Age and domain specific usability analysis of opinion visualisation techniques

This study analysed the impact of age and domain knowledge on the usability of some of the state-of-the-art opinion visualisation techniques. A questionnaire survey was designed to ask the users’ level of agreement or disagreement about the selected opinion visualisation techniques against a set of information visualisation metrics. The data were collected by conducting seminars and using a web-based online questionnaire. We categorised participants (N?=?146) into three age groups (≤20 years: teenager; 21–30 years: young adults; >30: adults). According to domain knowledge, participants are classified into two groups, one having knowledge of human computer interaction (HCI users) and the other without this knowledge (non-HCI users). The collected data were analysed using an independent sample t-test and analysis of variance. It is concluded that there are significant differences between the perception of HCI and non-HCI users on visual appeal, understandability, user friendliness, intuitiveness, informativeness, usefulness, comprehensiveness, comparison ability, and pre-knowledge requirement. Moreover, age was found to be significant for visual appeal, comprehensiveness, intuitiveness, and pre-knowledge requirement.     

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.     

A study on the acceptance of website interaction aids by older adults

The goal of the present work is to investigate the potential acceptance of a set of web interaction aids by older adults, in order to help them overcome difficulties associated with ageing and help them continue using the web as a source of information, communication and services. This paper presents a survey with older adults concerning their perceptions about a set of web interaction aids defined after a field observation study, a study with questionnaires and user tests of web applications. The survey involved 313 participants, of which about 44 % were older adults and elderly users. The results showed that the use of aids to support the interaction of older adults with the web promotes improvements in the interaction of older adults and younger users alike, which supports the argument for enhanced universal usability. Finally, it was possible to diagnose barriers that still remain and which aids had best acceptance by older adults.     

The effects of multimodal feedback on older adults' task performance given varying levels of computer experience

This experiment examines the effect that computer experience and various combinations of feedback (auditory, haptic, and/or visual) have on the performance of older adults completing a drag-and-drop task on a computer. Participants were divided into three computer experience groups, based on their frequency of use and breadth of computer knowledge. Each participant completed a series of drag-and-drop tasks under each of seven feedback conditions (three unimodal, three bimodal, one trimodal). Performance was assessed using measures of efficiency and accuracy. Experienced users responded well to all multimodal feedback while users without experience responded well to auditory-haptic bimodal, but poorly to haptic-visual bimodal feedback. Based on performance benefits for older adults seen in this experiment, future research should extend investigations to effectively integrate multimodal feedback into GUI interfaces in order to improve usability for this growing and diverse user group.     

Wayfinding of Users With Visual Impairments in Haptically Enhanced Virtual Environments

As a powerful interaction technology, haptically enhanced virtual environments (VEs) have found many useful applications. However, few studies have examined how wayfinding of users with visual impairments is affected by VE characteristics. An empirical experiment was conducted to investigate how different environmental characteristics (number of objects inside the environment, layout of the objects and density) affect task performance (completion time, completion ratio, and travel distance), perceived task difficulty, and behavior pattern (short and long pause) of users with visual impairments when they perform a wayfinding task in a desktop-based haptically enhanced VE. The present study found that the number of objects inside the environment and layout of the objects play a significant role in determining the completion time and distance traveled. Layout type also greatly affected the user’s behavioral pattern in terms of frequency of pauses. Finally, perceived task difficulty varied with different environmental characteristics. The study results should provide insight into the future research and development of haptically enhanced VEs for people with visual impairments.     

Controlling a Smartphone Using Gaze Gestures as the Input Mechanism

The emergence of small handheld devices such as tablets and smartphones, often with touch sensitive surfaces as their only input modality, has spurred a growing interest in the subject of gestures for human–computer interaction (HCI). It has been proven before that eye movements can be consciously controlled by humans to the extent of performing sequences of predefined movement patterns, or “gaze gestures” that can be used for HCI purposes in desktop computers. Gaze gestures can be tracked noninvasively using a video-based eye-tracking system. We propose here that gaze gestures can also be an effective input paradigm to interact with handheld electronic devices. We show through a pilot user study how gaze gestures can be used to interact with a smartphone, how they are easily assimilated by potential users, and how the Needleman-Wunsch algorithm can effectively discriminate intentional gaze gestures from otherwise typical gaze activity performed during standard interaction with a small smartphone screen. Hence, reliable gaze–smartphone interaction is possible with accuracy rates, depending on the modality of gaze gestures being used (with or without dwell), higher than 80 to 90%, negligible false positive rates, and completion speeds lower than 1 to 1.5 s per gesture. These encouraging results and the low-cost eye-tracking equipment used suggest the possibilities of this new HCI modality for the field of interaction with small-screen handheld devices.     

