Field Design Sessions: Augmenting Whose Reality?

The authors present a design case in which field design sessions are introduced to bridge the designers' imagination and the users' knowledge of the use context. This approach entailed immersing design teams in the environment of the product-to-be during the conceptual design phase. With a background in the Scandinavian tradition of participatory or cooperative design, the design team observed and talked to users, sketched and produced mock-ups, acted out scenarios, and received user feedback during these field trips.

Moving the design into the field provided the team with a number of advantages compared with traditional work in the design studio based on user field observations. Designers achieved direct physical experience of the circumstances and a nonrepresented, nonabstracted introduction to the problems at hand. Through on-the-spot mock-up design and user collaboration, valuable insights into the essence of work and use were gained, and design suggestions embodied by these mock-ups were put on the line. Being aware or unaware of it, these suggestions contained personal assumptions, and preconceived opinions or hypotheses about use and use context, but also contained suggestions of applied technology. The result was new valuable insights toward an understanding of what work really is (or is not) and how it could be supported (or not supported) in the future.

It is argued that, to make the most of augmented reality (AR) in the design of professional tools, knowledge of the state of the art of technology is a prerequisite, but is not in itself sufficient. It needs to be complemented by design approaches that (a) provide insight about the users, their work practice, and use context and (b) support designers in aligning their viewpoints with the viewpoints and experienced reality of the people for whom they are designing. This may form a cornerstone in the successful application of emerging technologies.

This article discusses existing human-computer interaction approaches aimed at engaging the field in design, contrasts them with field design sessions, reflects on the advantages of applying them, and draws attention to a number of method points.     

Reflection on research methodologies for ubicomp in developing contexts

As the user base for ubiquitous technology expands to developing regions, the likelihood of disparity between the lived experience of design team members (developers, designers, researchers, etc.) and end users has increased. Human-centered design (HCD) provides a toolkit of research methods aimed at helping bridge the distance between technology design teams and end users. However, we have found that traditional approaches to HCD research methods are difficult to deploy in developing regions. In this paper, we share our experiences of adapting HCD research methodologies to the Central Asia context and some lessons we have learned. While our lessons are many, reconsidering the unit of analysis from the individual to larger social units was an early discovery that provided a frame for later research activities that focused on ubicomp development. We argue that lessons and challenges derived from our experience will generalize to other research investigations in which researchers are trying to adapt common HCD data collection methods to create ubiquitous technologies for and/or with distant audiences in developing regions.     

Happy together: sensors and users

This issue of IEEE Internet Computing is focused on data-driven applications in sensor networks, which, in a literal sense, might not seem to have much to do with user experience (UE). We are hoping to offer some insights into how UE people might think about this problem area and others like it, what issues they might raise, and what opportunities could arise by considering those issues. The final message is that, although sensor-network management presents a unique set of challenges, the usual rules of user-centered design still apply: know your users; know their tasks; design, test, and repeat. In some highly technical domains, you might be designing for skilled, experienced users with a clear foundation of domain knowledge and expertise. From a UE design perspective, this means that the designers can assume the presence of this knowledge about the domain, and design the system around it. The interface that results could well be impenetrable to anybody outside the domain, but that might be okay - there's nothing wrong with building interfaces for experts if that's who your users are. The catch is that the UI designers has to learn enough about the domain that they can do the design, because so much of what makes it an effective interface is bound up in the domain's details. That's the route that gets you a great interface, and a great user experience.     

Designing for other people’s strengths and motivations: Three cases using context, visions, and experiential prototypes

The front end of product development has seen a rapid growth in attention for the end-users. For radical innovation, as well as for redesign and optimization, design teams are looking to incorporate the experiential knowledge of users into the design solutions. By means of three cases, we describe participatory techniques in the early phases of design, and how they impact both the content and the methods of designing. Key elements in this are found in the establishing of needs, requirements, design visions, and early experience prototyping. But these different steps are no longer clearly separated, as iterative prototyping with user participation throughout the design process is becoming a more regular approach to designing.     

