In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor
of Philosophy in Computer Science
Georgia Institute of Technology,
June 2000
This thesis is the result of many years of effort
and would not have been possible without the assistance of
a great many people.
First, I would like to thank my advisor, John Stasko,
whose steady guidance allowed me to develop my thesis at my own pace
yet kept me on track to meet the many milestones of the PhD program.
He seemed to know when to push me in new directions,
when to encourage me to pursue a promising topic of interest,
and when to step back and allow me to find my own way.
He allowed me to make my own mistakes and to learn from them
without showing impatience or frustration.
His assistance has made this thesis possible,
and I truly believe that his influence has helped me
become a better researcher.
My other committee members helped me make my thesis
well-rounded with broad appeal.
Richard Catrambone provided invaluable assistance
in a field in which I had little experience.
His patient manner allowed me to expand my knowledge base,
and his attention to detail made my final work
much better than it otherwise would have been.
Gregory Abowd, Amy Bruckman, and Mark Guzdial
each provided important guidance
and acted as a sounding board for my work,
from the earliest stages of my research
to the final preparation of this document.
I would like to thank Tom Rowan for sponsoring me
at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for two summers.
His expansive knowledge on a great many subjects was beneficial,
and his willingness to share stories and ideas
helped create an atmosphere ripe for creativity and innovation.
The work from those summers provided the spark
that led to this thesis work.
Thanks also to the various organizations that sponsored my work.
In addition to support from the College of Computing
and Graphics, Visualization, and Usability (GVU) Center at Georgia Tech,
Laszlo Belady and the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratory
provided early support for my work, and several student
research grants from the USENIX Association
allowed me to dedicate time to my research
while helping to advance their cause.
I would like to acknowledge all of the other faculty at Georgia Tech
with whom I had the pleasure of working and collaborating
during my time at Georgia Tech.
Their support and advice was helpful in every stage of the PhD process.
In particular, Albert Badre constantly checked on my progress
and always tried to keep his teaching assistant position open for me.
I also thank him for nominating me for
the College of Computing Graduate Teaching Assistant Award.
Thanks also to the College of Computing and GVU Center staff
for their support of my efforts.
They made my problems their own and did everything they could
to help me solve them, and they managed to keep
a positive attitude while doing so.
Special thanks to Joan Morton for constantly coming to my rescue
and to Peter Wan and Terry Countryman for bailing me out of problems
late at night when it seemed like we were the only ones
left in the building.
My fellow students at Georgia Tech helped keep me grounded
during my years at Georgia Tech. Alex Zhao, with whom I collaborated
on several papers, was always happy to give advice and seemed to know
a little bit about everything related to computers.
I am grateful for his efforts in developing the Agentk toolkit.
David Brogan always found a minute to listed to my ups and downs
and is one of the finest people that I have ever known.
Despite his University of Virginia affiliation,
I hope we remain friends for years to come.
Late-night Nintendo soccer matches with Jim Pitkow
kept me sane during marathon work sessions.
Thanks goes to Ron Metoyer and Steve Park for
making sure that I kept up with happenings in the sports world.
Despite his propensity to hang dirty laundry in the cube,
Jason Ellis made life interesting with his sarcasm and witticisms.
And who knows how many years ago I would have graduated
if not for the many late night Krispy Kreme doughnut runs
with Don Allison, who in the end kindly made sure that I was not
the last person to graduate from the incoming class of 1992.
I feel lucky to be friends with numerous people in Atlanta
outside of Georgia Tech that helped me escape from
my cubicle-based life. In particular, the times I spent with
members of my ALTA tennis teams were enjoyable.
In particular, I would like to mention a few people.
John Wilson may be the only person in the world to understand
all of the rules of ALTA. His attention to detail ensured that
everyone had fun and the team did well.
Tony Lavorgna balanced humor and a drive to win
during his time as team captain of both ALTA and USTA teams.
Fellow computer geek David Goeckeler may have been one of the
few people in this crowd to truly understand me.
He was kind enough to allow me to work for him
at his company to make some extra money.
