Advertisement
Check these out next
GridOrbit - CHI2011
May. 20, 2011•0 likes•563 views
1 likes
Be the first to like this
Show More
views
Total views
0
On Slideshare
0
From embeds
0
Number of embeds
0
Download to read offline
Report
Technology
Business
The success of a volunteer computing infrastructure depends on the contributions of its users. An example of such an infrastructure is the Mini-Grid, a local peer-to-peer system used for computational analysis of DNA. The speed of analysis increases as more users join the Mini-Grid. However, the invisible nature of such an infrastructure hinders adoption, as it is difficult for users to participate in an infrastructure they are not aware of. This paper introduces GridOrbit, a system designed to increase user awareness, fostering contributions to this infrastructure. We designed GridOrbit using a participatory design process with biologists, and subsequently deployed it for use in a biology laboratory. Our results indicate that the number of contributors to the Mini- Grid increased with the use of awareness technologies. In addition, our analysis presents their motives and behaviors. Finally, a characterization of user interaction with GridOrbit emerged, which enabled us to understand how awareness systems can be better designed. We see GridOrbit as an example of a broader class of technologies designed to create ‘Infrastructure Awareness’ as a means to increase the contributions to technological infrastructures.
Human-Computer Interaction Researcher at Lenovo
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Recommended
GridOrbitAurélien Tabard
hcid2011 - Gesture Based Interfaces: Jacques chueke (HCID, City University L...City University London
Cultural ShockJuan David Hincapié-Ramos
Confort zoneJuan Padron
Time To Leave Your Confort ZoneCabrera Management Consultants
The Top Skills That Can Get You Hired in 2017LinkedIn
GridOrbit - CHI2011
- Local servers: expensive in man-power and $
- Grid computing / Cyber-Infrastructures
- Volunteer computing infrastructures
- SETI@HOME
- Grid Activity
- Work Desktops
- Laptops (intermittent use)
- Therearesustainedpatterns of visitors: aware, curious, explorer.
- Design for stressing out activitylevels.
Editor's Notes
- ThanksAurelien, Webeganourexplorationwith a series of fieldwork studies and participatory design activitiesaboutwhichyoucan find more details in the paper.The mainconclusions of theseactivitieswere:First, a technology to make the Mini-Grid visible shouldcommunicate the grid’scapacity (in terms of number of computers)Second, it shouldcommunicate the grid’sactivitylevels (in terms of number of tasksbeingexecuted) and, third, it shouldsurface the individualpeoplecontributing.
- With this list requirementswedesigned a software suite calledGridOrbit , consisting of 2 differentawarenesstechnologies:[CLICK] - a set of public public displays, and[CLICK] - a desktop notification system.
- GridOrbit public displays is an interactive system runningontwodifferentbuildings of a molecularbiologydepartment.This public displays areaimed at: (1) motivatepassersby to install the MiniGrid and contribute to it – recruit NEW contributors, and (2) provide feedback to existingcontributors.Thesepictures show the actual installations of GridOrbitwe made, and the guys in the pictureareactualbiologists.[CLICK]In the firstbuildingweplaced the public display in the corridor in front of the cafeteria.[CLICK]In the secondbuildingweplaced it in the waitingareanext to the elevator and the localmail-boxes.
- This is how it works, - When a userconfigures his computer to contribute to the Mini-Grid, GridOrbitdetects it (from the networktraffic) and shows it. - Thishappens for every new computer thatjoins the Mini-Grid. - When a computer stops contributing, is turnedoff, ordoesn’t have networkconnectivity, it is grayed-out in the display.In thisway the public displays represent the capacity of the Mini-Grid: capacity in terms of the total computers thatcancontribute, and the onesthatarecurrentlycontributing. - When a biologistsends jobs for execution to the Mini-Grid, the public display shows a green aura around his computer. - And the machinesexecutingsuch jobs get a red aura. - At this point a visitor to the public display canwalk up to it and exploredetails from eachmachine.In thisway the public displays represent the activity of the Mini-Grid: activity in terms of the jobs beingexecuted at given time. - Userscanalsowalk up to the public display and link theirpicture and their computers.In thisway the public display presents the individualpeoplecontributing.Finally, visitors to the public display canleavemessageson the screen, in a bulleting boardfashion. From thesemessagesweextract the most significantwords and form a tag cloud.
- Whendeployed, public displays become part of the environment, and as such, theyshouldavoid information overload and changeblindness.Weaddedthreedifferentinteraction zones so that usersget more detailed information whenthey come closer to the displays.The AmbientZone starts after 70cm and only shows the computers and their auras.[CLICK]The NotificationZone is between 40 and 70 cms, and shows the tag cloud.[CLICK]And the InteractionZone covers the first 40 cms from the display, and shows the executiondetails and the messages.
- The secondGridOrbitcomponentwas a notification system, and is aimed at increasing the commitment of existingcontributors.[CLICK]The system is a desktop applicationthat shows notificationsabout the user’scontributionlevel at different intervals. Thesenotificationsfollowtwodifferent motivation strategies.[CLICK]The ”group motivation” strategyaims at motivating the user to contribute more than the rest of the group, by comparing his contributionwith the other participants. [CLICK]The ”personal motivation” strategyaims at motivating the user to contribute more, by comparing his contributionwiththeirown the previousrecords.[CLICK]Finally, thenotificationsareconfigured to come up at different time intervals, from every 20 minutes to every 2 hours.
