Design and evaluation of prosody-based non-speech audio feedback for physical training application

Methodological support for the design of non-speech user interface sounds for human–computer interaction is still fairly scarce. To meet this challenge, this paper presents a sound design case which, as a practical design solution for a wrist-computer physical training application, outlines a prosody-based method for designing non-speech user interface sounds. The principles used in the design are based on nonverbal communicative functions of prosody in speech acts, exemplifying an interpersonal approach to sonic interaction design. The stages of the design process are justified with a theoretical analysis and three empirical sub-studies, which comprise production and recognition tasks involving four communicative functions. The final evaluation study indicates that the resulting sounds of the design process successfully served these functions. In all, this study suggests that prosody-based sound design provides widely applicable means to attribute meaningful, interaction-derived qualities to non-speech sounds for interactive applications.     

Specification and Verification of Agent Interaction using Social Integrity Constraints

In this paper we propose a logic-based social approach to the specification and verification of agent interaction. We firstly introduce integrity constraints about social acts (called Social Integrity Constraints) as a formalism to express interaction protocols and to give a social semantics to the behavior of agents, focusing on communicative acts. Then, we discuss several possible kinds of verification of agent interaction, and we show how social integrity constraints can be used to verify some properties in this respect. We focus our attention on static verification of compliance of agent specifications to interaction protocols, and on run-time verification, based on agents' observable behavior. We adopt as a running example the NetBill security transaction protocol for the selling and delivery of information goods.     

Evaluating the productivity of a reference-based programming approach: A controlled experiment

ContextDomain engineering aims at facilitating software development in an efficient and economical way. One way to measure that is through productivity indicators, which refer to the ability of creating a quality software product in a limited period and with limited resources. Many approaches have been devised to increase productivity; however, these approaches seem to suffer from a tension between expressiveness on the one hand, and applicability (or the lack of it) in providing guidance for developers.ObjectiveThis paper evaluates the applicability and efficiency of adopting a domain engineering approach, called Application-based DOmain Modeling (ADOM), in the context of the programming task with Java, and thus termed ADOM-Java, for improving productivity in terms of code quality and development time.MethodTo achieve that objective we have qualitatively evaluate the approach using questionnaires and following a text analysis procedure. We also set a controlled experiment in which 50 undergraduate students performed a Java-based programming task using either ADOM-Java or Java alone.ResultsThe qualitative evaluation reveal that the approach is easy to uses and provides valuable guidance. Nevertheless, it requires training. The outcomes of the experiment indicate that the approach is applicable and that the students that used ADOM-Java achieved better code quality, as well as better functionality and within less time than the students who used only Java.ConclusionThe results of the experiments imply that by providing a code base equipped with reuse guidelines for programmers can increase programming productivity in terms of quality and development time. These guidelines may also enforce coding standards and architectural design.     

FORMAL CONSIDERATIONS OF RULE-BASED MESSAGING FOR BUSINESS PROCESS INTEGRATION

ABSTRACT

In the last decade, with the expansion of organizational scope and the tendency for outsourcing, there has been an increasing need for Business Process Integration (BPI), understood as the sharing of data and applications among business processes. The research efforts and development paths in BPI pursued by many academic groups and system vendors, targeting heterogeneous system integration, continue to face several conceptual and technological challenges.

This article begins with a brief review of major approaches and emerging standards to address BPI. Further, we introduce a rule-driven messaging approach to BPI, which is based on the harmonization of messages in order to compose a new, often cross-organizational process.

We will then introduce the design of a temporal first order language (Harmonized Messaging Calculus) that provides the formal foundation for general rules governing the business process execution. Definitions of the language terms, formulae, safety, and expressiveness are introduced and considered in detail.     

Developing design concepts in a cloud computing environment: creative interactions and brainstorming modalities

Abstract

This article presents the key components required to properly understand remote creative interactions associated with three collective design stages: co-definition; the ideas co-production; and the co-evaluation in the formulation of a design concept. We compare five brainstorming modalities: traditional brainstorming—graphical interaction, reverse brainstorming, brainwriting and brainsketching—adopted by six delocalised teams working through a cloud computing environment. We analyse: co-authoring production; the ratio of ideas production according to task-goal; and the variation of brainstorming modalities. Our results show that designers work on brainstorming modalities according to the task-goal assigned, and we see that task content and the verbal and graphical communicative modes are supported by the proposed computational environment; as well as all brainstorming modalities. Because co-authoring or collective sketching are hardly possible without verbal communication support in graphical production, we propose the use of these new cloud computing functionalities to enhance the distributed design work.     

