Communication of climate-responsive urban design guidelines is becoming increasingly relevant in the light of climate adaptation challenges in cities. Widespread uptake in practice of such guidelines can be promoted by visualizations of the principles on which they are based. The “Really cooling water bodies in cities” research project developed and tested the required knowledge on visual communication. Evidence-based design guidelines assisting designers with creating cooler urban water environments were developed and communicated with 3D animations. The animations were shaped according to three core theoretical criteria about visual representations: “visual clarity”, “trust” and “interest”. We assessed in how far these criteria were met in an inquiry with design professionals, the target group of the design guidelines. The article concludes with recommendations for developing visual design guidelines in climate-responsive urban design: to weigh the level of detail, components and balance between site-specificity/abstraction (“visual clarity”); to make microclimatic processes visible without distorting them (“trust”); and to keep timing short and visual attractiveness high (“interest”). It is argued that taking these aspects into account and setting a clear correspondence between theoretical concepts, representation objectives and options, can largely benefit visual design guidelines communicating climate-responsive urban design knowledge.
Older adults experience visual problems owing to biological ageing or eye disease. In the Netherlands, the prevalence of visual impairments is the highest in the subgroup of nursing home residents (41.3%). These impairments influence quality of life in terms of limiting daily activities and participation in social activities. Furthermore, 63% of visual problems are defined as ‘avoidable blindness’. For this reason, screening of visual functioning in the nursing home is of major importance. Moreover, visual functioning should also be taken into account to prevent the incidence of falls.
The visual representation of Information System (IS) artefacts is an important aspect in the practical application of visual representations. However, important and known visual representation principles are often undervalued, which could lead to decreased effectiveness in using a visual representation. Decision Management (DM) is one field of study in which stakeholders must be able to utilize visual notations to model business decisions and underlying business logic, which are executed by machines, thus are IS artefacts. Although many DM notations currently exist, little research actually evaluates visual representation principles to identify the visual notations most suitable for stakeholders. In this paper, the Physics of Notations framework of Moody is operationalized and utilized to evaluate five different DM visual notations. The results show several points of improvement with regards to these visual notations. Furthermore, the results could show the authors of DM visual notations that well-known visual representation principles need to be adequately taken into account when defining or modifying DM visual notations.
Electronic Sports (esports) is a form of digital entertainment, referred to as "an organised and competitive approach to playing computer games". Its popularity is growing rapidly as a result of an increased prevalence of online gaming, accessibility to technology and access to elite competition.Esports teams are always looking to improve their performance, but with fast-paced interaction, it can be difficult to establish where and how performance can be improved. While qualitative methods are commonly employed and effective, their widespread use provides little differentiation among competitors and struggles with pinpointing specific issues during fast interactions. This is where recent developments in both wearable sensor technology and machine learning can offer a solution. They enable a deep dive into player reactions and strategies, offering insights that surpass traditional qualitative coaching techniquesBy combining insights from gameplay data, team communication data, physiological measurements, and visual tracking, this project aims to develop comprehensive tools that coaches and players can use to gain insight into the performance of individual players and teams, thereby aiming to improve competitive outcomes. Societal IssueAt a societal level, the project aims to revolutionize esports coaching and performance analysis, providing teams with a multi-faceted view of their gameplay. The success of this project could lead to widespread adoption of similar technologies in other competitive fields. At a scientific level, the project could be the starting point for establishing and maintaining further collaboration within the Dutch esports research domain. It will enhance the contribution from Dutch universities to esports research and foster discussions on optimizing coaching and performance analytics. In addition, the study into capturing and analysing gameplay and player data can help deepen our understanding into the intricacies and complexities of teamwork and team performance in high-paced situations/environments. Collaborating partnersTilburg University, Breda Guardians.
Value increase by design through the development of an international network in Visual DesignThe VIVID project aimed to create a cross-border virtual network in the Visual Design sector, a sector that creatively translates communication into multimedia applications. This sector is constantly evolving and offers great economic potential for the 2 Seas area, using new media and technology to develop visual communication tools which are more efficient, more understandable and can also be applied internationally. That said, there are two main barriers preventing this sector from expanding in the 2 Seas area: its fragmentation and a brain drain. Of highly educated professionals towards the capitals (Amsterdam, London, Paris, Brussels). The VIVID partnership wants to cluster organisations and to strengthen the sector by: - Promoting cooperation and knowledge-exchange with the participating universities and higher education institutions for new applications in the visual design sector. - Stimulating creative entrepreneurship and supporting start-up businesses, especially young professionals. - Showcasing and profiling visual design to a wider audience, as well as the uses and applications of visual design in trade and industry.Partners: AVANS University of Applied Sciences (NL), House of Visual Culture (NL), Strategic Project Organisation Kempen (BE), Les Rencontres Audiovisuelles (FR), Pictanovo (FR), Southampton Solent University (UK), Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge (UK) and the City of Breda (NL).
