A theoretical framework and empirical examination of the effects of foreign and translated interface language

Given the increased globalization and popularization of computer applications, translating a system's human interface into the local language has become a major consideration for software vendors and distributors. In this paper, we suggest a theoretical framework for the study of user interface translation. The framework includes recognizing vendors' and users' costs of, and benefits from, software translation. An experiment was conducted, based on this framework, to test user performance and preferences regarding interface translations. The experiment manipulated the translation of two interface components: documentation language and manipulation language. The results indicate that users are sensitive to different combinations of interface translation in a way that is commensurate with the instruction-following process (Terwilliger and Polson 1997). Users performed best when a fully translated interface was used and worst when only the manipulation language was translated. Users' preferences were in line with their performance, indicating that a cost benefit approach can serve as a promising starting point to the study of interface translation.     

A proposed index of usability: A method for comparing the relative usability of different software systems

Abstract

Usability is becoming a more and more important software criterion, but the present usability measurement methods are either difficult to apply, or overly dependent upon evaluators' expertise. Based on human information processing theory, this study identified eight human factors considerations which are relevant to software usability. These considerations as well as the three stages of human information processing theory formed the framework from which our Purdue Usability Testing Questionnaire (PUTQ) is derived. An experiment was conducted to test the validity of PUTQ. The experiment result showed high correlation between PUTQ and the Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS version 5.5). In addition, PUTQ detected the differences in user performance between two experimental interface systems, but QUIS failed to do so.     

The effects of 3D interface metaphor on older adults’ mobile navigation performance and subjective evaluation

Navigating vast information spaces through mobile interfaces has become a common activity in older adults' everyday lives. Studies suggested that interface metaphors could be used to facilitate users' metal model development and information processing when using mobile technologies. However, we know little about how metaphors affect older adults' mobile navigation behavior, and which user characteristics matter during this perceptual and cognitive process. To investigate this, a card interface with a 3D metaphor and a list interface without 3D metaphors were compared among twenty-two participants when performing four navigation tasks. User characteristics including demographic factors, technology experience, and user capabilities were examined. The participants' navigation performance and subjective evaluations were measured as the dependent variables. From the results, we recommend the list interface without 3D metaphors as a beneficial choice for older adults. It performed better in navigation performance, although the differences are not statistically significant. Moreover, navigation performance using the card interface with a 3D metaphor was significantly associated with participants' perceptual speed, thus this interface may be more sensitive to capability declines. Valuable insights into the older adults’ mobile navigation performance and preferences are discussed and important implications for the design of mobile navigation user interfaces are proposed based on the results.Relevance to industryThe experimental results propose a more beneficial way to present contents on a mobile user interface for older adults and provide valuable insights for the designers and industry to help them understand the older adults’ usage and perceptions towards the application of 3D metaphors when navigating with mobile interfaces.     

A theory of personalisation of appearance: quantitative evaluation of qualitatively derived data

Abstract

This paper suggests three motivations for the strong interest in human factors' aspects of user interfaces and reviews five design issues: command language versus menu selection, response time and display rates, wording of system messages, on-line tutorials, explanations and help messages and hardware devices. Five methods and tools for system development are considered: participatory design, specification methods, software implementation tools, pilot studies and acceptance tests and evolutionary refinement based on user feedback.

The final portion of the paper presents direct manipulation, an approach which promises to become widely used in interactive systems. Direct manipulation involves representation of the object of interest, rapid incremental reversible actions and physical action instead of complex syntax.     

Haptics of in-car radio buttons and its relationship with engineering parameters

The interaction with in-car interfaces is becoming complex and multidimensional due to the addition of more and more technologies and functionalities, which can have a negative impact on driving safety. The hand exploratory behavior of in-car interfaces has been studied aiming to minimize the mental overload of the driver when looking for radio functions. Also, the subjective and emotional values associated with the interface have been considered. However, the identification and translation of these needs into design specifications is problematic. The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of these issues by studying the relationships between users' preferences and engineering parameters of in-car radio buttons and, on the other hand, the identification of the more important engineering parameters for a better definition of the in-car interface requirements. The research was done based on an empirical study and the analysis combined exploratory statistics of preference ratings and qualitative content analysis, with partial least squares regressions and artificial neural networks to link the preferences with the buttons’ engineering parameters.Relevance to industryThis paper proposes a set of haptic engineering parameters for in-car interface buttons in order to help the manufacturers and their clients to better define interface requirements related to subjective needs of the user, and so, with a positive impact on product development costs and delays. The developed methodology can be also used in other products.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">LFTOP</Emphasis>: An <Emphasis Type="Italic">LF</Emphasis>-Based Approach to Domain-Specific Reasoning

