronto
BEST Lab Seminar at BID (Berkeley Institute of Design)
10:00 am, Friday, March 11

Our session will introduce a “smart classroom” construct that employs a range of emerging technologies (e.g., laptops, tablets, smartphones, interactive tabletops, and large format displays) to investigate a new model of collaborative inquiry within a knowledge community. Our research employs a powerful, flexible open source platform called SAIL Smart Space (S3), which in turn builds on the rich framework of SAIL (Scalable Architecture for Interactive Learning – see Slotta and Aleahmad, 2009). S3 allows these devices and displays to be integrated into the environment through a set of core underlying technologies: a portal that allows students to register, log in, and track their individual interactions and contributions; an intelligent agent framework that allows tracking of student interactions in real time (i.e., to react to the conditions that emerge within the class); a central database that houses the designed curriculums and the products of student interactions; and a visualization layer that controls how students see the information presented to them depending on the device (ie. laptop vs. handheld), and types of activity (ie. working in a group vs. working alone). This work has led to a new model for secondary science curriculum called "Knowledge COmmunity and Inquiry" (KCI).

Our presentation will highlight 3 elements of our research: 1) The current interation of this smart classroom infrastructure that is being used in a high school and a college setting; 2) Two examples of KCI curriculum already implemented using the S3 architecture; and 3) Two examples of innovative projects that are currently under development.

If you have not been to BID, here are the directions: http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions/

BiD Seminar 3/9 -- Susan Wyche, Transnational Design: Exploring the Local and the Global in HCI

Susan Wyche -- Transnational Design: Exploring the Local and the Global in HCI
Wednesday, March 9
12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract:
Accelerated movements of technologies have generated an understanding of place and community that can no longer be considered in purely local terms. However, HCI research tends to focus on local, place-based scenarios, overlooking the new forms of interconnectedness resulting from flows of people and technology from one geographic location to another. In this talk I draw from prior and ongoing research projects to illustrate why technology use must be considered in a national context, but also a transnational context. First, I present the design and deployment of an application that supports Muslims' prayer practice. Findings from this project demonstrate how religious uses of technology reveal the interconnectedness of ICTs and the people who use them. Second, I present results from a study examining how professionals living and working in Nairobi, Kenya, use computers in their everyday lives. I describe the constraints participants encountered when using ICTs to communicate with co-workers in developed countries. Findings from this work demonstrate that ICT access is an issue not confined to developing countries, but one that also had local implications. Throughout this talk I discuss the design and methodological implications this work has for HCI research.

Brief Bio:
Susan Wyche is a Computing Innovation Fellow (CI Fellow) at Virginia Tech's Center for Human-Computer Interaction. Her research focuses on human-computer interaction, design and cultural studies of technology. In her dissertation, Wyche used religion as a lens to understand how alternative worldviews can inform design. She has explored how Muslims in Atlanta, Charismatic Pentecostals in São Paulo, and Protestant Christians in Nairobi, use mobile phones, computers, and the Internet to support their religious practices.

Prior to coming to VaTech, Wyche received her PhD in Human-Centered Computing from the Georgia Institute of Technology, her master's degree from Cornell University and her undergraduate degree in Industrial Design from Carnegie Mellon University. In addition to her academic pursuits, Wyche has professional design experience, most notably working at Libbey Inc. designing glassware and as a design researcher for S.C. Johnson Inc. She has also worked as a research intern at Microsoft Research, Cambridge (U.K.) and Intel Labs (Berkeley).

BiD Seminar 3/2: Leila Takayama, "Interacting with and through personal robots"

Leila Takayama -- Interacting with and through personal robots
Wednesday, March 2
12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract
As robotic technologies become increasingly pervasive in homes, workplaces, and other everyday environments, there is an increasingly pressing need to understand how people make sense of personal robots, interact with them, and use them. While there is a wealth of lessons to be drawn from human-computer interaction to inform the design of personal robots, human-robot interaction also presents new research directions and design challenges that have yet to be explored in areas such as embodiment and agency.

