User satisfaction modeling framework for automotive audio interfaces

Currently the research on product satisfaction is evolving to integrate pleasure and delight alongside other, more traditional needs. Pleasure and delight are emotional and hedonic benefits experienced by the user when interacting with the product. Thus, user satisfaction models have to deal with high complexity of product properties that collectively contribute to satisfaction. The formulation of these models has to include not only a proper taxonomy, but also the organization of such properties in categories and their relation to well defined satisfaction dimensions. Successful models would help to find out the most effective technical and design specifications (engineering parameters) that give shape to specific attributes of design, sometimes called “brand feelings”, defined in accordance with the business strategy. The objective of this paper is to present a user satisfaction modeling framework that deals with the complexity of an in-car user interface, namely the audio one. The proposed framework defines three distinct types of product properties: engineering parameters (P), perceived product attributes (A) and satisfaction dimensions (D) and presents a methodology to link the perceived product attributes (A) to satisfaction dimension (D).     

Word processing for blind people

The preparation of high-quality and error-free letters, reports and similar text is a major activity in many business and commercial environments. For this reason, it is not surprising that word processors are becoming an increasingly important feature in offices. They may be found as dedicated systems or as a microcomputer with disc loading software.

A significant feature of word processing is the display of text on a screen which can be accessed or edited with the aid of a visual cursor that is controlled by the keyboard. This dependence on a visual display to manipulate and alter text assumes that the operator of the word processor is sighted. This paper considers the consequences for blind people.     

Model-based autonomous system for performing dexterous, human-level manipulation tasks

This article presents a model based approach to autonomous dexterous manipulation, developed as part of the DARPA Autonomous Robotic Manipulation Software (ARM-S) program. Performing human-level manipulation tasks is achieved through a novel combination of perception in uncertain environments, precise tool use, forceful dual-arm planning and control, persistent environmental tracking, and task level verification. Deliberate interaction with the environment is incorporated into planning and control strategies, which, when coupled with world estimation, allows for refinement of models and precise manipulation. The system takes advantage of sensory feedback immediately with little open-loop execution, attempting true autonomous reasoning and multi-step sequencing that adapts in the face of changing and uncertain environments. A tire change scenario utilizing human tools, discussed throughout the article, is used to described the system approach. A second scenario of cutting a wire is also presented, and is used to illustrate system component reuse and generality.     

Tactile web browsing for blind people

Information on the World Wide Web becomes more and more important for our society. For blind people this is a chance to access more information for their everyday life. In this paper we propose novel methods to present web pages including graphical information on a tactile output device. We present a Mozilla Firefox Extension for the tactile rendering of web pages and for the handling of user interactions. This approach benefits from the Firefox built-in web page handling including parsing of HTML documents, formatting with cascading style sheets (CSS), handling of dynamic web content controlled by JavaScript code, etc. Graphical information can be explored and filtered interactively in a special mode for raster images and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). Mathematical expressions encoded in the mathematical markup language (MathML) are transformed directly into LaTeX or into a notation for blind people. The tactile web browser supports feedback that is provided via voice output.

The design of an IoT-GIS platform for performing automated analytical tasks

Society has a very ambitious vision of building smart interconnected cities through the Internet of Things (IoT). Billions of data streams will be generated by devices using different networking infrastructures of smart cities, enabling the automation of how the data that are being collected can be analysed for. However, significant scientific and technological challenges need to be overcome before IoT-GIS platforms can be widely used. This paper is a first step towards designing an IoT-GIS platform for performing automated analytical tasks that are able to retrieve, integrate and contextualize data streams with the purpose of adding value to the provision of transit services. Three automated tasks are used to describe our platform: (1) data ingestion for retrieving data streams; (2) data cleaning for handling missing and redundant data streams; and (3) data contextualization for representing the mobility context of transit driving behaviour. The Codiac Transit System of the Greater Moncton area, NB, Canada was used for building a mobility context and evaluating the cloud architecture that was used to implement our IoT-GIS platform. From the experimental results, the need for cloud computing for achieving scalability and high performance of our IoT-GIS platform is validated. Suggestions for the operational management of routes to improve service quality are proposed based on the analytical outcomes.     

