Visualisation Interface

 

The graphic interface was created to allow users to visualise the relationship between the document, the work and all of the agents (individuals or institutions) involved in the work’s lifecycle.

 

 

Figure 3 – Digital Workfile visualisation interface

 

The center of the interface houses the documents, which are represented by icons according to type (visual, audiovisual, textual, graphic, Web or code). These materials are arranged in chronological order from left to right.

At the top of the screen (orange shading) are the various phases in a work’s lifecycle. To simplify the interface, events are assembled by type (creation, dissemination, research and custody) and placed in chronological order within each category.

The entity levels for the work are located in the lower section of the screen (green shading), with the most generic of these (Works) at the bottom and the most specific (Components) at the top. To make the interface as user-friendly as possible, we have consolidated certain components.

On the left-hand side of the screen are the document groups. Each group of documents is represented by a colour; when activated, the resources associated with this group are highlighted in the centre of the screen.

The agents associated with the documents are displayed on the right-hand side of the screen. The name of each individual is followed by his or her connection to the document and institutional affiliation as applicable.

The interface enables a number of navigation possibilities:

• From documents: when the cursor is positioned on an icon, the user will see a brief note and, depending on the type of resource, an overview of the document. Simultaneously, the fields associated with the document in the lifecycle of the work (orange shading at top of screen) and in the entity level (green shading at bottom of screen) are highlighted, and the reference to stakeholders appears in the blue field on the right-hand side of the screen. When users click on the icon, a new page opens, providing access to the resource [1] and/or the bibliographic note.

• From the lifecycle line: when the cursor is positioned on one of the lifecycle fields, the field is activated and displays its title. Titles have been abbreviated to simplify the process. A list containing all of the notes is available on the home page of each case study. When the desired field is clicked, a shaded layer in the shape of a file is superimposed on the documents in the centre of the screen. This layer displays the name of the lifecycle step in question, and the associated documents are circled in red. The relevant resources can be accessed by navigating through these documents. To close the file, click on the “X” in its upper right-hand corner.

• From the various entity levels for the work: when the cursor is positioned on one of the fields representing an entity level for the work, this level opens and displays its title. When the desired field is clicked, a shaded layer in the shape of a file is superimposed on the documents in the centre of the screen This layer displays the name of the entity level in question, and the associated documents are circled in green. The relevant resources can be accessed by navigating through these documents. To close the file, click on the “X” in its upper right-hand corner.

 

Links to case studies:

 

• David Rokeby, Machine for Taking Time (Boul. Saint-Laurent)

• Nam June Paik, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

• Philip Beesley, Hylozoic Soil

 

Coming soon:

 

• Jim Campbell, Motion and Rest #5

• Jim Campbell, Portrait of my Father

• Jim Campbell, Photo of my Mother

 

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[1] Some documents are not available due to copyright restrictions.