Designing interfaces for programmers

Describes tools, techniques and concepts to optimize user interfaces. Increasingly, individual tools are being replaced by programming environments, which increase productivity and usability by tight integration with and knowledge of the user's working context. An integrated environment provides several benefits, such as preventing users from making mistakes that cause rework. Recently, as integrated environments have demonstrated higher levels of usability and the ability to enhance productivity, experienced developers have overcome their resistance to them     

Designing interfaces for the organization

Multiuser systems force interface designers to consider a web of interacting users. Our challenge is to design interfaces that help users understand not only how the application program works, but also how work within the organization itself is done. Future organizational applications thus demand that interface design goes well beyond graphical representations and interactive dialogues. We must design interfaces that make relevant organizational resources comprehensible and accessible to users     

Designing reality-based interfaces for experiential bio-design

Reality-based interfaces (RBIs) such as tabletop and tangible user interfaces draw upon ideas from embodied cognition to offer a more natural, intuitive, and accessible form of interaction that reduces the mental effort required to learn and operate computational systems. However, to date, little research has been devoted to investigating the strengths and limitations of applying reality-based interaction for promoting learning of complex scientific concepts at the college level. We propose that RBIs offer unique opportunities for enhancing college-level science education. This paper presents three main contributions: (1) design considerations and participatory design process for enhancing college-level science education through reality-based interaction, (2) reflections on the design, implementation, and validation of two case studies—RBIs for learning synthetic biology, and (3) discussion of opportunities and challenges for advancing learning of college-level sciences through next-generation interfaces.     

Designing social videogames for educational uses

In this paper we analyze the main areas of research into educational videogames and in the evolution of the technologies and design methodologies that are making these interactive systems increasingly natural, immersive and social. We present the design and development of a prototype for a collaborative educational videogame based on a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) engine for use in various educational contexts in (a) university education and (b) secondary education.     

Designing maintainable, reusable interfaces

A conceptual framework, the Interaction Management Network (IMN), that captures the essential structure of any interface from task-oriented specification to object-oriented implementation is presented. IMN is essentially a task-oriented specification scheme based on a semantic network. For each element, as well as for the complete network, there is a direct representation suitable for object-oriented implementation. By capturing task relationships in the interface specification and explicitly representing constraints, designers can create interfaces that meet the often elusive user requirements. The application of IMN to creating an interface system for laying out floors is described     

Evaluation of semi-automatically generated accessible interfaces for educational games

The increasing body of evidence supporting the use of videogames in educational settings (usually referred to as serious games) is pushing their deployment across different areas of the educational system. However, this increased adoption also raises serious ethical issues: videogames are one of the least accessible forms of multimedia, and if education is to embrace serious games, there is an imperative need for universal accessibility in serious games to prevent a digital divide. However, producing accessible games is expensive and effort consuming, and serious games development already fare with limited budgets. In this work we explore the potential impact of the (semi-) automatic adaptation of game interfaces as a way to facilitate accessible game development (and thus trim the cost down). We propose a game interface model optimized for point-and-click adventure games, a popular genre among serious games that we have used to perform different semi-automatic adaptations in a game. We have tested the resulting adapted game with end users with specific disability profiles. Our tests discovered that the automatic adaptations produced usable games that retained part of their attractive, although different usability issues had a negative impact on the user experience. We also discuss the origins of such limitations and propose possible remediation actions, as well as a refined interface model.     

Designing good institutional contexts for innovation in a technology-mediated learning environment

Abstract How to innovate information technology (IT) effectively in a technology-mediated learning (TML) environment remains a problem. To better understand how knowledge sharing (KS) and ‘coordination and support of TML environment’ (i.e. CTML) influence the propensity for TML innovation, this study develops a research framework to delineate the relationships among KS, CTML, and three antecedents of TML innovation – cognizance of technology, ability to explore TML, and intention to explore. In order to test the impact of KS and CTML on the propensity for TML innovation, we collected data from elementary schools of Taiwan through a survey instrument. Our results indicate that KS has a positive effect on all the three antecedents of TML innovation, while CTML exerts a positive impact only on instructors' ability to explore. The implications of the study are discussed, and future research directions are proposed.     

Designing user interfaces for applications based on the hint architecture

As part of the ESPRIT Projects HINT, a method for designing user interfaces, tailored for applications based on the HINT architecture, has been developed. The method consists of a set of steps, each with well defined objectives and results, and associated guidelines.     

