The document discusses designing information systems that value the periphery by highlighting three key points: 1) Traditional centralized information systems impose strict consistency and ontologies, but peripheral systems like spreadsheets are often better suited for local needs. 2) Newer systems should respect user semantics, infer meaning through interaction rather than imposed schemas, and value distributed ownership of data. 3) Examples of valuing the periphery include respecting individual ownership in learning analytics, acting as a cache for original community data sources, and empowering island communities through control over their data flows.

1. The Leaves are Golden
putting the periphery at the heart of information design
Alan Dix
Talis and University of Birmingham
http://alandix.com/academic/talks/HCI2016-the-leaves-are-golden/

2. my first HCI paper 
@ First British HCI Conference 1985

3. Tiree
Tiree Tech Wave
8–12 Oct2016
University of
Birmingham

4. detailed interaction
widgets
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_engineer
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Subway_Station_Digital_Advertising_Screens_(13251201894).jpg
CSCW, social
information systems
ethical, political
HCI
people and
technology

5. HCI
CSCW, social
information systems
ethical, political
data
Human-Data
Interaction

6. data
people and
information

7. first paper on privacy in HCI
@ Interact’90 (with British HCI)
Cambridge 1990

8. REF
analysis
concert
data
island &
community
data
Wales
walk data
data
people and
information
learning
analytics

9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainframe_computer#/media/File:Front_Z9_2094.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Gnome-utilities-terminal.svg/240px-Gnome-utilities-terminal.svg.png
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Phone-blackberry-bold.svg/240px-Phone-blackberry-bold.svg.png
tradition information systems
the centre is golden
edges
are views
of centre
core values:
integrity
consisten
cy
control
single defined
schema / ontology

10. … but …
‘parallel systems’
local spreadsheets, paper systems, etc.
hated by central IT
often ‘get the job done’

11. … the cloud …
wonderful sometimes
long-lost friends on FB
access everywhere
sharing data, photos
maps everywhere
but with cost …
privacy, hyper-targeted ads,
loss of community content and control
even semantic web often ingest-based

12. traditional issues (but still current)
efficiency and currency
“ownership” and organisational knowledge
newer issues (although not totally new)
personal data and privacy
empowerment
core issue:
central control
not central storage

13. so what can we do about it?
design that
values the periphery

14. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unity-Mail-Screenshot.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woman_using_computer.jpg

15. office information systems

16. some heuristics
don’t enforce consistency
instead highlight inconsistency
don’t impose ontologies
infer semantics through interaction

17. meaning is use
semantics through
interaction
respect user’s
semantics
data before
semantics
external
semantics

19. academia

20. learning analytics
over half of UK universities
cloud storage but individual control
challenges:
individual ‘ownership’
students & academics
network synergies respecting
distributed ownership

21. In Concert
with Huddersfield, Goldsmiths, Illinois, British Library
Concert ephemera
1750–1800 Calendar of London Concerts
1815–1895 Concert Life in London
1894–1944 Concert Programme Exchange (BL)

22. In Concert
central academic value:
authority and quality
so …
protect original spreadsheets and databases
central portal is cache/view of these
wrappers and external semantics
then query, visualise, augment, anotate

23. communities

24. Open Data
everyone is doing it
Governments, Cities, local gov.
In C21 Data is Power

25. why not an island?

26. island data flows
Community
groups and individuals
rest of
the world
other
communities
1
2
3
4

27. island data flows
from community to world
Community
groups and individuals
rest of
the world
1
• visibility and
control
• identity and
empowerment
• level of detail
• local knowledge

28. island data flows
from world to community
Community
groups and individuals
rest of
the world
2 • making the most
of open data
• local decision
making
• lobbying and
negotiation

29. island data flows
within the community
Community
groups and individuals
3
• gossip is not enough!
• sparse, dispersed population
• social cohesion and economic benefits

30. island data flows
between communities
Community
groups and individuals
other
communities
4
• sharing best practice
• brand presence
• interlinked data

31. benefits to …
the community
empowerment and control
availability of information
communication within and between communities
the world
improved quality of data
level of detail of data
local knowledge and understanding

32. Fusion …
research
heterogeneity, semantics through interaction,
the cloud – network benefits without centralisation?
teaching
sensitivity to existing practice – make the computer work
don’t just reach for the database!
practice
real problems for real users

33. value the periphery
the leaves are golden