Book Reading #3 - HCI Remixed

Chapter 1
Summary
William Buxton discusses his experience with a digital music machine. Being a musician perfectly happy surrounded by his instruments, he wasn’t very interested in the machine until his computer-savvy friend told him he would let him drive his motorcycle to go see it. Buxton describes his interactions with the machine. He also notes that the designer’s true objective for the machine was to study human-computer interaction. He also discusses a paper that describes the machine, “Man-Machine Interaction in Creative Applications,” and how it does not do the machine justice.

Discussion
The chapter made for a quick read. I enjoyed the writer’s enthusiasm and his jokes about the motorcycle, Mabel. Based on the Introduction to this book, I believe one of the goals of the book is to have the different contributors describe a work they are enthusiastic about and that made for a memorable paper. Though this chapter focused mainly on the machine and not so much on a paper (I believe the paper is mentioned only near the end of the chapter), it made for an interesting HCI read. It also shows another reason why papers are so important: papers help to preserve current state of the arts.

Chapter 4
Summary
In this chapter Joseph A. Konstan discusses his appreciation for the paper, “Sketchpad: A Man-Machine Graphical Communication System.” He argues that until computer-aided design (CAD), there was no better drawing program available. He then describes several examples from the paper that help to show why computer science and HCI are closely intertwined

Discussion
I like how the writer related the paper to the overall question: “Why should HCI belong in a computer science program?” He outlines important aspects of the paper while still describing why the paper is so important to him. I especially like the quote that goes something like: the paper “loudly asserts that HCI belongs as part of computer science because the needs of innovative interfaces drive forward the science of computing.” 

Chapter 5
Summary
Wendy Ju discusses a demo video, “The oNLine System Demo,” as the birth of the mouse and discusses how it has affected her. It made her reconsider what it meant to work with computers and years later gave her something to aspire to. She also points out that though the demo is memorable because of the mouse, the researcher’s actual goal for the demo was augmenting human intellect. Though only few understood the researcher’s goal, Ju points out that his demonstration acted as a seed that has now taken root in computer science.

Discussion
This writer points out several ways in which the demo has had an impact in her life. It reawakened her interest in computers, it encouraged her when she was doing her own demos as a grad student and showed her yet another way in which papers are important. The researcher, Doug Engelbart, had a goal and though it wasn’t met with his demo, years later we’re seeing it in the more current technology. I found the point about how neither of the hot computer science topics of the Engelbart’s time, AI and Office Automation, are the model now. It goes to show that if you have an idea, you should get it out there in the world, because you don’t know who you might inspire.

Chapter 18
Summary
Saul Greenberg writes about “Listening, Drawing, and Gesturing in Design: A Study of the Use of Shared Workspaces by Design Teams” and how it influenced his groupware design and introduced the idea of “group-centered” design. Some of the major findings of the paper included how the designers were more involved when sharing a drawing space and how gesturing played an important part in how the team interacted. Greenberg goes on to describe his own designs for a groupware bitmap sketching system based on what he had learned from the paper.

Discussion
Like the last chapter we read, this chapter shows another example of how you never how something your write will inspire or help another. The paper Greenberg describes sets the foundation for his own work with shared workspaces. I found this to be one of the more interesting chapters so far. The different designs discussed and the different factors that go into designing a shared workspace were well explained.

Chapter 20
Summary
In this chapter, Geraldine Fitzpatrick discusses how the paper, “Taking CSCW Seriously: Supporting Articulation Work” influenced her work and how many of the topics discussed in the paper are still relevant today. The paper defines CSCW as “an endeavor to understand the nature and requirements of cooperative work with the objective of designing computer-based technologies for cooperative work environments…” She discusses the interdependence between people working together and a layer of work called “articulation work” that involves managing how everyone works.

Discussion
Fitzpatrick gives us an overview of the paper and focuses on why it is important to her. Like in several of the other chapters, the writer gives examples of how the paper is still relevant today. She sounds enthusiastic about the work and happy to tell of how it inspired her.

As I’m reading these chapters, I’m finding that some are more interesting and engaging than others. They all go into different depths when it comes to describing the paper that has inspired them. This one is one that I really couldn’t get into. I felt it focused too much on definitions such as “coordination mechanisms,” “groupware,” “cooperative work,” and “articulation work,” and how the researchers worked to better define them. Such a focus did not hold my attention.

Chapter 23
Summary
In this chapter, Brian Smith writes about technology and how it should contribute to face-to-face interactions rather than eliminating them as described in the paper, “Beyond Being There.” He discusses how his mother, going through chemotherapy at the time, would interact with his new born daughter through video conferencing. He compared the video conferencing to using crutches – you only use crutches until you can walk again. Once his mother could see his daughter, that was the preferred way to communicate. Smith goes on to describe how the paper encourages people to focus on creating things that are revolutionary rather than evolutionary. He doesn’t want face-to-face communication to be replaced but enhanced. He gives an example of this with his daughter’s doll, Learning Friend Lily. The doll provided something for Smith’s mother and daughter to do together. It enhanced their time together. Smith ends the chapter by pointing out a goal of computational design: it should “enhance human experiences, both intellectual and emotional.”

Discussion
First, I have to say that I liked this chapter the most, which is probably why the summary is a little longer than the others I’ve done. It’s always touching to read about someone’s love for another family member. I also really appreciate the examples he gave to back up what was described in the paper. While I do agree with Smith, I hadn’t given this topic much thought until now. I do think it is very important to enhance the human experience rather than eliminating it all together.