One salient impact of information technology on students' lives is the
ever-increasing use of the Internet. Although there exist many reports in the
media regarding the unhealthy Internet use among students, research is still
limited and has mainly relied upon on-line self-selected reports on Internet
dependency or "Internet addiction". This paper attempts to look into the
alleged Internet dependency within the Eriksonian psychosocial development
framework. The results of a survey of the Internet use among 217 students in an
Australian regional university are reported. The measures of patterns of the
Internet use were correlated with that of psychosocial maturity and
self-efficacy. The results showed that the Internet dependency seemed to be
independent of the psychosocial maturity and the general perceived
self-efficacy. A factor analysis extracted six factors from a set of 28
Internet experience-related questions and indicated that the Internet
dependency could be of a multifaceted nature. The findings and their
implications were discussed and a contextual perspective was proposed.
Strategic (control) knowledge typically specifies how a target task is
solved. Representing such knowledge declaratively remains a difficult and
practical knowledge engineering challenge. The key to addressing this challenge
rests on two observations. One, strategic knowledge comprises two finer types
of knowledge: subgoaling knowledge used to construct the goal structure for
each problem situation pertaining to a target task, and goal-sequencing
knowledge used to choose which subgoal in this goal structure is to be pursued
at any given moment. Second, when subgoaling knowledge is explicit and
expressed in declarative ontological terms, it is possible to fully express
goal-sequencing knowledge in the same declarative terms. Building on these
observations, we achieve three things. First, we analyse several conventional
knowledge-based applications whose subgoaling and goal-sequencing knowledge is
implicit, showing that making their subgoaling knowledge explicit permits
(re)representing their goal-sequencing knowledge declaratively. Among the
applications analysed are MORE and NEOMYCIN. Second, upon studying the roles of
goal-sequencing knowledge vis-a-vis subgoaling knowledge, we develop a
declarative formalism for representing goal-sequencing knowledge. Finally, we
discuss and illustrate key benefits from using our declarative formalism,
including an enhanced ability to validate and reuse goal-sequencing knowledge.
In graphical applications, visual representations are mostly used in an ad
hoc fashion with little or no underlying formal support. Due to this, no common
methodology for handling visual and diagrammatic representations has emerged
and formal techniques for their support are underdeveloped. Usually, a
programmer develops a graphical application by applying a general-purpose
visual programming environment and ad hoc implementing the application
requirements. Then, big efforts are often required when the application has to
be successively modified or extended. In this paper, we present a
finite-automaton-based formalism for the specification of rapid application
development (RAD) visual applications, which provides a formal basis in the
visual application generation. A prototype tool, based on this approach, has
been developed and it is currently being experimented on a variety of case
studies.
User navigation has been a central theme in both theoretical and empirical
work since the earliest days of hypertext research and development. Studies
exploring user navigation have, however, tended to rely on indirect
navigational measures and have rarely tried to relate navigation to
performance-solving problems or locating information. This paper proposes
methods that lead to a more direct representation and analysis of user movement
in hypertext and empirically explores the relationship of these measures to
performance in a hypertext search task. Results of the study indicate that the
proposed graphical and numerical methods have empirical significance and may be
useful in assessing and modeling user navigation.
This research conceptualizes contextualized access to knowledge, i.e. the
ability to access task domain knowledge within the context of problem-solving
and investigates its effects on knowledge dissemination. Two informationally
equivalent versions of a financial analysis knowledge-based system (KBS) were
compared in a laboratory experiment, one with contextualized access to the
underlying task domain knowledge (deep explanations) via hypertext-style links
and the other without such access. Results indicate that contextualized access
had significant advantages. It afforded a major portion of the requests for
deep explanations to occur in the context of problem-solving, as opposed to in
the abstract, and led to a significant increase in the number of requests. The
increased utilization of deep explanations and contextualized use were
associated with a greater degree of congruence between users' judgement and
KBS. The conclusion is that availability of knowledge alone is not sufficient;
contextualized accessibility is the key for knowledge dissemination and for
influencing performance.
