Andrew M. Dahley Statement of Purpose Media Arts and Sciences 1.3.96 We are in the information age; Computer technology is changing rapidly. However, the methods by which we communicate and interact with each other and the computer has not kept up with these changes. Occupations are becoming more specialized and abstract. We work more frequently in collaborative teams on complex projects. Individually, we manipulate large amounts of complex information through our computers with little more than the mouse and keyboard as the source of control. While we work on the computer most of our bodies are unused. We are often forced to perform repetitive tasks that should be accomplished by the computer. Computers adapt little to the needs of the user. We learn to adapt ourselves to the narrow communication channels that the machine understands. After we have clumsily manipulated our information with the computer we present the information to communicate with others. This is a very inefficient method of collaboration. There is a growing need for a more intuitive, multi-modal interaction with our technology that supports the collaborative nature of the information age. In my graduate studies, I plan to research new computer interaction schemes dealing with more intuitive and physical computer interfaces that facilitate collaboratory work and learning. By physical interfaces I mean manipulating virtual objects in the same manner as one would control something in the real world. Controlling virtual objects that are very fluid in nature with physically intuitive methods will allow us to communicate complex ideas with others more quickly and easily than with either the real or virtual world alone. The goal is an interface that will not inhibit human communication channels but enhance them. The computer is currently a generic information processing machine. As computers become faster and their functions become more complex it becomes more necessary that information manipulation tools emerge, breaking the paradigms of computers. Instead of a computer being an individual tool it can become several components. Each of these more specific components or tools have forms that convey more about its function than a computers as a single unit. I plan to develop and study the use of physical objects as tools to control virtual objects. I would like to consider utilizing more of the body than just the hands to interact with these objects. I am also particularly interested in studying how multiple users can simultaneously manipulate virtual objects both on the same machine or over networks. I believe that my research focus would strongly contribute to Professor Ishii's "Seamless Media" project. There is a match between Professor Ishii's research interests and my own. Since collaboration deals with learning and education I am also interested in exploring how the "Seamless Media" project can collaborate with Professor Resnick's "Tools to Think With" project. One possible collaboration could be an experiment having young students use Professor Resnick's programmable bricks to create their own information manipulation tools. Young minds that have not been as conditioned to manipulate information as most adults may be able to give us important and interesting ideas about intuitive interfaces. I believe it is important to pursue possible connections with other research groups throughout the Media Lab. My background and experience could bring a valuable perspective to the Seamless Media Project and the Media Lab as a whole. I studied industrial design at the University of Michigan where I developed many important design skills such as brainstorming solutions, visual communication, and the understanding of three dimensional form. At the center of these skills was my creative problem-solving process for designing products with a strong research foundation. Through my design projects I gained a strong interest in how objects communicate their function through user interaction. My Guidance System for the Blind was designed to aid in the navigation problems of the blind by understanding how the blind sense and comprehend spatial information about their environment without sight. In 1994, I took an internship at Herman Miller, Inc. in the product research group. Herman Miller is an international office furniture manufacturer. They do extensive research in office environments to develop furniture to meet the changing needs of office work. At Herman Miller, I discovered that my design problem solving process was an excellent tool for dealing with a wide variety of situations. I learned how important it was to ask questions without biasing the subjects answers. I also developed both visual and verbal communication skills presenting complex research information to many different types of people. I learned a great deal about ergonomics and anthropometrics which led to my understanding that the ergonomic problems in the office are caused by the computer as much as by the furniture. The human body simply was not designed to sit at a computer workstation all day. This led to my interest in humanizing technology. These experiences along with working in interdisciplinary teams fostered my interest in communication, learning, and collaborative work. After my internship, I came back to the University of Michigan to finish my degree with a concentration on designing for collaborative work. I designed a furniture system to facilitate cooperative learning in a middle school environment. The final design won the Design Distinction award in the annual design review of I.D. magazine, July/August 1995 issue. I participated in the UMTV project with Professor Lynn Conway. In the project, an interdisciplinary team of students experimented with the use of a closed cable video network as a communications tool. This expanded my understanding of the need for well designed collaborative communication tools. After graduation I took a position as an industrial designer at Sundberg-Ferar, Inc. At Sundberg-Ferar I have honed my form development skills but realized I want to develop new domains of products that solve human interaction problems rather than styling handsome products. I believe that my unique background and research interests are an excellent match for Professor Hiroshi Ishii's "Seamless Media" project as well as the interdisciplinary environment of the Media Lab. I am confident my research interests are of significant importance to the fields of computer-supported cooperative work, human computer interaction, media, and information technology as a whole.