Drawing from the philosophies of ubiquitous computing, I will frame two major design challenges in human-robot interaction: (1) making personal robots invisible-in-use and (2) engaging people in interactions with agentic personal robots. Fleshing out these challenges, I will present the results of several empirical studies that we have been conducting out in the field and back in the laboratory with a range of personal robots, including remote presence systems, entertainment robots, and human-size mobile manipulation platforms.

Brief Bio
Leila Takayama is a research scientist at Willow Garage, where she studies human-robot interaction. Her interests lie in the intersections of ubiquitous computing, embodied cognition, and personal robotics. Her work focuses upon the behavioral, cognitive, and social implications of technologies that influence one's own sense of agency by becoming invisible-in-use. It also focuses upon how people make sense of and interact with agentic objects.

Prior to joining Willow Garage, Leila completed her PhD at Stanford University in the Department of Communication. She also holds a PhD minor in Psychology from Stanford, an MA in Communication from Stanford, and BAs in Cognitive Science and Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. During her graduate studies, she also worked a research assistant at Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Her PhD thesis, titled Throwing Voices: Investigating the Psychological Effects of the Spatial Location of Projects Voices, won the Nathan Maccoby dissertation award in 2008.

http://www.leilatakayama.org

BiD Seminar 2/23: Florian 'Floyd' Mueller, "Exertion Games"

Florian 'Floyd' Mueller -- Exertion Games
Wednesday, February 23
Lunch = 11:30 - 12:00, Presentation = 12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract
Can you jog with a friend who lives in London?
Is it possible to play a fair game of table tennis with 3 people?
How can you box with people on the other side of the world?

Florian ‘Floyd’ Mueller has explored “Sports over a Distance” as part of his research on “Exertion Games” – these are games that require physical effort from their players -­‐ marrying human-­computer interaction, computer games and networking advances. The results are 3 unique exertion games that support novel sports experiences for distributed participants.

In this talk, Floyd will present the design and the evaluation of these games that led to a new understanding of how to design interactive technology for an active human body.

Brief Bio
Originally from Germany, Florian 'Floyd' Mueller is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, coming from the University of Melbourne, Australia. Prior to that, Floyd was a principal scientist at the Commonwealth and Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia, leading a research team of 12 staff on the future of "Connecting People", working with Australia's General Motors plant and one of the biggest hospitals in the country. Floyd's research past also includes Media Lab Europe (Ireland), Distance Lab (UK), MIT Media Lab (USA), FXPalo Alto Laboratories (USA) and Xerox Parc (USA). Floyd is also a Microsoft Research Asia Fellow and has worked at the Microsoft Beijing lab with the research teams developing Xbox's Kinect.

Floyd's work has resulting in over 60 publications, and was presented at the top conferences in the field of interaction design and computer games, including several best paper nominations. Some of the publications became the most cited papers in the field according to Google Scholar. Floyd's Exertion Games work has been shortlisted for the European Innovations Games Award (next to Nintendo's WiiFit), received honorary mentions from the Nokia Ubimedia Award, was commissioned by Wired's Nextfest, exhibited worldwide and attracted substantial international research funding. The exertion games were played by over 20,000 players across 3 continents and were featured on the BBC, ABC, Discovery Science Channel and Wired magazine.

http://exertioninterfaces.com

BiD Seminar 2/16: Jeffrey Bigham, "Heads in the Cloud: New Approaches for Access Technology"

Jeffrey Bigham -- Heads in the Cloud: New Approaches for Access Technology
Wednesday, February 16
12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract
Nearly real-time crowdsourcing has the potential to make intelligent interactive systems more useful by backing up fragile automatic technology with human intelligence. The past few decades have seen the development of wonderful new computing technology that serves as sensors onto an inaccessible world for people with disabilities - as examples, optical character recognition (OCR) makes printed text available to blind people, speech recognition makes spoken language available to deaf people, and way- finding systems help keep people with cognitive impairments on track. Despite advances, this intelligent technology remains both too prone to errors and too limited in the scope of problems it can reliably solve to address many of the problems faced by disabled people in their everyday lives.