In the rush to open their website, e-commerce sites too often fail to
support buyer decision-making and search, resulting in a loss of sale and the
customer's repeat business. This paper reviews why this occurs and the failure
of many B2C and B2B website executives to understand that appropriate decision
support and search technology cannot be fully bought off-the-shelf. Our
contention is that significant investment and effort is required at any given
website in order to create the decision support and search agents needed to
properly support buyer decision-making. We provide a framework to guide such
effort (derived from buyer behavior choice theory); review the open problems
that e-catalog sites pose to the framework and to existing search engine
technology; discuss underlying design principles and guidelines; validate the
framework and guidelines with a case study; and discuss lessons learned and
steps needed to better support buyer decision behavior in the future. Future
needs are also pinpointed.
Research in the area of human-computer interaction (HCI) suggests that long
or variable system delays lower user satisfaction with the interaction and the
system in general. Designers cannot always control the delays in a system's
responses (e.g. when accessing remote servers), but it is possible to design
human-computer interactions so that the apparent duration of intervals will
seem minimal. One way of achieving this goal is to structure tasks so that
their apparent duration is reduced, partly by altering the number of choices
and actions required for performing the task. Two laboratory experiments
assessed the effects of the number of choices and the number of ballistic
(simple) steps in a menu search on the apparent duration of the search. Results
showed that the apparent duration increased with an increasing number of
ballistic steps, while the number of choices had no effect on estimates.
However, apparent durations were the shortest when the ratio of choices to
ballistic steps was maximized. The implications of these findings for interface
design are discussed.
Icons are a very important component of graphical user interfaces. However,
icon design is still predominantly artistic in nature and as a result icon
selection is generally based on usability evaluations after a set of
alternative icons are developed. This process tends to be time-consuming and
costly. In this research, we address the issues of what should be depicted in
an icon, given the function it should represent, and how training affects the
performance of novice users when using an iconic interface. A set of 36
concrete icons (12 functions) were selected and tested with a total of 30
participants. The experimental results indicate that complete representations
are generally superior for both untrained and trained participants. Results
also show that trained participants had shorter response times when compared to
untrained participants. Further analysis suggests that ambiguity, uniqueness
and dominance are three important aspects to consider when designing and
developing icons. Applications of this research include the design of
appropriate icons for graphical user interfaces prior to usability testing and
the importance of a short training period to illustrate the composition of an
icon in an effort to improve the mental model associated with each design.
This paper notes the importance of usable systems and promotes the process
of human-centred design as a way to achieve them. Adopting the framework of ISO
13407, each of the main processes in the human-centred design cycle is
considered in turn along with a set of usability methods to support it. These
methods are briefly described with references to further information. Each set
of methods is also presented in a table format to enable the reader to compare
and select them for different design situations.
Human-centred design processes for interactive systems are defined in ISO
13407 and the associated ISO TR 18529. The publication of these standards
represents a maturing of the discipline of user-centred design. The systems
development community see that (at last) Human Factors has processes which can
be managed and integrated with existing project processes. This internationally
agreed set of human-centred design processes provides a definition of the
capability that an organization must possess in order to implement user-centred
design effectively. It can also be used to assess the extent to which a
particular development project employs user-centred design. As such, it
presents a challenge to the Human Factors community, and indeed a definition of
good practice may even be regarded by some as an unwelcome constraint. This
paper presents the background to the process-level definition of user-centred
design and describes how it relates to current practice. The challenges,
benefits and use of a defined human-centred design process are presented. The
implications for Human Factors and other disciplines are discussed. In
Appendices A-D, the process terminology and the contents of ISO 13407 and ISO
TR 18529 are described in more detail, and three examples are given (in
Appendix D) of using this process improvement approach to improve the actual
design methods in three organizations.
Over the last 15 years, a comprehensive range of international standards has
been developed to define the general principles of user-centred design and good
practice in user interface design. Most of the standards specify general
principles rather than the precise details of the interface. The paper briefly
describes how standards are created and reviews the definitions of usability.
HCI and usability standards are described in the categories: usability
definitions, use in context, software interface and interaction, hardware
interface, documentation, the development process and capability of the
organization. The applicability of the standards is discussed.