An Observation Approach to the Semantics of Agent Communication Languages

We show how a formal framework for the observation issue in computer systems can be used for the specification of an agent behavior, abstracting away from agent inner details while focusing on its interactive behavior. This model can also be used as a specification of agent communication languages (ACLs), providing the proper abstraction level to represent the conditions causing an agent to send a message, as well as its effect on the receiving agent. In particular, this approach generalizes upon existing ACL semantics, such as FIPA ACL, that relate agent communicative acts to the agent mental state. Since the observation framework induces a more abstract architecture than other known approaches, our semantics are likely to be applicable to a wider set of agent architectures, thus better supporting standardization aims. Some application examples are shown, describing how various aspects of ACL semantics can be specified within our framework.     

The role of social interaction in software effort estimation: Unpacking the “magic step” between reasoning and decision-making

ContextSoftware effort estimation is a core task regarding planning, budgeting and controlling software development projects. However, providing accurate effort estimates is challenging. Estimation work is increasingly group based, and to support it, there is a need to reveal how work practices are carried out as collaborative efforts.ObjectiveThis paper examines the use of concepts in software effort estimation by analysing group work as communicative practice. The objective is to improve our understanding of how software professionals invoke different types of knowledge when talking, reasoning and reaching a decision on a software effort estimate.MethodEstimation meetings in the industry where planning poker was used as the estimation method have been video recorded and analysed by means of the interaction analysis technique, focusing on the communicative and collaborative aspects of the group work.ResultsThe user story mediates the types of resources and knowledge needed to solve the task. Concepts from the knowledge domain are used to frame the task and allow the participants to reach consensus, sufficient to take the next step in the problem-solving activity. Individual knowledge seems to be the dominating orientation when it comes to specifying the work needed for solving the tasks.ConclusionThe step from reasoning to decision-making has been called the “magic step” in software effort estimation. We argue that the magic step is found in the analysis of the social interaction in which the concepts used are anchored in the knowledge domain of software engineering and in the historical experiences of the participants and subsequently become activated. We propose that by taking a socio-cultural perspective on concepts in activities, the ways in which software professionals reach a decision can be unpacked. The paper contributes to an understanding of the role of concepts in group work and of software effort estimation as a specific work practice.     

VIVACE: A framework for the systematic evaluation of variability support in process-aware information systems

ContextThe increasing adoption of process-aware information systems (PAISs) such as workflow management systems, enterprise resource planning systems, or case management systems, together with the high variability in business processes (e.g., sales processes may vary depending on the respective products and countries), has resulted in large industrial process model repositories. To cope with this business process variability, the proper management of process variants along the entire process lifecycle becomes crucial.ObjectiveThe goal of this paper is to develop a fundamental understanding of business process variability. In particular, the paper will provide a framework for assessing and comparing process variability approaches and the support they provide for the different phases of the business process lifecycle (i.e., process analysis and design, configuration, enactment, diagnosis, and evolution).MethodWe conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) in order to discover how process variability is supported by existing approaches.ResultsThe SLR resulted in 63 primary studies which were deeply analyzed. Based on this analysis, we derived the VIVACE framework. VIVACE allows assessing the expressiveness of a process modeling language regarding the explicit specification of process variability. Furthermore, the support provided by a process-aware information system to properly deal with process model variants can be assessed with VIVACE as well.ConclusionsVIVACE provides an empirically-grounded framework for process engineers that enables them to evaluate existing process variability approaches as well as to select that variability approach meeting their requirements best. Finally, it helps process engineers in implementing PAISs supporting process variability along the entire process lifecycle.     

MULTI-AGENT INFRASTRUCTURES FOR OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE COORDINATION

Coordination in multi-agented systems (MAS) can be conceived as either an agent activity (the subjective viewpoint) or an activity over agents (the objective viewpoint). The two viewpoints have generated two diverging and often contrasting lines of research, as well as different and noncompatible technologies, however, their integration is mandatory for modeling and engineering complex MAS. In this paper, we explore the issue of integration at both the model and the technology levels.

First, by taking FIPA agents and coordination artifacts as reference notions for subjective and objective approaches, respectively, we sketch a framework where agent interactions with coordination artifacts are modeled as physical acts, deliberated and executed by agents analogously to communicative actions. Then, we show how the JADE infrastructure for FIPA-compliant agents, and the TuCSoN infrastructure providing agents with coordination artifacts can be integrated at the technology level, allowing JADE agents to access TuCSoN tuple centers through JADE services.     

