From user interface design to the support of intelligent and adaptive interfaces: an overhaul of user interface software infrastracture

Research on adaptive interfaces in the past has lacked support from user interface tools which allow interfaces to be easily created and modified. Also, current user interface tools provide no support for user models which can collect task-oriented information about users. Developing an adaptive interface requires a user model and an adaptation strategy. It also, however, requires a user interface which can be adapted. The latter task is often time-consuming, especially in relation to more sophisticated user interfaces.

The paper presents a user interface design environment, UIDE, which has a different software infrastracture. Designers use high-level specifications to create a model of an application and links from the application to various interface components. The model is the heart of all the design and run-time support in UIDE, including automatic dialog sequencing and help generation. UIDE provides automatic support for collecting task-oriented information about users, by the use of its high-level specifications in its application model as a basic construct for a user model. Some examples of adaptive interfaces and adaptive help are presented that use the information that is collectable in UIDE.     

The Effects of Visualization and Synchronization on Clustered-Based Mobile Web Search

ABSTRACT

Despite the increasing use of mobile web in our everyday lives, mobile web search remains a challenging task mainly due to the intensive scrolling inherent in linear presentation of search engine results (SERs) on the small screen of a mobile device. Drawing on the cognitive load theory and information foraging theory, this study aims to improve user performance in mobile web search by proposing two new artifacts—radial visualization of SERs clusters and synchronization of clusters and individual SERs presentations. These artifacts are hypothesized to improve search efficiency and/or navigation efficiency without affecting search effectiveness. This study also examines a possible moderating effect of search task type (open-ended vs. close-ended tasks). We implemented four mobile web search systems that reflect four combinations of different visualization and synchronization settings and empirically evaluated them using a controlled experiment. The results show that the radial visualization improves search efficiency and navigation efficiency, particularly for the open-ended tasks. In addition, synchronous presentation improves navigation efficiency in terms of path similarity.     

Who tends to answer open-ended questions in an e-service survey? The contribution of closed-ended answers

This study presents a web survey investigating the effects of gender, age, prior usage behaviours, and closed-ended answers on response behaviour for open-ended questions in a user satisfaction or experience evaluation. Two types of open-ended questions were measured: general comment-specific questions designed to collect comments and explanation-specific questions designed to determine the reason for a higher or lower score for the closed-ended questions. Using an online structured questionnaire on an e-service telecom website, 13,346 valid responses (73.1% male; all aged 19 or above) were analysed. More than 75% of the respondents did not answer any of the open-ended questions. Although respondents tended to answer comment-specific questions (19.9%) more often than explanation-specific questions (11.9%), personal characteristics emerged as significant predictors of participants’ response behaviour in both types of open-ended questions. Males, younger participants, and those who had more e-service usage behaviours answered more often than other participants. Regarding the relationship between answers in closed-ended and open-ended questions, respondents’ scaled scores were significant predictors of responses to open-ended questions, particularly comment-specific questions. This study suggests that a score of four on a five-point scale may indicate an interesting answer, with negative responses (5.5%) more likely than positive responses (3.9%).     

Correction to: Can search result summaries enhance the web search efficiency and experiences of the visually impaired users?

There are limited studies that are addressing the challenges of visually impaired (VI) users when viewing search results on a search engine interface by using a screen reader. This study investigates the effect of providing an overview of search results to VI users. We present a novel interactive search engine interface called InteractSE to support VI users during the results exploration stage in order to improve their interactive experience and web search efficiency. An overview of the search results is generated using an unsupervised machine learning approach to present the discovered concepts via a formal concept analysis that is domain-independent. These concepts are arranged in a multi-level tree following a hierarchical order and covering all retrieved documents that share maximal features. The InteractSE interface was evaluated by 16 legally blind users and compared with the Google search engine interface for complex search tasks. The evaluation results were obtained based on both quantitative (as task completion time) and qualitative (as participants’ feedback) measures. These results are promising and indicate that InteractSE enhances the search efficiency and consequently advances user experience. Our observations and analysis of the user interactions and feedback yielded design suggestions to support VI users when exploring and interacting with search results.

     

基于PCTBTA任务模型的用户界面开发方法

为了适应普适计算环境中用户、设备、使用环境和开发平台的多样性,基于模型的方法被应用于用户界面开发过程中,试图在抽象层次上描述界面,通过模型转换,使其适用于不同的平台.然而,由于目前基于模型的用户界面开发方法（model-based user interface development,简称MBUID）中所采用任务模型的局限性,致使生成的界面难以满足动态环境下用户的可用性需求.提出一种基于任务模型的用户界面开发框架,旨在建模和生成有效、高效、令用户满意的用户界面.在可用性方面,为了准确描述普适计算环境中用户任务,提出一种基于感知控制理论的任务分析方法（perceptual-control-theory-based task analysis,简称PCTBTA）,将使用上下文信息引入到任务分析过程中,并且在较高的抽象层次上反映交互的内容,给可用性设计提供任务空间;在技术方面,为PCTBTA任务模型向界面模型的转换提供技术支持.最后,通过实例说明所提出方法的可行性,并通过与其他方法在可用性和性能方面的比较,表明该方法的有效性.     