Increasingly, computing and communications-based technologies are being
implemented within cars. There is a need for fundamental research and
development to ensure that the control interfaces for future cars require
minimal visual demands. The needs, abilities and preferences of drivers (in
particular older drivers) are clearly a prime focus, as part of a user-centred
design approach. In addition, it is argued that much can be learnt from the
experience and strategies adopted by people who are blind or have low vision (a
non-user group). The paper sets out a number of research questions regarding
the inclusion of such people in the design process of future automobiles.
Talking and writing are activities that most humans learn at a relatively
early age and carry out fairly effortlessly for the rest of their lives. It is
therefore of little surprise that these activities have been considered within
the context of human-machine interaction, i.e. the development of a means by
which we can elicit machine actions to complete tasks through talking and
writing. Given the ease and readiness with which we talk and write to each
other, and the rapidly increasing use of computer technology in the developed
world, it could be argued that the development of speech and pen technologies
comprises a logical and worthwhile progression in HCI (human-computer
interaction). It could also be argued, as many individuals have, that the
naturalness of these activities in human-to-human communication makes them an
obvious choice for machine interactions. The question being considered here is
the extent to which speech and pen input provide a natural means of
communicating with machines. No one would dispute their naturalness in
human-to-human communication, but does this extend to human-machine
interaction? Moreover, does the fact that we are so skilled at these activities
actually work against us when we come to try these emerging technologies? And
finally, how can future research lead towards achieving greater naturalness?
The closing years of the 20th Century were associated with the advent of
affordable Windows-based technologies for popular computer configurations, from
powerful PCs in the home to workstations for small business communities. Such
machines are readily capable of exploiting the power of real-time interactive
3D computer graphics, popularly referred to asvirtual reality (VR). VR has
rapidly evolved into a technology that today offers a cost-effective means of
supporting the development of human skills in all manner of applications, from
automotive engineering to defence, surgery to education, retail, petrochemical
exploration, and heritage to micro-robotics. This paper reviews some of the
important human performance results to emerge from the academic and commercial
application of VR technologies, and notes some ergonomic issues to be resolved
in developing techniques for training and performance assessment that can be
used cheaply and efficiently in industrial settings.
Commercial pressures are placing demands on the designer to provide
solutions which are fit for purpose for all user groups. The needs of these
groups can vary significantly yet inclusive design of mainstream products and
work equipment remains a top priority. This paper is not an academic review of
current theories of inclusive design methodologies. Rather, it explores the
ergonomics contribution to the design process, the pitfalls to be avoided and
suggests ways of avoiding them. Specifically, the needs of the Third Age are
considered with their increasingly important requirements within the workplace
and beyond. The authors contest that a user-centred approach is at the heart of
achieving inclusive design; expecting the designer to apply ergonomics data
without understanding user needs is unlikely to yield fit-for-purpose products.
This paper provides an introduction to empowered participation of users with
disabilities in research and development (R&D). It is based on the experiences
of the European project FORTUNE (Buhler, 2000). Introductory experiences about
the state of the art of disabled user involvement in European R & D are
reported. The value of participation of users with disabilities is discussed.
An overview of the FORTUNE curriculum and training is provided. The FORTUNE
concept of user participation in projects is introduced as a reference model
for participation of users with disabilities, followed by a scheme of criteria
for the assessment of user participation as a practical tool. A brief overview
of methodologies for user participation and potential organizational frameworks
is presented.
In-vehicle navigation systems are an example of ubiquitous computing, where
the computing facility is embedded in an everyday object (car) for an everyday
task (driving). The maturing navigation systems market of the last 10 years has
prompted academic and commercial research into the human-machine interface
(HMI) for these systems. A significant body of research now exists in this
specialized area and a contribution has been made towards guidelines for
interface design. This paper presents an overview of evaluation methods used to
date (in terms of context of use, techniques, measures and evaluators) and the
pros and cons of the different approaches. It ends with a discussion of how the
resulting knowledge can assist in the evaluation of other ubiquitous
technologies.