Effects of age,cognitive, and personal factors on PDA menu navigation performance

The present study examined the PDA menu navigation performance of younger and older adults. The research focus was directed to the understanding of the combination and interaction of user characteristics with PDA menu navigation performance. In order to detail individual factors that influence user's performance, users' age, spatial ability, verbal memory, the confidence to use technical devices and computer-expertise were studied and related to performance outcomes. Younger and older adults, experienced with the usage of different technical devices, but PDA novices, had to complete four common tasks in the digital diary of an emulated PDA and users' effectiveness and efficiency were surveyed. Even though the users of both age groups had a comparably high computer experience, participants had considerable difficulties to solve the PDA tasks successfully. Especially older adults were strongly disadvantaged when navigating through the PDA menu. Among the user characteristics which were revealed to be essential for performance, spatial abilities were the best predictor to explain PDA performance. In addition, an adequate mental representation of the PDA data structure was decisive for navigation performance, especially in the older adult group.     

Understanding Usability and User Experience of Web-Based 3D Graphics Technology

As Web-based interactive 3D graphics (Web 3D), popularly referred to as Virtual Reality, continue to become more affordable, research and development groups in various fields have been adopting Web 3D technology. In addition to simulation of 3D content, the ability to instantly display alternative looks has been recognized as an innovative way to improve communication in such fields as product design, architecture, and e-commerce. Despite substantial adoption of Web 3D, how and how much the technology benefits target users as well as the providers who choose to adapt the Web 3D technology are not well understood. Previous research has established that interactive 3D graphics provide users with unique human–computer interaction (HCI). However, little is known about how users experience the Web 3D graphics technology and how user–system interaction contributes to system usability. The purpose of this study is to build new knowledge of the user experience with interactive-3D graphics systems used for product demonstration. By testing the impact of the technology on the user–system interaction and usability and comparing this impact with that of conventional two-dimensional (2D) graphics, this study tries to better understand the Web 3D technology from an interdisciplinary view of technology acceptance, sense of presence, and HCI. The study investigated how system usability is affected by HCI in the context of a furniture-style preference survey. The results of the study display the clear advantage for Web 3D for usability and show that perceived usefulness and sense of presence both mediate the effect of the technology treatment on the usability outcomes. The contribution of this study is that it includes empirical data to show how Web 3D benefits users when adopted in the context of a product demonstration and how the advantage is obtained through the user's interaction with the Web 3D technology.     

Making touch-based kiosks accessible to blind users through simple gestures

Touch-based interaction is becoming increasingly popular and is commonly used as the main interaction paradigm for self-service kiosks in public spaces. Touch-based interaction is known to be visually intensive, and current non-haptic touch-display technologies are often criticized as excluding blind users. This study set out to demonstrate that touch-based kiosks can be designed to include blind users without compromising the user experience for non-blind users. Most touch-based kiosks are based on absolute positioned virtual buttons which are difficult to locate without any tactile, audible or visual cues. However, simple stroke gestures rely on relative movements and the user does not need to hit a target at a specific location on the display. In this study, a touch-based train ticket sales kiosk based on simple stroke gestures was developed and tested on a panel of blind and visually impaired users, a panel of blindfolded non-visually impaired users and a control group of non-visually impaired users. The tests demonstrate that all the participants managed to discover, learn and use the touch-based self-service terminal and complete a ticket purchasing task. The majority of the participants completed the task in less than 4?min on the first attempt.     

Security and human computer interfaces

Computer users are exposed to technology mainly through user interfaces. Most users' perceptions are based on their experience with these interfaces. HCI (human computer interaction) is concerned with these interfaces and how they can be improved. Considerable research has been conducted and major advances have been made in the area of HCI. Information security is becoming increasingly important and more complex as business is conducted electronically. However, state-of-the-art security-related product development has ignored general aspects of HCI. The objective of this paper is to promote and enable security awareness of end-users in their interaction with computer systems. It thus aims to consolidate and integrate the two fields of information security and HCI. HCI as a research discipline is a well developed field of study, and the authors are of the opinion that the use of security technologies can be significantly enhanced by employing proven HCI concepts in the design of these technologies. In order to achieve this, various criteria for a successful HCI in a security-specific environment will be examined. Part of the Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall will be used as a case study and analysed according to these criteria, and recommendations will be made.     

