Ava Fatah - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Ava Fatah
Proceedings of the 5th ACM International Symposium on Pervasive Displays
In this paper we describe the VisAge project, which explored how a community-based Augmented Real... more In this paper we describe the VisAge project, which explored how a community-based Augmented Reality (AR) system could be used to tell stories and cultural histories about urban environments. Our work focussed on two main themes-user engagement and immersiveness of the experience. To address the first theme, we developed an online portal where anybody could upload digital content and create their own stories using routes through a physical environment. To address the second theme, we developed a flexible, reconfigurable mobile platform to investigate different types and kinds of displays. The performance of the system was assessed in a series of workshops, which have provided insights to inform the development of future systems.
Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Digital smell training solution (hardware and software components) developed by OWidgets and used... more Digital smell training solution (hardware and software components) developed by OWidgets and used as part of the I-smell research project. Photo Credit: OWidgets LtD Right: The smell training solution using the device and dedicated App.
Societies
Development of tourism affected the socio-cultural environment of many destinations. Previous stu... more Development of tourism affected the socio-cultural environment of many destinations. Previous studies have focused more on analyzing the impact of tourism on all three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, environment and socio-cultural); therefore, the present paper examines tourism development’s impact with regard to the socio-cultural benefits that enhance sustainable tourism development. A survey based on a questionnaire was employed in June 2018 in a mountain village in Cluj County, Romania. The collected data were analyzed using principal component analysis, and several statistical tests were conducted. The results indicated that the respondents have a positive attitude towards tourism development and socio-cultural perceived benefits. Older people and those running a business tend to perceive more positively the benefits of tourism development. The findings of the research could contribute to future development strategies, as it is well known that supporting local ...
Proceedings of The International Symposium on Pervasive Displays, 2014
ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe our Research-in-the-Wild driven methodology to tackle a compl... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe our Research-in-the-Wild driven methodology to tackle a complex range of social, technical and interactional issues when implementing networked Urban Screens in London and Nottingham, UK [1]. The diversity of the local communities provides a unique opportunity for the research to examine interactions within the town centres, as well as UK-wide.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2013
To design interfaces which occupy a continuous space of interaction, the conceptual model of an i... more To design interfaces which occupy a continuous space of interaction, the conceptual model of an interface needs to be transferred to a spatial model. To find mappings between conceptual and spatial structure which are natural to people, an experiment is undertaken in which participants organize objects in a semicircle of shelves around their body. It is analyzed how conceptual relationships between objects such as categorial relationships and sequential relationships within task performance are represented in spatial configurations of objects as chosen by the participants. In these configurations, a strong correlation between conceptual and spatial relationships is observed between objects.
Proceedings of the 4th Media Architecture Biennale Conference, 2018
This paper presents the early findings of studies in the role of data informing the interaction b... more This paper presents the early findings of studies in the role of data informing the interaction between the user, public and public display. It focuses on exploring how different strategies amplify and stimulate these datasupported interactions. Building on the work by Tomisch et al (13), we establish a taxonomy for databased features under the category of key elements in urban visualisations: 1) addressed topics, 2) input technologies, and 3) visualisation output. We analyse how these factors facilitate social interactions meaningfully through case studies of previous projects developed and implemented by Media Architecture research community. We suggest that data properties and manifestation play a significant role in 1) sustaining attraction to passers-by 2) enriching public understandings of display, and 3) encouraging diverse participation.
PLOS ONE, 2020
Handheld and wearable devices are becoming ubiquitous in our lives and augmented reality technolo... more Handheld and wearable devices are becoming ubiquitous in our lives and augmented reality technology is stepping out of the laboratory environment and becoming ready to be used by anyone with portable devices. The success of augmented reality applications for pedestrians depends on different factors including a reliable guidance system and preventing risks. We show that different guidance systems can be supplementary to provide directions to a point of interest and offer clues that help the user find the augmented data when they get close to the location they have to visit. We tested the helpfulness of a map with the points of interest, an image preview of the next point of interest to visit, and an arrow showing the direction to it. The results show that the effectiveness of these guidance systems depend on the distance to the point of interest and the accuracy of the data obtained from the Global Positioning System. We also measured the total time that participants spent looking at the screen, as well as the perceived elapsed time as a measurement of real world dissociation. Finally, we discuss preliminary results to minimize the risk of accidents when using augmented reality applications in an outdoor urban environment.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the type of social interactions that can be generated whe... more The purpose of this paper is to explore the type of social interactions that can be generated when a technological platform is introduced in a public environment. Here we present an interactive urban instal- lation, which use a body-input as a form of a non-traditional user interface. Its aim is to enhance novel experiences that can enrich interactions between people nearby, sharing the same space and the same playful atmosphere. The prototype incorporates a grid of lights that dynamically generates patterns according to pedestrian's position over the carpet. The installation was tested in various locations around the city of Bath, UK.
ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 2019
Buildings and urban spaces increasingly incorporate artificial intelligence and new forms of inte... more Buildings and urban spaces increasingly incorporate artificial intelligence and new forms of interactivity, raising a wide span of research questions about the future of human experiences with, and within, built environments. We call this emerging area Human-Building Interaction (HBI) and introduce it as an interdisciplinary domain of research interfacing Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) with Architecture and Urban Design. HBI seeks to examine the involvement of HCI in studying and steering the evolution of built environments. Therefore, we need to ask foundational questions such as the following: what are the specific attributes of built environments that HCI researchers should take into account when shifting attention and scale from “artefacts” to “environments”? Are architecture and interaction design methods and processes compatible? Concretely, how can a team of interaction designers bring their tools to an architectural project, and collaborate with other stakeholders? Can and...
Medical architecture -therapeutic architecture or architecture for salutogenesis as it is also kn... more Medical architecture -therapeutic architecture or architecture for salutogenesis as it is also known-is an interdisciplinary field related to the evidence based, planning and design of healthcare facilities. It has been one of the first fields that addressed evidence based design and over the years becomes more and more inclusive, involving medical professionals, designers, planners, managers, carers as well as patient representatives actively in the decision making and design processes. In this paper, we report on work carried out within the project ‘The social invisibility of mental health facilities: Raising awareness on social exclusion in urban environments through artwork’, involving three schools at UCL, i.e., Architecture, Psychiatry and Fine Art, and describe our approach in using transdisciplinary research methods. Inequality has been reported in medical and healthcare management literature but not connected to building stock. Especially the façades of mental health facili...
To design interfaces which occupy a continuous space of interaction, the conceptual model of an i... more To design interfaces which occupy a continuous space of interaction, the conceptual model of an interface needs to be transferred to a spatial model. To find mappings between conceptual and spatial structure which are natural to people, an experiment is undertaken in which participants organize objects in a semicircle of shelves around their body. It is analyzed how conceptual relationships between objects such as categorial relationships and sequential relationships within task performance are represented in spatial configurations of objects as chosen by the participants. In these configurations, a strong correlation between conceptual and spatial relationships is observed between objects.
This paper reports on work carried out within the module ‘Digital Space & Society as part of the ... more This paper reports on work carried out within the module ‘Digital Space & Society as part of the MSc Adaptive Architecture & Computation course at UCL. I describe my approach in investigating possibilities for integrating digital media and computation into a module taught to students coming predominantly from a design background. The teaching adopts the design studio culture, which integrates: teaching, discovery (research), and application (practice). Here I present an attempt to develop new ways that extend beyond conventionally applied methods within traditional architectural education by adopting project based learning that is carried out in the real world. The project is driven by my recent research activities. Donald Schon’s concept of the ‘knowledge in action’ provides a useful framework for interpreting my approach.
In the last decade, big urban screens have appeared in town squares and on building facades acros... more In the last decade, big urban screens have appeared in town squares and on building facades across the UK. The use of these screens brings new potentials and challenges for city regulators, artists, architects, urban designers, producers, broadcasters and advertisers. Dynamic moving images form new architectural material, affecting our perception and the experience of the space around us. A new form of urban space is emerging that is fundamentally different from what we have known, and it seems that we are ill-equipped to deal with and analyse it. We are just beginning to understand the opportunities for public information, art and community engagement. Most of screens at present serve mainly commercial purposes, they do not broadcast information aimed at sharing community content nor do they support public social interactions. We need to see more negotiation between commercial, public and cultural interests. The SCREAM project addresses these new challenges by looking at the physic...
Proceedings of the 5th ACM International Symposium on Pervasive Displays, 2016
In this paper we describe the VisAge project, which explored how a community-based Augmented Real... more In this paper we describe the VisAge project, which explored how a community-based Augmented Reality (AR) system could be used to tell stories and cultural histories about urban environments. Our work focussed on two main themes --- user engagement and immersiveness of the experience. To address the first theme, we developed an online portal where anybody could upload digital content and create their own stories using routes through a physical environment. To address the second theme, we developed a flexible, reconfigurable mobile platform to investigate different types and kinds of displays. The performance of the system was assessed in a series of workshops, which have provided insights to inform the development of future systems.
