An initial evaluation of MathPad2: A tool for creating dynamic mathematical illustrations

MathPad2 is a pen-based application prototype for creating mathematical sketches. Using a modeless gestural interface, it lets users make dynamic illustrations by associating handwritten mathematics with free-form drawings and provides a set of tools for graphing and evaluating mathematical expressions and solving equations. In this paper, we present the results of an initial evaluation of the MathPad2 prototype, examining the user interface's intuitiveness and the application's perceived usefulness. Our evaluations are based on both performance and questionnaire results including first attempt gesture performance, interface recall tests, and surveys of user interface satisfaction and perceived usefulness. The results of our evaluation suggest that, although some test subjects had difficulty with our mathematical expression recognizer, they found the interface, in general, intuitive and easy to remember. More importantly, these results suggest the prototype has the potential to assist beginning physics and mathematics students in problem solving and understanding scientific concepts.

[1]  Patrick Baudisch,et al.  Design and analysis of delimiters for selection-action pen gesture phrases in scriboli , 2005, CHI.

[2]  Taku Komura,et al.  Topology matching for fully automatic similarity estimation of 3D shapes , 2001, SIGGRAPH.

[3]  James A. Landay,et al.  Informal Animation Sketching: Requirements and Design , 2004, AAAI Technical Report.

[4]  Mark W. Newman,et al.  DENIM: finding a tighter fit between tools and practice for Web site design , 2000, CHI.

[5]  Ben Shneiderman,et al.  Designing the user interface (2nd ed.): strategies for effective human-computer interaction , 1992 .

[6]  Thomas P. Moran,et al.  Pen-based interaction techniques for organizing material on an electronic whiteboard , 1997, UIST '97.

[7]  Dit-Yan Yeung,et al.  Elastic structural matching for online handwritten alphanumeric character recognition , 1998, Proceedings. Fourteenth International Conference on Pattern Recognition (Cat. No.98EX170).

[8]  Andrew S. Forsberg,et al.  The music notepad , 1998, UIST '98.

[9]  Jonathan J. Cadiz,et al.  A seamless integration of algorithm animation into a visual programming language , 1996, AVI '96.

[10]  Ellen Yi-Luen Do,et al.  Ambiguous intentions: a paper-like interface for creative design , 1996, UIST '96.

[11]  Wolfgang Christian,et al.  Developing Web-based curricula using Java physlets , 1998 .

[12]  Joseph J. LaViola,et al.  The Coach''s Playbook , 1999 .

[13]  James A. Landay,et al.  Interactive sketching for the early stages of user interface design , 1995, CHI '95.

[14]  Mark D. Gross,et al.  Stretch-A-Sketch: a dynamic diagrammer , 1994, Proceedings of 1994 IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages.

[15]  Johanna D. Moore,et al.  Proceedings of the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems , 1989 .

[16]  Bidyut Baran Chaudhuri,et al.  Recognition of online handwritten mathematical expressions , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part B (Cybernetics).

[17]  Christine J. Alvarado,et al.  A natural sketching environment : bringing the computer into early stages of mechanical design , 2000 .

[18]  Alan Borning,et al.  ThingLab: a constraint-oriented simulation laboratory , 1979 .

[19]  Anil K. Jain,et al.  Template-based online character recognition , 2001, Pattern Recognit..

[20]  Feiner,et al.  Dial: A Diagrammatic Animation Language , 1982, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications.

[21]  Eric Saund,et al.  Stylus input and editing without prior selection of mode , 2003, UIST '03.

[22]  Sang Uk Lee,et al.  Integrated Position Estimation Using Aerial Image Sequences , 2002, IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell..

[23]  Dit-Yan Yeung,et al.  PenCalc: a novel application of on-line mathematical expression recognition technology , 2001, Proceedings of Sixth International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition.

[24]  Masakazu Suzuki,et al.  A technique of mathematical expression structure analysis for the handwriting input system , 1999, Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition. ICDAR '99 (Cat. No.PR00318).