In this talk, I'll discuss these issues in the context of VizWiz, a mobile application that we've created that lets blind people take a picture, speak a question, and have the crowd on Mechanical Turk answer it quickly. This system shows that nearly real-time crowdsourcing is possible, and demonstrates the investigative utility of the "deployable Wizard-of-Oz" prototypes that it enables.

Brief Bio
Jeffrey P. Bigham is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Rochester where he heads ROC HCI. His works spans Access Technology, Human Computation, and Intelligent User Interfaces. Professor Bigham received his Ph.D. in 2009 in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Washington under Dr. Richard E. Ladner, and his B.S.E. from Princeton in 2003. Jeffrey has received a number of awards for his work, including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Award for Technology Collaboration, the MIT technology Review Top 35 Innovators Under 35 Award, and the UIST 2010 Best Paper Award.

BiD Seminar 1/17 : Greg Niemeyer, L'elegance de la boucle fermée: Les jeux comme force culturelle do XXIème siècle

Greg Niemeyer - L'elegance de la boucle fermée: Les jeux comme force culturelle do XXIème siècle Tuesday, January 17th 1:10pm - 2:10pm Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions) L'elegance de la boucle fermée: Les jeux comme force culturelle do XXIème siècle Abstract: La manière de concevoir et de jouer aux jeux a pour effet de piéger le joueur dans un monde d’illusions ou de le libérer à travers l’imagination. Dans la conférence qu’il donnera au musée du jeu, Greg Niemeyer, professeur à l’Université de Californie à Berkeley, discutera quelles conceptions de jeu peuvent inspirer des effets libérarteurs parmi les joueurs. Quelles conceptions nourrissent l’engagement du joueur? Quelles conceptions de jeu ouvrent des chemins de renouvellement pour le joueur, et quelles conceptions de jeu achèvent un impact positif au-delà du jeu propre? Greg Niemeyer répond à ces questions en relation avec les jeux vidéo Pathways et Miasma, développés par son équipe, le Social Apps Lab. (from Google Translate) The elegance of the closed loop: Games as a cultural force do twenty-first century Abstract: How to design and play games has the effect of trapping player in a world of illusions or released through the imagination. In the lecture he will give the Museum of the game, Greg Niemeyer, professor at the University of California at Berkeley, will discuss what game design can inspire among the effects libérarteurs players. What designs feed the commitment of the player? What conceptions of play open paths to renewal the player, game design and what a positive finish beyond the game clean? Greg Niemeyer answers to these questions relationship with video games and Pathways Miasma, developed by the team, the Social Apps Lab. Bio: Greg Niemeyer Born in Switzerland in 1967, Greg Niemeyer studied Classics and Photography. He started working with new media when he arrived in the Bay Area in 1992 and he received his MFA from Stanford University in New Media in 1997. At the same time, he founded the Stanford University Digital Art Center, which he directed until 2001, when he was appointed at UC Berkeley as Assistant Professor for New Media. At UC Berkeley, he is involved in the development of the Center for New Media, focusing on the critical analysis of the impact of new media on human experiences. His creative work focuses on the mediation between humans as individuals and humans as a collective through technological means, and emphasizes playful responses to technology. His most recognized projects were Gravity (Cooper Union, NYC, 1997), PING (SFMOMA, 2001), Oxygen Flute, with Chris Chafe (SJMA, 2002), Organum (Pacific Film Archive, 2003), Ping 2.0 (Paris, La Villette Numerique, 2004), Organum Playtest (2005), and Good Morning Flowers (SFIFF 2006, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt, 2006),and, with Joe McKay, the Balance Game (Cairo 2007, London, 2007). The Black Cloud (2008) was funded by the MacArthur Foundation to provide an alternate reality game and a social network for sensing air quality and taking actions to benefit indoor air quality. The project has evolved into a startup company under the name of Aclima Inc. A branch of the Black Cloud project is the Tomato Quintet (Machine Project, 2007, SJ01, 2010) which connects tomato ripening processes to music, music to people and people to the ripening process. Since 2008, Niemeyer has also developed, several mobile games related to foundational human cognitive skills in collaboration with the MIND Institute at UC Davis and with the Montreal Neurological Institute.