This paper argues that it is possible to gain good design information from
low-cost user trials of low-fidelity prototypes early in the design process,
and that simple prototyping is a valuable tool in the user-centred design of
new technology especially "smart" consumer products. The value of that design
information depends on the stage of the design process at which user testing is
carried out and the associated level of realism or fidelity of the prototype.
The first stages involve testing simple prototypes which examine the cognitive,
or information processing, needs of the user, followed by higher-fidelity
prototypes which examine the physical (visual, auditory and tactile) needs of
the user. The results of four studies are discussed to illustrate: the extent
and nature of the design information gathered, the relative merits of varying
the fidelity of the prototypes, and the benefits and costs associated with
using different levels of fidelity of prototypes in a user-centred approach to
design. Finally, and based on that discussion, an appropriate and practical
design strategy is suggested.
Computer-based training (CBT) has become an important training tool and is
used effectively in providing part-task activities. In the military domain
virtual environments (VEs) have long been exploited, mainly through virtual
reality (VR), to create realistic working environments. More recently,
augmented reality (AR) and advanced embedded training (AET) concepts have also
emerged and the development of "AR-AET" and "VR-CBT" concepts promise to become
essential tools within military training. Whilst the advantages of both AR and
VR are attractive, the challenges for delivering such applications are,
generally, technology led. Equally as important, however, is the incorporation
of human factors design and implementation techniques and this has been
recognized by the development and publication of International Standard ISO
13407, Human-Centred Design Processes for Interactive Systems. Examples
described in this paper serve to review Human Factors issues associated with
the use of both AR and VR training systems. Whilst there are common issues
between AR and VR applications in considering the potential of synthetic
training environments, it is also necessary to address particular human-centred
design issues within each application domain.
The paper describes the issues in Information Society Technologies (IST)
covered by the EU's research programme, in particular in the key action "New
Ways of Working and Electronic Commerce". The programme of work addresses not
only new technologies but also a wide range of socio-economic issues which are
tightly connected to the human factors dimension. The way in which research
policy has evolved, resulting in the current programme, is also outlined. The
paper shows the close relation between IST developments and other European
Union (EU) policy areas, and describes some of the recent planning exercises
which are likely to influence the future direction of technology development
and policies more towards social and organizational issues.
This is the text of a keynote speech at the Symposium. It first recalls the
early 19th-century origins and history of Luddism and then gives a brief sketch
of the recent unease and protest about new technologies, indicated by a revival
of the term. Some problems of Information Technology are discussed: first,
research on IT implementation suggests that policy initiatives and "visions" of
what may be achieved do not take the operational realities involved seriously
or pay enough attention to them. Second, the evolution of IT is such that the
tool itself is a constant preoccupation; keeping up with its frequent changes
distracts from the task which it is intended to serve. Third, its potential is
best realized if different parties agree on the systems to be used, so that
inherent in the technology are issues of centralized control. Research on
control systems has shown that people respond to being controlled by
reasserting controls of their own, and there are examples of this in IT
implementations. The paper ends with a plea for raising the status of
operational reality, and finding structural ways to link vision and operation.
Designing for usability involves establishing user requirements for a new
system or product, developing design solutions, prototyping the system and the
user interface, and testing it with representative users. However, before any
usability design or evaluation activity can begin, it is necessary to
understand the Context of Use for the product, i.e. the goals of the user
community, and the main user, task and environmental characteristics of the
situation in which it will be operated. This paper describes the background to,
and importance of, understanding Context of Use, and presents a process for
performing a context analysis. The method described is particularly aimed at
non-experts in the area of user-centred design and evaluation.
Industrial design training is embracing the need for designers to elicit
user needs in order to support the development of successful new products. This
paper highlights the collaboration of an ergonomist and two industrial
designers in the development of a range of mainstream domestic consumer
products. It documents the experiences gained in applying and adapting focus
group techniques to inform the designing process directly, and illustrates how
a variety of techniques (e.g. product handling and product personality
profiling) can be incorporated to elicit user needs, aspirations and emotions.
