Just Counting – a tool ecosystem for personal numeric information

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Paper presented at 17th International Conference on Advanced Visual Interfaces (AVI 2024), Arenzano (Genoa), Italy. June 3rd -7th 2024

https://alandix.com/academic/papers/AVI2024-justcounting/

Numbers are part of day-to-day life from household budgeting to making sense of global warming and planning academic projects. But, for many, dealing with numeric information is daunting with multiple step changes in complexity moving from, say simple calculations to spreadsheet use, as well as difficulties managing different sources of complex information. In this paper we present an ecosystem of interconnected prototype tools that explore this space, including TSoW interpreting unfamiliar orders of magnitude; calQ a four-function calculator that shifts seamlessly to micro-spreadsheet; WS2 embedding spreadsheet-like features in web pages; and myData collating and connecting the diverse data sources. Collectively, these tools offer an envisionment to prompt discussion both of the way end-users can more easily deal with numeric information and of the background technical infrastructure necessary for this to happen.

1. Alan Dix https:// alandix.com / @ alanjohndix Just Counting a tool ecosystem for personal numeric information

2. 2 nd edition coming soon plus … AI for HCI AI for Social Justice plugs

3. “The power to understand and predict the quantities of the world should not be restricted to those with a freakish knack for manipulating abstract symbols.” Bret Victor (2011 ) http:// worrydream.com / KillMath /

4. “over a third of adults (35%) say that doing maths makes them feel anxious, while one in five are so fearful it even makes them feel physically sick” National Numeracy (2023) https:// www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk /news/third-adults-are-nervous-about-numbers

5. climate change numbers matter … in short …. being a C21 citizen covid Brexit growing inequality

6. not a lot? ~ a street full

7. arithmetic mathematics ?

8. the qualitative understanding of quantitative phenomena

9. a tool ecology

10. principles incremental/smooth transitions the leaves are golden intensional /extensional representations immediate effect code–data duality use is development

11. calQ export

12. WS2 (worksheets)

13. WS2 (worksheets)

14. WS2 (worksheets)

15. the size of Wales ( TSoW ) 478 square kilometers 184.5 square miles about 1¼ times the size of the Isle of Wight 184.5 sq miles 146.8 sq miles

16. in summary numbers matter qualitative–quantitative reasoning lightweight numeric tools

17. Just Counting Alan Dix https:// alandix.com /academic/papers/AVI2024-justcounting/