Evaluation of multimodal graphs for blind people

This paper introduces the development of a multimodal data visualisation system and its evaluations. This system is designed to improve blind and visually impaired peoples access to graphs and tables. Force feedback, synthesized speech and non-speech audio are utilised to present graphical data to blind people. Through the combination of haptic and audio representations, users can explore virtual graphs rendered by a computer. Various types of graphs and tables have been implemented, and a three-stage evaluation has been conducted. The experimental results have proven the usability of the system and the benefits of the multimodal approach. The paper presents the details of the development and experimental findings, as well as the changes of role of haptics in the evaluation.     

The interaction of instructional representation and aptitude for performing statistical quality control tasks

Due to the fast pace of changing technologies and increasing job requirements for cognitive skills, workers are forced to update their cognitive skills continually. Consequently, there is a demand in current manufacturing environments for a training program that can improve cognitive task performance of workers. Instructional design is a key step in the design of training programs. Research in Aptitude-Treatment Interaction (ATI) and Instructional Systems Development (ISD) is reviewed in this study, and an integrative approach for instructional design is derived. Results from this study indicate that individual difference in prior achievement is a significant determinant of performance on statistical quality control (SQC) tasks. Also, with the same familiarity level of domain concepts, subjects with higher prior achievement perform better than those with lower prior achievement when more instructional support in procedural instructional representation is presented. However, this evidence is not found with less instructional support in procedural instructional representation. It is concluded that instructional design in SQC or related task domains must account for the individual difference in prior achievement and consider the instructional representation to facilitate the learning process and enhance task performance. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

导盲系统的设计及实现

目前多数的视力患者通过使用盲人杖来辅助独立行走,但盲人杖的功能单一,且存在诸多安全隐患,针对以上问题文中提出的导盲系统在普通盲人手杖的基础上,利用红外测距原理,识别周围是否有物体,利用语音播报模块发出语音信号提示,利用温度传感器感应盲人手心位置温度变化辅助盲人找回导盲杖,通过GPS定位系统,有效地防止盲人走失,实现对盲...     

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.     

改进FOA算法在语音信号盲分离中的应用

简要介绍了果蝇优化算法的基本理论,针对FastICA等算法的稳定性和收敛性不够,而粒子群优化的盲分离运算速度慢的问题,将改进的果蝇优化算法应用到盲源分离研究中,提出了一种基于改进的果蝇优化的盲源分离算法。算法以信号的规范四阶累积量为代价函数,以改进果蝇算法对代价函数求极值,逐一确定分离向量,完成对线性瞬时混合语音信号的分离。仿真结果表明,算法能够有效实现对各混合语音信号的有序盲分离,且分离顺序能够确保按照源信号的规范四阶累积量绝对值的降序进行,分离精度也有一定的提高。     

Cardiovascular and metabolic responses of active sitting while performing work-related tasks

Abstract

Stability balls and active-balance sitting chairs have recently emerged as a way to reduce sedentary behaviours in office settings. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in caloric expenditure and heart rate between a standard chair (SC), stability ball (SB) and active balanced sitting chair (ST) while performing work-related tasks. Participants (n?=?20) performed a 10-minute randomised reading and typing task while sitting on the SC, SB and ST. For both the reading and typing tasks, heart rate (HR), caloric expenditure per minute and metabolic equivalents were all significantly greater (i.e. 6–13%; 19–40%; 18–39%, respectively) while using the ST when compared to the SC and SB. No significant differences were observed between the SB and SC for any of the comparisons. The ST produced a greater HR response and caloric expenditure than the SC or SB, indicating that active balanced sitting may be a feasible way to increase energy expenditure in an office setting.

Practitioner summary: The purpose of this study was to determine differences in cardiovascular and metabolic responses to various forms of office chairs. The key finding was that active sitting on a balance chair significantly increased heart rate and caloric expenditure as compared to a stability ball and standard chair.

Abbreviations: SC: standard chair; SB: stability ball; ST: active balanced chair; HR: heart rate; kcalmin: caloric expenditure per minute; MET: metabolic equivalents     

基于DWT的盲音频水印算法研究

提出了一种基于离散小波变换的盲音频数字水印算法,该算法采取分段重复嵌入方式在能量最强的小波系数内隐藏水印信号。仿真实验结果表明,该算法具有较强的鲁棒性和不可感知性,能有效抵御各种常见攻击,并且在水印检测时不需要原始的音频信号。     

Improving search engine interfaces for blind users: a case study

This article describes a research project aimed at improving search engine usability for sightless persons who use assistive technology to navigate the web. At the beginning of this research, a preliminary study was performed concerning accessibility and usability of search tools, and eight guidelines were formulated for designing search engine user interfaces. Then, the derived guidelines were applied in modifying the source code of Google’s interface, while maintaining the same look and feel, in order to demonstrate that with very little effort it is possible to make interaction easier, more efficient, and less frustrating for sightless individuals. After providing a general overview of the project, the paper focuses on interface design and implementation.     

