title: Using shared displays to support group design; A study of the use of informal user interface designs when learning to program

authors: Plimmer, Beryl

abstract: Hand-drawn sketches have traditionally been used to depict design ideas because they are quick to draw and can include as much or little detail as is required to convey the essence of the ideas. Computer tools are now an alternative and offer advantages for editing, storing and transmitting designs. However, designers consistently reject using current computer tools because these tools interrupt the creative process. Various studies have supported the designer's position, consistently showing that traditional tools produce more and better design ideas. 

This thesis describes the development and evaluation of a design-friendly computer tool that focuses specifically on the needs of the novice programmer who is designing user interfaces. From an extensive review of the literature on design, learning to programming and previous sketch tools we extracted the specifications for a tool that: compares favourably as a design medium with traditional tools such as the pen, paper and whiteboards, provides the editing and storage support expected of computer tools, helps students to gain a better understanding of programming problems and integrates seamlessly into a program development environment.

Freeform, the tool we have developed to these specifications, has had two iterations of development and usability testing. This tool is unique in that it: is integrated into a commercial program development environment, uses a digital whiteboard for interaction and includes character recognition. Using Freeform, students can both quickly hand-draw user interface designs and interact with the design while it is still rendered as a sketch. When satisfied with the design the student invokes the recognition engine. The sketch is then overlaid with recognition data. Any incorrect interpretations can be altered by the student. The student can then instruct Freeform to create the formal user interface in the program development environment. The translation of sketch glyphs to user interface widgets is achieved by parsing the sketch and recognition data with transformation rules. 

We have conducted two evaluation studies using Freeform. The first study directly compared Freeform to a traditional alternative. We found that, although the design quality was similar, the students believed that when they were using Freeform they both understood the problem better and enjoyed the experience more. We noted during this study that the interactive checking available in Freeform prompted more changes to the designs than the static checking done on a standard whiteboard. In the second study, we asked students to check designs rendered as both sketches in Freeform and as formal diagrams in a user interface builder. The students made significantly more revisions to the Freeform sketches and therefore produced better designs from Freeform. 

The usability tests and evaluation studies we have conducted suggest that computer-based low-fidelity design tools: can compete favourably with traditional tools as a design medium, offer better support for editing and storage, and may have advantages for checking over both traditional sketch mediums and formal interactive computer designs.

text: Using shared displays to support group design; A study of the use of informal user interface designs when learning to program Hand-drawn sketches have traditionally been used to depict design ideas because they are quick to draw and can include as much or little detail as is required to convey the essence of the ideas. Computer tools are now an alternative and offer advantages for editing, storing and transmitting designs. However, designers consistently reject using current computer tools because these tools interrupt the creative process. Various studies have supported the designer's position, consistently showing that traditional tools produce more and better design ideas. 

This thesis describes the development and evaluation of a design-friendly computer tool that focuses specifically on the needs of the novice programmer who is designing user interfaces. From an extensive review of the literature on design, learning to programming and previous sketch tools we extracted the specifications for a tool that: compares favourably as a design medium with traditional tools such as the pen, paper and whiteboards, provides the editing and storage support expected of computer tools, helps students to gain a better understanding of programming problems and integrates seamlessly into a program development environment.

Freeform, the tool we have developed to these specifications, has had two iterations of development and usability testing. This tool is unique in that it: is integrated into a commercial program development environment, uses a digital whiteboard for interaction and includes character recognition. Using Freeform, students can both quickly hand-draw user interface designs and interact with the design while it is still rendered as a sketch. When satisfied with the design the student invokes the recognition engine. The sketch is then overlaid with recognition data. Any incorrect interpretations can be altered by the student. The student can then instruct Freeform to create the formal user interface in the program development environment. The translation of sketch glyphs to user interface widgets is achieved by parsing the sketch and recognition data with transformation rules. 

We have conducted two evaluation studies using Freeform. The first study directly compared Freeform to a traditional alternative. We found that, although the design quality was similar, the students believed that when they were using Freeform they both understood the problem better and enjoyed the experience more. We noted during this study that the interactive checking available in Freeform prompted more changes to the designs than the static checking done on a standard whiteboard. In the second study, we asked students to check designs rendered as both sketches in Freeform and as formal diagrams in a user interface builder. The students made significantly more revisions to the Freeform sketches and therefore produced better designs from Freeform. 

