1. Informative art Lars Erik Holmquist Mobile Life Center Stockholm University & SICS leh@sics.se

2. Overview >I will talk about how to present information in everyday environments using computers >As computers technology get cheaper and displays more versatile, it becomes possible to integrate information with the world in new ways

3. Ubiquitous computing >“The most profound technologies are those that disappear” - Mark Weiser, Xerox PARC, 1991 >Ubiquitous computing is a vision of how computers will blend into the fabric of everyday life, silently supporting and augmenting everyday activities

4. “The Ubiquitous Computing experiment” >An effort by Mark Weiser’s group at Xerox PARC ca. 1988-94 >Based the design of new computers and interfaces on “human measurements” –Tabs - inch –Pads - foot –Boards - yard

5. Computers everywhere? >In ubiquitous computing, researchers have experimented with putting computation in everyday artifacts - furniture, clothes, even a coffee cup!

6. Ambient displays >“If computers are everywhere they better stay out of the way!” – Mark Weiser >Ambient displays try to integrate information into the environment and engage both the periphery and focus of attention, thus turning into calm technology

7. Inner Office Windows >Gives ”calm” awareness information both for people on the inside and outside –People passing by - meeting about to start? –Someone waiting outside office - needs to talk to me? –Light leaking into corridor - someone working late?

8. The Dangling String >Originally called Livewire >Created at Xerox PARC by artist Natalie Jeremijenko >A wire, attached to a motor, hangs from the ceiling >Each data bit sent through the network makes the wire move

9. ambientROOM MIT Media Lab (1998) >Architectural space as an interface to digital information

10. InfoCanvas Georgia Tech User configurable peripheral display, showing info like stock market, weather, traffic, etc.

11. Digital Family Portrait Georgia Tech Displays the wellbeing of a close (elderly) relative

12. Carenet Display Intel Research >Gives caregiver a remote awareness of: –Meals, medications, activities, outings, Calendar, falls, mood –Data was simulated! >Deployed with users >Positively received but raises many issues - privacy, aesthetics, technology, economics…

13. Commercial ambient displays >Ambient Devices is a US company that markets “calm” displays –Weather Forecast Beacon –Ambient Orb >ambientdevices.com

14. Informative Art

15. Decorative information? >Informative art is a form of ambient displays (Redström, Hallnäs & Skog 2000) >Uses the appearance and function of ordinary art to display dynamic information >The results should be both visually pleasing and useful >We have experimented in a variety of settings, both exhibitions and “real life”

16. Informative Mondrian >This piece is inspired by Dutch painter Piet Mondrian >But in fact it shows the weather in six different cities

18. Informative Art @ SIGGRAPH 2001 >Three screens running Informative Art in a “cozy” environment >Demonstrated the concept in an exhibition setting

20. Soup Clock >This piece is inspired by Andy Warhol’s paintings of soup cans >But it is actually a clock!

23. Stone garden >This piece was inspired by landscape artists such as Richard Long >It shows recent earthquake data

25. Making it useful >To test the concept in real life, we installed a weather forecast visualization at the Göteborg IT university >Feedback was generally positive but not overwhelming…

26. Bus visualization >What other information could be relevant? >We decided to visualize the departure times of a local bus >Real-time data was available on the web and at bus stops

27. First version

28. Feedback from users >What direction? >Where is it situated? >Reference to the world >More specific information (end stop) >Relevance of visual details >Visibility of breakdowns

29. New version

31. Evaluation >After one week, we performed a first quick evaluation with random people in the area –Of 6 people, 5 knew it was a visualization of bus departures –4 could explain how it worked –2 had actually used it to catch the bus!

32. A succesful ambient display >We use it every day at the lab >It has also been installed in other public places and in a local office for over a year

33. Between aesthetics and utility >Informative art and other ambient displays have to be adapted for the situation –Exhibition: capture interest, requires quick understanding –Public places: people can learn over time, should blend in –Private places: integration with the environment, users will be familiar with the function

34. Comprehension of informative art >Three-step model: –That something is visualized –What information is visualized –How the information is visualized >Only at third step will it be possible to use the visualization!

39. Future displays >Current screen technology is very limited: bulky, expensive and power consuming >Informative art would require new display materials such as electronic paper or smart textiles

40. Expanding the canvas >Computer screens are still very limited >Projectors and plasma screens give large size but lack in resolution >Small devices are portable and detailed but do not give an overview

41. Ubiquitous Graphics >Different devices with different strengths –Wall-size for overview –Tablet for details >Users can work collaboratively on the same surface

42. Conclusions >New technologies give new opportunities to present information >Presenting data in everyday environments is still a fairly unexplored area >A dialogue with users is necessary to fit the visualization with the information!

43. Further reading >Redström, Hallnäs and Skog: Informative Art: Using Amplified Artworks as Information Displays. DARE 2000, Århus, Danmark >Holmquist and Skog: Informative Art: Information Visualization in Everyday Environments. GRAPHITE 2003, Sydney, Australia >Skog, Ljungblad and Holmquist: Between Aesthetics and Utility: Designing Ambient Information Visualizations. InfoVis 2005, Seattle, USA

44. Thanks! Lars Erik Holmquist Mobile Life Center Stockholm University & SICS leh@sics.se www.viktoria.se/fal