Exploring tools for interactive visualizations in physical and virtual space - An evaluation study between visualization technologies used in urban planning and development
Date
Type
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Programme
Model builders
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Abstract
Citizen dialogue in urban planning projects does not guarantee a successful process
and can only be considered a valuable instrument if used intentionally, rather than
as a goal in and of itself. The interface between large-scale projects and the citizens
they aim to involve is essential to create a common ground for dialogue, where
factors like structure and design of the interaction are often overlooked.
Present thesis attempts to outline the most significant aspects to consider when
designing interactive visualization interfaces to support citizen dialogue. By adhering
to a compound evaluation process of user experience and cognitive science,
the results are grounded in data while substantiated by relevant factors for human
information processing. Through an iterative design process, two interfaces were
created, Virtual Reality and Projection Mapping, to mediate and facilitate an evaluation
process from which fifteen design guidelines were derived. The study revealed
a number of differences between the technologies, but also between user groups of
citizens and urban planners. The gap between the users’ desires and the experts
knowledge of the optimal conditions of interaction pose a notable challenge to design
for. The significance of this study appear in this discrepancy, where the mismatch
is likely where dialogue continuously fails. Conclusively, the main contribution of
this thesis is the novel outlook on the design of interactive technologies for urban
development through a compound evaluation of data and scientific theory.
Description
Keywords
Urban planning, information visualization, citizen dialogue, virtual reality, projection mapping, cognition, evaluation, design guidelines