Command‐line interfaces can be efficiently brought to graphics: COLIMATE (the COmmand LIne MATE)

Scientific computing has traditionally been done on workstations, most of the time running on UNIX‐like operating systems. These systems are often very robust, powerful and especially suited to heavy computation tasks; however, the usual user interface is based on a command line with all the information needed for the appropriate functioning of the algorithm. These command lines are seldom user‐friendly but, on the other hand, they allow batch processes to be built. In this work, a model for command‐line‐driven packages is given, and at the same time the model includes objects that can be directly translated into a graphical user interface. A language (Colimate) implementing this model is shown to serve as a bridge between command‐line‐driven programs and more friendly user interfaces. Exploiting the specificness of the user interfaces addressed, powerful graphical interfaces can be built with a very simple syntax and small programming effort. Furthermore, the command‐line program needs not to be modified, so in this way the possibility of making batches is not lost. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A graphical user interface server for unix

The UNIX operating system has attained widespread popularity because of its power, flexibility and elegance. However, the common user interfaces (shells) have been criticized as being cryptic and difficult to use, especially for novices. In this paper, we present a user interface server that can be used to provide a graphical shell for UNIX. This shell helps to overcome a number of difficulties faced by both novices and experts. Although it is largely intended to assist novices, it is also designed not to become a hindrance for expert users and does not sacrifice the basic power and flexibility of UNIX. The server is designed to augment rather than replace text-based interfaces and can be used from a variety of different interactive programs in addition to shells.     

Understanding novelty: how task structure and tool familiarity moderate performance

Consumers and corporate end users are regularly faced with the challenge of adapting to new technology tools and their user interfaces. Understanding the role of user experience in using these new interfaces is an important aspect of assessing and planning for how new innovations are received. Through a controlled laboratory experiment in the information retrieval domain, we find that the effect of task (web search) familiarity on performance depends on the task structure (open-ended versus closed-ended) and the degree of tool familiarity (a traditional textual list versus a novel graphical interface for presenting web search results). Our results show that task experience has a positive effect on performance when the task structure is closed-ended and the interface is familiar, and a negative effect when the task structure is open-ended and the interface is unfamiliar. This study not only adds to the literature on user experience in the context of IT use, but also has practical implications for the testing and adoption of new technologies, indicating that novices may be better, or at least an important group, for testing truly novel tools and their interfaces.     

Converting command‐line applications into binary components

A binary component is a separately compiled program that can be used as a part of a larger program. Binary components generally conform to an accepted technology such as JavaBeans or ActiveX, and generally support a rich program interface containing properties, methods and events. Binary components are generally used in a graphical user interface (GUI) environment. There are a number of benefits to be realized by converting command‐line software into binary components. The most important of these is that GUI environments are more popular and more familiar to most people than command‐line environments. Using binary components can greatly simplify a GUI implementation, to the point where it is only slightly more complicated than a typical command‐line implementation. However there are benefits that go beyond mere convenience. Binary components have much richer interfaces than command‐line programs. Binary components are service‐oriented rather than task‐oriented. A task‐oriented program has a main routine that is devoted to accomplishing a single task. A service‐oriented component has no main routine or main function, but instead provides a variety of services to its clients. Binary components can be easily integrated with one another, which permits a design where each major feature of an application is implemented in a different component. Such a design encourages software reuse at the component level and facilitates low‐impact feature upgrades. We first delineate a design‐pattern‐based methodology for converting command‐line programs into components. We then illustrate these principles using two projects, a simulation system for digital circuits, and a data generation system for software and hardware testing. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adaptive sliding menubars make existing software more accessible to people with severe motion impairments

The graphical user interfaces of popular software are often inaccessible to people with severe motion impairments, who cannot use the traditional keyboard and mouse, and require an alternative input device. Reaching for buttons and selecting menu items, in particular, can be difficult for nonverbal individuals with quadriplegia, who control the mousepointer with head motion via a mouse-replacement system. This paper proposes interaction techniques that can be used with mouse-replacement systems and enable the creation of accessible graphical user interfaces. To illustrate these techniques, the paper presents an image editing application, named Camera Canvas, that uses a sliding toolbar as its universal menu controller. The parameters of the toolbar automatically adapt to the movement abilities of the specific user. Individuals with and without disabilities and of a variety of ages were observed using Camera Canvas. It was found that the developed techniques worked across many different movement abilities and experience levels. Then, it was investigated how such techniques could be used to “retrofit” existing Windows applications with new graphical user interfaces. A tool called Menu Controller was created that can automatically re-render the menus of some existing applications into adaptive sliding toolbars. Menu Controller enables users of mouse-replacement systems to select menu entries that were otherwise inaccessible to them.     

