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La biomimesis (biomimicry) aún con su metodología y su campo teórico mayormente establecido, no es considerada una disciplina de diseño todavía, o en el mejor de los casos, es sólo considerada como una disciplina emergente. La epistemología de la biomimesis es un proyecto en ejecución, una disciplina en construcción. Este artículo propone una breve revisión conceptual y contextual de la biomimesis, un repaso de su contenido metodológico, y una descripción del presente y futuro de la disciplina emergente.

Resumen Este artículo se basa en el trabajo realizado como proyecto de doctorado del autor, y se ha nutrido de la idea del biocentrismo para generar nuevas espacios de encuentro entre el diseño y las ciencias que estudian la naturaleza, en particular sobre maneras sustentables de producir color. Como parte de este proyecto se han creado herramientas de integración multidisciplinaria que podrían contribuir a desarrollar mejores métodos de investigación y trabajo para la biomimesis, así como también nuevos canales de comunicación entre científicos y diseñadores con interés en implementar la biomimesis de manera tangible. Este artículo describe el proceso que conllevó este proyecto y ofrece reflexiones sobre presente y futuro de esta experiencia. Abstract This article is based on the author’s doctoral project, and it has roots to biocentered thinking. The project is intended to generate new spaces to meet design with natural sciences, particularly on sustainable ways to produce colour. As part of it, research tools for multidiciplinary integration were created, that may contribute to the development of better research methods for biomimetic design practice. This article describes the process that this project involved, and offers reflections on present and future steps of this experience. Resumo Este artigo é baseado no projeto de doutorado do autor e tem raízes no pensamento biocêntrico. O projeto pretende gerar novos espaços para atender o design com as ciências naturais, particularmente em formas sustentáveis de produzir cores. Como parte disso, ferramentas de pesquisa foram criadas para integração multidisciplinar, o que pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento de melhores métodos de pesquisa para a prática do design biomimético. Este artigo descreve o processo que este projeto envolveu e oferece reflexões sobre os passos presentes e futuros dessa experiência.

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Editor's Summary Multilingual thesauri provide the context for exploring experimental user interfaces that support interactive visualization. The authors created two search interfaces that draw on the semantic richness of bilingual thesauri and provide for search, browse and results display. The Searchling interface offers search, browsable navigation and the full term-record data for a selected term, as well as a simple switch between language views. It provides active user assistance by displaying options to broaden or narrow search. User evaluation showed Searchling to be easy to use, appealing broadly but especially to linear thinkers. The T-Saurus interface is more visual, with term search results represented by the size, number, proximity and opacity of buckets. Terms can be displayed in multiple languages simultaneously, and multiple terms can be chosen to form a query to retrieve documents. Visual thinkers appreciated its dynamic and interactive visualization interface. Studies demonstrate the support both interfaces provide for fully using rich, multilingual thesauri as well as differences for users with different cognitive styles.

The objective of this paper is to report on a comparative user evaluation of two multilingual thesaurus-enhanced visual user interfaces—namely, T-saurus and Searchling, designed and developed for digital libraries. The study used 25 academic users carrying out three search tasks on both user interfaces. It applied usability and affordance strength questionnaires, interviews, think-alouds, and direct observation to investigate users’ evaluation of the key components of both user interfaces—namely, multilingual features, thesaurus and search functions, and visualization and visual appeal. Results of the study show that users were able to successfully carry out the search tasks using thesaurus-enhanced search interfaces. However, they preferred Searchling, a faceted search user interface, for its flexible language option, thesaurus browsing, and visualization. Users preferred the interface to show the thesaural relationships along with the selected term without interacting with the interface. The empirical data gathered and the design ideas implemented within the two user interfaces will be useful for designers of search interfaces that make use of thesaurus and multilingual features. The design and methodological framework of the developed user interfaces and the study could be used to create more information-rich multilingual academic search user interfaces for teaching and learning purposes. The design and representation of thesaural terms and structures in these two interfaces are designed using novel visualization techniques. Resume: L’objectif de cet article est de rendre compte de l’evaluation comparative effectuee par des utilisateurs de deux interfaces utilisateur visuelles multilingues, comportant un thesaurus, nommement T-saurus et Searchling, concus et developpes pour les bibliotheques numeriques. L’etude a mis a contribution 25 universitaires effectuant trois tâches de recherche sur chacune des deux interfaces utilisateur. Des questionnaires sur l’utilisabilite et sur la force d’affordance, des interviews, des seances de protocole verbal ( thinkaloud ) ont ete utilises, ainsi que l’observation directe pour rendre compte de l’evaluation par les utilisateurs des composants cles des deux interfaces utilisateur, nommement les caracteristiques multilingues, les fonctions de thesaurus & recherche, l’attrait du mode de visualisation. Les resultats de l’etude indiquent que les utilisateurs ont ete en mesure de mener a bien les tâches de recherche en utilisant les interfaces de recherche enrichies par thesaurus. Toutefois, ils ont prefere Searchling, une interface usager a facettes, pour la souplesse de son option de langue, et pour la navigation et la visualisation de son thesaurus. Les utilisateurs ont prefere que l’interface montre les relations de thesaurus en meme temps que le terme selectionne sans qu’ils aient a interagir avec l’interface. Les donnees empiriques recueillies et les idees de conception mises en œuvre dans les deux interfaces utilisateurs seront utiles pour les concepteurs d’interfaces de recherche qui utiliseront des thesaurus et des fonctionnalites multilingues. La conception et le cadre methodologique des interfaces utilisateur developpes et cette etude pourraient etre utilises pour creer d’autres d’interfaces utilisateur de recherche universitaire multilingues riches en information aux fins de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage. La conception et la representation des termes de thesaurus et des structures dans ces deux interfaces sont concues en utilisant des techniques de visualisation nouvelles.