Clustering-Based Visual Interfaces for Presentation of Web Search Results: An Empirical Investigation

The result of a typical web search is often overwhelming. It is very difficult to explore the textual listing of the resulting documents, which may be in the thousands. In order to improve the utility of the search experience, we explore presenting search results through clustering and a zoomable two-dimensional map (zoomable treemap). Furthermore, we apply the fisheye view technique to this map of web search clusters to provide details in context. In this study, we report on our evaluation of these presentation features. The particular interfaces evaluated were: (1) a textual list, (2) a zoomable two-dimensional map of the clustered results, and (3) a fisheye version of the zoomable two-dimensional map where the results were clustered. We found that subjects completed search tasks faster with the visual interfaces than with the textual interface, and faster with the fisheye interface than just the zoomable interface. Based on the findings, we conclude that there is promise in the use of clustering and visualization with a fisheye zooming capability in the exploration of web search results.     

Improving web search on small screen devices

Small handheld devices—mobile phones, Pocket PCs etc.—are increasingly being used to access the web. Search engines are the most used web services and are an important factor of user support. Search engine providers have begun to offer their services on the small screen. This paper presents a detailed evaluation of the how easy to use such services are in these new contexts. An experiment was carried out to compare users' abilities to complete search tasks using a mobile phone-sized, handheld computer-sized and conventional, desktop interface to the full Google™ index. With all three interfaces, when users succeed in completing a task, they do so quickly (within 2–3 min) and using few interactions with the search engine. When they fail, though, they fail badly. The paper examines the causes of failures in small screen searching and proposes guidelines for improving these interfaces. In addition, we present and discuss novel interaction schemes that put these guidelines into practice.     

A multi-formalism approach for model-based dynamic distribution of user interfaces of critical interactive systems

Evolution in the context of use requires evolutions in the user interfaces even when they are currently used by operators. User Centered Development promotes reactive answers to this kind of evolutions either by software evolutions through iterative development approaches or at runtime by providing additional information to the operators such as contextual help for instance. This paper proposes a model-based approach to support proactive management of context of use evolutions. By proactive management we mean mechanisms in place to plan and implement evolutions and adaptations of the entire user interface (including behaviour) in a generic way. The approach proposed handles both concentration and distribution of user interfaces requiring both fusion of information into a single UI or fission of information into several ones. This generic model-based approach is exemplified on a safety critical system from space domain. It presents how the new user interfaces can be generated at runtime to provide a new user interface gathering in a single place all the information required to perform the task. These user interfaces have to be generated at runtime as new procedures (i.e. sequences of operations to be executed in a semi-autonomous way) can be defined by operators at any time in order to react to adverse events and to keep the space system in operation. Such contextual, activity-related user interfaces complement the original user interfaces designed for operating the command and control system. The resulting user interface thus corresponds to a distribution of user interfaces in a focus+context way improving usability by increasing both efficiency and effectiveness.     

Embarking on Spoken-Language NL Interface Design

Natural language (NL) user interfaces are growing in popularity. Unfortunately, the complexity of NL interaction makes these interfaces difficult to design. For NL interfaces to become successful, universal tools are needed to help support the NL design process. What work practice should these tools explicitly support? Interviews with NL designers and our own experiments have identified a specific work practice that designers should consider as they begin to incorporate NL into user interface designs. The work practice study highlights the value of using Wizard of Oz prototyping in NL design. We describe a tool that we have built, called SUEDE, to explicitly support the first stage of NL design for spoken-language user interfaces. Our tools and tools like it will help make NL in human-computer interaction (HCI) more commonplace.     

用户空间驱动程序研究

针对一些复杂设备驱动程序的特点,研究了用户空间实现驱动程序的方法,将驱动程序分为两部分：内核空间实现核心部分,在用户空间实现驱动程序新的接口,以适应设备的多样性。研究了用户空间驱动程序的结构、用户空间和内核空间驱动程序内容的划分及它们之间的通信方法。选择典型的USB设备驱动程序,描述了通用USB驱动程序在用户空间的实现过程,主要内容包括初始化设备接口、操作设备接口、控制传输接口、批传输接口、中断传输接口和通信部分,最后进行了测试分析。     

From formal requirements to automated web testing and prototyping

Use cases and user interface prototypes are agile techniques used to specify required functionalities of an object-oriented system. Testing can find most errors of the software and ensure that the requirement specifications are satisfied by the application. We can derive test cases from use cases and run them in user interfaces, but we do it in a mechanical way. In this paper, we propose a new approach for automating the generation of user interface prototypes and test cases for web applications. Starting from a formalization of the requirements based on controlled use cases extended with the system glossary and the user interface specifications, we automatically generate web pages and test cases which are passed as parameters for an automated web testing tool.     

