Christos Sintoris

University of Patras | UP · Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics

In this paper we discuss how location-based mobile games can be designed for learning in modern technology enhanced public spaces. We start with the description of the design process and we identify the main challenges faced. We elaborate the case of the game Invisible City: Rebels vs. Spies, a game to be played in a city centre using mobile device...

Pervasive games have been proposed as a suitable way to support learning, especially in places rich in information, as for example museums and cultural heritage sites. This paper reports on the work performed to identify guidelines that help designers in developing games able to provide an effective learning experience in such contexts. Such guidel...

Mobile technology has created new possibilities for location-based playful learning experiences. This article describes the MuseumScrabble mobile game, aimed at children visiting a historical museum. The game requires that the players explore the museum and link abstract concepts with physical artefacts using a mobile device. The focus of this arti...

This paper presents CALEND_AR, a hybrid calendar application that uses augmented reality technologies to blend physical and digital calendars. The study investigates user preferences and motivations for using physical or digital calendars and explores the need for a hybrid solution that incorporates both. It comprehensively describes the applicatio...

A major concern in mixed-reality (MR) environments is to support intuitive and precise user interaction. Various modalities have been proposed and used, including gesture, gaze, voice, hand-recognition or even special devices, i.e. external controllers. However, these modalities may often feel unfamiliar and physically demanding to the end-user, le...

In our evaluation of the B2B e-commerce site of a global manufacturing company we conducted a user test with employees and customers. We found statistically signifcant diferences in usability, user experience and NPS metrics between employees and customers, with the employees being more critical compared to the customers. We postulate and present s...

Dual-language or multiple-language keyboards are widely used in many parts of the world, where users need to type in more than one scripts. During use of such keyboards, ‘input mode errors’ often occur when the user types in one language mode while the keyboard layout is set to a different one. These errors, along with frequent switching between in...

Cultural heritage (CH) institutions attract wide and heterogeneous audiences, which should be efficiently supported and have access to meaningful CH content. This introduces numerous challenges when delivering such experiences, given that people have different cognitive characteristics which influence the way we process information, experience, beh...

Inclusion of social good in computer science education has been proposed as an approach that demonstrates computing's social relevance and potential for positive societal impact, thus providing students with a motivating vision over the subject. This is particularly important in the context of human-computer interaction courses that can relate to r...

This paper reports on innovative teaching interventions in the frame of Internet of Things (IoT) design ideation classes. A card-based gamification approach has been applied in two different engineering masters courses. The participating students had already a good understanding of IoT technologies and they were asked to produce innovative designs...

This paper reports on our experience of applying a cards-based ideation method and tool in a design for Internet of Things (IoT) workshop. In this workshop, master students of engineering participated, who had a good understanding of IoT technologies. The workshop run for two years, and has produced some interesting findings in terms of applicabili...

This paper reports on the analysis of the design of two location-based games using micro-narratives. The two games were commissioned to two historic regions of Greece, Tzoumerka and Movemvasia. In both we applied the notion of linking micro-narratives to specific locations. The objective of both games was to introduce the players through the short...

The objective of this course, is to introduce the participants to location-based games and to the challenges relating to designing them. Key characteristics of this new genre are introduced first, followed by a design framework and a set of design guidelines. Examples of location-based games will be presented and typical design patterns as extracte...

This is an overview of game-related research of the HCI Group of the University of Patras. We are active in the area of location-based mobile games, with an interest at games that can enrich the cultural experience in open spaces (like city centres) and in museums aiming to actively engage citizens and/or visitors with cultural spaces. Over the pas...

This is an overview of game-related research of the HCI Group of the University of Patras. We are active in the area of location-based mobile games, with an interest at games that can enrich the cultural experience in open spaces (like city centres) and in museums aiming to actively engage citizens and/or visitors with cultural spaces. Over the pas...

Effective and efficient approaches are required in order to develop and maintain cultural heritage applications and services that meet user requirements and expectations. This is particularly relevant to cultural heritage mobile applications which support interaction experiences among a variety of stakeholders and diverse contexts of use. In this c...

