An evaluation of jump-ahead techniques in menu selection

Menu selection systems provide a means of selecting operations and retrieving information which requires little training and reduces the need for memorizing complex command sequences. However, a major disadvantage of many menu selection systems is that experienced users cannot traverse the menu tree significantly faster than novices. A common solution to this problem is to provide the menu selection system with a jump-ahead capability.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate two jump-ahead methods (type-ahead and direct-access). In the type-ahead method the user anticipates a selection on each of several successive menus and enters as many selections at one time as desired. In the direct-access method, each menu frame is assigned a unique name which the user must enter to locate it.

Thirty-two students were given training on an information retrieval system for college course information and were required to learn the two jump-ahead methods in a counterbalanced design. The direct-access method resulted in fewer traversals to learn the system, lower error rates, and reduced learning time. The subjective impressions, obtained from post-experiment questionnaires and oral comments, indicated that the direct-access jump-ahead method was also preferred in a frequently used menu selection system.     

The importance of item distinctiveness on performance using a menu selection system

Novice computer users searched an interactive menu system given either an explicit target phrase or a subject-matter topic. Two menus were used: an original menu as designed by a commercial timesharing service and a slightly modified version intended to increase the distinctiveness of same-level items. Subjects acquired knowledge about the system through one of four study methods: trial-and-error exploration, study of a diagram of the menu structure, trial-and-error exploration with documentation, or study of the diagram with documentation. Subjects using the modified menu (a) took less time per problem: lpar;b) found targets in a more direct path: and (c) gave up on fewer problems than subjects using the original menu. These results are consistent with a theory of choice that predicts that decision processes are facilitated by the distinctiveness of the alternatives. Overall the effect of study method was not significant. For highly meaningful menus, type of exposure, whether trial-and-error or study of the global tree, does not seem to matter.     

The importance of item distinctiveness on performance using a menu selection system

Abstract

Novice computer users searched an interactive menu system given either an explicit target phrase or a subject-matter topic. Two menus were used: an original menu as designed by a commercial timesharing service and a slightly modified version intended to increase the distinctiveness of same-level items. Subjects acquired knowledge about the system through one of four study methods: trial-and-error exploration, study of a diagram of the menu structure, trial-and-error exploration with documentation, or study of the diagram with documentation. Subjects using the modified menu (a) took less time per problem: lpar;b) found targets in a more direct path: and (c) gave up on fewer problems than subjects using the original menu. These results are consistent with a theory of choice that predicts that decision processes are facilitated by the distinctiveness of the alternatives. Overall the effect of study method was not significant. For highly meaningful menus, type of exposure, whether trial-and-error or study of the global tree, does not seem to matter.     

Design and evaluation of finger-count interaction: Combining multitouch gestures and menus

Selecting commands on multi-touch displays is still a challenging problem. While a number of gestural vocabularies have been proposed, these are generally restricted to one or two fingers or can be difficult to learn. We introduce Finger-Count gestures, a coherent set of multi-finger and two-handed gestures. Finger-Count gestures are simple, robust, expressive and fast to perform. In order to make these gestures self-revealing and easy to learn, we propose the Finger-Count menu, a menu technique and teaching method for implicitly learning Finger-Count gestures. We discuss the properties, advantages and limitations of Finger-Count interaction from the gesture and menu technique perspectives as well as its integration into three applications. We present alternative designs to increase the number of commands and to enable multi-user scenarios. Following a study which shows that Finger-Count is as easy to learn as radial menus, we report the results of an evaluation investigating which gestures are easier to learn and which finger chords people prefer. Finally, we present Finger-Count for in-the-air gestures. Thereby, the same gesture set can be used from a distance as well as when touching the surface.     

JApplet微机接口虚拟实验平台的设计与评估

微型计算机接口实验在计算机专业教学中对帮助学生理解计算机基本概念非常重要.但传统的配置有各种跳线的主机板的实验环境使学生在课堂的有限时间内很难达到预期目标.利用JApplet设计了基于Web方式的微机接口实验软件虚拟平台,实验平台有限地抽象了CPU、总线和相关接口芯片部件及其运算过程,使学生能通过开放的Internet环境访问服务器而进行实验.课题设计的虚拟实验平台已经应用到教育部"21世纪网络课程"项目和四川省精品课程项目.     

Threshold selection and adjustment for online segmentation of one-stroke finger gestures using single tri-axial accelerometer

Online segmentation of continuous gestures is a key issue in accelerometer-based gesture recognition. The challenge is to segment short-duration, ambiguous, and individually different gestures by an accurate method for online applications. In this paper, we propose a threshold-based method for the online segmentation of one-stroke gestures using a single tri-axial accelerometer on a finger. The method first obtains a proper initial threshold based on Bayes decision theory to ensure accurate initial segmentation, and then an adaptation mechanism is designed to automatically adjust the threshold to improve user-dependent accuracy. A dataset of over 1,200 samples from 12 gestures and 25 subjects is created for evaluation. The results show that our method achieves high segmentation precision/recall and high user-dependent adaptability with low computational complexity.     