BiD Seminar 11/16: Jina Huh, "Collaborative Help for Individualized Problems: Learning from the MythTV User Community and Diabetes Patient Support Groups"

Jina Huh: "Collaborative Help for Individualized Problems: Learning from the MythTV User Community and Diabetes Patient Support Groups"
Tuesday, November 16
Lunch = 11:30 - 12:00, Presentation = 12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract
As information technology increasingly becomes part of everyday life, new opportunities arise for collecting experiences and knowledge from people. Collaborative help can utilize that collective experience and knowledge to provide information on a variety of problem spaces such as end-user technical support or personal health. In this talk, I present my dissertation work on understanding and supporting collaborative help for individualized problems, grounded in two research sites: MythTV user community and diabetes patient support groups. Because each individual's problems were often unique, both sites served as excellent places to examine the problem. I will first present the challenges in supporting technical help for MythTV users with individualized system configurations, mainly around utilizing configuration information as a proxy to transfer knowledge. I then connect the findings to diabetes patient communities and discuss how configurations as knowledge translate into patient profiles as knowledge. I end with design implications for supporting collaborative help for individualized problems in both settings and future work on the possibilities of expanding the findings to other problem spaces.

Brief Bio
Jina Huh is currently a doctoral candidate at the School of Information, University of Michigan. She works with Mark Ackerman and Mark Newman. Her research interests include collaborative help, co-evolution of technology, personal information management, sustainable design, and largely integrating social science with technology design. She has a masters in HCI from Carnegie Mellon University, and a bachelors in film and multimedia from Korean National University of Arts.

BiD Seminar 11/9: Tara Matthews, "Designing for the New Organizational Ecology Using Collaboration Personas"

Tara Matthews: "Designing for the New Organizational Ecology Using Collaboration Personas"
Tuesday, November 9
Lunch = 11:30 - 12:00, Presentation = 12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract
Modern organizations are moving away from work focused on stable teams. Team membership is now dynamic, as personnel change during a project. Workers are often members of multiple teams, with a shift towards volunteerism, supported by wikis, blogs and forums. Prior work has studied these changes from an organizational viewpoint. Instead, our field study examined the effects of these changes from the perspective of individual workers. We expected workers to be overburdened by contributing to multiple teams with shifting personnel and by providing voluntary labor to groups beyond their main projects. However we found these changes were not perceived as a huge additional workload. Instead, multi-teaming and volunteerism compensate for the new matrixed way of working, by addressing some of the challenges of dynamic teams. We provide detailed examples of how people used participation in other collaborations to address the needs of dynamic teams, such as recruiting and group maintenance. These results argue for a collaboration ecology where different types of collaboration interrelate and support each other. Building on these results we present a new approach to collaborative system design, Collaboration Personas, that provide rich characterizations of collaboration practices. We present detailed examples of our approach and contrast it with standard individualistic methods for designing collaborative tools, showing how it leads to very different implications for collaborative tool design.

Brief Bio
Tara Matthews is a Research Staff Member in the USER group at IBM Almaden Research Center. Dr. Matthews’ research focuses on understanding how people collaborate at work and on designing better support tools, drawing on her interests and expertise in awareness, visualization, evaluation, and CSCW. She has served on organizing and program committees for major HCI conferences. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley and is a BID alum.

BiD Seminar 11/2: Daniela Rosner, "Materializing Value: Locating material skills in a digital age"

Daniela Rosner: "Materializing Value: Locating material skills in a digital age"
Tuesday, November 2
Lunch = 11:30 - 12:00, Presentation = 12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract
In design and HCI, productive activities are often considered goal-oriented. In this talk, I develop an alternative view through the examination of two popular handwork activities: knitting and bookbinding. These activities demonstrate shared qualities of intimacy, personal value, and embodied knowledge, but produce different narratives of artistry, authenticity and longevity. Through ethnographic research, design, and physical prototyping, I find material skills produce both functional and affective outcomes with and without digital tools. This analysis draws from cultural anthropology by combining a materialist account of production (in which objects have behavioral inscriptions) and a constructivist position (in which culture generates object behavior). I show how people and tools (digital and non-digital) are mutually refashioned through the production of value. I suggest new directions for design and HCI by describing the conditions that materialize value in the creation of artifacts.

