The past ten years, online video has transformed from a mere novelty to one of the most popular pastimes on the internet. While online video platforms, such as YouTube, provide countless possibilities to disseminate traditional video, they lack options to create deep, interactive and immersive experiences. To provide this immersion, we initiated XIMPEL, the eXtensible Interactive Media Player for Entertainment and Learning. Using XIMPEL, users can construct highly interactive narratives involving video, images, text and other media elements. Unlike various short-lived tools which have abruptly appeared and disappeared, XIMPEL has stood the test of time: it now exists ten years. Through constant development, it has evolved along with continuous changes in the online environment and infrastructure. During the ten years of its existence, XIMPEL has been utilized in a wide variety of settings, for projects involving interactive media, between storytelling and gameplay, at the VU University Amsterdam’s Faculty of Sciences, by first year students as well as advanced master students. Projects ranging from interactive detective stories, campaigns against noise, guided tours, and educational games, on topics such as mathematics and environmental awareness. XIMPEL's declarative XML format proved to be an efficient and flexible tool for developing applications, not only for computer science and information technology students but also for students from cognitive psychology and the humanities. The XIMPEL framework has also been applied in professional settings, for instance assessment training, and for exhibitions at the University of Oslo’s Science Library. Our presentation provided a perspective on the evolution and usage of the XIMPEL framework during the past ten years. We also shed light on how XIMPEL may be used to enable new ways to disseminate, present and publish video-based research. Finally, we to discussed the value of enhanced interactivity and transparency in disseminating video-based research online.

1. XIMPEL
10 Years of Immersive Media Experiences
Hugo Huurdeman, Winoe Bhikharie, Anton Eliëns
University of Oslo, VU University Amsterdam
ximpel.net / bit.ly/VisualNavigationProject
Presentation at Big Video Sprint conference, Aalborg, Nov. 2017

4. •The past ten years, online video has transformed from a
mere novelty to one of the most popular pastimes on the
internet.
•While online video platforms, such as YouTube, provide
countless possibilities to disseminate traditional video,
they lack options to create deep, interactive and
immersive experiences.

5. XIMPEL
• Using XIMPEL, an open media platform*, you can weave
together video, audio, images and other media
• thus constructing highly interactive narratives
• * (based on HTML5 & XML)

6. Versatility
• The versatility of XIMPEL is exemplified by the wide
variety of its use in the past ten years, including
• online interactive media applications
• multimedia education, and
• interactive exhibitions involving large touch screens.

7. The journey
• This presentation will take you on a journey along 10
years of XIMPEL

8. Once upon a time...

9. The journey
• This presentation will take you on a journey along 10
years of XIMPEL
• Discussing seven key characteristics of the framework

10. 1. Immersion
• No distractions
• Immersive environments (using video, machinima, etc)
• Who do you Trust? (2016)
• Treasure Hunting Pyramid Castle Island Fairytale (2016)
• Seamless branching

11. •“Poor man’s immersion” [Eliëns et al 2007]
• deploying the immersive realism of video, based on
conventions of storytelling and film editing
• (substitute for interactive 3D immersion)

12. 2. Choice
• Offer possibilities of choice without leaving the
environment
• Provides sense of agency
• Allows for a variety of serious (and experimental) techniques
• Space Suitcase (2008)
• Forest of Life (2015)

13. 3. Story graphs
• Model choices and narratives
• Also as an educational tool
• Branch, converge, loop, etc

17. 3. Story graphs
• Model choices and narratives
• Also as an educational tool
• Branch, converge, loop, etc
• Or even randomness
•50s Driving Challenge (2009)

18. 4. Multiple viewpoints
• Offer a variety of viewpoints (authoring)
• Explore viewpoints by following paths (playing)
•Code of Conduct (2013)
•Reversed Cluedo (2015)