What's on the menu? The influence of menu content on the selection process

This paper focuses on the distinction between the selection process in a computer command menu and in an information retrieval menu. We argue that the cognitive processes involved in these two tasks are different and consequently, that performance cannot be explained by the same factors. Preliminary experimental results are presented to support this claim.     

Some effects of menu characteristics and user personality on performance with menu-driven interfaces

User performance with menu-based systems was studied. Three experiments concerning the effects of menu structure, menu breadth, menu system depth, several support facilities and user personality characteristics on user performance, measured in terms of search time and accuracy, are reported. The main findings are that performance is affected by menu structure, the depth of the menu system, the presence of escape facilities, the structure of the alternatives within the menu, some methods of informative support and certain personality characteristics. Some expensive support facilities are found to have no effect. The results are discussed in relation to problems of menu interface design.     

Design and evaluation of distributed user interfaces between tangible tabletops

Universal Access in the Information Society - The advantage of tangible interaction is that it allows people to interact naturally. Tabletops are a collective support which can be used by several...     

Analysis of expression in simple musical gestures to enhance audio in interfaces

Expression could play a key role in the audio rendering of virtual reality applications. Its understanding is an ambitious issue in the scientific environment, and several studies have investigated the analysis techniques to detect expression in music performances. The knowledge coming from these analyses is widely applicable: embedding expression on audio interfaces can drive to attractive solutions to emphasize interfaces in mixed-reality environments. Synthesized expressive sounds can be combined with real stimuli to experience augmented reality, and they can be used in multi-sensory stimulations to provide the sensation of first-person experience in virtual expressive environments. In this work we focus on the expression of violin and flute performances, with reference to sensorial and affective domains. By means of selected audio features, we draw a set of parameters describing performers’ strategies which are suitable both for tuning expressive synthesis instruments and enhancing audio in human–computer interfaces.     

Head gestures for perceptual interfaces: The role of context in improving recognition

Head pose and gesture offer several conversational grounding cues and are used extensively in face-to-face interaction among people. To accurately recognize visual feedback, humans often use contextual knowledge from previous and current events to anticipate when feedback is most likely to occur. In this paper we describe how contextual information can be used to predict visual feedback and improve recognition of head gestures in human–computer interfaces. Lexical, prosodic, timing, and gesture features can be used to predict a user's visual feedback during conversational dialog with a robotic or virtual agent. In non-conversational interfaces, context features based on user–interface system events can improve detection of head gestures for dialog box confirmation or document browsing. Our user study with prototype gesture-based components indicate quantitative and qualitative benefits of gesture-based confirmation over conventional alternatives. Using a discriminative approach to contextual prediction and multi-modal integration, performance of head gesture detection was improved with context features even when the topic of the test set was significantly different than the training set.     

Quality-based supplier selection and evaluation using fuzzy data

Since fuzzy quality data are ubiquitous in the real world, under this fuzzy environment, the supplier selection and evaluation on the basis of the quality criterion is proposed in this paper. The C_pk index has been the most popular one used to evaluate the quality of supplier’s products. Using fuzzy data collected from q2 possible suppliers’ products, fuzzy estimates of q suppliers’ capability indices are obtained according to the form of resolution identity that is a well-known theorem in fuzzy sets theory. Certain optimization problems are formulated and solved to obtain α-level sets for the purpose of constructing the membership functions of fuzzy estimates of C_pki. These membership functions are sorted by using a fuzzy ranking method to choose the preferable suppliers. Finally, a numerical example is illustrated to present the possible application by incorporating fuzzy data into the quality-based supplier selection and evaluation.     

Better design of menu selection systems through cognitive psychology and human factors

OBJECTIVE: In this study, I seek to emphasize the contributions of cognitive psychology and human factors research in the design of menu selection systems. BACKGROUND: Menu selection systems are used in computer interfaces to allow users to enter choices, set parameters, and navigate to items, functions, and locations. Designers of these systems have many choices concerning the organizational structure and layout of the menu interface. METHOD: I review several of these concerning hierarchies of menus, organization and clustering of items, and item distinctiveness. Special attention is given to cases in which designer's intuition differed from theory and experimental results. RESULT: Cognitive psychology and human factors have contributed both theory and empirical research that have helped to resolve differences of opinion and establish general principles for design. CONCLUSION: It is argued that cognitive psychology has contributed substantially to the design of better menu selection systems. APPLICATION: It is imperative that designers continue to apply these findings to interfaces that they develop and that researchers continue to study the characteristics and efficacy of innovative menu designs as they appear.     

菜单中间件在嵌入式系统中的设计与实现

概要介绍了中间件的应用现状以及中间件、菜单中间件的概念.在系统设计的描述中,按照菜单的组成分别介绍了菜单条类、菜单按钮类以及菜单项美的接口设计思路并给出面向用户的接口函数.重点介绍了设计实现中的关键技术:链表的创建及消息响应的传递.以设计中的源码作示例,详细描述了双向循环链表在菜单创建过程中的建立过程,以及菜单消息响应的创建及消息间的传递过程.     