Designing consumer interfaces for experiential tasks: an empirical investigation

In the early adoption phase of business-to-consumer (B2C) ecommerce, the tasks that proved most conducive to online consumer interaction typically were goal-directed, being clear in sequence and structure. A key challenge in ecommerce is the ability to design interfaces that support experiential tasks in addition to goal-directed tasks. Most of the ecommerce research on interface design, however, has focused on goal-directed tasks and has not addressed experiential tasks. Based on the literature from interface metaphors and mental models, this paper explores the use of tangible attributes derived from the physical business domain as a technique for designing an interface that effectively supports experiential tasks. A laboratory experiment was designed and conducted to test the impact of two types of interfaces and business domain familiarity when completing an experiential task. Because consumers need to retain and recall information to evaluate products/services or to make brand associations, retention/recall of information was measured on both the day of the treatment and after a 2-day lag. Results revealed that the interface based upon the business domain metaphor stimulated higher levels of retention and recall of information and thus provided the desired support for experiential tasks. Further, users with weaker domain familiarity showed the greatest improvement in retention and recall, particularly after a 2-day lag, when using the interface with the business domain metaphor design.     

Designing educational experiences using ubiquitous technology

The aim of the study was to explore the design of situated educational and compelling experiences using SoundScape technology – which is a ubiquitous technology. Two experiences were designed: one that had a goal and the other that did not. Twenty six children then explored both experiences. The children found that the SoundScape with a goal was more interesting and were more likely to want to have another go than the non-goal version. They also made more positive comments concerning the goal version. Mentioning the presence of a goal as important factor in determining why they liked the game. More negative comments were made concerning the non-goal version and the children mentioned the lack of a goal as negative aspect of the non-goal version. One improvement they suggested for the non-goal version was to add a goal and to include more sensory stimulation. They overwhelmingly preferred the goal version compared to the non-goal version and when asked by far the most popular reason was the presence of a goal.     

Designing for augmented attention: Towards a framework for attentive user interfaces

Attentive user interfaces are user interfaces that aim to support the user’s attentional capacities. By sensing the users’ attention for objects and people in their everyday environment, and by treating user attention as a limited resource, these interfaces avoid today’s ubiquitous patterns of interruption. Focusing upon attention as a central interaction channel allows development of more sociable methods of communication and repair with ubiquitous devices. Our methods are analogous to human turn taking in group communication. Turn taking improves the user’s ability to conduct foreground processing of conversations. Attentive user interfaces bridge the gap between the foreground and periphery of user activity in a similar fashion, allowing users to move smoothly in between.We present a framework for augmenting user attention through attentive user interfaces. We propose five key properties of attentive systems: (i) to sense attention; (ii) to reason about attention; (iii) to regulate interactions; (iv) to communicate attention and (v) to augment attention.     

Designing effective human-automation-plant interfaces: a control-theoretic perspective

In this article, we propose the application of a control-theoretic framework to human-automation interaction. The framework consists of a set of conceptual distinctions that should be respected in automation research and design. We demonstrate how existing automation interface designs in some nuclear plants fail to recognize these distinctions. We further show the value of the approach by applying it to modes of automation. The design guidelines that have been proposed in the automation literature are evaluated from the perspective of the framework. This comparison shows that the framework reveals insights that are frequently overlooked in this literature. A new set of design guidelines is introduced that builds upon the contributions of previous research and draws complementary insights from the control-theoretic framework. The result is a coherent and systematic approach to the design of human-automation-plant interfaces that will yield more concrete design criteria and a broader set of design tools. Applications of this research include improving the effectiveness of human-automation interaction design and the relevance of human-automation interaction research.     

Designing educational software as a re-usable resource

Abstract The production of educational software is moving from a focus on courseware produced by the individual lecturer to the development of educational resources that can be shared and accessed from a wide variety of teaching sites. This change has a number of implications. Firstly, different resources must be capable of being seamlessly integrated into a specific teaching package. Secondly, collaboration between institutions will be increasingly important to ensure that resources so produced are sufficiently generic to be of interest to those outside the development team. Thirdly, management procedures to direct and control this collaborative effort are required. This paper details how the distributed hypermedia environment provided by the World Wide Web may be effectively exploited to realise these three goals.     