20. 5. Reflection & Feedback
• Allow for viewer reflection by showing followed paths
• Utilize custom score variables
• “Between narrative(s) and gameplay” [EliensEtAl2008]
• Show custom materials b/o choices
• Offer feedback
• Climate Profiler (2007-2009)

30. 6. Declarative format
• Something “in-between” pure
design & pure coding
• Create XML playlists
• Specify what, but not how
• (assistive tools)

31. 6. Declarative format
• Something “in-between” pure
design & pure coding
• Create XML playlists
• Specify what, but not how
• (assistive tools)

32. 7. eXtensible
• Add new modules (media types) for whichever
functionality you are interested in (Javascript)
• Some examples include:
• Minigames, maps, ..
• touch-based book viewer, visualizations

33. Mikaela Aamodt | Dan Michael Heggø | Hugo Huurdeman | Helge Mjelde | Live Rasmussen | Heidi Rustad | Kyrre Låberg | Nina Thodesen
Visual Navigation Project
University of Oslo Library
bit.ly/VisualNavigationProject
Project Outline & Progress

34. rethink how users can explore & interact
with library materials
in the digital and physical library space
Visual Navigation Project

35. bit.ly/VisualNavigationVideo

37. Large video collection - 100 (streamed) events per year
Cross-links with collection, topic experts, researchers, etc
How to connect and visualize in sensible ways?

38. Mikaela Aamodt | Dan Michael Heggø | Hugo Huurdeman | Helge Mjelde | Live Rasmussen | Heidi Rustad | Kyrre Låberg | Nina Thodesen
Visual Navigation Project
University of Oslo Library
bit.ly/VisualNavigationProject
Project Outline & Progress

39. XIMPEL 10 years - Why?
•Power of the “empty canvas”
•you can add interactivity, but you don’t have to …
•you can add multiple storylines, but you don’t have to …
•you can add annotations, but you don’t have to …
•you can add custom media types, but you don’t have to …
•you can add gaming elements, but you don’t have to …

40. XIMPEL 10 years - How?
•Simplicity - (relatively) easy to maintain
•Declarative (XML) format
•Extendable & open-source
•Contributions by aficionados & students

41. XIMPEL in the next 10 years
• Further extend interaction
modalities
• eye tracking, …
• Extend feedback
• textual and graphical
• Profiling methods
• statistics-based recom-
mendation of choices
• Simultaneous interactions
• Further develop MOOC features
• New media types
• 360 degrees, etcetera :)

42. Role in video-based research dissemination
• XIMPEL could serve as a way to:
• enhance interactivity and transparency in illustrating and
disseminating video-based research online
• export video and annotations (from analysis tools)
• use as “display resource”
•visualize (multistream) video & annotations (using templates)
• alternative for “immersive” viewing experience?
• e.g. large touch screens (touch, swipe, pinch)

43. Role in video-based research dissemination

44. • e.g., as a display resource ( model from Pea & Hoffert ’07 )
Role in video-based research dissemination

45. Role in video-based research dissemination
• XIMPEL could serve as a way to:
• enhance interactivity and transparency in illustrating and
disseminating video-based research online
• export video and annotations (from analysis tools)
• use as “display resource”
•visualize (multistream) video & annotations (using templates)
• alternative for “immersive” viewing experience?
• e.g. large touch screens (touch, swipe, pinch)
challenge-
any datasets & annotations we
can test?

46. ..big thanks!
• XIMPEL.net
• Winoe Bhikharie, Marek van de Watering, prof. Anton Eliëns
• All contributors, incl. Melvin Roest
• University of Oslo Library:
• All colleagues & collaborating students & study participants
• & organizers BigVideo conference congress!

47. XIMPEL
10 Years of Immersive Media Experiences
Hugo Huurdeman, Winoe Bhikharie, Anton Eliëns
University of Oslo, VU University Amsterdam
ximpel.net / bit.ly/VisualNavigationProject
Presentation at Big Video Sprint conference, Aalborg, Nov. 2017