Interaction on-the-go: a fine-grained exploration on wearable PROCAM interfaces and gestures in mobile situations

Wearable projector and camera (PROCAM) interfaces, which provide a natural, intuitive and spatial experience, have been studied for many years. However, existing hand input research into such systems revolved around investigations into stable settings such as sitting or standing, not fully satisfying interaction requirements in sophisticated real life, especially when people are moving. Besides, increasingly more mobile phone users use their phones while walking. As a mobile computing device, the wearable PROCAM system should allow for the fact that mobility could influence usability and user experience. This paper proposes a wearable PROCAM system, with which the user can interact by inputting with finger gestures like the hover gesture and the pinch gesture on projected surfaces. A lab-based evaluation was organized, which mainly compared two gestures (the pinch gesture and the hover gesture) in three situations (sitting, standing and walking) to find out: (1) How and to what degree does mobility influence different gesture inputs? Are there any significant differences between gesture inputs in different settings? (2) What reasons cause these differences? (3) What do people think about the configuration in such systems and to what extent does the manual focus impact such interactions? From qualitative and quantitative points of view, the main findings imply that mobility impacts gesture interactions in varying degrees. The pinch gesture undergoes less influence than the hover gesture in mobile settings. Both gestures were impacted more in walking state than in sitting and standing states by all four negative factors (lack of coordination, jittering hand effect, tired forearms and extra attention paid). Manual focus influenced mobile projection interaction. Based on the findings, implications are discussed for the design of a mobile projection interface with gestures.     

Compression and recognition of dance gestures using a deformable model

In this paper, we aim for the recognition of a set of dance gestures from contemporary ballet. Our input data are motion trajectories followed by the joints of a dancing body provided by a motion-capture system. It is obvious that direct use of the original signals is unreliable and expensive. Therefore, we propose a suitable tool for non-uniform sub-sampling of spatiotemporal signals. The key to our approach is the use of a deformable model to provide a compact and efficient representation of motion trajectories. Our dance gesture recognition method involves a set of hidden Markov models (HMMs), each of them being related to a motion trajectory followed by the joints. The recognition of such movements is then achieved by matching the resulting gesture models with the input data via HMMs. We have validated our recognition system on 12 fundamental movements from contemporary ballet performed by four dancers. This revised version was published online in November 2004 with corrections to the section numbers. Ballet Atlantique Régine Chopinot.     

Design of thermoelastic multi-material structures with graded interfaces using topology optimization

A level-set based shape and topology optimization framework is used to investigate the influence of graded interfaces in the optimization of micro-architectured multi-materials. In contrast to other studies found in the literature, interfaces are considered as smooth and graded transitions between constitutive phases instead of sharp delimitations. Case studies for extreme thermoelastic properties of 2D isotropic composites are analyzed and optimal designs are presented. It is shown that explicitly accounting for interfaces can influence the design of heterogeneous materials in composite microstructures.     

Iterative process of design and evaluation of icons for interactive TV menu

This paper shows an iterative process of design and evaluation of icons for future interactive TV services. In doing the RNRT (French National Network of Research in Telecommunications) iTV project, we tried to generate icons easy to identify, associate and memorise for 32 categories and services of our iTV system.

Through an iterative process, the Multiple Index Approach was applied until an acceptable icon set was achieved. In addition to existing evaluation criteria such as the intuitiveness, associativeness, preference and suitability with subjective certainty of users, we emphasised the importance of the learnability measured by recall tests.

As a conclusion, we propose a methodology of icon design and evaluation for information appliances that integrate unfamiliar features with common users.     

Design of service interfaces for e-business applications using data normalization techniques

Web Services are being increasingly used for implementing large-scale e-business applications, but at present there is a lack of comprehensive methodologies based on sound engineering principles that can guide designers of service-oriented applications. This lack of methodological support is likely to lead to poorly designed and difficult to maintain e-business applications. In this paper we describe a design method for service-oriented applications that applies data engineering principles and the theoretical framework of data normalization to service design to produce a set of orthogonal services with normalized interfaces. We consider the impact of increasing service granularity on cohesion and coupling of service operations, and discuss associated design trade-offs. We use a travel example based on the Open Travel Alliance specification to illustrate how a document-oriented standard can be transformed into a set of well-designed service interfaces.     

Iterative process of design and evaluation of icons for interactive TV menu

This paper shows an iterative process of design and evaluation of icons for future interactive TV services. In doing the RNRT (French National Network of Research in Telecommunications) iTV project, we tried to generate icons easy to identify, associate and memorise for 32 categories and services of our iTV system.

Through an iterative process, the Multiple Index Approach was applied until an acceptable icon set was achieved. In addition to existing evaluation criteria such as the intuitiveness, associativeness, preference and suitability with subjective certainty of users, we emphasised the importance of the learnability measured by recall tests.

As a conclusion, we propose a methodology of icon design and evaluation for information appliances that integrate unfamiliar features with common users.