3. VARIETY
Haptic hologram model image: ykaradayi via Instructables
How information manifests
e have more variety in how the information manifests. n addition to more traditional mixes of text
and images, we have data visuali ations, holograms that occupy our physical surroundings, alerts to
state changes in the form of mechanical vibrations and sounds.
11. New vs. Familiar
Simulated vs. Physical
Intelligent vs. Mundane
Photo by permission: Hugh Hochman
hat do we mean by an experience that feels natural t doesn t depend on whether the interaction is
new or familiar, it doesn t matter whether the information is physically present or simulated, it doesn t
matter whether the design has some agency and intelligence, or is mundane. As humans, we re really
good at assembling our actions in new ways. here s something deeper still that ma es an experience
feel natural or distinctly off.
13. Human brain connections image: Barcroft Media via Daily Mail
And that has to do with the way we thin about these beautiful brains that we wal around with.
17. Embodied
cognition
suggests that meaning emerges as we engage the information in our surroundings
directly. nformation is not an input, but a vital participant in human behavior. e depend on
it in order to behave.
25. Photo Sverker Runeson
ibson captured his concept of affordances in the boo , An ecological approach to
visual perception. he core of affordances to ibson is the ob ect offers what it does
because of what it is.
32. Photo Cornell University
ames ibson would tell us that s not really about presence or immersion. t s about this
fundamental way that we as humans rely on information to behave. e humans are attuned as
sitters. And sitters are gonna sit.
39. Straighten
the glass!
Turn down
the water!
Free use image
e can micromanage a toddler trying to fill a glass without spilling all we li e, but the toddler can t
rely on our words to control her action unfolding over time. he has to become attuned to perceptual
information the alignment of the edges of the glass to the edges of the water flow, the width of the
water flow related to the surface rising in the glass. And once she becomes attuned to these
perceptual relationships, they will serve as affordances for her filling a glass without spilling
41. Perceive invariant structure?
Control physical action over time?
o what about our button oes this ob ect offer what it does because of what it is an our
actors perceive this invariant structure Yes utton, clic able, got it an actors rely on this
information to control their physical actions over time in the act of engaging the button
42. Image by Steelcase
hen an actor is clic ing or tapping a button, she can physically be doing any number of things sitting, lounging,
wal ing, etc. f course some physical action on her part is needed to get that cursor or her finger over that button
to clic it. he angle and tra ectory of her arm, the position of her wrist and fingers can ta e on a whole range of
tra ectories to do the meaningful action of engaging the button. he s relying on the visual information in the button
to now it s clic able, but she s not relying on that information to control her physical actions over time as she
clic s the button. he way she is physically orienting is not where the meaning lies.
43. Orienting
physically *is*
the meaning
of the activity
Tilt Brush example by Google on https://www.tiltbrush.com/
go watch this animation online to get the idea here. iltbrush.com
ompare that to this this woman is s etching in a . he particular way she is orienting her hand, her wrist, her
arm, her whole body the meaning of the activity of s etching directly in her surroundings. he first bit of light she
creates then becomes affordances she relies on continuously to orient herself physically in order to continuously
create her curves of light. hat s what a s etch is. very curve is with respect to the existing curves. he is relying
on this information to control her particular action unfolding over time.
55. Industrial design of a car supports both
he industrial design of a car supports both, actor as conductor, and actor as sculptor. he visual information streaming through the
windshield becomes affordances for actor as sculptor to eep the car on the road, and in the lane, and moving around other cars. he
driver is pic ing up on invariant structure in the surfaces and edges of the road and the lane, and the angle relationships of the her car
to the other cars. f a car grows symmetrically, she becomes attuned to that meaning the car is coming right at her she ad usts her
actions to create asymmetric angle growth the car going off to her side . As drivers, we become highly attuned to this perceptual
relationships and rely on that to drive the car. he speedometer supports actor as conductor a glance at her speed and she can use
this information to select to slow down.
56. ACTOR AS CONDUCTOR
Woman hailing drone: Mercedez-Benz ; Girl with Amazon Echo: Android Central
his woman is gesturing to control a drone. he gesture is a particular physical motion, but the meaning
of the gesture is not in the exact way the actor executes it. As long as she gets the gist of the gesture,
the meaning is engaged.
his girl is tal ing aloud to find something or as for something or buy something or answer a question.
he is selecting actions. Also actor as conductor, ust with voice.
57. Image via Autodesk Pier 9 Residency Program
ACTOR AS SCULPTOR
his actor is sculpting in physical space with a hologram. he wand he is using is wired up to
give haptic information that he can rely on to now where the surfaces of his design is in place.
e can rely on that to continuously control the position of the wand in order to sculpt in .
59. Image: Google Soli project
ACTOR AS SCULPTOR
his is an experiment using radar to very precisely trac an actors fingers. he actor can mime
turning a dial, pressing a button, moving a slider. his forms a little micro bit of actor as sculptor
because the actors fingers become perceptual information for each other to rely on to control
action unfolding continuously over time.