Supporting content discovery and organization in networks of contents and users

The design of approaches for supporting the user in the navigation of a variety of contents is an interesting area of research with many potential applications. In particular, interactive television (iTV) offers users the opportunity of accessing a huge amount of contents, ranging from general to specialized ones. As a consequence, the exploration of such contents must be supported in some way. In this paper, we present an innovative approach that integrates some recent methodologies and technologies developed in different areas of Artificial Intelligence and the Web: user-model-based adaptation, social networking, semantic annotation, and content sharing. We show how the integration of these technologies can provide interesting opportunities for a new approach to content navigation and discovery based on the possibility of exploring personalized networks of contents, users and concepts. Also, we focus on the specific goal of designing a platform for accessing iTV contents with the aim of providing the user with many alternative ways of exploring and discovering potentially interesting videos. After discussing the application, integrated in a project by Telecom Italia for a new paradigm of iTV, we preset the architecture we designed for integrating the methodologies discussed above.     

Usability engineering laboratories: limitations and challenges toward a unifying tools/practices environment

This article discusses the limitations and challenges surrounding the present usability engineering (UE) labs. Usability laboratories include hardware and software tools to observe users, collect and analyse diverse data about the users' interactions, behaviours, actions, and reactions including their raw feedback regarding their experiences. Using statistical analysis and data mining software, these qualitative and quantitative data are transformed into design insights and recommendations for future usability improvements. First, we survey the existing stationary, portable, and remote laboratories. We then review the current usability tools while highlighting the gap between the existing tools/labs and the UE practices. We will show how this gap can be closed via a roadmap using a computer-assisted usability engineering environment (CAUTE). A CAUTE provides a unifying user interface that exploits a process-sensitive architecture for integrating the large variety of the existing tools into the best UE practices. Beyond the technical problems, there is also a need to address research issues including determining the interest of the CAUTE approach in comparison with the current usability labs.     

The multi-user computer-aided design collaborative learning framework

New developments to computer-aided design (CAD) software transform a once solitary modelling task into a collaborative one. The emerging multi-user CAD (MUCAD) systems allow virtual, real-time collaboration, with the potential to expand the learning outcomes and teaching methods of CAD. This paper proposes a MUCAD collaborative learning framework (MUCAD-CLF) to interpret backend analytic data from commercially available MUCAD software. The framework builds on several existing metrics from the literature and introduces newly developed methods to classify CAD actions collected from users’ analytic data. The framework contains two different classification approaches of user actions, categorizing actions by action type (e.g., creating, revising, viewing) and by design space (e.g., constructive, organizing), for comparative analysis. Next, the analytical framework is applied via a collaborative design challenge, corresponding to over 20,000 actions collected from 31 participants. Illustrative analyses utilizing the MUCAD-CLF are presented to demonstrate the resulting insight. Differences in CAD behaviour, indicating differences in learning, are observed between teams made up entirely of novices, entirely of experienced users, or a mix. In pairs of experts and novices, we see both a perceived high-satisfaction apprenticeship experience for the novices and preliminary evidence of an increase in expert design behaviours for the novices. The proposed framework is critical for MUCAD systems to make the most of the educational possibility of combining technical skill-building with team collaboration. Preliminary evidence collected in a fully-virtual design learning activity, and analyzed using the proposed MUCAD-CLF, shows that novice students gain advanced CAD design knowledge when collaborating with experienced teammates. With the user data captured by modern MUCAD software and the MUCAD-CLF presented herein, instructors and researchers can more efficiently assess and visualize students’ performance over the design learning process.     

The efficacy of narrative video for raising awareness in ICT designers about older users’ requirements

This paper discusses the efficacy of narrative video to communicate some of the fundamental differences between older users of ICT interfaces and the interface designers who tend not to be familiar with the general perspectives and user requirements of this and other ‘non-typical’ target groups. Preliminary results show the impact such videos can have on relevant audiences’ perspective on designing systems for older adults. The findings suggest that they can influence the mind set of those with little or no experience of designing for older users and that this influence can persist in the longer term. The findings also suggest that the extent of this influence can be an appropriate alternative to that of meeting and interacting with older users in a user centred design process, which although very valuable can be a logistically (and otherwise) challenging element in the training of prospective software designers. The potential utility and limits of this approach are also discussed.     

