http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/7898 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/41709 Mediating disruption in human-computer interaction from implicit metrics of attention Arroyo Acosta, Ernesto, 1978- Multitasking environments cause people to be interrupted constantly, often disrupting their ongoing activities and impeding reaching their goals. This thesis presents a disruption reducing approach designed to support the user's goals and optimize productivity that is based on a model of the user's receptivity to an interruption. The model uses knowledge of the interruption content, context and priority of the task(s) in progress, user actions and goal-related concepts to mediate interruptions. The disruption management model is distinct from previous work by the addition of implicit sensors that deduce the interruption content and user context to help determine when an interruption will disrupt an ongoing activity. Domain-independent implicit sensors include mouse and keyboard behaviors, and goal-related concepts extracted from the user documents. The model also identifies the contextual relationship between interruptions and user goals as an important factor in how interruptions are controlled. The degree to which interruptions are related to the user goal determines how those interruptions will be received. We tested and evolved the model in various cases and showed significant improvement in both productivity and satisfaction. A disruption manager application controls interruptions on common desktop computing activities, such as web browsing and instant messaging. The disruption manager demonstrates that mediating interruptions by supporting the user goals can improve performance and overall productivity. Our evaluation shows an improvement in success of over 25% across prioritization conditions for real life computing environments. (cont.) Goal priority and interruption relevance play an important role in the interruption decision process and several experiments these factors on people's reactions and availability to interruptions, and overall performance. These experiments demonstrate that people recognize the potential benefits of being interrupted and adjust their susceptibility to interruptions during highly prioritized tasks. The outcome of this research includes a usable model that can be extended to tasks as diverse as driving an automobile and performing computer tasks. This thesis supports mediating technologies that will recognize the value of communication and control interruptions so that people are able to maintain concentration amidst their increasingly busy lifestyles. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-150). http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/41708 Diffusion of ideas, practices, and artifacts : network effects on collective outcomes Barahona, Juan Carlos (Barahona-Martinez) Important ideas, practices and artifacts often fail to reach their target population efficiently or fail to reach altogether. Surprisingly, most projects aimed to bring technology to underserved communities of the world lack an explicit diffusion strategy and/or lack an implementation strategy that acknowledges the social structure that binds together the members of the targeted community. Without the knowledge of social structures efficient diffusion of technological innovations becomes an unreachable goal. Socioeconomic and behavioral information can be combined with sparse social structure data to derive quantitative estimates of a community's social dynamics, allowing improved understanding and management of diffusion processes. We found that patterns of advice and use of media provide and effective way to identify the influential members of a community. We set up a large scale experiment in a rural community using our model and tested our proposed method of intervention and found strong evidence of an improved diffusion process which is significantly related to the communities' network of advice. The adoption of an idea, practice or artifact is heavily influenced by social context, through both conscious and unconscious mechanisms. By targeting social networks, not social classes, age, gender groups or institutions, we can create the basis for the emergence of local organizations and businesses that organically provide the necessary support to achieve effective diffusion of technological innovations. In our experiment, the introduction of a few powerful ideas at the core of the communities' social networks helped to create a social context where the new innovations created economic and social value. In addition, these new business create a richer social context from which further new innovations are expected to emerge. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 129-133). http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/41707 Dual reality : an emerging medium Lifton, Joshua Harlan, 1976- The commoditization of low-power radios, a rich set of sensors, longer-lasting batteries, and feature-rich microcontrollers has prompted significant research efforts to imbue physical environments with the responsiveness and awareness afforded by ubiquitous, unobtrusive, low-maintenance sensor networks. However, despite these technical advances, there has been relatively little progress toward finding compelling applications enabled by such sensor networks. What few applications have been demonstrated generally use sensor networks to passively monitor environments either inaccessible or uninteresting to people, such as remote wilderness, factory floors, and health care scenarios. Yet, by definition, any "killer application" of sensor networks must be both popular and widespread. At the same time, online virtual worlds promising complete freedom of creation and interaction are quickly becoming economically, socially, and technically feasible and are making inroads into the mass media market. Yet, despite their popularity, or maybe even because of it, today's online virtual worlds are marred by a stagnation and emptiness inherent in environments so disconnected from the physical world. Furthermore, the demand for richer modes of self-expression in virtual worlds remains unmet. This dissertation proposes the convergence of sensor networks and virtual worlds not only as a possible solution to their respective limitations, but also as the beginning of a new creative medium. In the "dual reality" resulting from this convergence, both the real and virtual worlds are complete unto themselves, but also enhanced by the ability to mutually reflect, influence, and merge into each other by means of sensor/actuator networks deeply embedded in everyday environments. As a medium, dual reality has the potential to elevate mass creation of media to the same heights television elevated the mass consumption of media and the Internet elevated the mass communication of media. This dissertation describes a full implementation of a dual reality system using a popular online virtual world and a human-centric sensor network designed around a common electrical power strip. Example applications, interaction techniques, and design strategies for the dual reality domain are demonstrated and discussed. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-151). http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/41706 One to one connections : building a community learning culture Urrea, Claudia M The complexity of the school, society and policy, and dominant cultural beliefs about teaching, learning, and knowledge constrain people's mindsets, paradoxically preventing the fundamental changes that can take advantage of new technologies and address the inadequacies of current educational systems. The same constraints permeate reform efforts as most often the educational establishment tests the transformation of the system one element at a time while attempting to hold all other elements constant, thereby inhibiting more profound changes. The promise of one-to-one computer infrastructure provides such a dramatic alternative to current educational systems that it forces us to think about change at a deeper level, leaving us with the challenge of where to begin. The fundamental aim of this thesis is to study the potential of the one-to-one computer infrastructure as a catalyst for change. This thesis presents a holistic model for rural school that builds on a rich body of Constructionist learning research. Key components of the holistic model are: sufficient amount of student-owned technology which can accompany them as they interact at home and in the broader community; activities that are designed with sufficient scope to encourage the appropriation of powerful ideas; and, teacher engagement in activity design with simultaneous support from a knowledge network of local and international colleagues and mentors. I introduce the concept of "whole-project" learning, which strategically integrates the elements of the model, and introduces a learning approach that is fundamentally different from the existent methodology of work. (cont.) The thesis findings rely on data collected during the one year intervention. This longitudinal study of a one-teacher school in Costa Rica over the course of the year allows me to present stories of change as well as a more quantitative analysis of the learning activities. The results of the study suggest that in order for appropriation to occur, three conditions are salient: computational technology must be mobile and owned by the students so that learning becomes integral to the culture of the community; activities need to be of a scale and quality that children and teachers can make rich connections to powerful ideas; and, participation and voice must be inclusive. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 183-188).