Brief Bio
Daniela is a PhD student at the School of Information at UC Berkeley working with Prof. Kimiko Ryokai. Her research focuses on the interplay between technology, handcraft, and the creative communities around them. Before coming to Berkeley, Daniela worked at museums for three years, most recently at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, IL. In the museum environment, she developed interactive tools for the creative exploration of data. She holds a B.F.A in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Chicago.

BiD Seminar 10/26: Colleen Lewis, "Interactions between a programming environment design and the user’s non-programming knowledge"

Colleen Lewis, "Interactions between a programming environment design and the user’s non-programming knowledge"
Tuesday, October 26
Lunch = 11:30 - 12:00, Presentation = 12:00 - 1:00pm
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract
From the perspective of education research, Colleen Lewis’s work focuses on how the design of programming environments interacts with students’ non-programming knowledge. Colleen will discuss her prior work investigating what non-programming knowledge “is cued” in a programming environment and how it informs her dissertation work of what non-programming knowledge “can be cued”. An initial study examined what knowledge was cued by the Logo and Scratch programming environments and the implications for young students’ learning and efficacy. Colleen’s dissertation research considers the nature of non-programming knowledge that can be cued in a programming environment to serve as a resource for learning.

Brief Bio
Colleen is a fourth year graduate student, pursuing her PhD in Education, and is co-advised by Andrea diSessa and Michael Clancy. She has her masters and bachelors from UC Berkeley in computer science and EECS respectively. Her research focuses on various cognitive, affective, and cultural factors in the study of computer science. Her current projects include (1) exploring opportunities for students to transfer non-programming knowledge when they learn computer programming, (2) examining outcomes from UC Berkeley’s restructuring of lower division computer science courses to deemphasize lecture, and (3) investigating the development of students’ interest in pursuing a computer science major.

BiD Seminar 10/19: InfoViz Doubleheader

Tuesday, October 19
Presentations beginning at 11:30, along with lunch
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk 1, 11:30 -- Nicholas Kong

Abstract:
Treemaps are space-filling visualizations that make efficient use of limited display space to depict large amounts of hierarchical data. Creating perceptually effective treemaps requires carefully managing a number of design parameters including the aspect ratio and luminance of rectangles. Moreover, treemaps encode values using area, which is known to be less accurate than judgments of other visual encodings, such as length. We conduct a series of controlled experiments aimed at producing a set of design guidelines for creating effective rectangular treemaps. We examine the effect of luminance and aspect ratio of area judgments. We then compare treemaps with bar chart displays and identify the data densities at which data length-encoded bar charts become less effective than area-encoded treemaps. Based on these results, we present a set of guidelines for the effective use of treemaps and suggest alternate approaches for treemap layout.

Bio:
Nicholas Kong is a PhD student at UC Berkeley's Computer Science Division. He is advised by Maneesh Agrawala and his research interests span information visualization and human-computer interaction.

Talk 2, 12:00 -- Wesley Willett

Abstract:
In data analysis, stories are often implicit – analytic tasks like annotating data, collecting evidence, posing questions, and synthesizing findings often take on a narrative bent, especially in a collaborative setting. Our experiences building tools for collaborative visual analysis have illustrated these sorts of emergent narratives and are motivating our current work on supporting sharing and storytelling for data visualization. We will discuss tools we've constructed that allow participants to connect text comments and visualizations into larger narrative structures and share them via social media. We will also share findings, insights, and examples drawn from recent live deployments of these tools, and encourage discussion about how collaboration tools can better support storytelling as part of analysis practice.