基于人性化网站界面设计的用户建模

为了能够实现网站界面风格的人性化和和谐化,通过对部分用户的调查来研究用户因素和网页界面因素之间的相互关系,并从错综复杂的用户和网页界面因素中提取起决定性作用的因素。基于这些决定性因素,用神经网络的方法建立了一个用于个性化网站界面风格和布局设计的用户模型。利用所建立的模型设计了一个针对老年人的网页界面,经过测试验证,此模型能收到良好的效果,提高了用户对网站界面风格和布局的整体满意度。     

On the search behaviour of users in the context of interactive social book search

ABSTRACT

Understanding the search behaviour of online users is among the long-tail practices of Interactive Information Retrieval that helps identify the user information needs. The Interactive Social Book Search (SBS), under the umbrella of Interactive Information Retrieval (IIR), aims to understand the user interactions with book collections and the associated professionally-curated and socially-constructed metadata on the baseline and multistage user interfaces (UIs). This paper reports on the book search behaviour of users by reviewing research publications related to the Interactive SBS published during the last two decades. It presents a holistic view of the overall progress of Interactive SBS by summarising and visualising the experimental structure, search systems, datasets, demographics of participants, and findings to identify the research trends and possible future directions. Based on the collected evidence, it attempts to answer how the search system, user interface (UI), and the nature of tasks affect the book search behaviour of users. The article is the first of its kind that attempts to understand the book search behaviour of users in the context of Social Book Search with implications for usability experts and others working in UI design, web search engines, book search engines, digital libraries, collaborative social cataloguing websites, and e-Commerce applications.     

用户体验设计——网页界面设计的重中之重

国内目前的网页设计,大多以视觉效果作为网页界面设计的首要考量,因而容易忽视网页设计的可用性。而网页界面设计,不仅应当给使用者带来视觉上的愉悦,更应当很好地帮助用户浏览网页内容,引导用户操作以完成网页服务。转变设计师以视觉效果为首要考量的固有设计习惯,将用户体验作为设计的重点,才是设计出具有良好互动性的网页的开端。     

移动终端三维用户界面的可用性评估

本文针对移动终端的三维用户界面进行了可用性评估.从系统性能,任务绩效和用户偏好三个方面进行了全面的考察.物体选取是三维用户界面中基础的交互任务,我们结合实验数据分析,基于二维环境下的指点模型,提出并验证了一个新的基于三维用户界面的通用性能模型.同时通过用户调查和问卷分析,说明了三维用户界面在移动终端上具有较高的用户偏好.     

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.     

The effects of topology and task complexity on digital‐speech‐desktop interface design and evaluation

Abstract— This study investigated user task performance in terms of three interface proposals (linear, hierarchical, and network type) and task complexities (single‐layered, double‐layered, and triple‐layered). Forty‐two participants (all male), aged 19–23 years, were recruited for the experiment. The results generated from this study reveal that the different degrees of task complexity interacted with the topological structures of the user interfaces. No difference was found among the three topological structures in the single‐layered task. A linear structure resulted in better user performance than network or hierarchical structures in the double‐layered task, while in the triple‐layered task both network and hierarchical structures resulted in better user performance than a linear topological structure. This study provides an example of the application of topological structures in interface design and evaluation. From a practical perspective, the results imply the necessity of alternative or parallel control systems (linear and hybrid topologies) so that the user can shift between structures according to task complexity.     

Effects of design features of train electronic guidance interface on visual search,behavior, and usability

In urban rail trains, traditional printed guide information interfaces are being replaced by digital interfaces. An electronic guide screen is an important device for passengers to obtain information about the ride because the train is running underground. In particular, when the train is crowded, passengers must obtain information in advance and make appropriate decisions. Therefore, it is important to efficiently search for guidance interfaces. In this study, use scenarios of the guidance interface were simulated. The typical information layout and display mode in the current electronic guidance interface were the experimental variables. Through eye tracking and subjective evaluation, the effects of design features on user search performance, visual behavior, and usability satisfaction were discussed. The experimental results showed that the information layout and display mode of the guidance interface had an interactive effect on the task completion time, fixation counts, and usability score; they also had a significant effect on the recall accuracy and saccade ratio. Task completion time had a strong positive correlation with usability satisfaction and was correlated with visual behavior. The study confirmed that the split-screen display mode combined with interlaced layout could improve search performance and subjective satisfaction.Relevance to industryPrinted guide signs in subway cars are being replaced by electronic guide screens of different styles. Passengers must search for the required information within a limited period. In this study, the effects of different interface layouts and display modes on search performance, visual behavior, and usability were studied. This had a positive significance in improving user experience.     

基于MVC模式的Web用户界面建模

分析了企业信息系统的Web用户界面开发特性,研究了当前主流前端框架的MVC(模型-视图-控制器)设计模式应用,针对Web前端开发需求及最佳实践方法,提出了一种符合MVC用户界面开发最佳实践的组件化Web用户界面建模方法.设计一套抽象和描述Web用户界面组件的UML(统一建模语言)概要文件,从界面数据模型、界面组件模型到界面交互模型等3个方面完成Web用户界面建模.以一个装修行业定制型ERP(企业资源计划)系统为例,通过用户界面建模实践,验证了本建模方法的可行性、易用性和有效性.