Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ginosko!uunet!datapg!sewilco From: sewilco@datapg.MN.ORG (Scot E Wilcoxon) Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng Subject: Re: Universal icons Message-ID: <20045@datapg.MN.ORG> Date: 4 Sep 89 16:51:08 GMT References: <343@aratar.UUCP> <4878@eos.UUCP> <5861@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM> Reply-To: sewilco@datapg.MN.ORG (Scot E Wilcoxon) Followup-To: comp.cog-eng Organization: Data Progress, Minneapolis, MN Lines: 32 In article <5861@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM> sandyg@tekirl.LABS.TEK.COM (Sandy Grossmann) writes: >... >Sometimes we forget that humans tend to recognize human >facial expressions better than they recognize symbols. >Can you think of applications for icons that use human expression >(or posture) to convey meaning? Perhaps for cautions? Or ???? Over 10 years ago I read about an experiment in monitoring the status of a computer system. A computer system has many items which can be quantitatively measured, such as number of items in the input and output queues, number of active programs, memory in use, percent of processor time used, etc. One system was instrumented to measure many such items and the numbers used to generate a human face on a CRT screen, with each item affecting one feature. Number of items in the input queue would raise the outside of the left eyebrow, the average memory size of items in the input queue made the eyebrow thicker, the number of active programs affected how open the mouth was. (I don't remember the specifics, but that's the type of relationship which was used) The "face" was set up so when the system was balanced the way which the system managers preferred, the "face" had a neutral smile. When anything was changing outside normal, various expressions or grimaces would appear. The author of the report noted that changes in these "facial expressions" were much more obvious than trying to directly observe a screenfull of corresponding numbers. -- Scot E. Wilcoxon sewilco@DataPg.MN.ORG {amdahl|hpda}!bungia!datapg!sewilco Data Progress UNIX masts & rigging +1 612-825-2607 uunet!datapg!sewilco I'm just reversing entropy while waiting for the Big Crunch.