Exploring the performance of an augmented reality application for construction layout tasks

Multimedia Tools and Applications - While Building Information Modeling (BIM) adoption has increased in the industry, most office-to-site design communication still happens using 2D paper plans....     

Using predictors to partition menu selection times

Selection times of drop-down menus are in many ways influenced by cognitive and motor processes of the user and by design variables of the menu. Since the number of these variables is too large, the contribution of individual variables to selection time cannot be assessed by using factorial designs. Multiple regression is introduced to solve this problem. The technique uses selection times as criterions and a set of general menu characteristics as predictors. The non-standardized slopes β report the increase ( or decrease) in selection time which can be assessed for each predictor. In a first experiment, the validity of the technique was demonstrated replicating various well-known effects in a mouse-driven editor. For example, the selection times increased with the number of subordinate menu items or atypical items. Further, due to motor components of the mouse movement, selection times depended on the spatial position of an item within the menu. In a second experiment, mouse selection was replaced by key selection to stress cognitive processes contributing to response times. The technique yielded results that were sensitive to this variation. Limitations of the technique are discussed.     

Using predictors to partition menu selection times

Abstract

Selection times of drop-down menus are in many ways influenced by cognitive and motor processes of the user and by design variables of the menu. Since the number of these variables is too large, the contribution of individual variables to selection time cannot be assessed by using factorial designs. Multiple regression is introduced to solve this problem. The technique uses selection times as criterions and a set of general menu characteristics as predictors. The non-standardized slopes β report the increase ( or decrease) in selection time which can be assessed for each predictor. In a first experiment, the validity of the technique was demonstrated replicating various well-known effects in a mouse-driven editor. For example, the selection times increased with the number of subordinate menu items or atypical items. Further, due to motor components of the mouse movement, selection times depended on the spatial position of an item within the menu. In a second experiment, mouse selection was replaced by key selection to stress cognitive processes contributing to response times. The technique yielded results that were sensitive to this variation. Limitations of the technique are discussed.     

轻松定制多媒体光盘自启动菜单

在Windows系统里,无论硬盘还是光盘,如果其根目录下放置了Autorun.inf文件,那么在激活相应存储设备时,系统就会根据这个文件内容的指示,自动运行并弹出一封面,显示一些说明、菜单等。而目前自己动手刻录光盘已成为一种时尚,如果自己能配上一个Autorun,既可以标识光盘内容及用途,又能充分体现自我个性。然而要做出一个非常专业的Autorun极不容易。很多刻录高手通常是采用写程序,制作Flash动画,创建HTML文件等方法来制作Autorun,但是,这些方法不仅对普通用户来说具有一定的难度,即使是职业程序员、专业网页     

Adapting to changing user requirements

Systems which have the capability of adapting to changing user requirements must be founded on accurate and perceptive models of the organisation in which they have to function. Design methods based on active user participation and the use of experimental and prototyping methods help to ensure accurate models. But because systems are expected to survive even when circumstances change, the designers have to have a view of what the future world will look like. A technique which helps to provide such a view is called “future analysis”. However, even designs based on the best prediction technique cannot guarantee a fit between the currently designed system and future needs. Hence it is important to design systems with built-in flexibility. A number of methods have been developed which reduce the disruption caused by the amendment or even replacement of a system or system's component.     

Adapting to change and uncertainty

Understanding how people adapt to change and uncertainty is critical to system design, and good system design expands the ability of people to adapt. Cognitive systems engineering (CSE) enables us to understand work domains, reveal expertise, and derive essential features for systems. This is valuable because the demand for rapidly evolving systems such as information and communication technology does not allow for long-term deliberation by system developers. The publication of work by Norman, Hollnagel and Woods, and Rasmussen in the early 1980s provides an opportunity to consider where CSE stands nearly 30?years since its inception. The papers in this special issue of Cognition, Technology and Work convey insights from authors who have substantial firsthand experience with the use of CSE to study human adaptation to changing, uncertain work settings. Their research demonstrates the current state of CSE, the potential for CSE to reveal how people adapt to change and uncertainty, and implications for the design of complex adaptive systems.     

Modelling and Adapting to Context

One of the hardest points in context-aware applications is deciding what reactions a system has to a certain context. In this paper, we introduce an architecture used in two context-aware museum guides. We discuss how the context is modelled and we briefly present a rule-based mechanism to trigger system actions. A rule-based system offers the flexibility required to be context-sensitive in the broadest sense since many context features can be considered and evaluated at the same time. This architecture is very flexible and easily supports a fast prototyping approach.     

Effects of menu structure and touch screen scrolling style on the variability of glance durations during in-vehicle visual search tasks

The effects of alternative navigation device display features on drivers' visual sampling efficiency while searching forpoints of interest were studied in two driving simulation experiments with 40 participants. Given that the number of display items was sufficient, display features that facilitate resumption of visual search following interruptions were expected to lead to more consistent in-vehicle glance durations. As predicted, compared with a grid-style menu, searching information in a list-style menu while driving led to smaller variance in durations of in-vehicle glances, in particular with nine item displays. Kinetic touch screen scrolling induced a greater number of very short in-vehicle glances than scrolling with arrow buttons. The touch screen functionality did not significantly diminish the negative effects of the grid-menu compared with physical controls with list-style menus. The findings suggest that resumability of self-paced, in-vehicle visual search tasks could be assessed with the measures of variance of in-vehicle glance duration distributions. Statement of Relevance: The reported research reveals display design factors affecting safety-relevant variability of in-vehicle glance durations and provides a theoretical framework for explaining the effects. The research can have a significant methodical value for driver distraction research and practical value for the design and testing of in-vehicle user interfaces.     

