CHI 2009b: How Well do Visual Verbs Work in Daily Communication for Young and Old Adults?

Xiaojuan Ma, Princeton University Computer Science
Perry R. Cook, Princeton University Computer Science/Music
 
SUMMARY:
     This paper studies how verbs are visually conveyed in daily communication for young and old adults.  There are four visual modes compared in this study:

• Single static image
• A panel of four static images
• An animation
• A video clip

Keyword

• Verb visualization - represent verb by using photos, signs, and other graphic designs

Verb visualization can help people overcome language barriers.  It is becoming more popular on the world wide web.  The verb is the most critical part to translate in a sentence.  The study compares the results between young (20-39) and elderly (55+) adult participants.  They test representing the 48 most common verbs in each way listed above.  In the end the younger people interpreted the verb correctly more often than the old people in every category.  The authors concluded that the best animation type depends on what verb you are using.

DISCUSSION:
     This paper caught my eye at first but wasn't as interesting as I thought.  I was hoping they would go into further detail about how to design images that communicate cross culture.  I felt rather than focus on age difference, this study should have focused on people from different cultures.