- So, we set up ourstudywithtwogoals: - First, to seehowtheseawarenesstechnologiesimpact the recruitment of volunteers to the Mini-Grid. - And second, to gatheremperical information abouthowusersrelate to theseawarenesstechnologies.
- Thestudyrequired to have a Mini-Grid for whichweconfigured a set of baseline computers, in order to guarrantee a minimal capacity.[CLICK]Wealsointroduced the public displays (withoutgridorbit) for someweeksbefore the deployment in order to reducenoveltyeffect.[CLICK]WeofficiallystartedourMini-Gridstudy by invitingpeople to participate to the Mini-Grid in the wayyouwouldnormally do in an organization: weattendedgroup meetings, had posters, flyers, and evenpostedstaticmessages in the public displays.Thiswasour baseline condition.[CLICK]WethenintroducedGridOrbit in the public displays.[CLICK]And lateronwestarted the notification system.Duringthis last conditionswecollected data in relation to everythingthathappened in the Mini-Grid, the visits to the public displays, the userresponses to the notifications, and we held several semi-formal interviews.
- Thestudyrequired to have a Mini-Grid for whichweconfigured a set of baseline computers, in order to guarrantee a minimal capacity.[CLICK]Wealsointroduced the public displays (withoutgridorbit) for someweeksbefore the deployment in order to reducenoveltyeffect.[CLICK]WeofficiallystartedourMini-Gridstudy by invitingpeople to participate to the Mini-Grid in the wayyouwouldnormally do in an organization: weattendedgroup meetings, had posters, flyers, and evenpostedstaticmessages in the public displays.Thiswasour baseline condition.[CLICK]WethenintroducedGridOrbit in the public displays.[CLICK]And lateronwestarted the notification system.Duringthis last conditionswecollected data in relation to everythingthathappened in the Mini-Grid, the visits to the public displays, the userresponses to the notifications, and we held several semi-formal interviews.
- So, the firstthingwelooked at wasthe number of machineswhereMiniGridgotinstalled.The blue line shows that at the end of the baseline period, wereached the number of 19 machines. Thismachineswereenrolledwithtraditionalmeanslikepeopletalking to eachother, presentationsabout the project, flyers, etc. [CLICK]AfterweintroducedGridOrbitweobserved an increment to a total of 35 machines, whichmeans a 75% increment.[CLICK]However, all thesemachinesare not always online at the same time.So, welooked at the hourlyaveraguenumber of machinesconnected, thisnumberrepresents the actualcapacity of the MiniGrid.In this case weobservethatduring the baseline periodwe had an hourlyaverague of about 5.33 machines, out of 19 computers where the MiniGridwasinstalled.[CLICK]AfterintroducingGridOrbit, wesawthisaverageincrease to 8,02 machinesrepresenting a 51% increment.
- A secondresultrelates to howmachinescontribute to the MiniGrid. Each of theseboxesrepresents a participant machinesduring the wholedeploymentperiod, and each column shows the contributionpattern in a day. The green periods show when the machinewascontributing, the red periods show when the machinewasturnedon but not contributing, and the whiteperiods show when the machinewasturned-off.Thisfirstgroup of machines shows howdedicated and bootstrappingmachinescontribute. Basically, theystay for long periods of time and oftenday-round.[CLICK]The secondgroup is made of work desktop computers. Thesemachinesalsotended to stayconnected for long periods of time, however, theyweresometimesunplugged from the MiniGridbecause the owner had to do somespecialworkthatrequired all of its power.[CLICK]Finally, wesawlaptop computers contributeveryintermitently.
- Wealsoanalized the wayusersvisited the public displays, and wefound a consistentpatternacrossdays and locations.And wefoundthat in a given day, 60% of the visitorswouldstay in the AmbientZone – and wecallthem ”awarevisitors”.30% wouldcomeeitherinto the interactionornotification zone, but not engagewith the displays – and wecallthem ”curiousvisitors”.And 10% wouldcome all the way to the display and touch it and explore the information – wecallthem ”explorervisitors”.
- Wealsosawthat the kind of information weshowed in the displays has an effect in the number of visitors.So, everytimeGridOrbitshowedincreasedactitivylevels, therewouldbe more aware, curious, and explorervisitors.However, everytime the screen started to getclutteredwith a lot of machines, showing an increasedcapacity, therewouldbelessvisitors of all three types.
- We had a series of otherresults, whichcanbeconsulted in the paper, but there is particularlyoneveryinteresting:Peoplewant to have theirpictureon the display, and theywill do whatever to get it on.
- And wealso had a fewthingsthatdidn’tworkquite as expected:READ THE SLIDE!
- Therearesustainedpatterns of visitors: aware, curious, explorer. Design for stressing out activitylevels. Find proper ways to scale the number of machines.
- Wealsoanalized the wayusersvisited the public displays.The firstthingwesaw from all the visits across the deployment is this 60|30|10 percentvisitingpattern.
- The secondthingwelooked at
- You can use free cakes and pizzas, points and rewards, or simply make it mandatory.
- Thisstudywascarried out for a period of 1 month: 2 weeks for the baseline condition, and oneweek for the other 2 conditions.
Advertisement