基于X—WINDOW的用户接口生成和管理系统X—UIGMS

本文介绍了一种建立在UNIX系统X—WINDOW环境上的通用图形式用户接口生成和管理系统X—UIGMS,描述了它的原理,实现方法,功能和特点。该系统可用于各种复杂的应用系统,可以让用户选择理想的用户接口和交互方式,所设计的用户接口可以具有丰富的多层次的提示和出错检测恢复功能,可以满足各种类型的用户需要。     

Graphical versus character-based word processors: an analysis of user performance

The study investigates how experienced computer users take advantage of the availability of graphic user interfaces in a word processing task. Performance time and actions were compared in three groups of subjects working respectively with WordPerfect 5.1, WordPerfect for Windows, or WordPerfect V2.00 for the Macintosh. The three groups did not differ in efficiency: they performed the word processing task at the same speed. Very few WordPerfect 5.1 users worked with the pull-down menus; the great majority preferred using the function key shortcuts. No significant difference in menu use was noted between the two graphical user interface word processors (Windows and Macintosh). Windows users did not apply shortcuts to move text, but used menus or the button bar instead. There was no difference in the use of the mouse between the Windows and Macintosh groups. While better task satisfaction is often reported with the availability of graphical user interfaces, our findings are in agreement with other studies suggesting that experienced users don't perform more efficiently with such a computer environment.     

基于Qt的国际化图形用户界面设计与实现

一次开发多语言使用是国际化软件开发的主要目标。但是世界上的文字多种多样,它们的书写方向也有所不同,除了水平从左向右书写的英文、水平从右往左书写的阿拉伯文外,还有类似蒙古文这样垂直排列的文字,这对计算机图形用户界面提出了更高的要求,现有的计算机系统将这类垂直排列的文字沿水平方向输出,极不符合少数民族人民的习惯。在分析现有Qt库对类似阿拉伯文这样从右向左书写的文字的部分支持机制的基础上,我们设计并实现了支持四种方向模式的国际化的图形用户界面,现在它已经能够适应世界上几乎所有的文字。这对于软件国际化以及民族语言信息处理有重要意义。     

SUN工作站用户界面的改进

本文以ＳＵＮ工作站为背景，提出了ＮＩＳＸ操作系统用户界面的改进方法，改进后的用户面对初学者是友好的，用户可以根据清晰的命令格式说明和上下文有关的帮助信息。直接操纵ＵＮＩＸ的各种命令。程序设计的基本特点是采用了命令表数据结构和ＳｕｎＶｉｅｗ工具，从而使编程非常容易而且简洁。     

Going global with user testing

In Sweden, the automatic teller machines have very large buttons. The author hadn't noticed this particular design element on previous visits, which have usually been in warmer months. One year he was in Stockholm in February and immediately realized why the ATM buttons are so big: you can press them wearing thick gloves. Clearly, the ATM vendor had manufactured a localized version of the product with cold-climate users in mind. Unfortunately, although products are commonly used in countries other than the one they were designed for, designers often forget to consider different usage circumstances. Various tools, techniques and concepts to optimize user interfaces are discussed     

Visual Impairment: The Use of Visual Profiles in Evaluations of Icon Use in Computer-Based Tasks

This research investigates an empirical link between characteristics of impaired vision and user performance on computer-based systems. The underlying premise of this research is twofold: specific aspects of visual dysfunction can be linked to the task performance demonstrated by computer users with impaired vision, and graphical user interfaces can be modified to evoke enhanced performance from low-vision users. Iconic selection time and accuracy within a graphical user interface were evaluated, comparing performance of low-vision users with performance of fully sighted users, and linking task performance to specific profiles of visual impairment. Results indicate that visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual field, and color perception were significant predictors of task performance. In addition, icon size, set size, and background color significantly influenced performance. This research confirmed the validity of both underlying premises and serves as a launching point for future research concerned with developing features that will assist users with a variety of visual deficits.     

Comparing Parameter Manipulation with Mouse, Pen, and Slider User Interfaces

Visual fixation on one's tool(s) takes much attention away from one's primary task. Following the belief that the best tools 'disappear' and become invisible to the user, we present a study comparing visual fixations (eye gaze within locations on a graphical display) and performance for mouse, pen, and physical slider user interfaces. Participants conducted a controlled, yet representative, color matching task that required user interaction representative of many data exploration tasks such as parameter exploration of medical or fuel cell data. We demonstrate that users may spend up to 95% fewer visual fixations on physical sliders versus standard mouse and pen tools without any loss in performance for a generalized visual performance task.     