Over the past decade, there has been a growing awareness of architectural and spatial design in t... more Over the past decade, there has been a growing awareness of architectural and spatial design in the functioning of museums and the creation of distinctive visitor experiences. This issue has itself become more complex as digital technologies offer new potentials to mediate between museum content and visitors, and in particular technologies which have the capacity to amplify senses and facilitate interactive, whole body, immersive and sensorial experience. The paper will explore for the first time the role of spatial layout in the sensory environments created through digital media in museums. Among the key questions raised are: how are they integrated into the museum itinerary spatially and conceptually? In what kind of spaces are they installed and how do they relate to them? Are they arranged so as to exploit key spatial properties? We investigate these questions initially through the identification and review of existing experimental projects, and then through the in-depth study o...
Performance-oriented design has as a primary aim to introduce spaces that achieve acceptable leve... more Performance-oriented design has as a primary aim to introduce spaces that achieve acceptable levels of human comfort. Wind-induced airflow plays a significant role in the improving occupants' comfort in a building. This paper explores the extent to which simulation of natural airflow can potentially be a contributing parameter in the conception of performance-aware designs. Testing the natural ventilation performance of a pavilion, the study employs Fast Fluid Dynamics simulation. A performance analysis is conducted, whereby an array of automated feedback loops carried out by a genetic algorithm can produce a number of acceptable solutions as regards the optimization of facades' openings. The experimentation conducted proves the ability of the model to yield design instances that fulfill a number of environmental criteria related to airflow and human comfort. In this light, the paper suggests that the aforementioned method can be used as an experimentation platform to influe...
This paper explores the placement of an exemplar digitally connected urban screen, installed in t... more This paper explores the placement of an exemplar digitally connected urban screen, installed in the real world. It describes on-going work of implementation and evaluation of networked interactive screens in Urban Space. Our approach is inherently cross-disciplinary bringing together methods from Architecture, and Interaction Design to integrate placement, local interactivity and distributed connectivity of four screen nodes connecting Nottingham with London. In this paper, we focus on one of our sites in London. Our analysis draws upon the spatial methods used to detect target positions for the screen placement. It is motivated by the assumption that visual and spatial configurations might raise potentials for human interaction with digital screens. We then reflect on how actual pedestrian activity measured by systematic observation techniques corresponds to the spatial measures and may support our assumptions before and after the screen implementation. The methodological tasks wer...
Proceedings of the 5th ACM International Symposium on Pervasive Displays
In this paper we describe the VisAge project, which explored how a community-based Augmented Real... more In this paper we describe the VisAge project, which explored how a community-based Augmented Reality (AR) system could be used to tell stories and cultural histories about urban environments. Our work focussed on two main themes-user engagement and immersiveness of the experience. To address the first theme, we developed an online portal where anybody could upload digital content and create their own stories using routes through a physical environment. To address the second theme, we developed a flexible, reconfigurable mobile platform to investigate different types and kinds of displays. The performance of the system was assessed in a series of workshops, which have provided insights to inform the development of future systems.
Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Digital smell training solution (hardware and software components) developed by OWidgets and used... more Digital smell training solution (hardware and software components) developed by OWidgets and used as part of the I-smell research project. Photo Credit: OWidgets LtD Right: The smell training solution using the device and dedicated App.
Societies
Development of tourism affected the socio-cultural environment of many destinations. Previous stu... more Development of tourism affected the socio-cultural environment of many destinations. Previous studies have focused more on analyzing the impact of tourism on all three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, environment and socio-cultural); therefore, the present paper examines tourism development’s impact with regard to the socio-cultural benefits that enhance sustainable tourism development. A survey based on a questionnaire was employed in June 2018 in a mountain village in Cluj County, Romania. The collected data were analyzed using principal component analysis, and several statistical tests were conducted. The results indicated that the respondents have a positive attitude towards tourism development and socio-cultural perceived benefits. Older people and those running a business tend to perceive more positively the benefits of tourism development. The findings of the research could contribute to future development strategies, as it is well known that supporting local ...
Proceedings of The International Symposium on Pervasive Displays, 2014
ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe our Research-in-the-Wild driven methodology to tackle a compl... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe our Research-in-the-Wild driven methodology to tackle a complex range of social, technical and interactional issues when implementing networked Urban Screens in London and Nottingham, UK [1]. The diversity of the local communities provides a unique opportunity for the research to examine interactions within the town centres, as well as UK-wide.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2013
To design interfaces which occupy a continuous space of interaction, the conceptual model of an i... more To design interfaces which occupy a continuous space of interaction, the conceptual model of an interface needs to be transferred to a spatial model. To find mappings between conceptual and spatial structure which are natural to people, an experiment is undertaken in which participants organize objects in a semicircle of shelves around their body. It is analyzed how conceptual relationships between objects such as categorial relationships and sequential relationships within task performance are represented in spatial configurations of objects as chosen by the participants. In these configurations, a strong correlation between conceptual and spatial relationships is observed between objects.
