Project Title: Cognitive Integration in Design Review Environments

1. Project Title: Cognitive Integration in Design Review Environments PI Nicholas F. Polys, Ph.D. Virginia Tech Thrust Area: Visualization & Virtual Prototyping IRVE-Serve viewpoint sequence Introduction & Background Across engineering domains, designers are faced with large volumes of data that are heterogeneous in nature. It is imperative that next-generation interfaces leverage the strengths of the human operator to create useful and economical tools for analysis and decision-making. In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Cognitive Ergonomics in general, we are seeking to reduce the cognitive distance between the user and the system and increase the information throughput between the user and the system. Visual Analytics refers to this science of facilitating analytical reasoning through interactive visual interfaces [1]. This research program leverages methods from Virtual Environments (VEs), Information Visualization (InfoVis), and the Psychology of Perception to develop ‘Information-Rich Virtual Environments’ (IRVEs) as a solution to the challenges of modern visual analysis. The goal of IRVE interfaces then, is to provide a set of organized, multi-dimensional representations that aid users to quickly form accurate concepts about and mental models of the system they are examining. Recent research in Information-Rich Virtual Environments (IRVEs) has shown that human operators rely on different perceptual cues depending on the nature of their task (e.g. search or comparison) and depending on their task target (e.g. spatial or abstract properties) [2]. These profiles of perceptual salience also change depending on the display venue such as desktop, wall-projection, and immersive systems such as the CAVE [3]. In addition, large-format and high-resolution display technologies (CAVE, Wall, Gigapixel) have shown quantitative benefits for analyzing large heterogeneous data sets with analytic workforce multipliers of up to 27x [4, 5]. • Deliverables & Accomplishments • Visualization Testbed and Interface Adaptation Engine • A software framework for adaptive information-rich renderings based on soft constraints and explicit user feedback • Predictive Model & Design Guidelines • Empirical evidence regarding the interaction of layout and display on information throughput and user performance • 1. A cognitive model of feature integration in design review applications • 2. Interface guidelines for engineering productivity across display venues Paraview Demonstrated ROI for Visualization Interfaces and Venues The display techniques and empirical evaluations undertaken in this research provide the basis for software and interface developers to understand the usability consequences of their design choices and customize their interfaces to various platforms such as single or large screen displays. Specifically, we present a systematic program to understand how fundamental layout properties effect user performance - a methodology to assess, design, and deliver appropriate information layouts per task, data type, and display venue. Visual Nastran Models and Frameworks for Cognitive Integration in Design Review Environments In many systems, dynamic properties are best modeled with their spatial and structural aspects - spatial relationships are important when structure, location, and function are related. Indeed, this is the case in many domains where physical systems are designed, simulated, or analyzed. IRVEs aim to render clear views of such complex systems and this research seeks to understand how best to accomplish that. By casting this research in an applied domain, we can better understand how e-Design and engineering applications can benefit from basic research in visualization technology and perceptual psychology. The advantages of advanced and commodity display venues for the analysis of complex systems have been demonstrated but a coherent model of these effects is still missing. Through a software framework and empirical data collection, we intend to construct a cognitive model that can optimize the human operator’s interface for both accuracy and productivity. Applied Testing of Perceptual Integration and Cognitive Load There is a significant literature on graphic design and human perception. However, historically this research has focused on either abstract information (e.g. InfoVis) or spatial information (e.g. Virtual Environments), not the combination of these information types. With the advent of modern computer graphics, we are able to generate and control integrated visual stimuli to a high degree. Indeed, through recent IRVE research, we have seen the beginnings of a rationale for ‘perceptual design’. However perception of visual information is not just a bottom-up process. Top-down processes such as attention and user expectation also play a significant role. For this reason, we believe it is essential that future research includes: (a) domain experts as participants and (b) established metrics for cognitive load. Consider the following simple example which demonstrates the induced load from poor information representation as chunked by working memory: HEC ATR ANU PTH ETR EET This is the same informational content as: THE CAT RAN UP THE TREE but the latter representation agrees with our expectations as native English speakers and thus is considerably easier to process. Display Techniques The role of perceptual feature binding and Visual Working Memory in comprehension is a fertile area of research that directly impacts information analysis and communication across many fields and domains. This research and the further studies it suggests will advance our understanding of how rich perceptual media may help alleviate human capacity, translation, and retrieval limitations through new techniques of interactive visual rendering. We will test the interaction of depth and gestalt cues in interactive renderings of 3D objects, systems, and their properties. Snap2Diverse (VT CAVE) Display Venues Commodity hardware pricing has made immersive visualization ‘not just for national labs only’. Indeed, the demonstrated power of large-format and high-resolution displays is now feasible for many organizations. The question then becomes: “how do I modify my application interface for the desktop and for other display venues?’ We will test our Display Techniques on desktop platforms as well as large-format platforms with and without stereo, head-tracking, and screen surround. With our predictive model and design guidelines in hand, next-generation IRVE applications can take advantage of various display venues and deliver effective visualization tools to practitioners, researchers, and students. IRVE-Serve mappings for energy flux in a tube Labeling testbed on projection wall Stereo projection wall VT Gigapixel version 1