Dan Diaper
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"D. Diaper"
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Publications by Dan Diaper (bibliography)
» 2008 «
Diaper, Dan and Lindgaard, Gitte (2008): West meets East: Adapting Activity Theory for HCI & CSCW applications?. In Interacting with Computers, 20 (2) pp. 240-246
“This is the introduction to a set of seven commentary papers. Activity Theory, with its roots in Soviet Communist society, is introduced and the relevant, critical concept of a three level hierarchy of human activity is summarised, along with a key proposal that for Western HCI and CSCW applications the utility of this hierarchy would be improved by the introduction of a new, intermediate level, called either 'working spheres' or 'engagements'. A thumbnail sketch of each commentary paper is then provided. Analysis of these papers reveals a set of five 'convergences', ideas and conclusions that occur in at least two of the papers. This introduction concludes that while the problems of migrating and adapting Activity Theory to Western HCI and CSCW applications are here made visible, very similar issues arise when attempts are made using linguistically and culturally closer theories, methods and practices.”
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Diaper, Dan (2008): Reactionary reactions to altering activity theory. In Interacting with Computers, 20 (2) pp. 260-266
“The proposal of [González, V., 2006. The nature of managing multiple activities in the workplace. Doctoral dissertation in Information and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine], that an intermediate level of analysis is desirable when applying traditional activity theory in practical human-computer interaction and computer supported cooperative work applications, is examined with respect to its teleological and methodological adequacy. The specification of his new level and its relationship to its adjacent lower level one is analysed. First, it is suggested that if one new level can be added to an activity theory analysis, then there seems no reason not to add more levels if required in a project. Second, it is disputed that teleological entities, goals, can be aggregated to higher level ones, purposes. Third, the utility of activity theory's traditional emphasis on individual and collective consciousness is questioned. Fourth, some of the example data provided is analysed with respect to the claims concerning its support for the new level of analysis. Fifth, the distinction between analysts' versus stakeholders' models of a system of interest is discussed.”
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» 2006 «
Diaper, Dan and Sanger, Colston (2006): Tasks for and tasks in human-computer interaction. In Interacting with Computers, 18 (1) pp. 117-138
“It is argued that the engineering discipline of human-computer interaction (HCI) has developed over the last couple of decades in an ad hoc manner, driven by the need to solve real problems, rather than being informed by high level, general theories of the discipline. A retrospective role for general HCI theories is suggested. A start at such a general theory, which must be simple and able to encompass all the discipline of HCI's activities, is proposed, based on the concept of tasks. Tasks are characterised as the means by which work is performed. A general systems modelling approach is introduced which divides the assumed world it models into work systems and the application domains that are changed by work performance. The role of different work systems, defined by their differing boundaries and goals, to define different subtasks is introduced and illustrated with a number of simple examples.”
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» 2003 «
Diaper, Dan and Worman, L. (2003): Two Falls out of Three in the Automated Accessibility Assessment of World Wide Web Sites: A-Prompt vs. Bobby. In: Proceedings of the HCI03 Conference on People and Computers XVII 2003. pp. 349-364.
Diaper, Dan and Stanton, Neville (2003): The Handbook of Task Analysis for HCI. Hillsdale, New Jersey, USA, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
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» 2002 «
Diaper, Dan (2002): Scenarios and task analysis. In Interacting with Computers, 14 (4) pp. 379-395
“A Critical Review of Carroll's book on scenario-based design is offered [Making Use: Scenario-Based Design of Human-Computer Interactions (2000)]. Carroll characterises scenarios as 'stories about use'. The paper demonstrates that Carroll's proposals about scenarios and their use in software engineering can be fitted into the broader framework of task analysis in Human-Computer Interaction.”
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Diaper, Dan (2002): Task scenarios and thought. In Interacting with Computers, 14 (5) pp. 629-638
“The position that scenarios are low fidelity task simulations and can be understood from a broadly defined, performance based perspective of task analysis is one that is defended. It is argued that scenarios used for engineering purposes are impoverished in comparison with the sort of properties enjoyed by good stories and that the metaphor of scenarios as stories is one of limited utility. A general psychological theory that thought can be described as envisioned scenarios is espoused and that this will be generally useful to non-psychologists and facilitate the understanding of the limitations of scenarios as used for the purposes of scenario-based design.”
