Further Development

The feedback from the evaluation performed on the Conductor Interaction Method through the Presentation Conductor system highlighted several issues that should be addressed in future work. These issues are examined in this section.

7.4.1 Improved method training support

From the evaluation study one o f the most frequently suggested enhancements was better support for gesture training. Users suggested that they would have preferred to have a visual representation o f their hand movement, and feedback on the correctness, or otherwise, o f the gesture.

A solution to this would be to change the interface to provide a virtual model o f the user’s hands, and then use visual or audio feedback to confirm when the user has correctly formed the gesture. This would help the user to make the appropriate small adjustments needed sometimes to refine the original gesture. Additionally, there could be an option for the visual feedback to be displayed (for example in top right comer o f the screen) throughout the session, if the user requires. This would build up the user’s confidence in performing the

gestures. A further option would be to provide a small gesture-training program, akin to the tutorials that accompany some complex computer games.

7.4.2 Refining the metaphors

The use of the Orchestra and Conductor metaphors in the Conductor Interaction Method was shown to be quite effective within the evaluation. The feedback, however, illustrated areas in which the metaphors could be further refined to enhance their effectiveness.

With the Orchestra metaphor most users had no problem in associating the icons used to represent the Media galleries with their content, but there were a number o f cases where some of the galleries were confused (for example the Film and Animation galleries). This suggests that perhaps some o f the icons could be made more distinguishable, or that perhaps in some cases the galleries could be combined. Furthermore, as discussed in chapter 6, users also commented on the small size o f the icons, and another refinement would be to make them larger ‘targets’. In general, the categorisation o f media into galleries is an area that could be further investigated. In particular there is the trade off between the number o f galleries versus the number o f media files, and how this can affect usability and information overload.

With regards to the Conductor metaphor, feedback showed that on the whole most users were comfortable with the majority o f gestures. There were, however, a small number of gestures that some users could not associate with actions that they would perform in their everyday life (for example, some users reported that they never used the Both hands vertical fla t, palm s out gesture). Further experiments could be carried out to help determine a vocabulary that is more concise and easier to relate to. One possibility would be to allow the users themselves to define the gestures they wish to use for the different operations. This customisation can be important given that, as shown in the evaluation feedback, not all users are comfortable with all types o f gesture.

7.4.3 Experimenting with different technologies

The implementation o f the Conductor Interaction Method presented in this thesis, has only made use o f a small number of available gesture and gaze based technologies. Further experiments could be carried out using different technologies to see if some o f the hardware issues (for example, the eye tracker calibration) can be reduced or removed entirely, as well as to further assess the impact different technologies can have on the applicability o f the Conductor Interaction Method.

The eye tracker (LC-Technologies EyeGaze) used in the implementation presented in this thesis was particularly intolerant o f user movement, and users would frequently need to

recalibrate it. Alternatives exist, including the ASL 504 Pan/Tilt (Applied Science Laboratories), which may be better suited to be used with the Conductor Interaction Method as it can make small adjustments to compensate for the inevitable user head movements that will occur. Additionally, an Ascension Magnetic Head Tracker (Ascension Technology Corporation) could be used in combination with this eye tracker. This would allow for a greater freedom o f movement, as the eye tracker would adjust based on the position given by the head tracker.

The use o f computer vision for the gesture recognition is one area that could also be explored. This would provide the additional ability to determine the hand position, which could prove beneficial to the gesture refinement. Furthermore, other problems such as the glove fit could also be potentially resolved. The downside o f such an approach, however, is that the user may be restricted in their movements given that the cameras used to recognise the gestures will typically be covering specific areas.

Other experiments could also involve position trackers on the hands to determine hand positioning.

7.4.4 Investigating different application domains

User feedback suggested other possible application domains for the method including browsing, music mixing, gaming and designing. All these applications heavily rely on manipulation (typically replicating activities that would be performed by the hands in a non­ computing environment), where the use o f two-phased interaction like that supported by the Conductor Interaction Method could be appropriate. Further applications could be developed to assess the use o f the method within such domains. In turn, acquired feedback could further refine the method and implementations.

Another suggestion arising from the evaluation was to investigate the use o f the Conductor Interaction Method as a means o f human-computer interaction for people with disabilities. A large proportion o f people with disabilities, in particular deaf people, use gestures to interact in their every day life. As well as relying on signing and visual contact, deaf people also use eye contact to establish the communication channel. This combination o f gaze and gestures mirrors the two-phase interaction used within the Conductor Interaction Method suggesting that the technique could be an HCI method that they could easily adapt to and utilise.

7.4.5 Further experiments with inexperienced users

The inexperienced users that took part in the evaluation nevertheless had some prior experience with computers. Further experiments could be carried out with truly inexperienced computer users, although finding such subjects is becoming increasingly difficult. Possible subjects for these experiments, however, could be young children or the elderly, as these two age groups are less likely to have experience with computers.