Digital Commons Network^™

Only Screen Deep? Evaluating Aesthetics, Usability, And Satisfaction In Informational Websites, Carrie Avery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the role aesthetics plays in informational websites. In commercial interfaces, aesthetics (the perceived visual appeal and appropriateness of an object) has shown to correlate positively with many aspects of usability and emotional satisfaction. This thesis examines whether aesthetics has similar positive correlations in informational websites. Heuristics or guidelines for evaluating informational websites are developed based on empirical research and practitioner expertise. Categories for heuristic evaluation include usability, credibility, visual clarity, visual richness, and emotional satisfaction. A class of graduate students browsed three academic websites, evaluated them, and critiqued the heuristics. Results indicate that aesthetics does correlate with …

Experimental Navigation And The Creative Process, Teresa A. Engle

Theses and Dissertations

For this creative project, I am exploring alternate methods of navigating urban environments, and ways in which this activity can inspire creativity. This process is intended to create a new awareness of the urban landscape, break out of the prescribed, and to inspire innovation. The range of possibilities for this way of navigating is vast, and part of the challenge of my experience has been defining boundaries, assigning variables, and using strategies for exploration – making my process inherently morphological. I hope that my work here will encourage others to step out of their comfort zone and experience their environment …

The Unwantables: An Exploration Of Visual Narrative, Marius I. Valdes

Theses and Dissertations

The Unwantables is a creative project that has evolved from my lifelong interest in and relationship with visual stories. To me the most compelling aspect of visual storytelling is "imagination". The author possesses the ability to create new worlds, interesting characters, and situations that can have the potential to communicate about any topic. My project explores visual narrative as a communication tool to explain the role of imagination in my life.

Bottom Albedo Derivations Using Hyperspectral Spectrometry And Multispectral Video, Andrew Scott Farmer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Remote sensing reflectance data collected with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) were used to derive bottom albedo and optical properties for a shallow marine environment near Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas. Optical model inversion techniques were applied to hyperspectral measurements of remote-sensing reflectance to derive water absorption and backscatter coefficients. Using these derived water properties, path attenuation and radiance effects were removed from bottom observations to derive bottom albedos. Histograms from multispectral, hyperspatial video images were used to determine the albedo range of optical end members observed in scenes of sand and seagrass. Variations of spectral signatures for optical end members …

Recognising The Screenwriter: Agency And Authorship In Adaptation, Michelle Mcmerrin

Theses : Honours

Throughout the history of film studies, the uniqueness of film as an art form has been acknowledged. It is a multi-sensory experience that continually develops and, in the process, reflects social and cultural progression as well. Notions of authorship have been applied to aspects of film throughout its history and although the auteur theory has maintained a significant and lasting influence within the discipline, the screenwriter as author (or auteur) has consistently been excised from film, and indeed literary, study. Why this is the case when the screenplay is such a necessary component of the majority of mainstream films, and …

Type Image And The Art Of Protest., Wendy R. Blair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is the culmination of my work as a graphic artist thus far. I chose to investigate the use of type and image in the production of social protest art, as it relates to historical and contemporary art as well as my own. Methods used in gathering the data include references from books, periodicals, websites, and hands-on application of the artistic process. Conclusions found within this paper suggest that using type and image within a multimedia process, serves to communicate important messages and attempts to educate the viewer on important political and social matters. Protest art has and will …

Drs Quarterly Council Report: Issue 9, Alec Robertson

Quarterly Council Reports

Reports in this QCR Issue include reviews of the Biennial Conference FUTUREGROUND hosted in November 2004 by Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Different points of view are provided by Council members, Seymour Roworth-Stokes and Alec Robertson, along with Australia (West) ICM Terry Love. Vesna Popovic ICM for Australia (East) also provides Part 1 of an overview outlining design research within Universities of the region.

Contents

International Reports

Australia (West), Terence Love
Australia (East), Vesna Popovic

Council Officer Reports

Design Studies Editor (ex-officio), Nigel Cross
Events Secretary, Seymour Roworth-Stokes
Publications Officer, Alec Robertson

Threatening Skies, Brandon Dunlap

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fall 2004, Valparaiso University

The Lighter, 1958-Last Year

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: October 2004, Jeffrey A. D. Weima, Michael J. Williams, Bob Rudesill, Lugene Schemper

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Reflections on Handling the Bible with Care
3 - “Correctly Handling the Word of Truth” by Jeffrey A. D. Weima
6 - Inviting the Prophets Back to Church by Michael J. Williams
8 - Faculty Interview: Becoming People of the Book
11 - An Unforgettable Chapel by Bob Rudesill
12 - Reading the Bible with the Experts by Lugene Schemper

Departments
13 - Preaching and Worship
14 - Continuing Education
15 - News

Drs Quarterly Council Report: Issue 8, Alec Robertson

Quarterly Council Reports

This issue includes introductions from newly elected Council members: Professor Bruce Brown, David Hands and Professor Sue Walker outline their expertise. The final page includes registration information for FUTUREGROUND, the 2004 conference of the DRS held at Monash University, Victoria, Australia.