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» 2001 «
Diaper, Dan (2001): Task analysis for knowledge descriptions (TAKD): a requiem for a method. In Behaviour and Information Technology, 20 (3) pp. 199-212
“The primary purpose of this paper is to stop people using the Task Analysis for Knowledge Descriptions (TAKD) method. Secondly, by describing the history of TAKD's development and demise over nearly two decades, it allows lessons to be learned that may be relevant to existing methods and to those being developed. Both the adequacy of TAKD as a product and its delivery to HCI and software engineering practitioners is examined, and TAKD's failure on both these aspects is described. The value of developing software tools to support analysts is emphasised and illustrated by the development of the LUTAKD toolkit. It is argued that it is essential for task analysis to be able to model software if it is to be used as part of a software requirements and design specification process.”
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» 2000 «
Diaper, Dan and Waelend, P. (2000): World Wide Web Working whilst Ignoring Graphics: Good News for Web Page Designers. In Interacting with Computers, 13 (2) pp. 163-181
“Many web pages are made up of blocks of text with surrounding graphics. In some cases these graphics are animated in a variety of different ways. A common task of web users is to search the text on a web page for some information of interest and, often, this is what such pages' designers expect. Where information extraction from text is likely to be the primary concern of both web users and designers, then it is useful to know if typical, current examples of surrounding graphics, animated or static, distract people from their primary information extraction task. An experiment using realistic web pages supports the view that experienced web users are not distracted by surrounding graphics. This is good news for web page designers because such graphics are often considered highly desirable, and are sometimes commercially essential as paid advertising. Data on the time it takes to search for information on web pages and their perceived complexity are also presented.”
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Diaper, Dan (2000): Hardening Soft Systems Conceptual Modelling. In: Proceedings of the HCI00 Conference on People and Computers XIV 2000. pp. 183-204.
» 1997 «
Diaper, Dan (1997): Integrating HCI and Software Engineering Requirements Analysis: A Demonstration of Task Analysis Supporting Entity Modeling. In ACM SIGCHI Bulletin, 29 (1) pp. 41-50
“Illustrated within the context of SSADM, a demonstration is described that shows how the task analysis method TAKD can support requirements analysis by improving entity modeling. Entity Life History Matrices are generated directly from TAKD, thus demonstrating one form of method integration. TAKD is shown to be able to support Entity Life History modeling, at a minimum, as a QA process to test the validity of Entity Life Histories.”
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» 1996 «
Diaper, Dan (1996): A Goal Satisfied: Rapid Journal Publication. In Interacting with Computers, 8 (1) pp. 3-6
» 1995 «
Diaper, Dan and Sahithi, P. S. (1995): Red Faces over User Interfaces: What should Colour be used For?. In: Kirby, M. A. R., Dix, Alan J. and Finlay, Janet E. (eds.) Proceedings of the Tenth Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers X August, 1995, Huddersfield, UK. pp. 425-435.
“One meaning of to have a red face in vernacular English is to be embarrassed. This paper's message is ultimately a simple one and one that those in HCI should be red faced about. This paper proposes that User Interface (UI) designers have inadequately used many available UI display features. Far more, potentially useful information could be conveyed to users by the consistent use of UI features such as spatial location, motion, apparent depth, and colour. Due only to a shortage of space, this paper will use colour as an example, under exploited UI feature. It is concluded that both HCI knowledge and UID (UI Design) practice are inadequate at present with respect to the use of colour in UIs. An example high-level software design is offered to demonstrate one appropriate style of solution.”
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» 1993 «
Alty, James L., Diaper, Dan and Guest, D. (eds.) Proceedings of the Eighth Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers VIII August 7-10, 1993, Loughborough University, UK.
» 1992 «
Monk, Andrew, Diaper, Dan and Harrison, Michael D. (eds.) Proceedings of the Seventh Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers VII August 15-18, 1992, University of York, UK.