The effectiveness of any system can only be measured in relation to its
ability to support the user in the tasks they wish to carry out in those
situations in which it has been designed to operate. Task analysis tools which
break tasks down into component and measurable parts are used as a means of
clarifying the support that a system should provide. This paper uses the
practical example of work carried out in the agricultural sector to describe
the potential of a specific approach to task analysis for the support of crop
management decisions. The approach is based on the work of Arinze (1992), who
proposes that the basic cognitive element of the decision task is a question, a
user enquiry of the environment or system. This paper describes how his
approach to the collation and organization of information was successfully used
within the DESSAC project as a means of ensuring that the decision support
system (DSS) adequately supported the decision task and more recently within
the requirements phase of three smaller projects. The incorporation of the
approach into a practical and flexible method for use within time and cost
constrained DSS development projects is outlined.
If you approach someone in the street and ask for directions then, provided
that person knows the way and speaks the same language as you do, it should be
easy for him to help you. But often, when you try to follow the directions, you
become more confused and lost. Perhaps the person giving the directions has
assumed that you know about a local landmark or has forgotten to mention that
there is another small street on the left before the one you are seeking. Or
maybe the director has not understood your request and has sent you to a place
with a similar name...there are so many reasons why the transfer of information
from one person to another is fraught with difficulties. When you try to
discover the requirements for any kind of product the difficulties are even
more complex because the source of the requirements is not just one person, it
is all of the people who are stakeholders in the project. Moreover, all of
these people have their own view of what is important, along with their own
experience, prejudices and views of the world. Considering the variations
between your sources of requirements (stakeholders) it makes sense to have a
variety of techniques for discovering the requirements. We call these as
trawling techniques because, like fishing, we run a net through the
organization and trap as many requirements as we can. Then, using the
appropriate technique, we identify the relevant requirements (the juicy
codfish) and separate them from the irrelevant (the minnows). We also look for
rare and amazing fish that nobody has ever seen before. We are not just
concerned with finding existing requirements, we are also concerned with
generating new requirements by using techniques that encourage creativity. This
paper summarizes a number of techniques that we have found useful when trawling
for requirements.
Life at the beginning of the 21st century is characterized by the
ever-increasing pace of technological development and the associated changes in
patterns of communication, work and leisure. This paper comments on some of the
benefits and limitations of current technology, the potential of emerging
technologies to deliver enhanced quality of life for all on a global basis, and
the role of human factors in enabling such a vision to become a reality. The
author presents an integrative framework for the human factors (HF) domain. In
this framework the key HF inputs to be made at each stage of the innovation
design life cycle are identified, as well as the crucial enabling processes
associated with change management necessary for HF to have a significant
impact. Combined together, these elements constitute a human factors strategy.
The author suggests that such strategies have a powerful capability to harness
information and communications technologies and to ensure the delivery of
wide-ranging benefits.
This paper presents the outcomes from a cognitive engineering project
addressing the design problems of computerized monitoring in neonatal intensive
care. Cognitive engineering is viewed, in this project, as a symbiosis between
cognitive science and design practice. A range of methodologies has been used:
interviews with neonatal staff, ward observations and experimental techniques.
The results of these investigations are reported, focusing specifically on the
differences between junior and senior physicians in their interpretation of
monitored physiological data. It was found that the senior doctors made better
use of the different knowledge sources available than the junior doctors. The
senior doctors were able to identify more relevant physiological patterns and
generated more and better inferences than did their junior colleagues.
Expertise differences are discussed in the context of previous psychological
research in medical expertise. Finally, the paper discusses the potential
utility of these outcomes to inform the design of computerized decision support
in neonatal intensive care.
Organizational support of employees' creative problem-solving (CPS) outputs
is critical for maintaining a competitive advantage and for institutionalizing
creativity. We believe that computerized creative support systems (CCSS) can be
used effectively in this regard. We identify characteristics of CCSS and
individual characteristics and suggest directions for empirical research to
evaluate how these characteristics may affect an individual's CPS process and
resulting creative outcomes. We also demonstrate the importance of individual
creativity to organizational creativity and suggest directions for research to
contribute to institutionalized creativity in the organization. We illustrate
our arguments with sets of empirical research propositions based upon both
process and outcomes.
