3 ms·

There is a fundamental problem with viewports of unknown size: you as author cannot ensure that the way you want to represent your information is also rendered

by ht_th 14y ago

There is a fundamental problem with viewports of unknown size: you as author cannot ensure that the way you want to represent your information is also rendered that way. For a novel or other basically sequential text that doesn't matter, but for a technical document with complex representations, it might be problematic. Long or wide tables are a common example, if headers aren't repeated they fast become a meaningless bunch of symbols. A graph whereby you cannot see essential features as the legend, axis, all typical points (like extrema), or the pattern described by the whole, probably makes it troublesome to support your argument you try to make in your text. And don't get me started on unique and more complex diagrams and infographics. Zooming in and out just doesn't cut it. Of course, you could write a different text with different diagrams for different viewport sizes, but besides spending more time writing your documents, it also becomes a referencing hell.

cloverich 14y ago
I don't see why the typical shrunken-image with link to larger size doesn't work? You can only put so much on a small screen, and if zooming + panning doesn't work, and the author's / publishers don't want to make multiple representations for different sized devices (really just one for small and one for large) - what else would work?
sycren 14y ago
Tell me what you think of 'The Future of the Book' by IDEO: http://vimeo.com/15142335 http://vimeo.com/15142335
- ht_th 14y ago
  Don't get me wrong, I like information rich interactive documents. I just think it is an illusion to think that these documents fit different (sized) devices without (extensive) editing. And there is nothing wrong with that as long as we are aware of that. The problem I currently see is that textbook writers (I work in education) write a textbook the traditional way and then digitize it poorly without any regard for the nature of the devices it is used on nor of modern information processing capabilities. Or, stated differently, think about how information is represented best on different devices (device groups).
  - sycren 14y ago
    Perhaps I am far too naive on this subject, but I would have thought that it would be quite easy to algorithmically work out how best to present information on each device using different aspect ratios, colour levels and resolutions as variables to change em or % css values of elements, or even conditional css layouts.
    - ht_th 14y ago
      With respect to a pure technically translation from one device to the other, you're absolutely right. The problem is in interpretation/representation/communication of information/ideas/knowledge. For example, I've built an interactive computer simulation connected to a graphing component to enable students to explore rate of change. On a computer screen the simulation and graph are thus positioned that there is a direct link between what happens in the graph and in the simulation. It doesn't fit on a smartphone. I can (automatically) change the setup to put the graph after (below) the simulation, but if the student cannot see the graph and the simulation simultaneously, they miss out on the support for learning the concept of change in the original configuration. Another example, I taught a course on regular expressions and that included a unit on deterministic finite automatons. For non-trivial examples these automatons aren't comprehensible on small screens. Zoom and pan doesn't work to get a picture of the whole. On the other hand, I can think of a simulation of an automaton that would give a better picture on a small screen how a particular automaton works by using a simplified track representing the whole and focusing on a local state and input to see the effect of connections in the track. However, this would mean two different approaches to learning automatons that aren't necessarily compatible, especially in an introductory course. Students will have different questions and problems with the different representations. They will construct different ideas about automatons that might make communicating in class about automatons troublesome as students don't understand each other while talking about the same thing. But it goes further than that, these representation will need different introductions, different exercises, maybe even a different structured learning trajectory to build a similar understanding of automatons.
      - sycren 14y ago

by ht_th 14y ago

cloverich 14y ago

I don't see why the typical shrunken-image with link to larger size doesn't work? You can only put so much on a small screen, and if zooming + panning doesn't work, and the author's / publishers don't want to make multiple representations for different sized devices (really just one for small and one for large) - what else would work?

sycren 14y ago

Tell me what you think of 'The Future of the Book' by IDEO: http://vimeo.com/15142335 http://vimeo.com/15142335

ht_th 14y ago
Don't get me wrong, I like information rich interactive documents. I just think it is an illusion to think that these documents fit different (sized) devices without (extensive) editing. And there is nothing wrong with that as long as we are aware of that. The problem I currently see is that textbook writers (I work in education) write a textbook the traditional way and then digitize it poorly without any regard for the nature of the devices it is used on nor of modern information processing capabilities. Or, stated differently, think about how information is represented best on different devices (device groups).
- sycren 14y ago
  Perhaps I am far too naive on this subject, but I would have thought that it would be quite easy to algorithmically work out how best to present information on each device using different aspect ratios, colour levels and resolutions as variables to change em or % css values of elements, or even conditional css layouts.
  - ht_th 14y ago
    With respect to a pure technically translation from one device to the other, you're absolutely right. The problem is in interpretation/representation/communication of information/ideas/knowledge. For example, I've built an interactive computer simulation connected to a graphing component to enable students to explore rate of change. On a computer screen the simulation and graph are thus positioned that there is a direct link between what happens in the graph and in the simulation. It doesn't fit on a smartphone. I can (automatically) change the setup to put the graph after (below) the simulation, but if the student cannot see the graph and the simulation simultaneously, they miss out on the support for learning the concept of change in the original configuration. Another example, I taught a course on regular expressions and that included a unit on deterministic finite automatons. For non-trivial examples these automatons aren't comprehensible on small screens. Zoom and pan doesn't work to get a picture of the whole. On the other hand, I can think of a simulation of an automaton that would give a better picture on a small screen how a particular automaton works by using a simplified track representing the whole and focusing on a local state and input to see the effect of connections in the track. However, this would mean two different approaches to learning automatons that aren't necessarily compatible, especially in an introductory course. Students will have different questions and problems with the different representations. They will construct different ideas about automatons that might make communicating in class about automatons troublesome as students don't understand each other while talking about the same thing. But it goes further than that, these representation will need different introductions, different exercises, maybe even a different structured learning trajectory to build a similar understanding of automatons.
    - sycren 14y ago