Time as a Component of Interaction Design

Time is a fascinating variable. Outside our control, it neV ~ heless offers a concept that can be exploited in the interaction design of information visualisation tools. amples include the representation of dynamic processes, the display of additional dimensionalit)', the en cement of mental models and the technique of riffling, the latter offering a valuable space-tinre trade-o for information system design. Illustrations will include mobile telephones, coffee tables, landmarks that d n't, hili design and autopilots. Robert Spence is Professor of Information Engineering ithin the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering of Imperial College. London. He began his rk in Human-Computer Interaction in 1967 with work on the interactive-graphic design of circuits. work hich eventually led to a conmlercial CAD tool in 1985 marketed by a company co-founded and chaired b him. Other research and innovation since then included many novel techniques for information visualisa ion such as the Attribute Explorer. the Influence Explorer and the Prosection Matrix. With a colleague h was responsible for the invention of the Bifocal Display. now often referred to as the Fishe)'e Lens. and is currently involved in research into a new method of data display called Rapid Serial Visual Presentatio (RSVP) having particular relevance to small displays. For his work in Human-Computer Interaction h was awarded the higher doctorate of the Royal College of Art. Concurrently with his work on Humanomputer Interaction. Professor Spence is widei). known for his engineering research. and particulari)' for ethods of enhancing the manufacturing yield of ml,lss-produced artefacts. He is a Fellow of the Ro)'al Aca emyofEngineering. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Information Visualisation (IV’01) 0-7695-1195-3/01 $10.00 © 2001 IEEE