[25]  Takeo Igarashi,et al.  A suggestive interface for 3D drawing , 2001, SIGGRAPH Courses.

[26]  Richard Zanibbi,et al.  Recognizing Mathematical Expressions Using Tree Transformation , 2002, IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell..

[27]  Takeo Igarashi,et al.  Flatland: new dimensions in office whiteboards , 1999, CHI '99.

[28]  Nicholas E. Matsakis.  Recognition of Handwritten Mathematical Expressions , 1999 .

[29]  Paola Salomoni,et al.  Proceedings of the 11th Annual SIGCSE Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE 2006, Bologna, Italy, June 26-28, 2006 , 2006, ITiCSE.

[30]  John Stasko.  Animating algorithms with XTANGO , 1992, SIGA.

[31]  Dit-Yan Yeung,et al.  An efficient syntactic approach to structural analysis of on-line handwritten mathematical expressions , 2000, Pattern Recognit..

[32]  Levent Burak Kara,et al.  A Sketch-Based Interface for the Design and Analysis of Simple Vibratory Mechanical Systems , 2004, DAC 2004.

[33]  William Martin.  A Fast-Parsing Scheme for Hand-Printed Mathematical Expressions , 1967 .

[34]  Robert H. Anderson.  Syntax-directed recognition of hand-printed two-dimensional mathematics , 1967, Symposium on Interactive Systems for Experimental Applied Mathematics.

[35]  Anne Morgan Spalter,et al.  Integrating interactive computer-based learning experiences into established curricula: a case study , 2000, ITiCSE '00.

[36]  Dit-Yan Yeung,et al.  Mathematical expression recognition: a survey , 2000, International Journal on Document Analysis and Recognition.

[37]  Robert Sedgewick,et al.  A system for algorithm animation , 1984, SIGGRAPH.

[38]  Mark Guzdial.  Squeak : Object-Oriented Design with Multimedia Applications , 2000 .

[39]  Ben Shneiderman,et al.  Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction , 1998 .

[40]  Paul A. Viola,et al.  Ambiguity and Constraint in Mathematical Expression Recognition , 1998, AAAI/IAAI.

[41]  Raghvinder S. Sangwan,et al.  A Visual Interface for Effortless Animation of C/C++ Programs , 2000, J. Vis. Lang. Comput..

[42]  Anne Morgan Spalter,et al.  A component repository for learning objects: a progress report , 2001, JCDL '01.

[43]  Xiaolin Li,et al.  On-line handwritten alphanumeric character recognition using dominant points in strokes , 1997, Pattern Recognit..

[44]  Kent L. Norman,et al.  Development of an instrument measuring user satisfaction of the human-computer interface , 1988, CHI '88.

[45]  Giuseppe Liotta,et al.  Algorithm animation over the World Wide Web , 1996, AVI '96.

[46]  Dit-Yan Yeung,et al.  Error detection, error correction and performance evaluation in on-line mathematical expression recognition , 2001, Pattern Recognit..

[47]  Fred D. Davis.  Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology , 1989, MIS Q..

[48]  Joseph J. LaViola,et al.  MathPad2: a system for the creation and exploration of mathematical sketches , 2004, SIGGRAPH 2004.

[49]  John T. Stasko.  Using direct manipulation to build algorithm animations by demonstration , 1991, CHI '91.

[50]  Joseph J. LaViola,et al.  Mathematical Sketching: A New Approach to Creating and Exploring Dynamic Illustrations , 2005 .

[51]  David Salesin,et al.  A sketching interface for articulated figure animation , 2006, SIGGRAPH 2006.

[52]  Simeon Warner,et al.  Java simulations for physics education , 1997, Concurrency Practice and Experience.

[53]  Christian Heide Damm,et al.  Tool support for cooperative object-oriented design: gesture based modelling on an electronic whiteboard , 2000, CHI.