Navigation support in complex open learner models: assessing visual design alternatives

ABSTRACT

Open Learner Models are used in modern e-learning to show system users the content of their learner models. This approach is known to prompt reflection, facilitate planning and navigation. Open Learner Models may show different levels of detail of the underlying learner model, and may structure the information differently. However, a trade-off exists between useful information and the complexity of the information. This paper investigates whether offering richer information is assessed positively by learners and results in more effective support for learning tasks. An interview pre-study revealed which information within the complex learner model is of interest. A controlled user study examined six alternative visualisation prototypes of varying complexity and resulted in the implementation of one of the designs. A second controlled study involved students interacting with variations of the visualisation while searching for suitable learning material, and revealed the value of the design alternative and its variations. The work contributes to developing complex open learner models by stressing the need to balance complexity and support. It also suggests that the expressiveness of open learner models can be improved with visual elements that strategically summarise the complex information being displayed in detail.     

Applications of an interaction,process, integration and intelligence (IPII) design approach for ergonomics solutions

This paper first reviews current ergonomics design approaches in delivering digital solutions to achieve a unified experience from interaction and business process design perspectives. Then, it analyses the opportunities that new technologies may bring in for enhancing current ergonomics design approaches from integration and intelligence design perspectives. To address the challenges in today’s ergonomics practices in delivering digital solutions, an interaction, process, integration and intelligence (IPII) design approach is proposed. A case study is presented that implemented the IPII approach. The quantitative data gathered from the case study demonstrates that the IPII approach has achieved significant advantages in reaching the goal of a unified experience and operational benefits for delivering digital solutions. The IPII approach also demonstrates improvements compared to today’s ergonomics design approaches, such as user-centred design, for digital solutions. Finally, the paper highlights the contributions of the IPII approach for future ergonomics practices in delivering digital solutions.

Practitioner Summary: In addition to the interaction design for the UI of digital solutions, as is the case in current typical ergonomics practice, the IPII adds three additional design components: process, integration and intelligence design. The case study demonstrates the advantages of the IPII, providing an enhanced approach for designing digital solutions.

Abbreviations: IPII: interaction, process, integration and intelligence; IEA: International Ergonomics; Association; HFE: human factors/ ergonomics; HCD: human-centred design; UX: user experience; UI: user interface; ISO: International Organization for Standardization; UCD: user-centred design; ERP: enterprise resource planning; E2E experience: end-to-end experience; UXD: user experience design; AI: artificial intelligence; ML: machine learning; HCI: human-computer interaction; IaaS: infrastructure as a service; PaaS: platform as a service; SaaS: software as a service; CRM: customer relation management; SCM: supply chain management; HCM: human capability management; BI: business intelligence; BOMA: Bill of Materials Application; POC: proof of concept; TCM: transition change management; SMEs: subject matter experts; PMO: program management office; UAT: user acceptance test; iBPMS: intelligent business process management suite     

The virtual other: Aspects of social interaction with synthetic characters

By questioning the concept of "believability" frequently used as a measure for the success of embodied agents, the article lays out the reasons and implications for replacing it by a concept of "agency." It discusses the numerous expectations that are involved in the interaction between social actors, whether human or artificial. It is shown that research attempts to satisfy the requirements of communicative rationality which, however, presupposes implicitly a shared and unproblematic background. Cultural background as part of the "lifeworld" in the sociological sense, plays an important role in interactional behavior that serves to establish, maintain, and terminate any communicative activity. It is here that problems and breakdowns in communication occur most frequently and remain inaccessible to rational discourse of criticism and justification. Embodied agents inevitably bring with them the background of their designers, as there is no such thing as a neutral background. The article concludes with the unresolved problem of cross-cultural portability of embodied agents and their lifeworld.     

Animistic design: how to reimagine digital interaction between the human and the nonhuman

ABSTRACT

This article puts forward the notion of animistic design as an uncertainty-driven strategy to reimagine human–machine interaction as a milieu of human and nonhuman. Animistic design is suggested as capable of fostering affects, sensibilities and thoughts that capitalize on the uncertain, the unpredictable and the nonlinear, and their capacity to trigger creative pathways. Informed by post-human philosophies, theories of mediation and materiality, as well as by affect, agency and aesthesia, animistic design eschews the anthropomorphic and the cute playfulness often associated with animism. Instead, it proposes a practical–theoretical framework to articulate the nexus of digital innovation, interaction design practices, technical materialities and affective responses already emerging in the digital cohabitation of the human and the nonhuman. Using a ‘research through making’ approach, the article describes in detail a series of animistic design experiments and prototyping methods that explore ways of rethinking interaction as an open-ended and creative enterprise. Animistic design offers an investigative strategy that exploits degrees of collaboratively curated uncertainty and unpredictability to imagine forms of digital interaction, and to engender creative human–nonhuman relationships within a given digital milieu.     

