Sarah Douglas

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Papers by Sarah Douglas

QUID: a quick user-interface design method using prototyping tools

by Sarah Douglas and David Novick

Experience with prototyping tools for user interfaces indicates that just providing tools does no... more Experience with prototyping tools for user interfaces indicates that just providing tools does not solve the problem of producing usefiLl interfaces. Rapid prototyping is a design method for user interface development that emphasizes usability. However, it a bottom-up approach and thus in inherent conflict with more traditional software engineering techniques, which are top-down and specification-driven. The solution is to integrate both approaches in a single method.

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QUICK: exploring the middle ground in user interface design tools

by Sarah Douglas and David Novick

Abstract Interface construction kits have become firmly established and well-accepted in recent y... more

Consistency and variance in spatial reference

by Sarah Douglas and David Novick

Incorporating Human-Computer Interaction into the undergraduate computer science curriculum

by Bill Manaris and Sarah Douglas

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, 2002

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Haptic comparison of size (relative magnitude) in blind and sighted people

Proceedings of the 9th international ACM SIGACCESS conference on Computers and accessibility - Assets '07, 2007

Applications for blind users often involve the mapping of information such as size (magnitude) fr... more Applications for blind users often involve the mapping of information such as size (magnitude) from one sensory domain (vision) onto another (sound or touch). For example, visual perception of length can be estimated directly by touch, or encoded to pitch or even vibration. Applications for blind users will benefit from fundamental research into human perception of computergenerated substitutions for vision. In this paper we present the results of a haptics-only experiment with the PHANToM that measures human performance (time and accuracy) judging relative magnitude with computer generated haptic properties. Magnitude was represented by either physical length (displacement), or vibration varied by frequency or amplitude. Eleven blind and eleven blindfolded sighted individuals participated. Displacement tasks were 50% slower than vibration conditions for all participants. Accuracy for displacement and vibration varied by amplitude was equivalent. Vibration varied by frequency was significantly less accurate, although we are cautious about the reliability of those results. Blind participants took 50% longer with equivalent accuracy to sighted participants. Sightedness had no effect on performance regarding the type of display. No other interaction effects were found. These results suggest that vibration varied by amplitude provides a faster and equally accurate display of magnitude compared with the traditional displacement approach. Secondly, the same coding benefits equally well visually disabled and sighted individuals.

format_quoteVibration amplitude coding provides faster, equally accurate magnitude display than traditional methods, aiding all users.format_quote

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Interactive systems group---University of Oregon, department of computer and information science (lab review)

Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems Empowering people - CHI '90, 1990

... Sarah Douglas, who joined the faculty in 1983 after completing her Ph.D. research at Stanford... more

Finger dance

Proceedings of the 9th international ACM SIGACCESS conference on Computers and accessibility - Assets '07, 2007

The usual approach to developing video games for people with visual impairment is sensory substit... more The usual approach to developing video games for people with visual impairment is sensory substitution. Elements of the visual display are replaced with auditory and/or haptic displays. Our approach differs. The purpose of the Finger Dance project is to research and develop accessible solutions to games that are inherently audio: musical rhythm-action games such as Dance Dance Revolution. However, these

Low Fidelity Algorithm Visualization (Submitted Dec. 12, 2000; revised June 22, 2001; accepted Oct. 25, 2001 ) CHRISTOPHER D. HUNDHAUSEN

Computer science educators have traditionally used algorithm visualization (AV) software to creat... more Computer science educators have traditionally used algorithm visualization (AV) software to create graphical representations of algorithms for use as visual aids in lectures, or as the basis for interactive labs. Typically, such visualizations are high fidelity in the sense that (a) they depict the target algorithm for arbitrary input, and (b) they tend to have the polished look of textbook figures. In contrast, low fidelity visualizations illustrate the target algorithm for a few, carefully chosen input data sets, and tend to have a sketched, unpolished appearance. Drawing on ethnographic field studies of a junior-level undergraduate algorithms course, we motivate the use of low fidelity AV technology as the basis for an alternative learning paradigm in which students construct their own visualizations, and then present those visualizations to their instructor and peers for feedback and discussion. To explore the design space of low fidelity AV technology, we present SALSA (Spatial...

SALSA and ALVIS: a language and system for constructing and presenting low fidelity algorithm visualizations

Proceeding 2000 IEEE International Symposium on Visual Languages, 2000

Computer science educators have traditionally used algorithm visualization (AV) software to creat... more Computer science educators have traditionally used algorithm visualization (AV) software to create graphical representations of algorithms that are later used as visual aids in lectures, or as the basis for interactive labs. Based on ethnographic field studies we have conducted in an undergraduate algorithms course, we advocate an alternative teaching approach in which students use simple art supplies to construct and present their own visualizations to their peers and instructor for feedback and discussion. To support this approach, we have built SALSA and ALVIS, a prototype language and system that enable students to (a) quickly construct rough, unpolished ("low fidelity") visualizations in much the same way they would do so with simple art supplies, and (b) interactively present those visualizations to an audience. Our prototype pioneers a novel technique for programming visualizations based on spatial relations, and a novel presentation interface that supports reverse execution and dynamic mark-up and modification.

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Using visualizations to learn algorithms: should students construct their own, or view an expert's?

