Just Counting
a tool ecosystem for personal numeric information

Alan Dix

Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wales, UK
Computational Foundry, Swansea University, Wales, UK

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.

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calQ

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

Alan Dix 2/4/2024