Learning to use new technologies by older adults: Perceived difficulties,experimentation behaviour and usability

This paper examines the factors and theoretical frameworks for the adoption of technology for older adults, and proposes two models of technology acceptance and rejection, one from an ease of learning perspective, and one from a system and user perspective. Both models are supported from reports on two case studies of older adults using handheld touchscreen tablet devices; one in which the participants are supported during tasks primarily related to walking and navigation, and one in which participants are unsupported in communication related tasks. The first study shows the powerful role that facilitating conditions have for learning how to use digital technologies for this user group, whether supporting through step by step guidance, providing a friendly space to use trial and error methods, and/or provision of a manual. The second study shows the pitfalls of a lack of facilitating conditions during initial use, and highlights potential for appropriate design in helping to avoid some user errors during this phase.     

Haptic User Interfaces for the Visually Impaired: Implications for Haptically Enhanced Science Learning Systems

The overall quality of haptic user interfaces designed to support visually impaired students' science learning through sensorial feedback was systematically studied to investigate task performance and user behavior. Fourteen 6th- to 11th-grade students with visual impairments recruited from a state-funded blind school were asked to perform three main tasks (i.e., menu selection, structure exploration, and force recognition) using haptic user interfaces and a haptic device. This study used several dependent measures that are categorized into three types of variables: (a) task performance including success rate, workload, and task completion time; (b) user behavior defined as cursor movements proportionately represented from the user's cursor positional data; and (c) user preference. Results showed that interface type has significant effects on task performance, user behavior, and user preference, with varying degree of impact to participants with severe visual impairments performing the tasks. The results of this study as well as a set of refined design guidelines and principles should provide insights to the future research of haptic user interfaces that can be used when developing haptically enhanced science learning systems for the visually impaired.     

Survey of handheld computing among medical students

The purpose of this study was to identify trends in the utilization and acceptance of handheld computers (personal digital assistants) among medical students during preclinical and clinical training. We surveyed 366 medical students and collected information on computer expertise, current handheld computer use, predicted future use, and user acceptance. Handheld computers were primarily used for personal applications by students during their preclinical training and as drug references and clinical calculators during their clinical training. In the future, all participants predicted they would use handheld computers at significantly higher rates and on a broader range of medical applications. The adoption of handheld computing was independent of user satisfaction. Those with more clinical experience were less satisfied with handheld computers, suggesting that the expectations of the more experienced users were not met. The lack of institutional support was seen as a key limitation.     

Towards accurate cursorless pointing: the effects of ocular dominance and handedness

Pointing gestures are our natural way of referencing distant objects and thus widely used in HCI for controlling devices. Due to current pointing models’ inherent inaccuracies, most of the systems using pointing gestures so far rely on visual feedback showing users where they point at. However, in many environments, e.g., smart homes, it is rarely possible to display cursors since most devices do not contain a display. Therefore, we raise the question of how to facilitate accurate pointing-based interaction in a cursorless context. In this paper we present two user studies showing that previous cursorless techniques are rather inaccurate as they lack important considerations about users’ characteristics that would help in minimizing inaccuracy. We show that pointing accuracy could be significantly improved by acknowledging users’ handedness and ocular dominance. In a first user study (n=?33), we reveal the large effect of ocular dominance and handedness on human pointing behavior. Current ray-casting techniques neglect both ocular dominance and handedness as effects onto pointing behavior, precluding them from accurate cursorless selection. With a second user study (n=?25), we show that accounting for ocular dominance and handedness yields to significantly more accurate selections compared to two previously published ray-casting techniques. This speaks for the importance of considering users’ characteristics further to develop better selection techniques to foster more robust accurate selections.     