Proceeding 2000 IEEE International Symposium on Visual Languages, 2000

Algorithm visualization software graphically illustrates how computer algorithms work. Past exper... more Algorithm visualization software graphically illustrates how computer algorithms work. Past experiments designed to substantiate the software's pedagogical value have yielded mixed results. A review of these studies suggests that the more actively involved learners are in the visualization process, the better they perform. Given this trend, and inspired by ethnographic fieldwork we conducted in an undergraduate algorithms course, we hypothesize that students who use simple art supplies to construct their own visualizations will learn an algorithm better than students who interact with computer-based visualizations constructed by an expert. We conducted an experiment to test this hypothesis, and found no significant differences between the two pedagogical approaches. Thus, students who use "low tech" materials to construct their own visualizations may learn algorithms just as well as students who study conventional "high tech" visualizations constructed by an expert. This result motivates a markedly different kind of algorithm visualization software: one that enables learners to construct their own "low tech" visualizations.

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Communicative dimensions of end-user environments

Proceedings IEEE Symposia on Human-Centric Computing Languages and Environments (Cat. No.01TH8587), 2001

In exploring how to make programming easier for nonprogrammers, research into end-user environmen... more In exploring how to make programming easier for nonprogrammers, research into end-user environments has traditionally been concerned with designing better human-computer interaction. That traditional focus has left open the question of how end-user environments might support human-human interaction. Especially in situations in which end-user environments are enlisted to facilitate learning, we hypothesize that a key benefit may be their ability to mediate conversations about a domain of interest. In what ways might end-user environments support human communication, and what design features make them well-suited to do so? Drawing on ethnographic studies of an undergraduate algorithms course in which students constructed and presented algorithm visualizations, we develop a provisional framework of six communicative dimensions of end-user environments: programming salience, typeset fidelity, story content, modifiability, controllability, and referencability. To illustrate the design implications of these dimensions, we juxtapose conventional algorithm visualization technology with a prototype end-user environment specifically designed to facilitate communication about algorithms. By characterizing those aspects of end-user environments that impact social interaction, our framework provides an important extension to Green and Petre's [1] cognitive dimensions.

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Toward empirically-based software visualization languages

Proceedings of Symposium on Visual Languages, 1995

Single-user software visualization (SV) systems purport to empower people without expertise in gr... more Single-user software visualization (SV) systems purport to empower people without expertise in graphics programming to develop their own visualizations interactively, and within minutes. Underlying any single-user SV system is a visualization language onto which its users must map the computations they would like to visualize with the system. We hypothesize that the usability of such systems turns on their ability to provide an underlying visualization language that accords with the ways in which their users conceptualize the computations to be visualized. To explore the question of how to design visualization languages grounded in human conceptualization, we present an empirical study that made use of a research method called visualization storyboarding to investigate the human conceptualization of the bubblesort algorithm. Using an analytical framework based on entities, attributes, and transformations, we derive a semantic-level visualization language for bubblesort, in terms of which all visualizations observed in our study can be expressed. Our empirically-based visualization language provides a framework for predicting the usability of the visualization language defined by Lens , a prototypical single-user SV system. We draw from a follow-up usability study of Lens to substantiate our predictions.

format_quoteDeveloping a semantic-level visualization language for bubblesort reveals both abstraction levels and common visual elements used in participant visualizations.format_quote

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Learning text editor semantics by analogy

Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI '83, 1983

This paper proposes a cognitive model for human procedural skill acquisition based on problem sol... more This paper proposes a cognitive model for human procedural skill acquisition based on problem sol\ing in problem spaces and the use or' an&)g! for buildmg the reprcscnration of operator semantics. Protocol data of computer-naive subjects learning the EhlACS text editor suaests that they use their knowledge of typewriting to decide Hhich commands to use in performing editing tasks. We propose a formal method of analysis that compares operators in two problem spaces (based on posrcondirion similarit)) and generates misconceptions (based on pre-and postcondition differences). Comparing these predicted misconceptions bith error data and \.erbal comments in problem sohing episodes validates this analysis.

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Shifting from "high fidelity" to "low fidelity" algorithm visualization technology

CHI '00 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems - CHI '00, 2000

Traditional algorithm visualization software supports the creation of "high fidelity" visualizati... more Traditional algorithm visualization software supports the creation of "high fidelity" visualizations, which depict the target algorithm for arbitrary input, and have the polished look of textbook figures. Drawing on the findings of ethnographic studies we conducted in an undergraduate algorithms course, we have developed SALSA/ALVIS, a markedly different kind of algorithm visualization software that enables students to construct and present their own "low fidelity" visualizations. Unlike "high fidelity" visualizations, "low fidelity" visualizations depict the target algorithm for a few, carefully-selected input data sets, and have an unpolished look. In addition, they can be viewed both forwards and backwards, and dynamically marked up and modified, making them well-suited for mediating studentinstructor discussions about algorithms.

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A Language and System for Constructing and Presenting Low Fidelity Algorithm Visualizations

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2002

Computer science educators have traditionally used algorithm visualization (AV) software to creat... more Computer science educators have traditionally used algorithm visualization (AV) software to create graphical representations of algorithms that are later used as visual aids in lectures, or as the basis for interactive labs. Typically, such visualizations are high fidelity in the sense that (a) they depict the target algorithm for arbitrary input, and (b) they tend to have the polished look of textbook figures. In contrast, low fidelity visualizations illustrate the target algorithm for a few, carefully chosen input data sets, and tend to have a sketched, unpolished appearance. Drawing on the findings of ethnographic studies we conducted in a junior-level algorithms course, we motivate the use of low fidelity AV technology as the basis for an alternative learning paradigm in which students construct and present their own visualizations. To explore the design space of low fidelity AV technology, we present a prototype language and system derived from empirical studies in which students constructed and presented visualizations made out of simple art supplies. Our prototype language and system pioneer a novel technique for programming visualizations based on spatial relations, and a novel presentation interface that supports reverse execution and dynamic mark-up and modification

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Human-computer simulation and analysis of construction operations

Learning to text edit: semantics in procedural skill acquisition