62. Haptic Information
Dense (enough)
Persistent (enough)
Lawful
Surfaces
Edges
his woman has low vision ability, and this vest is designed to generate haptic information on the
surface of the vest to replace visual information about obstacles in her path as she approaches them.
his haptic information is not nearly as dense as visual information. nly for ob ects close to her. t s
not as persistent as constant visual information. ut it s dense enough, persistent enough and certainly
lawful and she can rely on it to control her action of avoiding obstacles continuously over time.
sitters. And sitters are gonna sit.
69. Natural Human Conversation
Anticipating Improvising
Speaking
Listening
Aligning Entraining
Listening
Aligning Entraining
Anticipating Improvising
Speaking
Cultural
Possibilities
Cultural
Possibilities
Thibald Paul J. (2011). First-Order Languaging Dynamics and Second-Order Language: The Distributed Language View. Ecological Psychology 23(3): 210-245.Hodges, Bert (2014). Righting language: the view from ecological psychology. Language SciencesReferences:
Ecological psychology suggests that when someone in a conversation speaks, they are
anticipating what’s possible in the conversation by improvising wordings. The listener is
aligning and entraining with the speaker. As the dialogue progresses, the participants in
the conversation engage in creative tensions. They are both anticipating and aligning with
the possibilities of the conversation. This points to their shared values as part of culture.
91. Perception flows easily
Tacit
Reflexive
Awareness
Linearity
Requires attention
VISCOSITY
EASE OF FLOW OF CONCEPTS
Picked up
Language is viscous
erceptual mappings flow easily because perceptual information is tacit and reflexive, we don t have to activity
thin about it to pic it up. o, we can thin about the viscosity, or ease of flow of meaning in our designs, when
we select to deliberately use language and or infuse some of our concepts with perceptual mappings.
here is much more to be said about this lease see https www.slideshare.net m ane h what we mean by meaning new structural properties of
information architecture ias qid c b b f c fded ef d v b from search and https www.slideshare.net m ane h meaning modes in design
fluxible qid cca dd de b b ab a ced v b from search for details and design examples.
93. Selecting Action
for a good continuation
HUMAN BEHAVIOR* Controlling Action
physical relationship with surroundings
Actor-as-Conductor WITH DESIGN Actor-as-Sculptor
Natural User Experience
Affordances Perceptual InformationConcepts
Language
Perceptual Mappings INFORMATION
Dense (enough)
Persistent (enough)
Lawful
Coherent
PROPERTIES
Viscosity
Imprecision Tolerance
Possibility Space Dynamics
PERFORMANCE
Aligning
Anticipating
Entraining
Improvising
Conceptual
Performance
Aligning
Anticipating
Acting
Perceiving
Physical
Performance
* Reference: Golonka, Sabrina (2015): Laws and conventions in language-related behaviors, Ecological Psychology 27(3) p. 236-250
et s capture all of this in one slide about natural user experience design. hen the human behavior is about selecting action for a good continuation, when that is done with designed
information, we call that actor as conductor. he performance of actor as conductor is a conceptual performance, maintaining creative tensions between anticipating and aligning with
the possibilities of the performance, and entraining with the system with some improvising possible lately . he information to support actor as conductor is made of concepts both
language and perceptual mappings concepts infused with perceptual qualities . e have several design dials to set for actor as conductor viscosity determine the ind and quality of
attention that suits the situation , imprecision tolerance for entraining with the system, and set the possibility space dynamics to suit the situation. or the other human behavior,
controlling action unfolding over time to maintain a physical relationship with our surroundings, when done with design that is actor as sculptor. his is a physical performance engaged
by a tension between acting and perceiving, and a continuous tension between anticipating what can be done and aligning with what is done as the actor acts. his ta es place by
affordances which are made only of perceptual information. n this case, design properties are laws that must be in place in order to support this behavior the information ma ing up
the affordances must be dense enough , persistent enough , lawful, and coherent with the other inds of information participating in the activity.
96. Conducting-Sculpting handoffs
An architect with a building in A software actor as conductor , brings a simplified version of the building into
virtual reality so he can wal around it relying on the way the building ta es up placetime, as he controls his
actions to s etch new towers actor as sculptor , then bring the s etch bac into software to detail and
rationali e it as actor as conductor. hat do we need to do as designers to flow this handoff between
conducting and sculpting and bac again esigned by amuel Arsenault rassard
esigned by amuel Arsenault rassard
97. Conducting-Sculpting handoffs
Fusion 360 loft animated gif by SolidSmack
ven within the same environment, we need to thin about this handoff. n A software, mostly supporting actor as conductor, we
are providing some opportunities to sculpt. n this case, the actor is pulling on the geometry of her design in order to form it with
respect to the rest of the design. his is a very different action than conducting with a property panel and commands that are applied
by selecting. oes it ma e sense to have the same physical mouse supporting this sculpting as conducting o we need to organi e
different interaction modes for conducting vs. sculpting in the same environments