Effects of menu structure and touch screen scrolling style on the variability of glance durations during in-vehicle visual search tasks

The effects of alternative navigation device display features on drivers' visual sampling efficiency while searching forpoints of interest were studied in two driving simulation experiments with 40 participants. Given that the number of display items was sufficient, display features that facilitate resumption of visual search following interruptions were expected to lead to more consistent in-vehicle glance durations. As predicted, compared with a grid-style menu, searching information in a list-style menu while driving led to smaller variance in durations of in-vehicle glances, in particular with nine item displays. Kinetic touch screen scrolling induced a greater number of very short in-vehicle glances than scrolling with arrow buttons. The touch screen functionality did not significantly diminish the negative effects of the grid-menu compared with physical controls with list-style menus. The findings suggest that resumability of self-paced, in-vehicle visual search tasks could be assessed with the measures of variance of in-vehicle glance duration distributions.

Statement of Relevance: The reported research reveals display design factors affecting safety-relevant variability of in-vehicle glance durations and provides a theoretical framework for explaining the effects. The research can have a significant methodical value for driver distraction research and practical value for the design and testing of in-vehicle user interfaces.     

用IWTreeView实现用户动态菜单的加载

在Web信息管理系统开发时,往往要根据用户的权限显示不同的用户菜单界面,一般情况下使用的是预先系统设定的菜单,或采用简单的菜单树状机构,虽然能满足对用户权限的控制目的,但使用不灵活、缺乏个性。本文介绍了尝试利用Intraweb的IWTreeView实现用户动态菜单的加载、复制来打造灵活而富有个性的用户菜单界面,并给出了具体的实现方法和代码实例。     

用IWTree View实现用户动态菜单的加载

在Web信息管理系统开发时,往往要根据用户的权限显示不同的用户菜单界面,一般情况下使用的是预先系统设定的菜单,或采用简单的菜单树状机构,虽然能满足对用户权限的控制目的,但使用不灵活、缺乏个性。本文介绍了尝试利用Intraweb的IWTreeView实现用户动态菜单的加载、复制来打造灵活而富有个性的用户菜单界面,并给出了具体的实现方法和代码实例。     

Aspects of menu design

Abstract Menus are choice structures. This article explores the pros and cons of various menu layouts. Its findings are applicable to the whole range of computer-assisted learning media from the micro through to touch screen interactive video.     

Adapting demons to knowledge management environments

Decision support systems depend on a variety of knowledge management techniques. These range from data base management, programming, and spreadsheet analysis to rule set management and automated inference. One valuable knowledge management technique that has yet to find its way into the repertoire of decision support system developers is general-purpose demon management. This article identifies and explores the major issues pertaining to the integration of demon representation and processing into a knowledge management environment. These serve as a basis for design and implementation of more flexible and powerful environments for decision support.     

Adapting office life to new technology

Implementing office technology means changing operating methods and job content if the benefits of increased productivity, effectiveness and competitiveness are to be enjoyed. The tendency seems to be toward making people fit the new job, with an increased emphasis in routine work at the lower levels, rewarded by higher pay etc. To stop this happening managers must produce a plan for the adoption of office automation technology.     

What's on the menu? The influence of menu content on the selection process

This paper focuses on the distinction between the selection process in a computer command menu and in an information retrieval menu. We argue that the cognitive processes involved in these two tasks are different and consequently, that performance cannot be explained by the same factors. Preliminary experimental results are presented to support this claim.     

VB自绘菜单流程分析

Visual Basic 6.0中使用"菜单编辑器"只能创建"平面"菜单,要得到附带图标、界面美观的菜单,需要调用API函数进行自绘菜单,而主菜单与下拉式菜单的触发事件不一样,需要响应不同的消息,使绘制的复杂性大大增加.在具体绘制过程中,首先确定消息机制,然后选取合适的API函数菜,对于菜单中经常使用的方框线条等基本图形先构造绘图函数,通过主函数调用绘图函数的方式来简化问题的复杂性,巧妙地实现了自绘菜单的期望效果.     

Adapting Web content to mobile user agents

In this article, we describe an adaptation proxy we developed as a part of a Kontti research project at VTT Information Technology that lets mobile users access Web content that's not directly targeted to mobile user agents. More and more content is now available on the Internet, and there's a growing need for mobile users to be able to access it. Thus the authors describe the adaptation proxy, which lets mobile users access Web content that's not directly targeted to user agents of mobile devices. The adaptation proxy can adapt Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML) documents into XHTML mobile profile (XHTML MP) and Wireless Markup Language (WML), and can perform media adaptation. At the system's core is an adaptation framework to which new source and target XML languages can be introduced with relatively little effort.