It was a great relief to know that Wally Tirado
was always ready for a pickup tennis match,
despite his Luddite ways that made him difficult to contact.
Finally, Wick and Robin Carter were like family to me.
Their love and care helped me keep a healthy perspective on life
during my years in Atlanta.
Other non-tennis people that I would like to mention
include Eva Regnier, one of the smartest and funniest people
that I have ever met.
Bobby Bodenheimer and Jeanne Larose seem destined
for togetherness. They always seemed to be the life
of the party no matter where we went.
Andy Kogelnik was a good friend and occasional landlord
when I would visit Lisa.
I was quite fortunate during my PhD career to be surrounded
by numerous relatives, whose unwavering support
helped me accomplish all that I did.
My uncles, William Fowler of Knoxville and Arthur Fowler of Madisonville,
and their families took great care of me when I worked in Tennessee
and when I visited the family cabin there.
It was a great comfort to have another uncle, Charles Fowler,
and his family a short drive a way in Gainseville (GA)
during most of my dissertation-writing days.
Finally, it was a pleasure to have my cousin, Tavie Cobb,
and her family down the road in Savannah. I enjoyed visiting them
and absorbing the laid-back lifestyle of their historic southern city.
While at Georgia Tech, I was lucky enough
to meet my fiancee, Lisa Wenner.
Her adventurous nature and outgoing personality
brightened my life from the first time that I saw her
over my cubicle wall.
She has managed to keep my life interesting despite my efforts
to stay locked in my cube all the time.
Her willingness to take care of all of the other things
that arose while I was finishing my dissertation
made my life much easier.
I love her dearly, and I feel very fortunate
that we will be spending the rest of our lives together.
Without the support of my parents, Don and Eleanor McCrickard,
I never would have even thought to attempt
so large an undertaking as a PhD degree.
They encouraged me every step of the way,
and they never lost faith in me even when times were tough.
They supported me in every way possible,
and I hope to be as good to my children as they were to me.
I am very grateful to them.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the role
that my grandparents played in my development.
My maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Thomas Fowler,
exposed me to various experiences that enriched my life
as a youth, most notably taking me on an extended tour
of England when I was twelve. Her cabin on a lake in Tennessee
remains in the family as a reminder of her energy and drive.
My maternal grandfather, Joel Fort Fowler, died when I was young,
but to this day I remember his kind and gentle manner.
I am glad to have had the opportunity to know him.
My paternal grandmother, Phyllis Alston McCrickard,
always made sure to have a lemon meringue pie
and a box of salt water taffy ready for me when I would come to visit.
She tried her best to fatten me up a bit,
and although she was unsuccessful I enjoyed her efforts.
My paternal grandfather and only living grandparent,
Holmah Austin McCrickard, remains a positive and energetic individual,
always ready to trade stories and to share a laugh.
He promised me that he would live to see me
finish my thesis, and he kept his promise.
It is in memory of Elizabeth Fowler, Fort Fowler, and Phyllis McCrickard,
and in honor of Holmah McCrickard, that I dedicate this thesis.
D.Scott McCrickard
Atlanta, GA
June 27, 2000
The Internet and World Wide Web provide a rapidly expanding pool of
constantly changing information such as stock prices, news bulletins,
sports scores, and weather data. Although people want to stay aware
of changes in this information, their focus at the computer generally
is on other activities, and they cannot afford to use large,
attention-demanding displays. An alternative is the use of gradual,
cyclic animations where only a small amount of screen space is
required and changes to the information can be integrated smoothly
in the next iteration. This thesis examines the tradeoffs between
the awareness and distraction attributes of such animations. In
particular, I have conducted empirical evaluations and observational
studies of people using animated displays while performing typical
daily tasks. Usage statistics, timed tasks, and questionnaires
highlighted differences in performance based on the type of animation,
characteristics of the user, and features of the information. These
differences were used to develop a toolkit that facilitates the
appropriate use of animated effects in desktop applications and to
formulate a set of rules that dictates when and how animation can be
effectively integrated into awareness applications.
D. Scott McCrickard
Acknowledgements
Summary
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