Contents

Council Member Introductions

• Professor Bruce Brown
• David Hands
• Professor Susan Walker

International Reports

• Canada, Arlene Oak
• Finland, Antti Ainamo
• Turkey, Alpay Er

Eng 3001-007-008: Advanced Composition, Jad Smith

Fall 2004

No abstract provided.

3d Animation: Creating An Experiential Environment., Dorai Raj Arjunan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a supporting paper for three of my 3D animations created and presented for a Master of Fine Arts graduate exhibition. It discusses how the two realms of graphic design and 3D animation helped me to develop my heuristic techniques of creating animations. Using the three animations as examples, I make an attempt to explain how linear and figurative images influence each other in the creative process of creature/character development. I also discuss the various influences and cumulative explorations behind the imageries of animation. A brief discussion about Asian Indian aesthetic concepts and the general methodology of creating …

“Imagined Communities” In Showcases: The Nationality Rooms Program At The University Of Pittsburgh (1926-1945), Lucia Curta

Dissertations

From the inception of the program in 1926, the Nationality Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh were viewed as apolitical in their iconography. Their purpose was primarily didactic. Designed as classrooms meant for lectures and seminars, they were however ad-hoc museums for the display of symbols of national identity. In many ways, they constitute an excellent illustration in terms of the decorative arts of Benedict Anderson's concept of "imagined communities."

The identity referent of the symbolism attached to the decorative arrangements of these rooms was not that of the ethnic communities in Pittsburgh, for whom the rooms were supposedly designed …

Twilight, Britzél Vásquez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My thesis work and exhibition concerns bicultural issues dealing with gender roles, cultural identity, and class.

A Survey: Contemporary Music Therapy Practice With Individuals Diagnosed On The Autism Spectrum, S. Alie Chandler

Masters Theses

A variety of music therapy approaches and techniques for working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders have evolved out of the creativity of the profession, the influence of different music therapy approaches, as well as the influences of other treatment and educational theories. This study includes a review of the music therapy literature concerning this population as well as a description of common educational programs and other treatment techniques influential in this field. The underlying question of this study is how these diverse methods are being incorporated and integrated into current music therapy practice to best meet the needs of …

Drs Quarterly Council Report: Issue 6, Alec Robertson

Quarterly Council Reports

This issue includes a summary report on the DRS OGM one-day event with the RCA Society in London, UK, on Saturday 20th March 2004. Appended to this QCR is the new DRS Council elected at the OGM.

Contents

International Reports

Australia (West), Terence Love
Canada, Arlene Oak
Finland, Antti Ainamo
Greece, Artemis Yagou
Thailand, Michael Mealyer

DRS New Council
DDR4 Report, Alec Robertson

Zapatistas: The Shifting Rhetoric Of A Modern Revolution, Ofelia Morales Bejar

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis studies the rhetoric of the Zapatista Revolution and social movement through the analysis of Zapatista messages using the method of cluster criticism. It explores changes in the rhetoric of confrontation and the rhetoric of peace used by the Zapatistas to further their cause during the last ten years of the revolution.

History Of Research On African Factory-Printed Cloth And Current Approaches In The Field, Michelle Willard

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

This paper examines the significance of factory-printed cloth in Africa and its potential to communicate various messages through its use as clothing. Factory-printed cloth also has unintended communicative value when it is displayed outside Africa in museum contexts. I will introduce the topic with a brief history of research carried out on African factory-printed cloth and its appearance in museum and gallery exhibitions. This has led to contemporary forms of art historical and anthropological research. Some of the latter, including my own, has involved field collecting of commemorative cloths in West Africa. My research resulted in a museum exhibition of …

Late Medieval Pilgrimage Architecture In Northern Europe, C.1250-1520: A Summary Of Recent Research And New Perspectives, Vibeke Olsen

Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture

No abstract provided.