A new approach to domain-specific reasoning is presented that is based on a type-theoretic logical framework(LF) but does not require the user to be an expert in type theory. The concepts of the domain and its related reasoning systems are formalized in LF, but the user works with the system through a syntax and interface appropriate to his/her work. A middle layer provides translation between the user syntax and LF, and allows additional support for reasoning(e.g., model checking). Thus, the complexity of the logical framework is hidden but the benefits of using type theory and its related tools are retained, such as precision and machine-checkable proofs. This approach is investigated through a number of case studies: here, the authors consider the verification of properties of concurrency. The authors have formalized a specification language (CCS) and logic (μ-calculus) in LF, together with useful lemmas, and a user-oriented syntax has been designed. The authors demonstrate the approach with simple examples. However, applying lemmas to objects introduced by the user may result in framework-level objects which cannot be translated back to the user level. The authors discuss this problem, define a notion of adequacy, and prove that in this case study, translation can always be reversed.     

Programmable applications: exploring the potential for language/interface symbiosis

Abstract

Programmable applications are software systems that seek to combine the learnability and accessibility of direct manipulation interfaces with the expressive power and range of programming languages. In this paper we explore techniques for creatively integrating language and interface constructs within programmable applications. Using SchemePaint—a programmable graphics application—as a source of examples, we demonstrate how an interface and language can combine symbolically and thereby provide powerful modes of expression within applications.     

Building respectful interface agents

To provide personalized assistance to users, interface agents have to learn not only a user's preferences and interests with respect to a software application, but also when and how the user prefers to be assisted. Interface agents have to detect the user's intention to determine when to assist the user, and the user's interaction and interruption preferences to provide the right type of assistance without hindering the user's work. In this work we describe a user profiling approach that considers these issues within a user profile and a decision making approach that enables the agent to choose the best type of assistance for a given user in a given situation. We also describe the results obtained when evaluating our proposal in the tourism domain, and we compare these results with some previous ones in the calendar management domain.     

StencilMaps and EphemeralMaps: spatially stable interfaces that highlight command subsets

Identifying a target command can be difficult and time-consuming when the user is unfamiliar with a software system. One technique for assisting command identification is to provide a subset interface that contains only a limited set of the system's capabilities. We examine the design of subset interfaces, showing that subsets can be presented separately to the full user interface (UI) (e.g. in a palette) or in place, with in-place methods using either static or dynamic methods to identify the subset. We introduce the StencilMap and EphemeralMap as in-place subset UIs that, respectively, use static and dynamic highlighting. Both StencilMaps and EphemeralMaps make all of an application's commands concurrently available for selection within a grid. To highlight subset items StencilMaps use a static dark semi-transparent ‘stencil’ overlay to de-emphasise all but the subset items; EphemeralMaps, in contrast, use a short delay, with subset items shown immediately, and other items gradually faded in. A first experiment compares user performance with the in-place presentation of StencilMaps against that of the separate presentation of a subset palette. Results confirm the predicted spatial memory benefits for StencilMaps. A second experiment analyses the performance impact of three approaches to highlighting: none, static highlighting in StencilMaps, and dynamic highlighting in EphemeralMaps. Results show an interesting trade-off – while highlighting can offer benefits in assisting rapid target identification (particularly when the user is unfamiliar with the interface layout), there can also be longer-term performance benefits when highlighting is absent because the increased difficulty of visual search promotes the use and formation of spatial memory.     

