Publication statistics
Pub. period:1997-2010
Pub. count:17
Number of co-authors:15
Co-authors
Number of publications with 3 favourite co-authors:
Stephen A. Brewster:4Beryl Plimmer:3Lorna M. Brown:3 Productive colleagues
Helen C. Purchase's 3 most productive colleagues in number of publications:
Stephen A. Brewste..:108Beryl Plimmer:41Stephen Brewster:20
“
Knowledge is commonly socially constructed, through collaborative efforts towards shared objectives or by dialogues and challenges brought about by different persons' perspectives.
”
-- G. Salomon (in "Distributed Cognitions: Psychological and Educational Considerations")
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Helen C. Purchase
Has also published under the name of:
"Helen Purchase"
Publications by Helen C. Purchase (bibliography)
Salimun, Carolyn, Purchase, Helen C., Simmons, David R. and Brewster, Stephen A. (2010): The effect of aesthetically pleasing composition on visual search performance. In: Proceedings of the Sixth Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction 2010. pp. 422-431.
“This paper presents the results of a study on the effect of the aesthetic layout properties of a computer interface on visual search performance. Search performance was measured at three levels of layout aesthetics: high, medium, and low. Two types of performance metric were recorded: response time and number of errors. Performance at the three levels of aesthetics was also compared between two search methods (with or without mouse pointing), and related to preference. The findings of the present study indicate that, regardless of search method used, response time (but not errors) was strongly affected by the aesthetics level. There is also a clear relationship between preference and performance when a composite measurement of aesthetics is used, although this does not seem to be due to the influence of individual aesthetic features. Further study is needed to identify other aesthetic factors that influence task performance, and to establish appropriate design guidelines.”
© All rights reserved Salimun et al. and/or their publisher
Purchase, Helen C., Plimmer, Beryl, Baker, Rosemary and Pilcher, Christopher (2010): Graph drawing aesthetics in user-sketched graph layouts. In: Proceedings of AUIC10, Australasian User Interface Conference 2010. pp. 80-88.
“Empirical work on appropriate layout aesthetics for graph drawing algorithms has concentrated on the interpretation of existing graph drawings. A more recent experiment has considered layout aesthetics from the point of view of users moving nodes in an existing graph drawing so as to create a desirable layout. The project reported here extends this research further, by asking participants to use sketching software to draw graphs based on adjacency lists, and to then lay them out -- removing any bias caused by an initial configuration. We find, in common with many other studies, that removing edge crossings is the most significant aesthetic, but also discover that aligning nodes and edges to an underlying grid is important, especially to male participants who have Computer Science experience. We observe that the aesthetics favoured by participants during creation of a graph drawing are often not evident in the final product.”
© All rights reserved Purchase et al. and/or Australian Computer Society
Purchase, Helen C., Plimmer, Beryl, Baker, Rosemary and Pilcher, Christopher (2010): Graph drawing aesthetics in user-sketched graph layouts. In: Proceedings of AUIC10, Australasian User Interface Conference 2010. pp. 80-88.
“Empirical work on appropriate layout aesthetics for graph drawing algorithms has concentrated on the interpretation of existing graph drawings. A more recent experiment has considered layout aesthetics from the point of view of users moving nodes in an existing graph drawing so as to create a desirable layout. The project reported here extends this research further, by asking participants to use sketching software to draw graphs based on adjacency lists, and to then lay them out -- removing any bias caused by an initial configuration. We find, in common with many other studies, that removing edge crossings is the most significant aesthetic, but also discover that aligning nodes and edges to an underlying grid is important, especially to male participants who have Computer Science experience. We observe that the aesthetics favoured by participants during creation of a graph drawing are often not evident in the final product.”
© All rights reserved Purchase et al. and/or Australian Computer Society
Salimun, Carolyn, Purchase, Helen C., Simmons, David R. and Brewster, Stephen (2010): Preference ranking of screen layout principles. In: Proceedings of the HCI10 Conference on People and Computers XXIV 2010. pp. 81-87.
“This paper presents the results of a study on the preference ranking of six layout principles (Cohesion, Economy, Regularity, Sequence, Symmetry, and Unity). Preference judgments were conducted using a forced-choice paired comparisons method. The findings of the present study indicate that, contrary to suggestions in previous literature, an interface was most preferred when it found that the layout principles of Symmetry and Cohesion were more influential than the other layout principles. Further research is needed to identify other aesthetics factors which might influence preferences, and establish appropriate design guidelines.”
© All rights reserved Salimun et al. and/or BCS
Purchase, Helen C. and Samra, Amanjit (2008): Extremes Are Better: Investigating Mental Map Preservation in Dynamic Graphs. In: Stapleton, Gem, Howse, John and Lee, John (eds.) Diagrams 2008 - Diagrammatic Representation and Inference - 5th International Conference September 19-21, 2008, Herrsching, Germany. pp. 60-73.
Reid, Peter, Hallett-Hook, Fred, Plimmer, Beryl and Purchase, Helen C. (2007): Applying layout algorithms to hand-drawn graphs. In: Proceedings of OZCHI07, the CHISIG Annual Conference on Human-Computer Interaction November 28-30, 2007, Adelaide, Australia. pp. 203-206.
“Hand-drawing a node-and-edge graph is a simple visual problem solving technique; however as the graph is built it can easily get untidy and confusing. It is more difficult to understand and interpret a confusing graph. By applying edge morphing techniques and a force-directed algorithm the hand-drawn graph can retain its informal appearance while its layout is improved. Graphs will be more readily understood, making the problem solving process easier.”
© All rights reserved Reid et al. and/or ACM Press
Brown, Lorna M., Brewster, Stephen A. and Purchase, Helen C. (2006): Multidimensional tactons for non-visual information presentation in mobile devices. In: Proceedings of 8th conference on Human-computer interaction with mobile devices and services 2006. pp. 231-238.
