Blog - Paper Reading #2

Hands-on math: a page-based multi-touch and pen desktop for technical work and problem solving

 

Authored by Robert Zeleznik, Andrew Bragdon, Ferdi Adeputra and Hsu-Sheng Ko

 

Robert Zeleznik holds a Master's Degree in Computer Science from Brown University where he works as a director of research. Andrew Bragdon and Hsu-Sheng Ko are also CS students at Brown. Ferdi Adeputra studies Applied Mathematics at Brown and is employed at Goldman Sachs. This paper was presented at the 23rd annual ACM symposium on user interface software and technology in New York.

Summary

 

Hypothesis

Their hypothesis stated that if professionals who use Computer Algebra Systems were to utilize them in a direct multi-touch note taking environment, they would be able to perform more effectively.

Methods

To test the effectiveness and feasibility of Hands-On Math in the academic environment, the study selected a sample of students to test it. It was the team's belief that students were representative of users that would benefit from the product. They were each asked to perform a set of tasks using the device which included creating and manipulating pages, performing simple arithmetic, calculating a derivative, graphing an equation and manipulating said graph, utilizing Palm Print to draw a diagram, web clipping, utilizing the set of TAP gestures and page folding.

Results

The results were reasonably successful. Overall the study found subjects to be disinclined to utilize two handed commands, speculating that the increased accuracy gained did not offset the inconvenience of using a second hand. Additionally, users complained about the experimental setup. They all expressed a strong desire for a more portable environment, and dislike for the light pen used as a stylus. Overall the students favored the concept of a "paper-like environment". On the whole they felt that the system, if properly developed, would be a useful tool in their work.

 

Discussion

 

The significance of this work is in the potential of a fully developed product. The designs of Hands-On Math serve to eliminate many of the drawbacks to using computer aided mathematics. In a pen and paper-like environment, the user has all the benefits of a CAS without the need for any cumbersome user interface.

The most glaring flaws in the experiment were with the experimental procedure itself. Too many of the test subjects were hung up on issues like the drawing surface being hard to reach, or the light pen inaccurately signaling the surface itself. I believe they have acquired strong evidence for this proof of concept, but ultimately it is dependent on the quality of the user's experience. More effort should have been taken to eliminate these issues to better focus on the aspects of the software itself.

The future work I see this design leading to all has to do with increasing it's portability. If this were further developed and migrated to tablet pc's for example, we might see this become a common tool in classrooms. From another angle, if this concept were to proliferate we might see pen and paper mathematics somehow merge with CAS. This could cause a shift in mathematical instruction from the fundamentals of math to more elevated concepts at all levels.