Image Into Word: Glimpses Of Mental Images In Writers Writing, Hildy Miller

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

This essay uses thought samples and interviews to show ways writers use mental imagery in non-creative writing task.

Review Of Akten Des Symposiums "Frühchristliche Sarkophage," Marburg, 30.6-4.7.1999, Edited By Guntram Koch With Karin Kirchhainer, Dale Kinney

History of Art Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Fauxtopia, Raymond William Kampf

Theses and Dissertations

To all who come to this fictitious place:Welcome.Fauxtopia is your land. Here, age relives distorted memories of the past, and here, youth may savor the challenge of trying to understand the present. Fauxtopia is made up of the ideals, the dreams and the fuzzy facts which have re-created reality... with the hope that it will be a source of edutainment for all the world.Ray KampfFauxtopia DedicationApril 1st, 2004

Soul Hunting, Guido Esteban Alvarez

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Webster's unabridged dictionary, a mania is an excessively intense enthusiasm, interest, or desire; a craze. I experience a mania on a daily basis: I take photographs. I trap photographs inside flat, airless fish tanks where time stands still. The creatures captured inside the tanks resurrect every time I see them to remind me of a sound, an odor, a flavor, and, ultimately, a feeling I once experienced and now cherish. This project will attempt to show the energy captured in my photographic archives as a journey through my memories using an experimental interactive method.

Sheep Hill Community Tree, Kimberly Ann Fleischman

Theses and Dissertations

An urban community is a fusion of new and old that is constantly changing. We understand better the plight of a community through raising awareness of its unique history and visual character. Linking individual and community experiences offers an opportunity for dialogue, especially as long-time residents and their new neighbors learn about their different pasts and explore their common future. Community building happens from within, when many individuals sharing common values create positive change.

Pulse, Janet L.U. Rudawsky

LSU Master's Theses

This video is an abstract audiovisual narrative. It relies heavily on its lush compositions to seduce the viewer. “Pulse” depicts humanity not as the strong rational rulers of the earth but instead as a tormented figure that struggles to find security in an uncertain world. The three characters, Blood, Lava, and Electricity, represent the human animal, the natural world, and civilization respectively. Blood struggles against both Lava and Electricity in their rivalry for control. The plot shows humanity developing a relationship with civilization, all the while being harassed by unpredictable nature. Civilization at first is a path to security. As …

Guanajuato: A Virtual Exhibit, Norma Elena Gonzalez

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis will present a virtual exhibition of a tourist destination in Mexico, Guanajuato City. By applying my previous experiences and the knowledge and skill acquired during this MFA program, I developed a Multimedia exhibition that encompasses a new virtual experience of the Mexican culture. This exhibition demonstrates my proficiency in the area of motion graphics.

A Sense Of Place., Neli Ilieva Ouzounova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Concerned with anxiety and displacement, the artist explores a sense of place within the self. Personal experiences are presented as an accumulation of fragmented symbols, textures and pattern. Symbolic imagery is being created, influenced by a devaluation of established norms and a reorganization of cultural identity. The individualÆs interaction and experience with the surrounding world affirms his idiosyncratic symbolism. The artwork is a visual language that through the use of disparate segments sets up the portrayal of the fragmented self and psychological journeys of the artist.

Individuals establish themselves in many ways, including gestures as part of expression. This expression …

Drs Quarterly Council Report: Issue 5, Alec Robertson

Quarterly Council Reports

This issue includes a report from a new Council member - Michael Mealyer for Thailand. Details of the joint one-day event of the DRS and RCA Society in London on Saturday 20th March 2004 are provided, and ‘participant’ forms are appended.

Contents

International Reports

• Australia (West), Terence Love
• Canada, Arlene Oak
• Finland, Antti Ainamo
• Thailand, Alpay Er
• Turkey, Michael Mealyer
• USA, Christopher Nemeth
• DDR4 and Participant Form

Film In The Classroom: Toward A More Effective Pedagogy, Jonathan Godwin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The postmodern critique has effectively called on anthropologists to reevaluate ethnographic authority when representing others. However, what is often found lacking in this criticism is an exploration of the ways in which audiences interpret anthropological knowledge. One crucial area that can be easily researched is audience reception of film in introductory anthropology classes. As professors of anthropology increasingly rely on film for illustrating anthropological concepts, we must have an understanding of how this medium is interpreted by student audiences. Film's ability to convey complex information without additional contextualization has yet to be substantiated and previous research has indicated that visual …