Designing for flexible interaction between humans and automation: delegation interfaces for supervisory control

OBJECTIVE: To develop a method enabling human-like, flexible supervisory control via delegation to automation. BACKGROUND: Real-time supervisory relationships with automation are rarely as flexible as human task delegation to other humans. Flexibility in human-adaptable automation can provide important benefits, including improved situation awareness, more accurate automation usage, more balanced mental workload, increased user acceptance, and improved overall performance. METHOD: We review problems with static and adaptive (as opposed to "adaptable") automation; contrast these approaches with human-human task delegation, which can mitigate many of the problems; and revise the concept of a "level of automation" as a pattern of task-based roles and authorizations. We argue that delegation requires a shared hierarchical task model between supervisor and subordinates, used to delegate tasks at various levels, and offer instruction on performing them. A prototype implementation called Playbook is described. RESULTS: On the basis of these analyses, we propose methods for supporting human-machine delegation interactions that parallel human-human delegation in important respects. We develop an architecture for machine-based delegation systems based on the metaphor of a sports team's "playbook." Finally, we describe a prototype implementation of this architecture, with an accompanying user interface and usage scenario, for mission planning for uninhabited air vehicles. CONCLUSION: Delegation offers a viable method for flexible, multilevel human-automation interaction to enhance system performance while maintaining user workload at a manageable level. APPLICATION: Most applications of adaptive automation (aviation, air traffic control, robotics, process control, etc.) are potential avenues for the adaptable, delegation approach we advocate. We present an extended example for uninhabited air vehicle mission planning.     

Citizen-centric data services for smarter cities

Smart Cities use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to manage more efficiently the resources and services offered by a city and to make them more approachable to all its stakeholders (citizens, companies and public administration). In contrast to the view of big corporations promoting holistic “smart city in a box” solutions, this work proposes that smarter cities can be achieved by combining already available infrastructure, i.e., Open Government Data and sensor networks deployed in cities, with the citizens’ active contributions towards city knowledge by means of their smartphones and the apps executed in them. In addition, this work introduces the main characteristics of the IES Cities platform, whose goal is to ease the generation of citizen-centric apps that exploit urban data in different domains. The proposed vision is achieved by providing a common access mechanism to the heterogeneous data sources offered by the city, which reduces the complexity of accessing the city’s data whilst bringing citizens closely to a prosumer (double consumer and producer) role and allowing to integrate legacy data into the cities’ data ecosystem.     

Designing for uncertain,asymmetric control: Interaction design for brain–computer interfaces

Designing user interfaces which can cope with unconventional control properties is challenging, and conventional interface design techniques are of little help. This paper examines how interactions can be designed to explicitly take into account the uncertainty and dynamics of control inputs. In particular, the asymmetry of feedback and control channels is highlighted as a key design constraint, which is especially obvious in current non-invasive brain–computer interfaces (BCIs). Brain–computer interfaces are systems capable of decoding neural activity in real time, thereby allowing a computer application to be directly controlled by thought. BCIs, however, have totally different signal properties than most conventional interaction devices. Bandwidth is very limited and there are comparatively long and unpredictable delays. Such interfaces cannot simply be treated as unwieldy mice. In this respect they are an example of a growing field of sensor-based interfaces which have unorthodox control properties. As a concrete example, we present the text entry application “Hex-O-Spell”, controlled via motor-imagery based electroencephalography (EEG). The system utilizes the high visual display bandwidth to help compensate for the limited control signals, where the timing of the state changes encodes most of the information. We present results showing the comparatively high performance of this interface, with entry rates exceeding seven characters per minute.     

Designing user interfaces for problem solving,with application to hypertext and creative writing

Interactive computer systems can support their users in problem solving, both in Performing their work tasks and in using the systems themselves. Not only is direct support for heuristics beneficial, but to do so modifies the form of computer support provided. This Paper defines and explores the use of problem solving heuristics in user interface design.A demonstration hypertext system, Hyperwriter, was developed as the outcome of considering general problem solving heuristics as goals of interactive systems design. Whereas hypertext joins and relates ideas, Hyperwriter additionally, and as a direct outcome of the design approach, has ways of separating, ordering and polishing ideas. As an application for creative writing, Hypertext supports effective thinking over a period of time. (This paper was drafted, organised and re-organised using the system itself.) Some issues arising in implementing Hyperwriter are also discussed.