Standardizing the narrative of use cases: A controlled vocabulary of web user tasks

ContextFor user interfaces design, the use of appropriate terminology in writing use case narratives may determine the effectiveness of the design process, facilitating communication within multidisciplinary web development teams and leading to agreed designs.ObjectiveThis paper proposes a user task vocabulary for web user interface design. This vocabulary compiles terms related to the use of web applications, regardless of the application domain, as a way of standardizing the terminology used in the elaboration of use case narrative. The use of the vocabulary would help to reduce misunderstandings within multidisciplinary web development teams.MethodThe construction of the vocabulary is based on the combination of both committee and empirical approaches. Committee approaches rely on experts in designing web applications, while empirical ones are focused on analyzing content objects, such as interaction design patterns and use case narratives.ResultsThe final version of the monolingual controlled vocabulary of web user tasks compiles a total of 40 tasks; each of them has a key term and a definition of the interaction carried out by users. Additionally, 41 semantic relationships were collected and represented as synonyms. The vocabulary has been assessed through an expert evaluation, proving its correctness and completeness, and an usability evaluation checking the efficacy of the vocabulary.ConclusionThe language employed in use case narratives can determine the value of use cases for designing user interfaces. The usage of a controlled vocabulary may allow designers to elaborate unambiguous use case narratives as a way of creating consistent task models for designing web user interfaces.     

Don't underestimate the problems of user centredness in software development projectsthere are many!

. On the basis of a longitudinal field study of 29 commercial software development projects, the pros and cons of user centredness in software development were analysed. We looked at two concepts: user participation-an organizational device-involving a user representative in the team, and user orientation-a cognitive-emotional concept-which pertains to positive attitudes towards users. Both were found to be associated with project difficulties relating to process and product quality as well as overall project success. We suggest that the issue is no longer whether or not to involve users, but instead to develop a realistic understanding of the difficulties associated with user centredness.     

Context-aware control of user-centric virtual networks: Centralized vs distributed approaches

Recently, the Internet has been overrun by a diversity of devices, applications, technologies, and Internet users with increasingly demanding personal preferences. Due to the explosive growth of Internet usage, the quantity of context information available in networking environments is also growing rapidly, triggering research for novel architectures and protocols that are enriched or personalized based on the particular features and dynamics of such information.This article describes a virtualized architecture that splits a physical network infrastructure into a set of logical networks (or Virtual Networks – VNs) configured to meet the particular context needs of their attached users (in terms of, e.g., price, security or services’ quality). Since this architecture can be driven by volatile context needs of highly mobile users, we also present the signaling mechanisms to create, extend and remove VNs in response to user context dynamics and mobility, which can be performed in a centralized or distributed way. Further, we define and evaluate context-aware metrics to configure a VN, and discover and select VNs to assign to users or network paths.The evaluation of the proposed approach shows that distributed approaches allow the fast discovery and adaptation of VNs, at the cost of a slightly larger overhead than centralized approaches when the context dynamics are too high. We also assess the impact of considering distinct levels of knowledge distribution and user context dynamics on the design and behavior of several processes for user association and VN control. Finally, we observe that context-driven VN discovery and resource-aware path selection schemes outperform the ones that, respectively, flood the network with VN discovery requests or use shortest path-based strategies to adapt VNs.     

Engineering software under statistical quality control

Eight common misconceptions of software quality are examined and refuted. The concept of cleanroom engineering of software is introduced. Cleanroom engineering achieves intellectual control by applying rigorous, mathematics-based engineering practices, establishes an errors-are-unacceptable attitude and a team responsibility for quality, delegates development and testing responsibilities to separate teams, and certifies the software's mean time to failure through the application of statistical quality-control methods. A typical project is used to explain the concepts and procedures     

Agent-based architectural framework enhancing configurability,autonomy and scalability of context-aware pervasive services

Multi-agent software architectures have gained in popularity due to their beneficial behavior in designing and implementing sophisticated applications. However, current approaches in implementing such architectures have led to application-specific, non-scalable implementations which limit the reusablity and improvement of the whole architecture. Moreover, these attempts lack features to enhance the user experience, thus slowing the adoption of the resulting services. In this paper we describe a fully-fledged multi-agent architecture covering a large variety of preferred features including capabilities of ‘plugging’ ubiquitous services, servicing mobile users, interconnecting remote similar architectures and interfacing with advanced software components such as knowledge bases. This framework exploits a wide-range of context-aware components making it essentially context-aware, allowing for the development of ubiquitous context-aware human-centric services, which are the focus of our research. To illustrate the flexibility of this architectural framework, we present four services which were built using this architectural paradigm by different development teams and elaborate on their overall behavior.     