Proceedings of the 4th Media Architecture Biennale Conference, 2018
This paper presents the early findings of studies in the role of data informing the interaction b... more This paper presents the early findings of studies in the role of data informing the interaction between the user, public and public display. It focuses on exploring how different strategies amplify and stimulate these datasupported interactions. Building on the work by Tomisch et al (13), we establish a taxonomy for databased features under the category of key elements in urban visualisations: 1) addressed topics, 2) input technologies, and 3) visualisation output. We analyse how these factors facilitate social interactions meaningfully through case studies of previous projects developed and implemented by Media Architecture research community. We suggest that data properties and manifestation play a significant role in 1) sustaining attraction to passers-by 2) enriching public understandings of display, and 3) encouraging diverse participation.
PLOS ONE, 2020
Handheld and wearable devices are becoming ubiquitous in our lives and augmented reality technolo... more Handheld and wearable devices are becoming ubiquitous in our lives and augmented reality technology is stepping out of the laboratory environment and becoming ready to be used by anyone with portable devices. The success of augmented reality applications for pedestrians depends on different factors including a reliable guidance system and preventing risks. We show that different guidance systems can be supplementary to provide directions to a point of interest and offer clues that help the user find the augmented data when they get close to the location they have to visit. We tested the helpfulness of a map with the points of interest, an image preview of the next point of interest to visit, and an arrow showing the direction to it. The results show that the effectiveness of these guidance systems depend on the distance to the point of interest and the accuracy of the data obtained from the Global Positioning System. We also measured the total time that participants spent looking at the screen, as well as the perceived elapsed time as a measurement of real world dissociation. Finally, we discuss preliminary results to minimize the risk of accidents when using augmented reality applications in an outdoor urban environment.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the type of social interactions that can be generated whe... more The purpose of this paper is to explore the type of social interactions that can be generated when a technological platform is introduced in a public environment. Here we present an interactive urban instal- lation, which use a body-input as a form of a non-traditional user interface. Its aim is to enhance novel experiences that can enrich interactions between people nearby, sharing the same space and the same playful atmosphere. The prototype incorporates a grid of lights that dynamically generates patterns according to pedestrian's position over the carpet. The installation was tested in various locations around the city of Bath, UK.
ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 2019
Buildings and urban spaces increasingly incorporate artificial intelligence and new forms of inte... more Buildings and urban spaces increasingly incorporate artificial intelligence and new forms of interactivity, raising a wide span of research questions about the future of human experiences with, and within, built environments. We call this emerging area Human-Building Interaction (HBI) and introduce it as an interdisciplinary domain of research interfacing Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) with Architecture and Urban Design. HBI seeks to examine the involvement of HCI in studying and steering the evolution of built environments. Therefore, we need to ask foundational questions such as the following: what are the specific attributes of built environments that HCI researchers should take into account when shifting attention and scale from “artefacts” to “environments”? Are architecture and interaction design methods and processes compatible? Concretely, how can a team of interaction designers bring their tools to an architectural project, and collaborate with other stakeholders? Can and...
Medical architecture -therapeutic architecture or architecture for salutogenesis as it is also kn... more Medical architecture -therapeutic architecture or architecture for salutogenesis as it is also known-is an interdisciplinary field related to the evidence based, planning and design of healthcare facilities. It has been one of the first fields that addressed evidence based design and over the years becomes more and more inclusive, involving medical professionals, designers, planners, managers, carers as well as patient representatives actively in the decision making and design processes. In this paper, we report on work carried out within the project ‘The social invisibility of mental health facilities: Raising awareness on social exclusion in urban environments through artwork’, involving three schools at UCL, i.e., Architecture, Psychiatry and Fine Art, and describe our approach in using transdisciplinary research methods. Inequality has been reported in medical and healthcare management literature but not connected to building stock. Especially the façades of mental health facili...
To design interfaces which occupy a continuous space of interaction, the conceptual model of an i... more To design interfaces which occupy a continuous space of interaction, the conceptual model of an interface needs to be transferred to a spatial model. To find mappings between conceptual and spatial structure which are natural to people, an experiment is undertaken in which participants organize objects in a semicircle of shelves around their body. It is analyzed how conceptual relationships between objects such as categorial relationships and sequential relationships within task performance are represented in spatial configurations of objects as chosen by the participants. In these configurations, a strong correlation between conceptual and spatial relationships is observed between objects.