Bio:
Wesley Willett is a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley's Department of Computer Science. He is part of the Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) and the Visualization Lab where he's advised by Maneesh Agrawala. Wes's research interests span information visualization, new media, and human computer interaction.

BID Seminar 10/12: Ephrat Bitton, "Opinion Space 2.0"

Ephrat Bitton, "Opinion Space 2.0"
Tuesday, October 12
Lunch = 11:30- 12 p.m., Presentation = 12-1 p.m.
Berkeley Institute of Design (BiD) Lab, 354/360 HMMB (http://bid.berkeley.edu/directions)

Talk Abstract
The U.S. Department of State and UC Berkeley's Center for New Media are working together to explore new technologies that can solicit insightful ideas on U.S. foreign policy. Participatory culture thrives on the sharing of diverse opinions among large populations. However: 1) The amount of data can be overwhelming. News and blog sites often generate hundreds or thousands of comments. 2) Websites often attract people with like-minded viewpoints, which can reinforce biases and produce "cyberpolarization." 3) Thoughtful moderates are often shouted down by extremists.
Opinion Space 2.0 uses new data visualization models and statistical analysis to address these problems. Every participant represents a "point of view" on a visual opinion map. This map is not based on geography or predetermined categories, but on similarity of opinion; those who agree on basic issues are neighbors, and those who are far apart have agreed to disagree. The map is designed to 'depolarize' discussions by including all participants on a level playing field. You can instantly see where you stand in relation to other participants, and by reviewing their comments you help the community highlight the most insightful ideas. Opinion Space is a general tool that could potentially be used to collect and visualize user opinions on topics ranging from politics to parenting, from art to zoology.

Brief Bio
Ephrat Bitton is a 5th year doctoral candidate in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and the Center for New Media at UC Berkeley. She is currently working with Professor Ken Goldberg in the Automation Sciences Laboratory on the design of a collaborative filtering model for comments in an online discussion forum that is both efficient and resistant to manipulation. She is also working with Professor Dorit Hochbaum on network flow models for analyzing large amounts of gene expression data. Her technical interests include algorithm design, combinatorial optimization, graph theory and mathematical modeling. Bitton was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2007.

BID heads to Maker Faire

The BID team will participate in Maker Faire. Our exitibition is named as, Berkeley Institute of Design: Design a Treehouse.

Björn Hartmann Joins BiD Faculty

The Berkeley Institute of Design is excited to announce that Björn Hartmann has been appointed as an Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. Björn received his PhD degree in Computer Science from Stanford University in 2009. His research in Human-Computer Interaction focuses on on the creation and evaluation of user interface design tools, end-user programming environments, and ubiquitous computing toolkits. He will be teaching CS160 with Professor Maneesh Agrawala in Spring 2010.

Maneesh Agrawala has been named a MacArthur fellow

Maneesh Agrawala has been named a MacArthur fellow, one of 24 recipients chosen nationwide for the annual award. This award comes with a $500,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation of Chicago. Fellows can use the money any way they want over the next five years. Prof. Agrawala develops visual methods to help people to more easily sort through information. As a graduate student, he created an automated program that creates easy-to-decipher route maps that make it clear where to turn and which road to take. Later, he developed a system that creates simple assembly instructions - with three-dimensional views - for such things as furniture and toys. He said he may use the grant to explore how radio journalists use words and sound to produce rich, descriptive and compelling stories.

BiD Design Clinics

The Berkeley Institute of Design will be hosting Design Clinics for Spring Semester 2009. The Design Clinics are a series of hands-on workshops where we invite people to lead sessions on skills that are important to have as a practicing designer.

The design clinics are mostly on Thursdays from 4-6 at the Berkeley Institute of Design. Some clinics are on Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts with the presenters. Please see the schedule for more information.