“Tactons are structured vibrotactile messages which can be used for non-visual information presentation when visual displays are limited, unavailable or inappropriate, such as in mobile phones and other mobile devices. Little is yet known about how to design them effectively. Previous studies have investigated the perception of Tactons which encode two dimensions of information using two different vibrotactile parameters (rhythm and roughness) and found recognition rates of around 70. When more dimensions of information are required it may be necessary to extend the parameter-space of these Tactons. Therefore this study investigates recognition rates for Tactons which encode a third dimension of information using spatial location. The results show that identification rate for three-parameter Tactons is just 48, but that this can be increased to 81 by reducing the number of values of one of the parameters. These results will aid designers to select suitable Tactons for use when designing mobile displays.”
© All rights reserved Brown et al. and/or ACM Press
Brown, Lorna M., Brewster, Stephen A. and Purchase, Helen C. (2006): Multidimensional tactons for non-visual information presentation in mobile devices. In: Nieminen, Marko and Röykkee, Mika (eds.) Proceedings of the 8th Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services - Mobile HCI 2006 September 12-15, 2006, Helsinki, Finland. pp. 231-238.
Brown, Lorna M., Brewster, Stephen A. and Purchase, Helen C. (2005): A First Investigation into the Effectiveness of Tactons. In: WHC 2005 - World Haptics Conference 18-20 March, 2005, Pisa, Italy. pp. 167-176.
Wyeth, Peta and Purchase, Helen C. (2003): Using developmental theories to inform the design of technology for children. In: Proceedings of ACM IDC03: Interaction Design and Children 2003. pp. 93-100.
“Electronic Blocks are a new programming environment, designed specifically for children aged between three and eight years. As such, the design of the Electronic Block environment is firmly based on principles of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education. The Electronic Blocks are physical, stackable blocks that include sensor blocks, action blocks and logic blocks. Evaluation of the Electronic Blocks with both preschool and primary school children shows that the blocks' ease of use and power of engagement have created a compelling tool for the introduction of meaningful technology education in an early childhood setting. The key to the effectiveness of the Electronic Blocks lies in an adherence to theories of development and learning throughout the Electronic Blocks design process.”
© All rights reserved Wyeth and Purchase and/or ACM Press
Purchase, Helen C. and Worrill, Joshua (2002): An empirical study of on-line help design: features and principles. In International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 56 (5) pp. 539-566.
“Designers of on-line help systems have two sets of resources at their
disposal: the set of features implemented in currently available systems (which
are rapidly becoming a defacto standard), and a set of theoretical principles
suggested by researchers in the area. There is no published evidence that
either these features or principles have been empirically tested for their
suitability from the users' perspective. This paper reports on an empirical
study which aimed to assess the usability of a set of on-line help features and
principles, in the context of users performing real application tasks. The
results reveal that the more general principles associated with
understandability are considered the most relevant, and that while users may
complain about the design of existing on-line help features, they tend to value
them more than features with which they are unfamiliar. A follow-up study
showed that only minor changes need to be made to the existing defacto standard
for users' concerns to be addressed, without sacrificing the advantages of
familiarity. The study addresses questions of context sensitivity,
obtrusiveness and the importance of definitions, and highlights the usefulness
of questioning emerging defacto standards that have not been based on empirical
studies.”
© All rights reserved Purchase and Worrill and/or Academic Press
Purchase, Helen C. (2002): Metrics for Graph Drawing Aesthetics. In J. Vis. Lang. Comput., 13 (5) pp. 501-516.
Purchase, Helen C. (2000): Effective Information Visualisation: A Study of Graph Drawing Aesthetics and Algorithms. In Interacting with Computers, 13 (2) pp. 147-162.
“Information visualisation systems which generate diagrams representing discrete relational information must consider potential users if they are to be effective. Many algorithms which render an abstract graph structure as a diagram are valued for their conformance to aesthetic criteria (e.g. reducing the number of edge crossings, maximising symmetry), or for computational efficiency. They are not usually judged on their ability to produce diagrams that maximise human performance. This paper presents the results of experiments investigating the relative worth (from an HCI point of view) of graph drawing aesthetics and algorithms using a single graph. The results indicate that while some individual aesthetics affect human performance, it is difficult to say that one algorithm is 'better' than another from a relational understanding point of view. Designers of automatic layout algorithms, and the systems which embody such algorithms, can benefit from this study and this human-centred approach, by adapting their methods to focus on user concerns, rather than computational ones.”
© All rights reserved Purchase and/or Elsevier Science
Purchase, Helen C., Carrington, David A. and Allder, Jo-Anne (2000): Experimenting with Aesthetics-Based Graph Layout. In: Anderson, Michael, Cheng, Peter C-H. and Haarslev, Volker (eds.) Diagrams 2000 - Theory and Application of Diagrams - First International Conference September 1-3, 2000, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. pp. 498-501.
Wyeth, Peta and Purchase, Helen C. (2000): Programming without a Computer: A New Interface for Children under Eight. In: AUIC 2000 - 1st Australasian User Interface Conference 31 January - 3 February, 2000, Canberra, Australia. pp. 141-148.
Purchase, Helen C. (1998): Performance of Layout Algorithms: Comprehension, not Computation. In J. Vis. Lang. Comput., 9 (6) pp. 647-657.
Purchase, Helen C. (1997): Multimedia Communication and Technology: A Semiotic Perspective. In: Smith, Michael J., Salvendy, Gavriel and Koubek, Richard J. (eds.) HCI International 1997 - Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction - Volume 2 August 24-29, 1997, San Francisco, California, USA. pp. 687-690.
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