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MetaFace Framework PhD Thesis
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Introduction/Description |
| beard-metaface-intro-1-2.pdf |
2.2MB |
Abstract
Acknowledgements
Preface
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature Review
The MetaFace framework aims to provide developers with an extensible anthropomorphic
framework to achieve intuitive user interaction for websites. This will enable developers to
construct websites based on anthropomorphic metaphors, such as, lecturers, shopkeepers,
bank tellers, and tour guides. The MetaFace framework involves three main areas of
research: Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs), framework architectures, and computer
interface metaphors.
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| beard-metaface-3.pdf |
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Chapter 3: Research Methodology
As stated previously, the MetaFace framework seeks to provide ways in which developers
can extend an anthropomorphic metaphor to achieve intuitive user interaction for website.
Through the reuse of design and components developers should reap the benefits. The
previous chapter showed the importance of anthropomorphic metaphors and Embodied
Character Agent (ECA) interfaces. A number of key technologies and research areas were
discussed and could be combined to form an anthropomorphic metaphor and framework for
websites:
Currently, there exists no framework that combines these areas and is available for
convenient use by website developers, whilst also being intuitive to users. The MetaFace
framework will address these areas and from the literature review the following research
hypotheses have been synthesised. Their purpose is to evaluate success of the MetaFace
framework.
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| beard-metaface-4.pdf |
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Chapter 4: Languages as Framework Technologies
This chapter is concerned with investigating two very important ECA language technologies
used during the development of the MetaFace framework. MPEG-4 facial animation
(Koenen, 2002) and the Virtual Human Markup Language (VHML) (Beard, 2002; Beard &
Reid, 2002; Marriott et al., 2002) are important to the compatibility and longevity of the
MetaFace framework. The impact of these technologies upon the objectives of the MetaFace
framework needs to be assessed.
This chapter reviews MPEG-4 and shows how this framework enabling technology
was applied to the MetaFace framework. In particular, this chapter will explore the issue of
believability and the impact of implementing a two-dimensional face using a threedimensional
standard. It is worth noting that MPEG-4 facial animation is a standard that can
be implemented in a number of ways; applications can interpret MPEG-4 data in a domain
specific way.
This chapter also explores VHML and ECA scripting language design. The
discussion will focus on the conduciveness of VHML in respect to the objectives of the
MetaFace framework. Discussed also are the semantic, functional, and implementation
issues encountered during framework integration22. This chapter will also discuss the future,
and possible standardisation, of embodied character scripting languages. It is important to
ensure the longevity of the MetaFace framework through exploring future trends. |
| beard-metaface-5.pdf |
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Chapter 5: Implementation and Technical Issues of the Framework
During development of the MetaFace framework, many issues were encountered. This
chapter will focus upon the implementation and technical issues of the framework within the
areas of interaction management, firewalls, buffering, web browser integration and text-tospeech
synthesis.
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| beard-metaface-6.pdf |
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Chapter 6: Evaluating the Framework and Metaphor
The MetaFace framework was designed so that its constituent modules can be combined to
form new and complete applications. The framework can be altered using polymorphic like
extension to create these applications. This allows the developer to meet the requirements of
different information domains, user tasks, metaphors, and different implementation
architectures. To show that the MetaFace framework meets the research hypotheses, the
design shall be discussed, and a number of applications shown. Each application in itself is a
test of the underlying design of the MetaFace framework and shows the framework adapted
to the requirements of the application. The hypotheses that this chapter will evaluate are:
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| beard-metaface-7.pdf |
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Chapter 7: Evaluating the Embodied Character
This chapter will discuss a participant and questionnaire based experiment designed to
evaluate the aims and hypotheses of the MetaFace framework. This preparatory section will
discuss the experimental detail, and the following sections will cover the analysis, results,
and discussion of the questionnaire.
The hypotheses to be tested in this chapter are:
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| beard-metaface-8.pdf |
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Chapter 8: Conclusion and Furture Work
This chapter will now present the conclusions and future work of this research. This section
will discuss the outcomes, research hypotheses, and make concluding remarks. The
following section will discuss some investigatory work and future directions for research:
gestalt User Interfaces (gUIs), and a framework for “ubiquitous network embodied helpers”
(UbiquiFace). |
| beard-metaface-references.pdf |
1MB |
References
The cited works and electronic references of the thesis
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| beard-metaface-appendices.pdf |
3.7MB |
Appendices
The appendices of the thesis
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