A Methodology of Design
For Virtual Environments
Clive Fencott
SpIDERStudio
School of Computing
University of Teesside
Introduction
• Methodology
– Particularly content modelling
– Integration
• Problems and further research
• SpIDERStudio
• Strange Agency Limited
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Me
• Idle waster
• Poet and performance artist
• Formal Methods
• Methods Integration research
• Virtual Environment Theory
• Entrepreneur
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
What is the problem?
• Designing VEs is difficult and time
consuming
• Have to reconcile engineering and
aesthetics
• Need methods and tools
• That’s why we’re here …
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
What is a Method?
• An underlying model
• A language
• A process model
• Heuristics
(Kronlof, 1993)
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
A VE Process Model
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
What Underlying
Model?
• Turing Machines, Lambda Calculus not
expressive enough
• Interaction Machines
• Semiotics
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Semiotics
• The study of how people find meaning
in the world around them
• Signs made up of:
– Signifier
– Signified
• Huge body of theory built up from this
basic insight
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Semiotically Closed
Interaction Machines
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
What Language do we
use?
• UML on the engineering side
• Can Semiotics help us on the aesthetic
side?
• Yes, but it needs to be adapted for
interaction
• Do they work together?
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
• A chair looks like a chair:
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Interactive Content
• but it might also be:
– Something to stand on
– Something to fight with
– Something to buy and sell
– A symbol of status, a throne for instance
• The meaning paradox:
– A chair doesn’t function as a chair
– It does function as interactive content
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Content Modelling
• Theories of:
– The meanings people make of interactive
content
– The types of responses they make as a
result
• Has to be:
– Multi-levelled
– Multi-faceted
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
VE Aesthetics
• Agency
– Intention
– Perceivable Consequence
• Narrative Potential
• Co-presence
• Transformation
• Presence
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
The Problem with
Agency
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
•
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Perceptual
Opportunities
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Method
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Now and Future
• Object Aesthetics
– POs as OO attributes of content code
• Agency at the heart of all VR
– Tools don’t support the design of agency
– Most tools make implementing agency very
difficult at best
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
SpIDERS
• Semiosphere: Interactive Digital Environment
Research Studio
• Semiosphere:
– An ecology of meaning in which differing
languages and media interact
• Yuri Lotman, a Russian semiotician
• Semiotics:
– The study of how humans make meaning out of
the world around them
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
What is SpIDERS?
• An interdisciplinary team of computer
scientists, experimental psychologists and
artists and designers
• Conduct research into theories of interactive
content
• Experimental verification of theories
• Practical research into the nature of
interactive media applications
• Particularly computer games
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Ethos
• There are many ways of investigating
the world:
– Empirical science
– Qualitative methods
– Art practice and other humanities based
approaches
– And so on
• They are all of use
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Experiments
• Predictive content modelling
– Genre theory, aesthetics, perceptual
opportunities, the semiotics of interaction
• Unrealisms
• Specialised experimental methods:
– Mood and presence
– patterns of choice
• VR as object of study
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Methodology
• Specialist technology, e.g.. Eye-tracker:
– To correlate focus of attention with
observed behaviour
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Applications Research
• VR as subject of study
• People with Dementia (PWD):
– The use of Virtual Reality to help PWDs
learn new environments
• Computer Games for exercise:
– Games that respond to exercise bikes etc.
• Computer Games and Older Adults
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
• University Spin-out company
• Proof of Content:
– The analysis of computer games before
they are playable
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
Conclusions
• Interactive content a major field for
research and commercialisation
• Content modelling way behind the
technology of interactive content
• We are still only at the beginning:
– Even computer games are in their infancy
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
• “A Methodology of Design for Virtual
Environments”
• In: “Developing Future Interactive
Systems”
• Ed. Sanchez-Segura
• Idea Group
• 2005
Clive Fencott, A Methodology of Design for VEs