Reduced GUI for an interactive geometry software: Does it affect students' performance?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe an experimental study to reduce cognitive load and enhance usability for interactive geometry software.Design/methodology/approachThe Graphical User Interface is the main mechanism of communication between user and system features. Educational software interfaces should provide useful features to assist learners without generate extra cognitive load. In this context, this research aims at analyzing a reduced and a complete interface of interactive geometry software, and verifies the educational benefits they provide. We investigated whether a reduced interface makes few cognitive demands of users in comparison to a complete interface. To this end, we designed the interfaces and carried out an experiment involving 69 undergraduate students.FindingsThe experimental results indicate that an interface that hides advanced and extraneous features helps novice users to perform slightly better than novice users using a complete interface. After receiving proper training, however, a complete interface makes users more productive than a reduced interface.Originality/valueIn educational software, successful user interface designs minimize the cognitive load on users; thereby users can direct their efforts to maximizing their understanding of the educational concepts being presented.     

Performance effect of matching computer interface characteristics and user skill level

An experiment was conducted to see if matching user interface characteristics to user computer knowledge could improve user performance. User performance was measured by simulation game results, the extent of errors and user response time. Experiment subjects were tested to determine their level of computer knowledge using a pretested instrument. The subjects were randomly assigned to either a novice or experienced oriented interface version of a space manufacturing simulation. Results show that task performance (manufacturing profit) significantly increased when user interface characteristics were matched to user computer knowledge (e.g. novice interface to novice user). The relationship between interface match and user errors was marginally significant. The results of this study are important to software designers and practitioners purchasing software products.     

多语言用户界面的研究与实现

提出了一种适应多用户界面的工具—多语言转换器 ,详细论述了多语言转换器的实现技术 ,并对该技术的作用进行了分析 ,最后把它应用于软件开发中     

Task orientation and user‐oriented dialog design

Work psychologists have introduced a concept, in which dialog design is a part of task design. A set of criteria of user‐oriented dialog design is presented here. These criteria are consistently integrated into a control concept. Empirical investigations on some of these criteria are then described. In an experiment to prove the criterion transparency, a desktop interface (high transparency) and a conventional menu selection interface (low transparency) were compared. The main result is the clear superiority of the user interface with direct manipulation over the conventional user interface with menu selection. Support is another of the criteria of user‐oriented dialog design that was empirically investigated. The advantages of goal‐ and task‐oriented help messages are also described here. To make the criterion flexibility and the criterion user‐definability practicable, the implementation of a dialog handler for user‐tailorable systems is introduced. The criterion participation was investigated in field studies. It will be shown that in projects with active participation the costs were exceeded to a lesser degree than in projects with passive participation and to a much lesser degree than in projects without participation.     

Network and multidimensional representations of the declarative knowledge of human-computer interface design experts

A two-part experiment investigated human computer interface (HCI) experts' organization of declarative knowledge about the HCI. In Part 1, two groups of experts in HCI design—human factors experts and software development experts—and a control group of non-experts sorted 50 HCI concepts concerned with display, control, interaction, data manipulation and user knowledge into categories. In the second part of the experiment, the three groups judged the similarity of two sets of HCI concepts related to display and interaction, respectively. The data were transformed into measures of psychological distance and were analyzed using Pathfinder, which generates network representations of the data, and multidimensional scaling (MDS), which fits the concepts in a multidimensional space. The Pathfinder networks from the first part of the experiment differed in organization between the two expert groups, with human factors experts' networks consisting of highly interrelated subnetworks and software experts' networks consisting of central nodes and fewer, less interconnected sub-networks. The networks also differed across groups in concepts linked with such concepts as graphics, natural language, function keys and speech recognition. The networks of both expert groups showed much greater organization than did the non-experts' network. The network and MDS representations of the concepts for the two expert groups showed somewhat greater agreement in Part 2 than in Part 1. However, the MDS representations from Part 2 suggested that software experts organized their concepts on dimensions related to technology, implementation and user characteristics, whereas the human factors experts' organized their concepts more uniformly according to user characteristics. The discussion focuses on (1) the differences in cognitive models as a function of the amount and type of HCI design experience and (2) the role of cognitive models in HCI design and in communications within a multidisciplinary design team.     

From computational intelligence to Web intelligence

The authors explore three topics in computational intelligence: machine translation, machine learning and user interface design and speculate on their effects on Web intelligence. Systems that can communicate naturally and learn from interactions will power Web intelligence's long term success. The large number of problems requiring Web-specific solutions demand a sustained and complementary effort to advance fundamental machine-learning research and incorporate a learning component into every Internet interaction. Traditional forms of machine translation either translate poorly, require resources that grow exponentially with the number of languages translated, or simplify language excessively. Recent success in statistical, nonlinguistic, and hybrid machine translation suggests that systems based on these technologies can achieve better results with a large annotated language corpus. Adapting existing computational intelligence solutions, when appropriate for Web intelligence applications, must incorporate a robust notion of learning that will scale to the Web, adapt to individual user requirements, and personalize interfaces.     