Don't underestimate the problems of user centredness in software development projectsthere are many!

Abstract

On the basis of a longitudinal field study of 29 commercial software development projects, the pros and cons of user centredness in software development were analysed. We looked at two concepts: user participation-an organizational device-involving a user representative in the team, and user orientation-a cognitive-emotional concept-which pertains to positive attitudes towards users. Both were found to be associated with project difficulties relating to process and product quality as well as overall project success. We suggest that the issue is no longer whether or not to involve users, but instead to develop a realistic understanding of the difficulties associated with user centredness.     

A socio-technical approach to improving the systems development process

Research on improving the systems development processes has primarily focused on mechanisms such as tools, software development methodologies, knowledge sharing and process capabilities. This research has yielded considerable insights into improving the systems development process, but the large majority of information systems development projects still continue to be over budget, late, and ineffective in meeting user needs. Together with the advent of software development moving offshore, or consisting of offshore team members, a more holistic approach is appropriate. Approached from a socio-technical perspective the software development process is viewed as a process embedded in a social and a technical subsystem. Drawing upon socio-technical work design principles, this paper suggests how capabilities of the development process can be improved. Data collected from a survey of software development practices in organizations indicates that organizations at different levels of process capabilities differ in work system characteristics as well as process performance. For example, the use of multi-skilled teams was found to be significantly related to the systems development process maturity level as well as significantly related to all the performance measures studied. This paper provides empirical support for the socio-technical approach and provides a theoretical foundation for designing software process initiatives in organizations.     

Extending web-based educational systems with personalised support through User Centred Designed recommendations along the e-learning life cycle

In this paper we address an open key issue during the development of web-based educational systems. In particular, we provide an educational-oriented approach for building personalised e-learning environments that focuses on putting the learners' needs in the centre of the development process. Our approach proposes user centred design methodologies involving interdisciplinary teams of software developers and domain experts. It is illustrated in an adaptive e-learning system, where a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) was taken by nearly 400 learners. In particular, we report where user centred design methods can be applied along the e-learning life cycle to designing and evaluating personalisation support through recommendations in learning management systems.     

Design for experience innovation: understanding user experience in new product development

In providing a better experience to users in terms of product usage, we focus on the important concept of a user-centred design (UCD), and explore a new approach to user experience (UX), with the effort to understand experience-driven innovation. Based on the conceptual framework of experiential network and the results of multiple case studies covering 643 successfully designed products or services providing an optimised UX, we categorise the UX context into the following four representative types: individualisation, combination, integration, and ecosystem. Furthermore, we identify the essential UCD concepts that reflect the core needs and expectations of users in each of the designed contexts, that is, specialty, usefulness, usability, and fluency. Finally, we discuss the dynamic concepts that help achieve a successful experience innovation. We expect these findings to play a crucial role in the development of novel design concepts or strategies, not only to better understand the needs of contemporary users, but also to better understand the dynamics of innovation.     

P2P social networking for the rest of US

The user experience of current P2P Personal and Social networking systems does not meet the usability needs of the technically naïve users. This is the motivation behind MyNet, a P2P platform that enables non-expert users to easily organize their resources and share them in their immediate social neighborhood. In this paper, we present our experience following a user-centered approach in designing MyNet: using real-world metaphors in the core system, leveraging NFC-based touch to mirror human behavior models, and involving actual users in the design process. The results of our 50-user usability evaluation are also presented in detail.     

Supporting user participation design using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process approach

There are three fundamental problems that may occur in the process of user participation design: first, the participants/users may not be able to express their requirements clearly; second, they have little knowledge about design; and third, they are generally unfamiliar with the software that designers use. Based on this understanding, a method that considers design rationale is proposed in this work to support the process of user participation design. In addressing the user participation process, a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach is applied to grasp people's ideas, in the initial design phase. A case study on creating house layout design is employed to illustrate the proposed approach. In this regard, to help participants/users create layout designs, it is proposed that a 3D generative system is used, which integrates navigational concepts, direct manipulation, and the design rationale theory. In a nutshell, this research proposes a system to implement a design rational model and improve design communication in the user participation process. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed prototype system, a user test is performed and we put forward some findings and research questions for further research and industry practices.