Yeah (.) and then you can fix it here

W: Very nice that‟s good yeah very good

instructions

Figure 6.12 Observed Forms of Workspace Drawing

In the examples shown in figure 6.12 a variety of the functions of these drawings can be distilled. Clearly single shape drawings, performed in open space, were used to aid the search of particular pieces. In most instances actual drawings were only engaged in when articulation had become confused and the Worker was unable to decipher the meaning of the Helper. This with-holding of drawn information until all other options were exhausted, is presumably because of the greater investment in time required to construct a fully drawn image, and it should be borne in mind that the context of use of such sketches was one of a time pressured task. It is also worth considering that for some Helpers there may well have been a reluctance, as with all adults, to actually draw, as there is often a fear of ridicule (however unlikely), if the drawing is perceived to be poorly formed. In those instances where a specific item was perceived to be too unusually shaped to facilitate simple description the option to draw the shape became incentivised, and was often chosen.

When multiple objects were drawn (see figure 6.12 – multiple shapes) this was usually to show the relative orientations of the pieces in question at a specific point in assembly. So rather than as a function of searching for an item, drawings could be used to provide the sorts of

functional information that was conveyed with hand based gestures such as the mimicking and inhabited hands. The drawings were often annotated, to add emphasis, with specific functional descriptive tools, such as the already discussed arrow. Again such drawings were only entered into when dialogue was breaking down and the Helper began to doubt their ability to accurately describe what they felt to be a complex interrelationship of multiple parts. This appeared to happen when the pieces to be manipulated had several degrees of freedom and the final desired configuration required fine grained co-ordination of several moveable parts (more on this later).

An interesting third form of drawing was the representation of single items, drawn not in clear space but used as an annotation to the main assemblage of parts (see figure 6.12 – shapes drawn onto models). In these instances the Helper literally sketched directly over their visual image of the parts currently assembled. Such an action provided a variety of functions, the example shown in 6.12 being of particular interest. In this example the piece in question was unusually shaped so when the drawing was created it was being used to describe not only the shape to aid in its search but it was simultaneously being presented in it‟s relative orientation to the parts already assembled. The Helper clearly made an assumption that if the Worker had an understanding of how the piece fitted the assembly this would aid the understanding of the descriptive information given regarding its form, and this would enhance the chances of the correct item being rapidly identified. In such instances the information of how the item was then attached to the assemblage would not be required after the item had been found. This essentially demonstrates that a well formed drawn sketch presented at an opportune moment can provide significant economy of description.

Returning to the discussion of the drawing of multiple objects to aid description of the relative orientation of parts, mention should be made of the role of iterative construction of complex drawings. Such a process is illustrated below:

A B C D

Figure 6.13 Iterative Development of a Complex Drawn Structure

In figure 6.13 the various stages of one Helper‟s attempts to describe a complex figure can be seen. As parts of the assemblage were found and added, the Helper built on their existing

drawn model in the hope that it would express the multitude of complex spatial relationships that were developing among the parts in a more economical or at least clearer fashion than could be expressed verbally. This sequential ordering of pieces to be assembled directly mirrored the instructions that the Helper possessed and was trying to convey. By drawing the items out it allowed the Helper to implicitly describe the relative orientations of several pieces without a) entering into lengthy description of already accomplished orientations and connections or b) gesture toward the assemblage as the Worker held it and was trying to attach pieces. For the Helper, the ability to provide a drawn image allowed them to represent information that they were gleaning from an instruction manual, keeping the visual information in its original orientation. By doing this the effort of translating how spatial relationships were constructed relative to the orientation of the assemblage as it was being held was shifted onto the Worker. They must translate the diagram such that it was relative to what they could see of the model. When hand gestures are used the Helper was required to make this translation themselves as they moved their hands to represent additional parts on the model – moving the hands to align with the model as it was held, or insisting that the Worker move the model to align with the Helper‟s desired view. Clearly for the Helper, it is much easier to directly replicate the information they already have (which is essentially a sketch of how the parts fit together) rather than negotiate a complex manoeuvre with the Worker.

6.4.4 Presenting alpha-numerics

In some instances (although such uses were very infrequent) alpha-numeric characters were incorporated into the sketched environment. Such sketching (using the term somewhat loosely to describe what is essentially writing) was used primarily to annotate more descriptive sketches as they were being produced. Figure 6.14 below demonstrates such an occurrence.

H: It‟s like basically twice th- (.) this end

here (.) is twice as long as that one