Innovation substantially reduces the practical value of traditional
communication models. This paper examines the role of conceptual, user-centric
modelling of web information systems as a primary means of standardized visual
communication between and within organizations. It presents the development and
potential of the extended World Wide Web Design Technique as a visual,
consistent, and semantically rich language to share knowledge about content and
structure of both planned and deployed systems ("Explanation"). As web
information systems represent semantic networks in themselves, it is only
natural to leverage their semantics to provide analytical tools and intuitive
user interfaces. Visual frameworks based on the extended World Wide Web Design
Technique enable interactive visualization of the users' access patterns.
Limited, statistically oriented representations of commercially available
web-tracking software are enhanced by a map-like view based on the system's
unique topology. When integrated into the user interface via multiple, tightly
coupled views, such automatically generated site maps help users to explore the
available navigation space ("Exploration").
Normally, people use a keyboard to interact with a computer. This type of
interaction has two main problems; typing speed and typing error. This paper
proposes a non-keyboard computer interaction by using a write-pen or mouse to
write Thai handwritten characters and words, using a feature-based, fuzzy logic
and object-oriented approach (FBFLOOA) to recognize on-line handwritten Thai
characters and words. The feature-based concept is used to extract handwritten
character features, the fuzzy logic set is used to identify uncertain
handwritten character shapes and the object-oriented approach is used to
analyse, design and implement a handwritten character and word recognition
program. Two phases of Thai handwritten character and word recognition are
proposed. The first phase uses only the FBFLOOA to recognize a handwritten
character and the second phase uses FBFLOOA combined with a Thai dictionary
file to seek a correct answer for a rejected recognition character. The first
According to standard procedure, building a classifier using machine
learning is a fully automated process that follows the preparation of training
data by a domain expert. In contrast, interactive machine learning engages
users in actually generating the classifier themselves. This offers a natural
way of integrating background knowledge into the modelling stage -- as long as
interactive tools can be designed that support efficient and effective
communication. This paper shows that appropriate techniques can empower users
to create models that compete with classifiers built by state-of-the-art
learning algorithms. It demonstrates that users -- even users who are not
domain experts -- can often construct good classifiers, without any help from a
learning algorithm, using a simple two-dimensional visual interface.
Experiments on real data demonstrate that, not surprisingly, success hinges on
the domain: if a few attributes can support good predictions, users generate
accurate classifiers, whereas domains with many high-order attribute
interactions favour standard machine learning techniques. We also present an
artificial example where domain knowledge allows an "expert user" to create a
much more accurate model than automatic learning algorithms. These results
indicate that our system has the potential to produce highly accurate
classifiers in the hands of a domain expert who has a strong interest in the
domain and therefore some insights into how to partition the data. Moreover,
small expert-defined models offer the additional advantage that they will
generally be more intelligible than those generated by automatic techniques.
We introduce a relational operationalization of data which generalizes,
among others, the deterministic information systems of Pawlak (1982), the
indeterministic systems of Lipski (1976) and Orowska and Pawlak (1987), and the
context relations of Wille (1982); it can also be used for fuzzy data
modelling. Using an example from the area of psychometrics, we show how our
operationalization can lead to an improved understanding of agreements and
disagreements by experts in classification tasks.
Huang, Jiung-Yao (2001): Increasing the visualization realism by frame synchronization between the VRML browser and the panoramic image viewer. In International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 55 (3) pp. 311-336
This paper presents a frame synchronization technique so that the display on
the VRML browser can harmonize with the picture of the panoramic image viewer.
The VRML browser and the panoramic image viewer are two well-known systems to
support virtual reality on the Internet. These two types of browsers have their
own merits and faults, and these differences are revealed in the discrepancy of
their respective user interfaces. This paper first presents a detailed
comparison between these two browsers, and then draws out the issues that are
essential to synchronize the frame displays on these two browsers. The
equations and mechanisms to enable such synchronization then follow. Finally,
the frame synchronization mechanism that was implemented with experiments to
demonstrate its effectiveness is also given at the end of the paper. The frame
synchronization mechanism provides a simple yet effective method to increase
visualization realism inside the virtual world without sacrificing the
freedom-of-navigation.