SLIDING-MODE ADAPTIVE CONTROL FOR FLEXIBLE-LINK MANIPULATORS USING A COMPOSITE DESIGN

ABSTRACT

A robust adaptive control scheme for flexible link robotic manipulators is presented. The design is based on considering the flexible mechanical structure as a singular perturbed system, which allows us to assume the existence of slow (rigid) and fast (flexible) modes that separately can be controlled. The rigid dynamics are controlled by means of a robust sliding adaptive approach with well-established stability properties. The flexible dynamics can be controlled using H _∞ or optimal designs, which successfully handle the actual interaction between the slow and fast subsystems. This composite approach achieves good closed-loop tracking properties, both in simulation and experimental results on a laboratory-flexible arm.     

A case based approach to expressivity-aware tempo transformation

The research presented in this paper focuses on global tempo transformations of monophonic audio recordings of saxophone jazz performances. We are investigating the problem of how a performance played at a particular tempo can be rendered automatically at another tempo, while preserving naturally sounding expressivity. Or, differently stated, how does expressiveness change with global tempo. Changing the tempo of a given melody is a problem that cannot be reduced to just applying a uniform transformation to all the notes of a musical piece. The expressive resources for emphasizing the musical structure of the melody and the affective content differ depending on the performance tempo. We present a case-based reasoning system called TempoExpress for addressing this problem, and describe the experimental results obtained with our approach. Editor: Gerhard Widmer     

A language-independent and formal approach to pattern-based modelling with support for composition and analysis

ContextPatterns are used in different disciplines as a way to record expert knowledge for problem solving in specific areas. Their systematic use in Software Engineering promotes quality, standardization, reusability and maintainability of software artefacts. The full realisation of their power is however hindered by the lack of a standard formalization of the notion of pattern.ObjectiveOur goal is to provide a language-independent formalization of the notion of pattern, so that it allows its application to different modelling languages and tools, as well as generic methods to enable pattern discovery, instantiation, composition, and conflict analysis.MethodFor this purpose, we present a new visual and formal, language-independent approach to the specification of patterns. The approach is formulated in a general way, based on graphs and category theory, and allows the specification of patterns in terms of (nested) variable submodels, constraints on their allowed variance, and inter-pattern synchronization across several diagrams (e.g. class and sequence diagrams for UML design patterns).ResultsWe provide a formal notion of pattern satisfaction by models and propose mechanisms to suggest model transformations so that models become consistent with the patterns. We define methods for pattern composition, and conflict analysis. We illustrate our proposal on UML design patterns, and discuss its generality and applicability on different types of patterns, e.g. workflow patterns, enterprise integration patterns and interaction patterns.ConclusionThe approach has proven to be powerful enough to formalize patterns from different domains, providing methods to analyse conflicts and dependencies that usually are expressed only in textual form. Its language independence makes it suitable for integration in meta-modelling tools and for use in Model-Driven Engineering.     

A conceptual framework to study the role of communication through social software for coordination in globally-distributed software teams

BackgroundIn Global Software Development (GSD) the lack of face-to-face communication is a major challenge and effective computer-mediated practices are necessary to mitigate the effect of physical distance. Communication through Social Software (SoSo) supports team coordination, helping to deal with geographical distance; however, in Software Engineering literature, there is a lack of suitable theoretical concepts to analyze and describe everyday practices of globally-distributed software development teams and to study the role of communication through SoSo.ObjectiveThe paper proposes a theoretical framework for analyzing how communicative and coordinative practices are constituted and maintained in globally-distributed teams.MethodThe framework is based on the concepts of communicative genres and coordination mechanisms; it is motivated and explicated through examples from two qualitative empirical cases.ResultsCoordination mechanisms and communicative genres mutually support each other. In particular, communication through SoSo supports team members in establishing, developing and maintaining social protocols within the distributed team. Software Engineering tools and methods provide templates for coordination mechanism that need to be adapted and adopted in order to support the project at hand. SoSo serves as a medium for the necessary metawork. The theoretical framework proposed is used to describe both the practices in an established industrial project and the establishing of practices in three student teams. The framework allows explaining the heterogeneity of practices observed.ConclusionsThis paper presents a conceptual framework to study the role of communication through SoSo for coordination in GSD. The usefulness of the framework is supported by empirical findings on the role of SoSo. The theoretical framework can be beneficial for future research that aims to analyze and describe not only the role of SoSo, but also how communicative and coordinative practices can be established and maintained in GSD teams.     

A temporal modal defeasible logic for formalizing social commitments in dialogue and argumentation models

In this paper, we extend a temporal defeasible logic with a modal operator Committed to formalize commitments that agents undertake as a consequence of communicative actions (speech acts) during dialogues. We represent commitments as modal sentences. The defeasible dual of the modal operator Committed is a modal operator called Exempted. The logical setting makes the social-commitment based semantics of speech acts verifiable and practical; it is possible to detect if, and when, a commitment is violated and/or complied with. One of the main advantages of the proposed system is that it allows for capturing the nonmonotonic behavior of the commitments induced by the relevant speech acts.