Description

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A representation is a thing that can be interpreted as providing information about something: a map, or a graph, for example. This book is about the expanding world of computational representations, representations that use the power of computation to provide information in new forms, and in new ways. Unlike printed maps or graphs, computational representations can be dynamic, and even interactive, so that what is represented, and how, can be shaped by user actions. Exploring these new possibilities can be guided by an emerging theory of representation, that clarifies what characteristics representations must have to express the meaning being represented, and to enable users to discern that meaning easily and accurately. The theory also shows the way to inclusive design, for example using sounds to represent information commonly presented visually, so that people who cannot see can understand what is being presented. Because representations must be shaped by the abilities of their users, and by the nature of the meanings they convey, creating them requires perspectives from multiple disciplines, including psychology, as well as computer science, and the sciences appropriate to the content being expressed. The book presents a series of explorations of this large and complicated space, as invitations to further study, and to innovation.

About the Author

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Clayton Lewis is a Professor of Computer Science and Fellow of the Institute of Cognitive Science, at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he has been based since 1984. He is well known for his research on evaluation methods in user interface design. Two methods to which he and his colleagues have contributed (the thinking aloud method and the cognitive walk-through) are in regular use in software development organizations around the world. He has also contributed to cognitive assistive technology, to programming language design, to educational technology, and to cognitive theory in causal attribution and learning. He was named University of Colorado Presidents Teaching Scholar in 1989, a life title signifying the Universitys highest award for teaching. In Spring 2017 he was a fellow at the Hanse-Wissenschafts-kolleg in Delmenhort, Germany. Lewis earned an AB in mathematics from Princeton University, an MS from MIT, for interdisciplinary study in mathematics and linguistics, anda Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in experimental psychology. He was elected to the ACM CHI Academy in 2009, recognizing his contributions to the field of human-computer interaction. In 2011, he was further recognized by the ACM CHI Social Impact Award for his work on technology for people with cognitive, language, and learning disabilities.