Impact of spatial auditory feedback on the efficiency of iconic human–computer interfaces under conditions of visual impairment

This paper investigates the addition of spatial auditory feedback as a tool to assist people with visual impairments in the use of computers, specifically in tasks involving iconic visual search. In this augmented interface, unique sounds were mapped to visual icons on the screen. As the screen cursor traversed the screen, the user heard sounds of nearby icons, spatially, according to the relative position of each icon with respect to the screen cursor. A software prototype of the design was developed to evaluate the performance of users in the search of icons within the proposed interface. Experiments were conducted with simulated visual impairments on volunteer participants to evaluate if the addition of spatial auditory feedback makes the interface more accessible to users with impaired vision. Results demonstrated that spatialization of icon sounds provides additional remote navigational information to users, enabling new strategies for task completion. Directions for future research are discussed and prioritized.     

A heuristic checklist for an accessible smartphone interface design

Smartphone technology has evolved into a multi-functional device with advanced capabilities, but this mobile technology remains inaccessible to many individuals with visual impairments or upper extremity disabilities. This paper provides a heuristic checklist for accessible smartphone interface design, developed through reviewing existing design standards and guidelines and validating these guidelines with user involvement. Specifically, a set of preliminary user requirements (59 items) was extracted from existing standards, guidelines, and user requirements regarding mobile handheld device accessibility. Subsequently, the requirement set was filtered using a participatory method and then integrated to create an operational version of design guidelines. These guidelines were then used in a heuristic evaluation and usability testing on high-fidelity prototypes produced by a commercial manufacturer. A heuristic checklist for designing accessible smartphones was formed, which may also be applicable to other touchscreen handheld devices (e.g., printer screen) in terms of accessibility features. The initial set of 59 user requirements was re-organized into 44 statements in six general categories: mechanical controls, display, speech and general operation controls, audio feedback controls, touch-operated controls, and others. Using results from both qualitative and quantitative methods provides support, though with some limitations, for this accessibility checklist. This checklist is intended as a practical design support tool for use in early design phases of handheld products. A number of challenges and limitations are discussed as well.     

Macular degeneration and visual icon use: deriving guidelines for improved access

The objective of this study was to derive empirical knowledge of the visual search strategies of computer users who suffer from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This was accomplished by recording eye movement during the use of feature-enhanced software. The results from this study show that there are differences between users who have AMD and users who are fully sighted (FS). Detailed analyses confirmed the hypotheses that there would be performance differences between the AMD and FS participants, and that specific features of the interface, namely icon size, background color, and the number of icons on a display, would significantly affect the search strategies of users. Published online: 29 January 2002     

Using task analysis to improve usability of fatigue modelling software

The design of any interactive computer system requires consideration of both humans and machines. Software usability is one aspect of human–computer interaction that can benefit from knowledge of the user and their tasks. One set of methods for determining whether an application enables users to achieve their predetermined goals effectively and efficiently is task analysis. In the present study, a task analysis was applied to the graphical user interface of fatigue modelling software used in industry. The task analysis procedure allowed areas of usability improvement to be identified and then addressed with alternate interface prototypes. The present method of task analysis illustrates a practical and efficient way for software designers to improve software usability, user effectiveness and satisfaction, by involving users in the design process.     

笔式用户界面交互信息模型研究

笔式用户界面是Post-WIMP界面的重要形态,在许多领域得到广泛应用.笔式界面设计需要设计者和用户的共同参与.捕获用户使用意图是设计笔式用户界面的前提,连接交互信息的表示与控制则是成功构造界面的关键.依据笔式交互信息连续性及模糊性特征,从设计参与者与交互信息管理两个维度建立了笔式用户界面交互信息模型OICM(orthogonal interaction information architecture coordinate model).从问题知识域、交互任务、规则集合以及上下文关联4个不同的象限对模型进行了详细的描述,并给出了基于XML的实现方法.在对模型进行分析后,介绍了基于OICM模型的开发平台和应用系统实例.     

GeeAir: a universal multimodal remote control device for home appliances

In this paper, we present a handheld device called GeeAir for remotely controlling home appliances via a mixed modality of speech, gesture, joystick, button, and light. This solution is superior to the existing universal remote controllers in that it can be used by the users with physical and vision impairments in a natural manner. By combining diverse interaction techniques in a single device, the GeeAir enables different user groups to control home appliances effectively, satisfying even the unmet needs of physically and vision-impaired users while maintaining high usability and reliability. The experiments demonstrate that the GeeAir prototype achieves prominent performance through standardizing a small set of verbal and gesture commands and introducing the feedback mechanisms.