Ebook: Seeing Between the Pixels: Pictures in Interactive Systems

Pictures are at the heart of how we communicate with computers, emblematic of our cur­ rent fascination with multimedia and web-based computing. Nevertheless, most of us know far less about pictures and the way in which they work than we know about the text that often accompanies them. In an attempt to understand pictures, perhaps the most fundamental question we can ask is, "What is a picture?" What is it that objects as di­ verse as icons, bar charts, paintings, and photographs have in common that makes us refer to all of them as pictures? And what is it about pictures that convinces us to use them instead of, or in addition to, text? We often talk about how pictures "depict" things. But, even the process of depiction seems to differ from one picture to another. On a computer, we may use a paint system to guide a virtual brush over the screen, a video camera to capture a live image, a spread­ sheet to automatically generate a corresponding bar chart, or a rendering system that models the interactions of synthetic lights, objects, and cameras. Is there some un­ derlying property that these processes all share? Computer scientists are used to thinking of pictures in terms of their representation: an array of pixels, a list or hierarchy of graphics primitives, or even a program written in a language such as PostScript.

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This practical and informative book gives a detailed analysis of how pictures can be used in computer systems to convey information to users. A major concern is to highlight the relationship between pictures and linguistic representations of information. The authors define a new classification for pictures that focuses on the tasks users carry out with the help of images on computer screens, and present a model for analyzing and influencing the flow of information via pictures. Numerous examples are given to illustrate the ideas presented. For specialists in computer science, the book bridges the gap between computer graphics and human-computer interaction, while for general readers, it offers a wealth of insights and practical advice on how to use pictures as a medium of communication.

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This practical and informative book gives a detailed analysis of how pictures can be used in computer systems to convey information to users. A major concern is to highlight the relationship between pictures and linguistic representations of information. The authors define a new classification for pictures that focuses on the tasks users carry out with the help of images on computer screens, and present a model for analyzing and influencing the flow of information via pictures. Numerous examples are given to illustrate the ideas presented. For specialists in computer science, the book bridges the gap between computer graphics and human-computer interaction, while for general readers, it offers a wealth of insights and practical advice on how to use pictures as a medium of communication.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XIX
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Introduction....Pages 3-21
Front Matter....Pages 23-23
Pictures in Computer Systems....Pages 25-42
Classification of Pictures....Pages 43-62
Picture Processing by Humans....Pages 63-79
Information Flow During Human-Computer Interaction....Pages 81-98
Front Matter....Pages 99-99
Abstract-Graphical Pictures and Some Applications....Pages 101-111
Analysis of Abstract-Graphical Pictures....Pages 113-125
Users’ Analysis and Criticism of Abstract-Graphical Pictures....Pages 127-146
Viewpoint Descriptions....Pages 147-170
Front Matter....Pages 171-171
The Nature of Pictograms and Their Use....Pages 173-190
Pictograms as Words....Pages 191-203
Pictograms as Pictures....Pages 205-213
Formal Representations and Informal Presentations....Pages 215-224
Front Matter....Pages 225-225
Image Generation....Pages 227-247
Alternative Rendering of Images....Pages 249-280
Tactile Computer Graphics....Pages 281-293
Immersive Systems....Pages 295-317
Front Matter....Pages 319-319
Pictures and Language....Pages 321-335
Quo vadis?....Pages 337-343
Back Matter....Pages 345-380

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This practical and informative book gives a detailed analysis of how pictures can be used in computer systems to convey information to users. A major concern is to highlight the relationship between pictures and linguistic representations of information. The authors define a new classification for pictures that focuses on the tasks users carry out with the help of images on computer screens, and present a model for analyzing and influencing the flow of information via pictures. Numerous examples are given to illustrate the ideas presented. For specialists in computer science, the book bridges the gap between computer graphics and human-computer interaction, while for general readers, it offers a wealth of insights and practical advice on how to use pictures as a medium of communication.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XIX
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Introduction....Pages 3-21
Front Matter....Pages 23-23
Pictures in Computer Systems....Pages 25-42
Classification of Pictures....Pages 43-62
Picture Processing by Humans....Pages 63-79
Information Flow During Human-Computer Interaction....Pages 81-98
Front Matter....Pages 99-99
Abstract-Graphical Pictures and Some Applications....Pages 101-111
Analysis of Abstract-Graphical Pictures....Pages 113-125
Users’ Analysis and Criticism of Abstract-Graphical Pictures....Pages 127-146
Viewpoint Descriptions....Pages 147-170
Front Matter....Pages 171-171
The Nature of Pictograms and Their Use....Pages 173-190
Pictograms as Words....Pages 191-203
Pictograms as Pictures....Pages 205-213
Formal Representations and Informal Presentations....Pages 215-224
Front Matter....Pages 225-225
Image Generation....Pages 227-247
Alternative Rendering of Images....Pages 249-280
Tactile Computer Graphics....Pages 281-293
Immersive Systems....Pages 295-317
Front Matter....Pages 319-319
Pictures and Language....Pages 321-335
Quo vadis?....Pages 337-343
Back Matter....Pages 345-380
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