Many organizations need to respond quickly to change and their workers need
to regularly develop new knowledge and skills. The prevailing approach to
meeting these demands is on-the-job training, but this is known to be highly
ineffective, cause stress and devalue workplace autonomy. Conversely,
organizational learning is a process through which workers learn gradually in
the work context through experience, reflection on work practice and
collaboration with colleagues. Our approach aims to support and enhance
organizational learning around enriched work representations. Work
representations are tools and documents used to support collaborative working
and learning. These are enriched through associations with formal knowledge
models and informal discourse. The work representations, informal discourse and
associated knowledge models together form on organizational memory from which
knowledge can be retrieved later. Our methodological approach to supporting
organizational learning is drawn from three industrial case studies concerned
with machine maintenance, team planning and hotline support. The methodology
encompasses development and design activities, a description of the roles and
duties required to sustain the long-term use of the tools, and applicability
criteria outlining the kind of organizations that can benefit from this
approach.
This paper describes how different kinds of research activities (theory
building and application, exploratory and experimental studies, prototyping,
user testing) are instrumental for informing the design of virtual
environments. We show how general user-centred design methods can be used when
dealing with specific issues concerned with the properties of virtual
environments. To illustrate our approach we describe how we have designed a
virtual theatre for young children to support learning through playing. We
conclude with a general discussion of the core issues that need to be
considered when designing virtual environments.
Usability problems associated with virtual environments are a serious
obstacle to their successful development. One source of these problems is that
virtual environment toolkits provide only a small number of predefined
interaction techniques that are expected to be used regardless of context,
hence developers are not encouraged to consider interaction. In addition, there
are no generally accepted development methodologies for virtual environments.
Therefore, even when developers do consider interaction, it is likely to be in
an ad hoc fashion driven by technology rather than requirements. If virtual
environments are to be useful in a wider context, it is important to provide
developers with methods (and tools to support the methods) by which interaction
techniques can be systematically designed, tested and refined. In this paper we
present the Marigold toolset which supports such a development process. The
process begins with a visual specification of the technique being designed.
This is requirements centred because it abstracts from implementation issues.
Using the toolset, this specification is refined to a prototype implementation
so that the technique can be explored in the context of the other elements of
the environment. In this way, the developer can verify the technique against
requirements in both the specification and prototype. Additionally, because the
specification is readily understandable, users can be involved at both stages
of the process.
Virtual environment and multimedia technology are developing rapidly in many
areas. These include visual complexity, the opportunity to provide
multi-sensory input and output, affordability and a variety of system designs
and applications. Involving the users in the design and development process can
result in more appropriate and usable interfaces. In addition, an iterative
evaluation throughout the process of technology development can result in a
large amount of useful information being gathered from users. However, there
can be problems with this -- the data collection and analysis process can be
time consuming; it can be difficult to report information back to the
developers in a meaningful form, and thus the results of the evaluation may not
get incorporated into interface design; and some evaluation techniques can be
specific to the application (e.g. assessment of learning from an educational
virtual environment application) or user group (e.g. people with learning
disabilities). This paper presents an evaluation method that has been
successfully used in virtual environment and multimedia evaluation at the
Virtual Reality Applications Research Team (VIRART), and has overcome some of
these problems. Theme-based content analysis (TBCA) is a qualitative method
that provides useful, detailed information about user opinions or behaviour,
and can also provide general indications of results in the user population by
the grouping of data into meaningful categories. A number of different data
collection methods can be used (e.g. short interview, open-ended questionnaire
questions, observation) allowing the time and expertise of the virtual
environment researcher to be most usefully employed, and the needs and
abilities of the user population to be met. The analysis process is less
time-consuming, and allows both summarization of the results and retention of
the raw data. As described in the paper, this flexible method can be applied in
a number of different circumstances, with a variety of different virtual
reality technologies (desktop, projection or head mounted display (HMD)
systems). In addition, the results from this method can be presented in a
simple format to allow an easy feedback of user opinions and behaviours to
virtual environment developers, providing contextual examples and an indication
of the proportion of users experiencing usability problems. This facilitates a
direct input of the evaluation data into the virtual environment development
process.