Diaper, Dan and Addison, Mark (1992): HCI: The Search for Solutions. In: Monk, Andrew, Diaper, Dan and Harrison, Michael D. (eds.) Proceedings of the Seventh Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers VII August 15-18, 1992, University of York, UK. pp. 493-495.
Diaper, Dan and Addison, Mark (1992): Task Analysis and Systems Analysis for Software Development. In Interacting with Computers, 4 (1) pp. 124-139
“The paper offers a commentary on Benyon (1992). It questions the absence of a role for task analysis in the early stages of system development and attempts to refute many of Benyon's assumptions and criticisms concerning task analysis methods, at least by showing that his criticisms do not apply to all of them. The commentary also questions Benyon's systems analysis model for software development and suggests that it is unrealistic.”
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» 1991 «
Diaper, Dan and Hammond, Nick (eds.) Proceedings of the Sixth Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers VI August 20-23, 1991, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK.
Diaper, Dan (1991): Giving Referees Their Head. In: Diaper, Dan and Hammond, Nick (eds.) Proceedings of the Sixth Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers VI August 20-23, 1991, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK. pp. 3-7.
Diaper, Dan and Addison, Mark (1991): User Modelling: The Task Oriented Modelling (TOM) Approach to the Designer's Model. In: Diaper, Dan and Hammond, Nick (eds.) Proceedings of the Sixth Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers VI August 20-23, 1991, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK. pp. 387-402.
“User models as psychological models useful to HCI practitioners and system designers are discussed and a form of designer's user model based on logical, as opposed to psychological, behaviourism is proposed. A small survey of recently published work on user models suggests that many models have a weak empirical basis.”
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» 1990 «
Diaper, Dan, Gilmore, David J., Cockton, Gilbert and Shackel, Brian (eds.) INTERACT 90 - 3rd IFIP International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction August 27-31, 1990, Cambridge, UK.
Diaper, Dan (1990): Analysing Focused Interview Data with Task Analysis for Knowledge Description (TAKD). In: Diaper, Dan, Gilmore, David J., Cockton, Gilbert and Shackel, Brian (eds.) INTERACT 90 - 3rd IFIP International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction August 27-31, 1990, Cambridge, UK. pp. 277-282.
“While Task Analysis for Knowledge Descriptions (TAKD) is now a reasonably well established task analysis method, its use to date, in the published literature, has been principally concerned with the analysis of observational data from task performance exercises. The paper describes the use, in an industrial context, of TAKD to organise data from interviews, albeit where there was a focus on the interviewees' tasks and subtasks.”
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» 1989 «
Diaper, Dan (1989): Task Analysis for Human-Computer Interaction. Chichester, UK, Ellis Horwood
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Diaper, Dan (1989): Giving HCI Away. In: Sutcliffe, Alistair and Macauley, Linda (eds.) Proceedings of the Fifth Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers V August 5-8, 1989, University of Nottingham, UK. pp. 109-117.
“This discussion paper briefly outlines the current state of HCI with respect to its two major contributory disciplines of psychology and computer science. It is claimed that as an engineering discipline, HCI must make its products available to its industrial and commercial customers in a form that supports their requirements. HCI methods are identified as the primary product of HCI and it is suggested that wherever possible such methods are supported by software tools. The need for education and training in HCI is discussed.”
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Diaper, Dan (1989): The Wizard's Apprentice: A Program to Help Analyse Natural Language Dialogues. In: Sutcliffe, Alistair and Macauley, Linda (eds.) Proceedings of the Fifth Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers V August 5-8, 1989, University of Nottingham, UK. pp. 231-243.
“The Wizard's Apprentice is a computer program designed to aid a person analysing natural language dialogues recorded between a user and an expert system. Such dialogues have previously been collected by simulating an advisory expert system using the 'Wizard of Oz' simulation technique. The background rationale to the Wizard's Apprentice is outlined and its utility is described with particular reference to its architecture and the possible architecture of an intelligent interface for expert systems. The implementation of a version of a Wizard's Apprentice program is described.”
