Usage-centered design of adaptable visualization services.Application to cooperation support services system in the AEC sector. Sylvain Kubicki1 and Gilles Halin2 1 Public Research Centre Henri Tudor, Luxembourg 2 Research Centre in Architecture and Engineering (CRAI), France

1. Usage-centered design of adaptable
visualization services.
Application to cooperation support services system in the AEC sector.
Sylvain Kubicki1 and Gilles Halin2
1Public Research Centre Henri Tudor, Luxembourg
2Research Centre in Architecture and Engineering
(CRAI), France

2. Overview
 Introduction
− Service innovation in construction sector
 Adaptable Visualization Services (AVS)
 Usage-based AVS design
 A first case study
 Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

3. Introduction
Service innovation in Architecture, Engineering and
Construction (AEC) Sector
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4. Specificities of the AEC sector
 Building life-cycle overview
Planning Design Construction Use
“Ray & Maria Stata Center for CIIS, MIT”
 Main characteristics of the construction Arch. Gehry Partners
sector
− Only one object produced
− Short-lived teams
− Independent and heterogeneous actors
− Wide range of models and methods
 More and more viewpoints
− Restricted areas of responsibility
− Internal strategies vs. project strategies Dresden station, Germany
Arch. Foster and Partners
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

5. Cooperation between actors
 Cooperation is essential
− To ensure project success
− Difficulties
● Low predictable environment
● Communications not standardized
− Groupware solutions remain under-
used
 Service-based innovation
− Cooperation support business
services
− Sustainable Service Innovation
Process S2IP
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

6. Sustainable Service Innovation
Process - S2IP
 Developed in CRPHT Luxembourg
− Applied to Business Services design in construction sector: Build-IT
project [Kubicki et al. 2009]
− In partnership with CRTI-B (a professional standardization organization)
Service Service Service Service Service
Value Design Exposi4on Management Capitaliza4on
- Work practices - Transfer to the
- Requirements
standardization - IPR sector (call for - Feedback (users
for commercial
- Services management tender) + SSII)
platform
platform (“CRTI-weB” - Assessment of - Managing
- MDE approach
prototyping trademark + open- service delivery services evolution
for rapid
- Pilot projects source) (metrics)
prototyping
experiments
[Kubicki et al. 2009] Kubicki S., Dubois E., Halin G. and Guerriero A. (2009) Towards a Sustainable Services
Innovation in the Construction Sector. CAISE, 21st International Conference on Advanced Information Systems.
February 17, 2010 8-12 June 2009. Amsterdam. LNCS 5565, pp. 319–333, 2009. IESS 1.0 2010

7. Service value related processes
 Focus on experiments of Business
Student project
Services
− Real construction projects (pilot-projects)
− Aims
● Validating business services design
Student project
● First step of a sectorial change
management
● Standardization (practices + services)
 Other results
School – Luxembourg Cents
− Basic Human Computer Interfaces:
− Interviews have shown that visualization
has to be adapted to its users… and
their particular needs
Offices/Hotel– Luxembourg Kirchberg
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

8. Part I
Adaptable Visualization Services
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9. Viewpoints and visualization
Current
visualization
modes
Emerging
visualization
modes
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

10. The concept of usage
 Users needs related to
− Their role in the cooperative activity
• e.g. in AEC: architect, engineer, owner of a building…
− Available business services in the collective project
 Example of usage: architect need
− Searching for specific documents in order to check
their consistency with main architectural plans
 Defining usages
− …As guidelines in User Interface (UI) design
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

11. Usage centered UI design
 Usage centered [Constantine & Lookwood 2003]
− Software Engineering approach
− Task oriented
− Based on a collection of models
− Incremental design with interconnected models
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

12. Adaptable and adaptive UI design
 In Human-Computer Interface domain
− Adaptable UI can be modified by users
− Adaptive UI changes without explicit intervention of users
 Emergent UI design by models
− « To design once and generate many times »
− Modeling different contexts of use (CU)
− Modeling user interface elements evolution
− Based on differents models: CU (user, platform, environment),
domain (task, concept), UI (elements)... [Sottet, J. et al. 2006]
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

13. From adaptive UI to Adaptable
Visualization Service
 Adaptive UI design
− Simple user interface
− In individual activity situations
 UI design for collective activity
− Another context : the actor context in the activity
− Each actor has his own point of view
• A point of view : a set of visualization modes
• Adapted to different usages
− Our approach
• Supporting viewpoint building by usage
• Choosing among a set of Adaptable Visualization Services
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

14. Adaptable Visualization Service
 Visualization services
− Visualize a collection of information
− Remote service offering added value
− Dedicated to a particular scientific domain
− Useful for interpretation of a large volume of data
− In an individual or collective visualization activity
 Visualization Service design
− Based on the concept of “dataflow” or “pipeline”
• Data filtering, geometric transformation, image rendering
− Adaptable Visualization Services design is emerging
[Hocová, P. et al. 2008]
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

15. Part II
Usage-based Adaptable Visualization Service design
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16. Usage-centered AVS design
method
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

17. Model-driven approach
 Fundamental concepts of Model
conforms to
Driven Engineering (MDE)
− System [is represented by] Model
[conforms to] Metamodel represented by
− Transformations between models
 Our needs :
- Modeling usages and AVS
• From Business services and cooperation context
models (past and ongoing works)
- By defining metamodels mappings
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

18. Usage-centered AVS design
method
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19. Usage – AVS models mapping
 Focus on usage – AVS models mapping
− Identifying possible AVS applicable in particular
usages
 Mapping usages and AVS attributes
− According to their metamodels
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

20. Part III
A first case study
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21. Case study
 Inspired from our previous experiments
− Groupware service system for construction
 Example of usage
− “Searching a document”
− Ex. “I need the last meeting report”, ”I want to see a
picture of the project ”
 Actual technique in the system
− Searching in document tables
− Filtering
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

22. Example : searching a document
 Innovative AVS: Treemap + Cowerflow
− Usage – AVS attributes mapping
Usage AVS
Role concerned Architect
AVS Name Treemap + Coverflow
Name Searching a document
Document with normalized
Main concept Hierarchic structure of
name
Structure variable surfaces,
Sub-concept Type, author different colors
Searching between a lot of High quantity of
Graphical
documents, different quantity information with
Information Quantity attributes
with actors proportional surfaces
Easy practice, rapid
Usage Frequency Rare Usability
learning
At office, on desktop Required More efficiency on
Context
computer device large interface
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
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23. "Treemap + coverflow" alternative
AVS
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
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24. "Treemap + coverflow" alternative
AVS
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25. Conclusion
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26. Example validation steps
 Usages validation
− 37 architect-specific usages identified
− First step of validation based on pilot-projects + interviews
− Work still in progress
 AVS validation
− AVS implemented in E.V.A. prototype
− Experiments process
● Testing task
● Final scenario
− 17 experimenters confirmed the usage – AVS mapping
− Experiment technique to be improved
 Next steps
− Improvement of usage and AVS metamodels
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

27. S2IP for Adaptable Visualization
Service design
Service Service Service Service Service
Value Design Exposi4on Management Capitaliza4on
Conclusion Prospects
- Usage Next steps to be defined in applied research
- Model-driven AVS design project…
- Experiment with real users
- Prototyping Requires a platform providing Adaptable
Visualization Services
Introduction Adaptable Visualization Services AVS Design Case study Conclusion
February 17, 2010 IESS 1.0 2010

28. Thank You for your attention
Questions ?
Usage-centered design of adaptable visualization services.
Application to cooperation support services system in the AEC sector.
Sylvain Kubicki & Gilles Halin