January 29 - Brainstorming
February 4 - Typography & Graphic Design
February 12 – No Clinic, Open House
Febrary 19 – Sketching User Interfaces (w/ Bill Buxton)
February 26 – Leadership & Teamwork (w/ Ulrich Nettesheim, Passages Consulting)
*March 4 – Knitting and Crochet
*March 11 – Developing Scenarios
March 19 – Advanced Laser Cutter (w/ Mitch Heinrich & Mike Lin, Squid Labs)
March 26 – No Clinic, Spring Break
April 2 – Musical Instrument Design and Fabrication with Fabric (w/ Adrian Freed, Berkeley CNMAT)
*April 8 – Improv for Design
April 16 – Papercraft (Origami & Pop-up)
April 23 – Flex Programming
April 30 – TBA
May 7 – TBA

* Schedule Shift: Wednesday Clinics

Best Paper Award at Persuasive 2008

Divya Ramachandran and John Canny brought home the Nokia Best Paper Award from the Persuasive 2008 conference held in Oulu, Finland for their paper "The Persuasive Power of Human-Machine Dialogue."

BiD projects win 'innovations in learning' grants

Professor Greg Niemeyer's "Black Cloud" was awarded a $238,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation competition for innovations in learning using digital media.

Matthew Kam and Professor John Canny's work with MILLEE was also among the largest of the 17 grants from the Digital Media and Learning Competition.

Read the full Berkeley press release or the story in the Daily Californian.

BiD teams compete at the Google Games (cont'd)

David Nguyen quoted in New York Times about BiD's participation in Google Games.

BiD heads to India

Matthew Kam and David Nguyen will be heading to Mysore, India to do field research for the MILLEE project. They have started a blog to keep everyone updated with their experiences at http://bidtierindia.blogspot.com/.

MultiView study wins CHI 2007 Best Paper Award

David Nguyen and John Canny's paper: MultiView: Improving Trust in Group Video Conferencing through Spatial Faithfulness was awarded a Best Paper Award at this year's CHI 2007 Human Factors in Computing Systems conference!

BiD teams compete at the Google Games

Two teams composed of BiD members competed at the Google Games held April 28th in Mountain View. The event pitted teams from Berkeley and Stanford against each other in heated competition in Logic Puzzles, Nintendo Wii Olympics, and Lego Bridge-Building.

Team I'm an XL, consisting of Cap'n Wes Willett, Ryan "the world is a feisty oyster" Aipperspach, Jeff "scheme-ing polyglot" Heer, "Shoeless" Dave Nguyen, and Lora "hold 'em and fold 'em" Oehlberg, won first place in the Logic Puzzles, and took fourth place overall. Meanwhile, team BiD Razrs, consisting of Andy Carle, Jono Hey, Omar Khan, Ana Ramirez Chang, and David Sun, valiantly attempted to put Stanford in its place. Sadly, Stanford won overall, though the second place team "Fiat Ursi" proudly displayed their Cal pride. Unfortunately, this set of Cal grads had all migrated to Stanford for graduate school, so their points were tallied against their alma mater.

Lora was later quoted about our experiences in the San Jose Mercury News.

BiD visualization research catches Tufte's eye

Visualization research on optimizing the presentation of data graphics, conducted by BiD members Jeffrey Heer and Maneesh Agrawala, recently caught the eye of famed visualization guru Edward Tufte, as posted on his blog. Scroll down for the April 27, 2007 entry.

David Nguyen and John Canny bring CHI '07 Best Paper Award to BiD

David Nguyen and John Canny bring CHI '07 Best Paper Award to BiD

David Nguyen and John Canny bring a CHI '07 Best Paper Award to BiD in their paper titled "MultiView: Improving Trust in Group Video Conferencing through Spatial Faithfulness." Press Release.

BiD's Vizster system used on CBS TV show "Numb3rs"

The Vizster system for visualizing online social networks, developed at BiD by Jeffrey Heer and danah boyd, was featured on the CBS crime drama Numb3rs. The show is about an FBI agent and his brother, a professor that uses various mathematical and algorithmic techniques to solve crimes. In the March 3, 2006 episode "Protest", social network analysis is used to "catch the bad guy". The Vizster visualization was used to illustrate the concept of social networks.

You can also download the clip (WMV, 4.7M).