The usability tests and evaluation studies we have conducted suggest that computer-based low-fidelity design tools: can compete favourably with traditional tools as a design medium, offer better support for editing and storage, and may have advantages for checking over both traditional sketch mediums and formal interactive computer designs.

year: 2004

title: The dependence of enzyme activity on temperature: determination and validation of parameters

authors: Peterson, Michelle E.

subjects: enzyme activity

abstract: Traditionally, the dependence of enzyme activity on temperature has been described by a model consisting of two processes: the catalytic reaction defined by DGDaggercat, and irreversible inactivation defined by DGDaggerinact. However, such a model does not account for the observed temperature-dependent behaviour of enzymes, and a new model has been developed and validated. This model (the Equilibrium Model) describes a new mechanism by which enzymes lose activity at high temperatures, by including an inactive form of the enzyme (Einact) that is in reversible equilibrium with the active form (Eact); it is the inactive form that undergoes irreversible thermal inactivation to the thermally denatured state. This equilibrium is described by an equilibrium constant whose temperature-dependence is characterized in terms of the enthalpy of the equilibrium, DHeq, and a new thermal parameter, Teq, which is the temperature at which the concentrations of Eact and Einact are equal; Teq may therefore be regarded as the thermal equivalent of Km. Characterization of an enzyme with respect to its temperature-dependent behaviour must therefore include a determination of these intrinsic properties. The Equilibrium Model has major implications for enzymology, biotechnology and understanding the evolution of enzymes. The present study presents a new direct data-fitting method based on fitting progress curves directly to the Equilibrium Model, and assesses the robustness of this procedure and the effect of assay data on the accurate determination of Teq and its associated parameters. It also describes simpler experimental methods for their determination than have been previously available, including those required for the application of the Equilibrium Model to non-ideal enzyme reactions.

text: The dependence of enzyme activity on temperature: determination and validation of parameters Traditionally, the dependence of enzyme activity on temperature has been described by a model consisting of two processes: the catalytic reaction defined by DGDaggercat, and irreversible inactivation defined by DGDaggerinact. However, such a model does not account for the observed temperature-dependent behaviour of enzymes, and a new model has been developed and validated. This model (the Equilibrium Model) describes a new mechanism by which enzymes lose activity at high temperatures, by including an inactive form of the enzyme (Einact) that is in reversible equilibrium with the active form (Eact); it is the inactive form that undergoes irreversible thermal inactivation to the thermally denatured state. This equilibrium is described by an equilibrium constant whose temperature-dependence is characterized in terms of the enthalpy of the equilibrium, DHeq, and a new thermal parameter, Teq, which is the temperature at which the concentrations of Eact and Einact are equal; Teq may therefore be regarded as the thermal equivalent of Km. Characterization of an enzyme with respect to its temperature-dependent behaviour must therefore include a determination of these intrinsic properties. The Equilibrium Model has major implications for enzymology, biotechnology and understanding the evolution of enzymes. The present study presents a new direct data-fitting method based on fitting progress curves directly to the Equilibrium Model, and assesses the robustness of this procedure and the effect of assay data on the accurate determination of Teq and its associated parameters. It also describes simpler experimental methods for their determination than have been previously available, including those required for the application of the Equilibrium Model to non-ideal enzyme reactions.

year: 2007

title: Kāinga tahi, kāinga rua: A kaupapa Māori response of Te Puea Memorial Marae.

authors: Lee-Morgan, Jenny Bol Jun

abstract: In the winter of 2016, Te Puea Memorial Marae (TPMM) initiated a kaupapa Māori marae-led response, opening their doors to vulnerable whānau seeking emergency housing. Following in the legacy of Te Puea Herangi,¹ the marae answered the call of homeless whānau in Auckland and in doing so disrupted the dominant Auckland housing narrative where the government had until that time refused to acknowledge homelessness as a serious issue. In the full view of the media, TPMM not only made the reality of homelessness visible by caring for 181 people (of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds), but named the housing situation in Auckland as a ‘crisis’. ²

text: Kāinga tahi, kāinga rua: A kaupapa Māori response of Te Puea Memorial Marae. In the winter of 2016, Te Puea Memorial Marae (TPMM) initiated a kaupapa Māori marae-led response, opening their doors to vulnerable whānau seeking emergency housing. Following in the legacy of Te Puea Herangi,¹ the marae answered the call of homeless whānau in Auckland and in doing so disrupted the dominant Auckland housing narrative where the government had until that time refused to acknowledge homelessness as a serious issue. In the full view of the media, TPMM not only made the reality of homelessness visible by caring for 181 people (of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds), but named the housing situation in Auckland as a ‘crisis’. ²

year: 2017