Visual and manual loadings with QWERTY-like ambiguous keyboards: Relevance of letter-key assignments on mobile phones

Mobile phone touchscreens have many ergonomic problems related to text entry. Previous studies, which attempted to use ambiguous keyboards to resolve problem of small keys, focused on the disambiguation process without consideration of the user loading on graphic user interface. This study investigates user loadings, which interfere with performance in the key selection phase when using an ambiguous keyboard. Hence, three QWERTY-like ambiguous keyboards and a standard QWERTY keyboard were compared via visual search and manual operation experiments. The visual search experiment shows that layouts with many letters per key were strongly related to long visual search times, and layouts with large keys were operated faster and more accurately in the manual operation experiment. Consequently, the trade-off between visual and manual loading differed among different letter-key assignments. This study is important in that it elucidates the impacts of visual and manual loadings on ambiguous keyboards, as well as in providing user interface designers with an enhanced understanding of how to design ambiguous keyboards based on user criteria.Relevance to industryAmbiguous keyboard designs in previous studies were generally far from the actual needs of users. This study examines the factors affecting text entry performance of users via the user-centered approach, improving the understanding of designers.     

Intrigue: Personalized recommendation of tourist attractions for desktop and hand held devices

This paper presents INTRIGUE, a prototype tourist-information server that presents information about the area around Turin City, Italy, on desktop and hand held devices.This system recommends sightseeing destinations and itineraries by taking into account the preferences of heterogeneous tourist groups (such as families with children or the elderly) and explains the recommendations by addressing the group members' requirements. Moreover, the system provides an interactive agenda for scheduling the tour. The services offered by INTRIGUE rely on user modeling and adaptive hypermedia techniques; furthermore, XML-based technologies support the generation of the user interface and its adaptation to Web browsers and WAP minibrowsers.     

The history and future of direct manipulation

Abstract

The earliest interactive computer systems were based on a conversational mode of interaction in which user and computer communicated through the exchange of linguistic utterances. Since the advent of ‘direct manipulation’ technology there has been a tendency to develop and promote an alternative mode of interaction, based on the user's manipulation of computer-displayed objects. This paper reviews recent developments in the implementation and understanding of direct manipulation interfaces. These point to various limitations in manipulative interaction which might be overcome through the selective reintroduction of conversational interaction. A new philosophy of graceful interaction is suggested to accommodate these developments in which directness is said to be a property of both action and language based systems. A number of practical guidelines are offered to reduce the incidence of clumsy manipulation.     

A Generalized Implementation Method for Relational Data Sublanguages

A set of primitive operations on tuples is derived; it is shown that these operations are necessary and sufficient for the implementation tion of any language equivalent in power to the relational algebra. The translation of queries from a variety of relational languages into these tuple operations is discussed and illustrated with several examples. A method is given for the conversion of such a translated query into a network of processes and files. An optimization algorithm which operates on this network is described and demonstrated. Using this method, many different relational languages can be implemented using the same data management software; furthermore, the underlying software can be changed without requiring any changes at the user interface. This approach should yield great benefits in reduced cost and increased flexibility of implementation.     

Navigation by vibration: Effects of vibrotactile feedback on a navigation task

In the background of spatial orientation in a navigation task, this study investigated the effect of frequency, duration and amplitude of vibrotactile feedback when it provided primary information modality. Multiple levels of each parameter were designed for an experiment conducted with 18 participants. Their performance was evaluated via number of errors, task completion time, annoyance level, and user preference. Result showed that medium level of frequency and duration was more preferred and can produce better performance. However, optimal amplitude level varied by individuals and also interacted with frequency. The paper summarized a set of design guidelines, which could be used to the design of future user interface with vibrotactile feedback. The study should provide great empirical data and meaningful insight for the design of vibrotactile feedback for future applications.Relevance to industryThe paper evaluated the vibrotactile interfaces and summarized a set of design guidelines, which could help to speed up the commercialization and industrial application of vibrotactile user interface.