This paper reports on work carried out within the module ‘Digital Space & Society as part of the ... more This paper reports on work carried out within the module ‘Digital Space & Society as part of the MSc Adaptive Architecture & Computation course at UCL. I describe my approach in investigating possibilities for integrating digital media and computation into a module taught to students coming predominantly from a design background. The teaching adopts the design studio culture, which integrates: teaching, discovery (research), and application (practice). Here I present an attempt to develop new ways that extend beyond conventionally applied methods within traditional architectural education by adopting project based learning that is carried out in the real world. The project is driven by my recent research activities. Donald Schon’s concept of the ‘knowledge in action’ provides a useful framework for interpreting my approach.
In the last decade, big urban screens have appeared in town squares and on building facades acros... more In the last decade, big urban screens have appeared in town squares and on building facades across the UK. The use of these screens brings new potentials and challenges for city regulators, artists, architects, urban designers, producers, broadcasters and advertisers. Dynamic moving images form new architectural material, affecting our perception and the experience of the space around us. A new form of urban space is emerging that is fundamentally different from what we have known, and it seems that we are ill-equipped to deal with and analyse it. We are just beginning to understand the opportunities for public information, art and community engagement. Most of screens at present serve mainly commercial purposes, they do not broadcast information aimed at sharing community content nor do they support public social interactions. We need to see more negotiation between commercial, public and cultural interests. The SCREAM project addresses these new challenges by looking at the physic...
Proceedings of the 5th ACM International Symposium on Pervasive Displays, 2016
In this paper we describe the VisAge project, which explored how a community-based Augmented Real... more In this paper we describe the VisAge project, which explored how a community-based Augmented Reality (AR) system could be used to tell stories and cultural histories about urban environments. Our work focussed on two main themes --- user engagement and immersiveness of the experience. To address the first theme, we developed an online portal where anybody could upload digital content and create their own stories using routes through a physical environment. To address the second theme, we developed a flexible, reconfigurable mobile platform to investigate different types and kinds of displays. The performance of the system was assessed in a series of workshops, which have provided insights to inform the development of future systems.
Over the past decade, there has been a growing awareness of architectural and spatial design in t... more Over the past decade, there has been a growing awareness of architectural and spatial design in the functioning of museums and the creation of distinctive visitor experiences. This issue has itself become more complex as digital technologies offer new potentials to mediate between museum content and visitors, and in particular technologies which have the capacity to amplify senses and facilitate interactive, whole body, immersive and sensorial experience. The paper will explore for the first time the role of spatial layout in the sensory environments created through digital media in museums. Among the key questions raised are: how are they integrated into the museum itinerary spatially and conceptually? In what kind of spaces are they installed and how do they relate to them? Are they arranged so as to exploit key spatial properties? We investigate these questions initially through the identification and review of existing experimental projects, and then through the in-depth study o...
Performance-oriented design has as a primary aim to introduce spaces that achieve acceptable leve... more Performance-oriented design has as a primary aim to introduce spaces that achieve acceptable levels of human comfort. Wind-induced airflow plays a significant role in the improving occupants' comfort in a building. This paper explores the extent to which simulation of natural airflow can potentially be a contributing parameter in the conception of performance-aware designs. Testing the natural ventilation performance of a pavilion, the study employs Fast Fluid Dynamics simulation. A performance analysis is conducted, whereby an array of automated feedback loops carried out by a genetic algorithm can produce a number of acceptable solutions as regards the optimization of facades' openings. The experimentation conducted proves the ability of the model to yield design instances that fulfill a number of environmental criteria related to airflow and human comfort. In this light, the paper suggests that the aforementioned method can be used as an experimentation platform to influe...
This paper explores the placement of an exemplar digitally connected urban screen, installed in t... more This paper explores the placement of an exemplar digitally connected urban screen, installed in the real world. It describes on-going work of implementation and evaluation of networked interactive screens in Urban Space. Our approach is inherently cross-disciplinary bringing together methods from Architecture, and Interaction Design to integrate placement, local interactivity and distributed connectivity of four screen nodes connecting Nottingham with London. In this paper, we focus on one of our sites in London. Our analysis draws upon the spatial methods used to detect target positions for the screen placement. It is motivated by the assumption that visual and spatial configurations might raise potentials for human interaction with digital screens. We then reflect on how actual pedestrian activity measured by systematic observation techniques corresponds to the spatial measures and may support our assumptions before and after the screen implementation. The methodological tasks wer...