EVIDII: An Environment for Constructing Shared Understanding Through Visualizing Differences of Impressions

This paper presents our approach to develop a computer system that supports cross-cultural communication between clients and software designers. Communication between clients and designers often “breaks down” because the two belong to different “work cultures;” in each of which they use their own vocabularies and symbol systems. We have developed EVIDII (an Environment for Visualizing Differences of Individual Impressions) as a cross-cultural communication medium for such collaboration. EVIDII visualizes relationships of three sets of data persons, (visual) images, and affective words (such as “refreshing” and “warm”). EVIDII supports three types of interactive functions (maps, perspectives and viewers) allowing designers and clients (1) to become aware of differences of individual impressions of images and the use of words, and (2) to motivate them to actively discuss their differences. User studies have indicated that communication between clients and designers is enhanced through constructing shared communicative environments by using EVIDII.