Engaging museum visitors through game playing is an approach that has been used extensively by many museums and cultural institutions. Location-based games, facilitated by mobile technologies, have been already implemented in various museums, archaeological, historical, cultural, science, art galleries, etc. However a particularly hard case to impl...

In this paper, we study the design of hybrid reality location-based mobile games. To support the design of such games, a set of design patterns is proposed, which were extracted from game design workshops. Six workshops for designing location-based games were organised and the designers were asked to generate game concepts for a hypothetical locati...

This paper describes TaggingCreaditor, a content authoring tool for location-based games. This tool is implemented both as a mobile and desktop application, which offers the possibility to end users to easily create, edit and/or mix content for these games. TaggingCreaditor has been designed to support a number of location-based games for learning...

In this paper we discuss the difficulty of museum visitors to engage and relate with cultural objects focusing mainly on pieces of contemporary art. We present Taggling a location based game designed to support learning in the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art. The results of a qualitative user study with volunteers helped us to outline the lea...

This paper presents a mobile augmented reality application, that was designed with the objective of visitors, to experience the historical center of old Zakynthos, Greece, that was destroyed after an earthquake, and allow the users to re-live the atmosphere and life of the historic place. Special attention is given to the mental model of the landma...

In this paper we present a set of game design workshops in the context of which we investigate design practices and elaboration of game ideas. The workshops aimed at engaging participants in crafting designs for location-based mobile games. We analyse the rationale underlying the workshops and describe their structure and the involved material. Nex...

This dissertation studies the design of location-based multi-player mobile games. These are games which are played using devices such as PDAs or, more recently, smartphones. The devices allow the players to have access to digital information during the game. An important aspect is that this information is related to the location and state of the pl...

This paper describes a preliminary study where a multiplayer loca- tion-based game’s logfiles were used for the assessment of the overall practice of teams. We explore the use of activity metrics previously introduced and ap- plied to CSCL settings. We argue that these metrics, if adapted in a meaningful way, will provide insight of the progress of...

The design of mobile games integrates a representation of space for which game play is intended. This representation might be invisible to the player(s) but it is very powerful as it structures game experience in space. In this sense one important characteristic of these embedded representations is that they are designed not be viewed but to be exp...

We discuss game design as an example of museum audience participatory activity and we identify its learning dimensions. In particular, we elaborate on the role of technology in providing a scaffold that can help museum audience to construct games which can function as “public artifacts” and can be added to the museum’s assets, enhancing audience en...

Mobile technology has created new possibilities for location-based playful learning experiences. This article describes the MuseumScrabble mobile game, aimed at children visiting a historical museum. The game requires that the players explore the museum and link abstract concepts with physical artefacts using a mobile device. The focus of this arti...

End user configuration of game elements is analyzed here from two different perspectives a) as a type of end user involvement in computer game development and b) as a tool for learning. We describe the treasure hunt template as computer environment that supports students to construct their own computer based treasure hunt games by manipulating the...

Today’s mobile devices, like smartphones and PDAs are often used as gaming instruments. A new genre that is rapidly proliferating is that of location based games, that use the positioning capabilities of the devices and other available locative media in the game. These new games expand in space and time and often involve large numbers of players, l...

In the context of a project involving development of an electronic guide and an educational application for a historical cultural museum, we defined an architecture that permits efficient and effective co-existence of objects in the physical space and digital multimedia content. Handheld devices were used for mediating the process. The prime consid...

This work presents the design issues faced while introducing hand-held devices in a museum environment. After outlining the general setting by studying the goals and the actions of a visitor, we analyze the actions that technology imposes to the user. We move on in exposing the rationale behind major decisions, which formed the final design. Decisi...

This paper describes the design and the implementation of QoS services in a high speed backbone network as well as a management tool for the service. The services were designed taking advantage of features provided by the MPLS technology and also by using the DiffServ architecture. The supported QoS services include the IP Premium that tries to pro...