Which animation effects improve indirect manipulation?

This paper describes an experiment to explore the effectiveness of animation in improving indirect manipulation operations. Indirect manipulation operations are those initiated by command menus and buttons to perform a transformation on a graphical object or set of graphical objects. The particular improvement is an operation's ability to show both what would happen if the operation were committed and what would happen if it were cancelled while an operation is being considered. The experiment required subjects to watch a simple alignment operation for a set of graphical objects. They were then asked to record the original placement of those graphical objects. Each task used one of four visual cues: modified telltale, wiggle, colour, or no visual cue. We found the modified telltale, wiggle, and colour visual effects significantly more effective than no visual feedback for cuing the user as to original position of the graphical objects. The modified telltale and colour effects were significantly more effective than the wiggle effect. The major conclusion drawn from this experiment is the use of visual feedback improves a user's ability to remember the previous position of graphical objects after an alignment operation.     

Development and evaluation of an ergonomic software package for predicting multiple-task human performance and mental workload in human–machine interface design and evaluation

Predicting human performance and mental workload in multiple task situations at an early stage of system design can save a significant amount of time and cost. However, existing modeling tools either can only predict human performance or require users of tools to learn a new programming language. Queueing Network-Model Human Processor (QN-MHP) is a new cognitive architecture for modeling both human performance and mental workload in multiple tasks. This paper describes the development of a Visual Basic Application in Excel (VBA) software package and an illustrative case study to evaluate its effectiveness. The software package has an easy-to-use user interface for QN-MHP that assists users of the modeling tool to simulate a dual task including definition of the tasks and interfaces by clicking buttons to select options and filling texts in a table, with no need to learn a simulation language. It allows the model user to intuitively observe the information processing state of the model during simulation, and conveniently compare the simulated human performance and mental workload for different designs. The illustrative case study showed that naïve users without prior simulation language programming experience can model human performance and mental workload in a complex multitask situation within 3 min; and this software package can save 71% of modeling time and reduce 30% of modeling errors. Further developments of the VBA software package of QN-MHP are also discussed on how to make it a comprehensive proactive ergonomic design and analysis tool.     

An object oriented user interface for analysis of biological data

In a previous paper we described a self-documented file and a collection of general purpose programs or tools that facilitates the management and analysis of biological data. The tools can be specified in a pipeline to accomplish a specific analysis task. However, we found that it was difficult for investigators to learn the UNIX command language for specifying pipelines, specify selection tasks through a command language, and visualize the data as they were transformed and rearranged. To alleviate these problems we developed an object-oriented user interface for the pipeline programs. The system consists of four major programs for visualization: Vedit, Vgraf, Vscan, and V spread. Vedit is a simple text editor, Vgraf is a flexible graphics program, Vscan facilitates scanning graphically through large files, and Vspread provides spreadsheet-like capabilities. To demonstrate how the visualization programs are used together to accomplish the needed analysis we describe two case studies and then discuss how well the system accomplished the goals of visualization, short learning curve, and user adaptability.     

电站仿真建模一体化环境

ＧＮＥＴ是新开发的电厂仿真图形建模一体化环境。ＧＮＥＴ建模环境完全采用图形化用主发口，使建模人员能够通过友好，方便的图形界面和数据库、模块，模型程序进行数据和信息的联系，从而支持从建模型模型验证的全过程。大大地方便了仿真建模工作。     

Mobile text-entry and visual demands: reusing and optimizing current solutions

Mobile devices are increasingly used for text-entry in contexts where visual attention is fragmented and graphical information is inadequate, yet the current solutions to typing on virtual keyboards make it a visually demanding task. This work looks at assistive technologies and interface attributes as tools to ease the task. Two within-subject experiments were performed with 23 and 17 participants, respectively. The first experiment aimed to understand how walking affected text-entry performance and additionally to assess how effective assistive technologies can be in mobile contexts. In the second experiment, adaptive keyboards featuring character prediction and pre-attentive attributes to ease visual demands of text-entry interfaces were developed and evaluated. It has been found that both text-input speed and overall quality are affected in mobile situations. Contrary to the expectations, assistive technologies proved ineffective with visual feedback. The second experiment showed that pre-attentive attributes do not affect users’ performance in task-entry tasks, even though a 3.3–4.3 % decrease in error rates was measured. It was found that users reduce walking speed to compensate for challenges placed by mobile text-entry. Caution should be exercised when transferring assistive technologies to mobile contexts, since they need adaptations to address mobile users’ needs. Also, while pre-attentive attributes seemingly have no effect on experienced QWERTY typists’ performance, they showed promise for both novice users and typists in attention-demanding contexts.