While researchers have made great strides in evaluating and comparing user
interfaces using computational models and frameworks, their work has focused
almost exclusively on interfaces that serve as the only or primary task for the
user. This paper presents an approach of evaluating and comparing interfaces
that users interact with as secondary tasks while executing a more critical
primary task. The approach centers on the integration of two computational
behavioral models, one for the primary task and another for the secondary task.
The resulting integrated model can then execute both tasks together and
generate a priori predictions about the effects of one task on the other. The
paper focuses in particular on the domain of driving and the comparison of four
dialing interfaces for in-car cellular phones. Using the ACT-R cognitive
architecture (Anderson & Lebiere, 1998) as a computational framework,
behavioral models for each possible dialing interface were integrated with an
existing model of driver behavior (Salvucci, Boer & Liu, in press). The
integrated model predicted that two different manual-dialing interfaces would
have significant effects on driver steering performance while two different
voice-dialing interfaces would have no significant effect on performance. An
empirical study conducted with human drivers in a driving simulator showed that
while model and human performance differed with respect to overall magnitudes,
the model correctly predicted the overall pattern of effects for human drivers.
These results suggest that the integration of computational behavioral models
provides a useful, practical method for predicting the effects of
secondary-task interface use on primary-task performance.
Understanding the interaction of a user with a designed device such as a GUI
requires clear understanding of three components: the cognitive, perceptual and
motor capabilities of the user, the task to be accomplished and the artefact
used to accomplish the task. Computational modeling systems which enable
serious consideration of all these constraints have only recently begun to
emerge. One such system is ACT-R/PM, which is described in detail. ACT-R/PM is
a production system architecture that has been augmented with a set of
perceptual-motor modules designed to enable the detailed modeling of
interactive tasks. Nilsen's (1991) random menu selection task serves two goals:
to illustrate the promise of this system and to help further our understanding
of the processes underlying menu selection and visual search. Nilsen's original
study, two earlier models of the task, and recent eye-tracking data are all
considered. Drawing from the best properties of the previous models considered
and guided by information from the eye-tracking experiment, a series of new
models of random menu selection were constructed using ACT-R/PM. The final
model provides a zero-parameter fit to the data that does an excellent, though
not perfect, job of capturing the data.
This article describes a general-purpose programmable substrate designed to
allow cognitive modeling systems to interact with off-the-shelf interactive
applications. The substrate, called VisMap, improves on conventional
approaches, in which a cognitive model interacts with a hand-constructed
abstraction, an artificial simulation or an interface tailored specifically to
a modeling system. VisMap can be used to construct static scenarios for input
to a cognitive model, without requiring its internal modification;
alternatively, the system can be integrated with a cognitive model to support
direct control of an application.
Ritter, Frank E. and Young, Richard M. (2001): Embodied models as simulated users: introduction to this special issue on using cognitive models to improve interface design. In International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 55 (1) pp. 1-14
Cognitive models provide a means for applying what is known from psychology
to the design of interfaces, thereby improving their quality and usability.
Existing uses of models include predicting time and errors for users to perform
tasks, acting as embedded assistants to help users perform their tasks, and
serving as surrogate users. Treating the design of human-computer interfaces as
a form of engineering design requires the development and application of user
models. A recent trend is for models to be built within the fixed framework of
a cognitive architecture, which has been extended by the addition of simulated
eyes and hands, enabling the construction of embodied models. Being embodied
allows models to interact directly with interfaces. The resulting models can be
used to evaluate the interfaces they use, and serve as explanations of users'
behavior. The papers in this Special Issue point to a new route for the future,
one in which models built within embodied cognitive architectures provide
information for the design of better interfaces.
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Yousay:
Mar 16th, 2010
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