The Envisionment and Discovery Collaboratory (EDC) : explorations in human-centered informatics with tabletop computing environments / Ernesto G. Arias, Hal Eden, Gerhard Fischer.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Part of: Synthesis digital library of engineering and computer science.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-213).

1. Introduction -- 1.1 The EDC in a nutshell -- 1.2 Organization and reading guide --

2. A scenario illustrating the EDC in use --

3. Research activities and developments behind the EDC -- 3.1 CoPlan: community-based planning tools and the Cole Neighborhood -- 3.1.1 Tabletop games and simulations supported by physical media tools -- 3.1.2 The Cole Neighborhood experience: a physical media application -- 3.1.3 Lessons learned from CoPlan -- 3.2 Domain-oriented design environments (DODEs) -- 3.3 The research methodology of L3D -- 3.4 The EDC: a socio-technical environment -- 3.5 Conclusions --

4. Contributions of the EDC to human-centered informatics -- 4.1 EDC and design -- 4.1.1 Theoretical frameworks for design -- 4.1.2 Design methodologies -- 4.1.3 Differentiating design communities: communities of practice and communities of interest -- 4.1.4 The importance of boundary objects for design communities -- 4.1.5 The SER model: an evolutionary perspective for design -- 4.2 EDC and creativity -- 4.2.1 Individual and social creativity -- 4.2.2 Impact of distances and diversity on creativity -- 4.2.3 Supporting creativity with the EDC -- 4.3 EDC and learning -- 4.3.1 Multi-dimensional aspects of learning -- 4.3.2 Conceptions of learning explored and supported by the EDC -- 4.4 Conclusions --

5. Case studies in different application domains -- 5.1 Campus planning -- 5.2 Emergency management -- 5.3 Energy sustainability -- 5.4 Conclusions --

6. The evolving design of the EDC -- 6.1 Hardware developments supporting face-to-face interaction with computational models -- 6.1.1 Intersim: the original design for the EDC -- 6.1.2 "Wizard-of-oz" experiments -- 6.1.3 Smart boards: integrating touch and projection types -- 6.1.4 EDC-PitA board -- 6.2 Software architecture and evolution -- 6.2.1 Early software efforts using agentsheets -- 6.2.2 The squeak-based version of the EDC -- 6.2.3 The current EDC system architecture -- 6.2.4 The project builder: a component supporting meta-design -- 6.2.5 Details of the software implementation -- 6.3 Conclusion --

7. EDC-inspired developments -- 7.1 Innovations in the classroom: teaching, learning, and research -- 7.1.1 The EDC inspired developments: teaching, learning, and research -- 7.1.2 Example 1: Mr. Rogers sustainable neighborhood -- 7.1.3 Example-2: Managing urban dynamics and its environmental impacts on climate change -- 7.2 EDC-inspired developments by others -- 7.2.1 Caretta: integrating personal and shared spaces -- 7.2.2 Community of soundscapes (CoS) -- 7.3 Conclusions --

8. Lessons learned and contributions -- 8.1 Formative evaluations and affordances -- 8.2 Evaluation of the EDC as a creativity support environment -- 8.3 Design requirements (DRs) -- 8.4 Conclusions --

9. Looking ahead -- 9.1 New developments in table-top computing -- 9.2 EDC extensions -- 9.2.1 Capturing more activities -- 9.2.2 Supporting co-development by participants -- 9.2.3 EDC-virtual: extending participation -- 9.2.4 Engagement with real stakeholders and integration into regular work environments -- 9.2.5 Supporting design projects from beginning to end -- 9.3 Conclusions --

10. Conclusions --

11. Appendices -- 11.1 Appendix 1: Abbreviations and places used in the book -- 11.2 Appendix 2: Glossary of concepts -- References -- Author biographies.

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The Envisionment and Discovery Collaboratory (EDC) is a long-term research platform exploring immersive socio-technical environments in which stakeholders can collaboratively frame and solve problems and discuss and make decisions in a variety of application domains and different disciplines. The knowledge to understand, frame, and solve these problems does not already exist, but is constructed and evolves in ongoing interactions and collaborations among stakeholders coming from different disciplines providing a unique and challenging environment to study, foster, and support human-centered informatics, design, creativity, and learning. At the social level, the EDC is focused on the collaborative construction of artifacts rather than the sharing of individually constructed items. It brings individuals together in face-to-face meetings, encouraging and supporting them to engage, individually and collectively, in action and reflection. At the technological level, the EDC integrates tabletop computing environments, tangible objects, sketching support, geographic information systems, visualization software, and an envisioned virtual implementation. This book is based on 20 years of research and development activities that brought together interdisciplinary teams of researchers, educators, designers, and practitioners from different backgrounds. The EDC originated with the merging of two research paradigms from disparate disciplines to build on the strengths, approaches, and perspectives of each. This book describes the artifacts and scenarios that were developed, with the goal of providing inspiration for human-centered informatics not focused on technologies in search of a purpose but on the development of systems supporting stakeholders to explore personally meaningful problems. These developments have inspired numerous research and teaching activities. The challenges, prototypical systems, and lessons learned represent important milestones in the development and evolution of the EDC that are relevant for future research activities and practices in human-centered informatics.

Also available in print.

Title from PDF title page (viewed on October 25, 2015).