A blind audio watermarking based on singular value decomposition and quantization

International Journal of Speech Technology - In this work, we have proposed a robust audio watermarking technique in which a binary image is embedded into a host audio signal for copyright...     

The effects of cast shadows and stereopsis on performing computer-generated spatial tasks

More powerful computer hardware and software has enabled the development of numerous depth-cue techniques to depict the three-dimensional (3D) characteristics of computer-generated imagery. Particularly, the role of stereoscopic viewing in promoting the depth perception of objects in 3D space has been widely studied. However, there has been little study of the use of cast shadows in this context, and few investigations of how computer-generated depth cues are perceptually integrated. To investigate these issues, subjects: 1) position a sphere to complete a directional vector/vector segment extending in space and 2) resize a sphere to match the perceived size of a second sphere displaced in space. Task accuracies and response times are recorded under the following conditions: 1) stereoscopic, and monoscopic, scene viewing; 2) objects casting zero, or one shadow; 3) flat, and zig-zag, background surface shapes; and 4) solid and checkerboard background surface textures. The results suggest that, of the cues considered, stereo viewing has a consistently beneficial effect on positioning and resizing spheres in depth. However, objects casting shadows improve positioning accuracy to a level afforded by stereo viewing. Finally, more complex scene backgrounds impair positioning and resizing task performances. Implications for the design of effective 3D user interfaces are discussed.     

Variable-dimensional vector modulation for perceptual-based DWT blind audio watermarking with adjustable payload capacity

A variable-dimensional vector modulation (VDVM) scheme is introduced to maximize the efficiency of the norm-space DWT-based blind audio watermarking technique. This flexible scheme allows the watermarking algorithm to reach a balance between robustness and capacity, while the imperceptivity is always ensured. The imperfection of applying quantization index modulation in the open-loop case has been rectified. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is proven using the perceptual evaluation of audio quality (PEAQ) and bit error rates of recovered watermarks under various signal processing attacks. Experimental results show that the proposed VDVM scheme is comparable to other recently developed methods in robustness and imperceptivity even at a capacity as high as 301.46 bps. Such a capacity can be further doubled by halving the dimension of the involved DWT vector, while the robustness is still maintained at a satisfactory level.     

Reliability of assessing upper limb postures among workers performing manufacturing tasks

The purpose of this study was to determine the inter- and intra-rater reliability of assessing upper limb postures of workers performing manufacturing tasks. Assessment of neck, shoulder, and wrist postures of 20 manufacturing employees was conducted by two raters observing digital video files using Multimedia Video Task Analysis (MVTA). Generalizability theory was used to estimate the inter- and intra-rater reliability. The results demonstrated good to excellent inter-rater reliability for neck and shoulder postures and fair to excellent inter-rater reliability for wrist postures. Intra-rater posture assessment demonstrated good to excellent reliability for both raters in all postures of the neck, shoulder, and wrist. This study demonstrated that posture assessment of manufacturing workers using MVTA is a reliable method.     

Automated interpretation and accessible presentation of technical diagrams for blind people

The EU-supported TeDUB (Technical Drawings Understanding for the Blind) project is developing a software system that aims to make technical diagrams accessible to blind and visually impaired people. It consists of two separate modules: one that analyses drawings either semi-automatically or automatically, and one that presents the results of this analysis to blind people and allows them to interact with it. The system is capable of analysing and presenting diagrams from a number of formally defined domains. A diagram enters the system as one of two types: first, diagrams contained in bitmap images, which do not explicitly contain the semantic structure of their content and thus have to be interpreted by the system, and second, diagrams obtained in a semantically enriched format that already yields this structure. The TeDUB system provides blind users with an interface to navigate and annotate these diagrams using a number of input and output devices. Extensive user evaluations have been carried out and an overall positive response from the participants has shown the effectiveness of the approach.