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Diaper, Dan (1989): The Discipline of HCI. In Interacting with Computers, 1 (1) pp. 3-5
Barlow, Judith, Rada, Roy and Diaper, Dan (1989): Interacting WITH Computers. In Interacting with Computers, 1 (1) pp. 39-42
“In contrast with the claims of Bench-Capon and McEnery (1989), this paper argues that users of computer systems will find it more profitable to model the computer system than to model its programmers. However, Bench-Capon and McEnery's views about the limitations of natural language for interacting with computers are supported.”
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» 1987 «
Diaper, Dan (1987): Satisfying Goals: An Introduction to People and Computers III. In: Carroll, John M. and Tanner, Peter P. (eds.) Proceedings of the ACM CHI 87 Human Factors in Computing Systems Conference April 5-9, 1987, Toronto, Canada. pp. 1-8.
“This paper introduces the HCI'87 conference proceedings (People and Computers III) with respect to the goals of the conference. The relationship between these goals and how the proceedings, in part, satisfies them is exposed. Such an examination is possible because of the goal directed design method employed for the construction of the conference programme.”
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Diaper, Dan and Winder, Russel (eds.) Proceedings of the Third Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers III August 7-11, 1987, University of Exeter, UK.
Diaper, Dan (1987): Satisfying Goals: An Introduction to People and Computers III. In: Diaper, Dan and Winder, Russel (eds.) Proceedings of the Third Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers III August 7-11, 1987, University of Exeter, UK. pp. 1-8.
“This paper introduces the HCI'87 conference proceedings (People and Computers III) with respect to the goals of the conference. The relationship between these goals and how the proceedings, in part, satisfies them is exposed. Such an examination is possible because of the goal directed design method employed for the construction of the conference programme.”
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» 1986 «
Diaper, Dan (1986): Identifying the Knowledge Requirements of an Expert System's Natural Language Processing Interface. In: Harrison, Michael D. and Monk, Andrew (eds.) Proceedings of the Second Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers II August 23-26, 1986, University of York, UK. pp. 263-280.
“It is now a common belief that expert systems will require an intelligent interface to facilitate the dialogue between such systems and their users. The desirable properties of intelligent interfaces are currently unknown. A methodology has been developed that simulates a future expert system that possesses a powerful intelligent interface. Dialogues have been collected between this simulated system and users and are analysed in terms of the knowledge that the interface requires to support the dialogues. A procedural specification of these knowledge requirements is offered.”
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» 1984 «
Johnson, Peter, Diaper, Dan and Long, John (1984): Tasks, Skills and Knowledge: Task Analysis for Knowledge Based Descriptions. In: Shackel, Brian (ed.) INTERACT 84 - 1st IFIP International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction September 4-7, 1984, London, UK. pp. 499-503.
“A method for deriving descriptions of knowledge from tasks is described. Knowledge descriptions constitute the basis of a syllabus specifying the training requirements of Information Technology (IT). Task analysis for Knowledge Descriptions (TAKD) is a method which is first used to generate descriptions of tasks, and then to reexpress the descriptions in terms of knowledge. The resulting knowledge descriptions consist of action/object pairs that when combined represent the knowledge content of tasks. The potential application of TAKD to other design problems is discussed and in particular to the design of the Human-Computer Interface and Intelligent Knowledge Based Systems.”
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Diaper, Dan (1984): An Approach to IKBS Development Based on a Review of "Conceptual Structures: Information Processing in Mind and Machine. In Behaviour and Information Technology, 3 (3) pp. 249-255
“A critical commentary is offered on the nature and development of IKBSs. The commentary was prompted by a review of Sowa's book which is also presented. The book is used to introduce many of the relevant issues. Sowa concentrates on the architecture of IKBSs, however, this commentary argues that the social and psychological impact of these systems will increasingly be determined by IKBSs' abilities and functions. Furthermore, a distinction is made between an IKBS itself and its interface with the human user.”
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Mar 16th, 2010
Changes to this page (author)
13 Feb 2010: Enabled abstracts to be shown on Dan Diaper's author page.05 Jun 2009: Author was edited 05 Jun 2009: Author was edited
13 Feb 2008: Author was added to the bibliography (approved by an editor)
26 Jul 2007: Author was edited
26 Jul 2007: Author was added to the bibliography
27 Jun 2007: Author was edited
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28 Apr 2003: Added the author to the bibliography
