Jascha Grübel


Last Name

Grübel

First Name

Jascha

ORCID

0000-0002-6428-4685

Organisational unit

Search Results

Publications1 - 10 of 49
  • Using map-based dashboard to improve geo-knowledge communication
    Item type: Other Conference Item
    Zuo, Chenyu; Grübel, Jascha (2023)
    Abstracts of the ICA
  • Experiments as Code and its application to VR studies in human-building interaction
    Item type: Review Article
    Aguilar Melgar, Leonel; Gath-Morad, Michal; Grübel, Jascha; et al. (2024)
    Scientific Reports
    Experiments as Code (ExaC) is a concept for reproducible, auditable, debuggable, reusable, & scalable experiments. Experiments are a crucial tool to understand Human-Building Interactions (HBI) and build a coherent theory around it. However, a common concern for experiments is their auditability and reproducibility. Experiments are usually designed, provisioned, managed, and analyzed by diverse teams of specialists (e.g., researchers, technicians, engineers) and may require many resources (e.g., cloud infrastructure, specialized equipment). Although researchers strive to document experiments accurately, this process is often lacking. Consequently, it is difficult to reproduce these experiments. Moreover, when it is necessary to create a similar experiment, the “wheel is very often reinvented”. It appears easier to start from scratch than trying to reuse existing work. Thus valuable embedded best practices and previous experiences are lost. In behavioral studies, such as in HBI, this has contributed to the reproducibility crisis. To tackle these challenges, we propose the ExaC paradigm, which not only documents the whole experiment, but additionally provides the automation code to provision, deploy, manage, and analyze the experiment. To this end, we define the ExaC concept, provide a taxonomy for the components of a practical implementation, and provide a proof of concept with an HBI desktop VR experiment that demonstrates the benefits of its “as code” representation, that is, reproducibility, auditability, debuggability, reusability, & scalability.
  • The Spatial Performance Assessment for Cognitive Evaluation (SPACE): A Novel Game for the Early Detection of Cognitive Impairment
    Item type: Conference Paper
    Colombo, Giorgio; Grübel, Jascha (2023)
    CHI EA '23: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
    Dementia is a leading cause of dependency and death among older adults and an economic burden to healthcare. In the fast-paced non-gaming environment of healthcare, the detection of dementia is limited to invasive and expensive procedures (e.g., PET) or less sensitive paper and pencil tests. Typically, dementia is preceded by Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) which is characterised by the loss of cognitive function including deficits in spatial ability. Spatial ability may be a sensitive marker for discriminating between healthy individuals and MCI patients. Virtual Reality now allows for spatial tests to be easily and safely deployed in clinics or at home. We introduce the Spatial Performance Assessment for Cognitive Evaluation (SPACE) as a transgressive, transformative gamified battery of spatial tests for tablets. SPACE is designed to identify differences in spatial ability to support clinicians in the early detection of dementia and offers a flexible ecosystem for immediate and longitudinal assessments.
  • EVE: A Framework for Experiments in Virtual Environments
    Item type: Conference Paper
    Grübel, Jascha; Weibel, Raphael; Jiang, Mike H.; et al. (2017)
    Lecture Notes in Computer Science ~ Spatial Cognition X
    EVE is a framework for the setup, implementation, and evaluation of experiments in virtual reality. The framework aims to reduce repetitive and error-prone steps that occur during experiment-setup while providing data management and evaluation capabilities. EVE aims to assist researchers who do not have specialized training in computer science. The framework is based on the popular platforms of Unity and MiddleVR. Database support, visualization tools, and scripting for R make EVE a comprehensive solution for research using VR. In this article, we illustrate the functions and flexibility of EVE in the context of an ongoing VR experiment called Neighbourhood Walk.
  • Detecting cognitive impairment through an age-friendly serious game: The development and usability of the spatial performance assessment for cognitive evaluation (SPACE)
    Item type: Journal Article
    Colombo, Giorgio; Minta, Karolina; Grübel, Jascha; et al. (2024)
    Computers in Human Behavior
    The Spatial Performance Assessment for Cognitive Evaluation (SPACE) is a novel iPad serious game designed to identify differences in spatial ability indicative of early signs of cognitive impairment. This paper reports on the development of SPACE and presents the results from three usability studies across different ages. Study 1 compared the traditional tap and swipe control interface with a semiautomated interface. Study 2 investigated the benefits of a UI widget that displayed the rotation performed in the Virtual Environment (VE). Study 3 evaluated the effects of a simplified configuration of landmarks explored in the VE. Findings across the studies indicated that age was the primary factor influencing performance. Younger participants consistently outperformed older ones across various tasks and reported higher usability and lower workload. Despite notable performance improvements for the tasks in SPACE, the new control interface, UI widget, and simplified configuration only had a minimal impact on usability. Younger participants rated SPACE above the level of mature products, while older participants found it useable but not always engaging. Critically, the significant interactions between age and experimental conditions indicated that younger and older participants benefited differently from the design modifications. Here, the semi-automated control, the simplified configuration, and, to a lesser extent, the UI widget showed promise in mitigating age-related performance differences while maintaining the level of challenge necessary to assess differences in cognitive status. This research showcases the potential of SPACE as a serious game and emphasises the importance of balancing simplicity with task demands for future unsupervised deployment.
  • The decomposition of navigation behaviour into simple tasks
    Item type: Other Conference Item
    Grübel, Jascha; Thrash, Tyler; Schinazi, Victor; et al. (2016)
  • Virtual Reality Experiments with Physiological Measures
    Item type: Journal Article
    Weibel, Raphael; Grübel, Jascha; Zhao, Hantao; et al. (2018)
    Journal of Visualized Experiments. JoVE
  • The design, experiment, analyse, and reproduce principle for experimentation in virtual reality
    Item type: Journal Article
    Grübel, Jascha (2023)
    Frontiers in Virtual Reality
    Conducting experiments in virtual reality (VR) requires a complex setup of hardware, software, experiment design and implementation, and data collection which is supported by frameworks that provide pre-determined features for scientists to implement their experiment in VR. These VR frameworks have proliferated exponentially since the start of the millennia, and unfortunately, they both only differ slightly from one another and often miss one or more of the key features required by the researcher. Therefore, it has become less clear to researchers which framework to choose for what task and to what benefit. I introduce the design, experiment, analyse, and reproduce (DEAR) principle to develop a new perspective on VR frameworks through a holistic approach to experimentation (i.e., the process of conducting an experiment). The DEAR principle lays out the core components that future frameworks should entail. Most previous VR frameworks have focussed on the design phase and sometimes on the experiment phase to help researchers create and conduct experiments. However, being able to create an experiment with a framework is not sufficient for wide adoption. Ultimately, I argue that it is important to take reproducibility seriously to overcome the limitations of current frameworks. Once experiments are fully reproducible through automation, the adaptation of new experiments becomes easier. Hopefully, researchers can find ways to converge in the use of frameworks or else frameworks may become a hindrance instead of a help.
  • Assessing Human Interface Device Interaction in Virtual Environments
    Item type: Bachelor Thesis
    Grübel, Jascha (2014)
  • OD-Vis: A Map-based Dashboard for Insight Discovery of OD Data
    Item type: Other Conference Item
    Zuo, Chenyu; Balac, Milos; Grübel, Jascha; et al. (2024)
    Abstracts of the ICA
Publications1 - 10 of 49