Creating personalized digital human models of perception for visual analytics

Speaker: Aaron Quigley, SACHI University of St Andrews

Abstract:

Our bodies shape our experience of the world, and our bodies influence what we design. How important are the physical differences between people? Can we model the physiological differences and use the models to adapt and personalize designs, user interfaces and artifacts? Within many disciplines Digital Human Models and Standard Observer Models are widely used and have proven to be very useful for modeling users and simulating humans. In this paper, we create personalized digital human models of perception (Individual Observer Models), particularly focused on how humans see. Individual Observer Models capture how our bodies shape our perceptions. Individual Observer Models are useful for adapting and personalizing user interfaces and artifacts to suit individual users’ bodies and perceptions. We introduce and demonstrate an Individual Observer Model of human eyesight, which we use to simulate 3600 biologically valid human eyes. An evaluation of the simulated eyes finds that they see eye charts the same as humans. Also demonstrated is the Individual Observer Model successfully making predictions about how easy or hard it is to see visual information and visual designs. The ability to predict and adapt visual information to maximize how effective it is is an important problem in visual design and analytics.

About Aaron:

In this talk Professor Aaron Quigley will present a talk for a paper he is presenting at the User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization (UMAP) conference 2011 on July 12th in Barcelona Spain. This work on Creating Personalized Digital Human Models of Perception for Visual Analytics is the work with and of his former PhD student Dr. Mike Bennett and now postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology in Stanford University.

Professor Aaron Quigley is the Chair of Human Computer Interaction in the School of Computer Science at the University of St Andrews. He is the director of SACHI and his appointment is part of SICSA, the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance. Aaron’s research interests include surface and multi-display computing, human computer interaction, pervasive and ubiquitous computing and information visualisation.

Event details

  • When: 15th November 2011 13:00 - 14:00
  • Where: Cole 1.33a
  • Format: Seminar

St Andrews Student wins prize in Scottish Software Engineer of the Year Awards

St Andrews student Thomas Grimes won 3rd prize in the Scottish Software Engineer of the Year Award 2011. He received a trophy and a cheque for £1500.
Tom graduated from Computer Science from St Andrews in 2011 and currently studying in America towards a Masters in Computer Forensics.
Tom’s project involved creating screen replication software for the Macintosh lab although his final product also works on Windows and Linux.
Tom follows in the footsteps of other prize winners from St Andrews who in recent years have included Alistair Scott,  Craig Paul, Angus MacDonald, Ben Catherall and Graeme Bell.

Award presentationPhoto: Tom Grimes receiving his award from comedian Kevin Bridges

Honours Reception

Junior and Senior Honours were provided with milk based food products, nibbles and fermented fruit juice during their reception.

Various attempts to look studious were captured for posterity.

MacMillan Coffee Morning (Friday)

From 10.30am onwards on Friday morning in the JCB coffee area, we will be hosting a MacMillan coffee morning. All proceeds from the sales of cakes, biscuits or produce will go to support the MacMillan Cancer Support service. This is a service that allows terminal patients to remain in their own homes for their last days, supported by a MacMillan nurse.

Donations of goods are welcome, otherwise come along and buy some home baking.  A raffle will be held with prizes including sloe gin, champagne and chocolates.

Event details

  • When: 30th September 2011 10:30 - 12:00
  • Where: Cole Coffee Area

Bada Challenge Competition

We’re participating in the bada Student Developers Challenge 2011/12 – the ultimate coding challenge event run across the UK & Ireland in connection with other universities leading the way in Computer Sciences.
Giving student coders from first year to masters the chance to create their own Apps for Samsungs new bada platform and have those very apps uploaded to their stores. Whilst doing so, impressing people from one of the worlds biggest mobile phone manufacturers and standing the chance of winning a share of a £15,000 prize fund.

Sign up your teams and Make It ‘Appen

For any queriees or to find out more, visit our website, Twitter feed or Facebook page:
http://www.badastudentdeveloperchallenge.com/ or www.badachallenge.com
@badastudent
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bada-Student-Developer-Challenge/221130171247152

Event details

  • When: 29th September 2011 14:00 - 15:30
  • Where: Honey 104 - Hons Lab

Postgrad Cheese & Wine Reception

The annual event organised by the School to welcome all Postgrad students took place in the Jack Cole coffee area from 5pm. Lashings of wine or Shloer accompanied a wide range of Cheese and traditional nibbles. The product placement prize goes to Umer.

Design, Agency and a Sense of Wellbeing by Ann Light

Abstract:

In Capability and Wellbeing, Sen (1993) says that acting freely and being able to choose may be directly conducive to wellbeing, not just because more freedom may make better alternatives available, but because the action of choice is itself a freedom. This talk reflects on three projects with older people and considers their sense of agency in thinking about interactive systems and future technologies, looking particularly at how agency might contribute to a sense of wellbeing. Although a theme running through the talk is the design of digital tools, the discussion takes a broad view of the factors to be considered in human-computer interaction.

Sen, Amartya. (1993). Capability and Well-Being. In M. Nussbaum and A. Sen, eds. The Quality of Life, pp. 30–53. New York: Oxford University Press.

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Event details

  • When: 28th November 2011 14:00 - 15:00
  • Where: Phys Theatre C
  • Series: CS Colloquia Series
  • Format: Colloquium