Understanding Usability and User Experience of Web-Based 3D Graphics Technology

As Web-based interactive 3D graphics (Web 3D), popularly referred to as Virtual Reality, continue to become more affordable, research and development groups in various fields have been adopting Web 3D technology. In addition to simulation of 3D content, the ability to instantly display alternative looks has been recognized as an innovative way to improve communication in such fields as product design, architecture, and e-commerce. Despite substantial adoption of Web 3D, how and how much the technology benefits target users as well as the providers who choose to adapt the Web 3D technology are not well understood. Previous research has established that interactive 3D graphics provide users with unique human–computer interaction (HCI). However, little is known about how users experience the Web 3D graphics technology and how user–system interaction contributes to system usability. The purpose of this study is to build new knowledge of the user experience with interactive-3D graphics systems used for product demonstration. By testing the impact of the technology on the user–system interaction and usability and comparing this impact with that of conventional two-dimensional (2D) graphics, this study tries to better understand the Web 3D technology from an interdisciplinary view of technology acceptance, sense of presence, and HCI. The study investigated how system usability is affected by HCI in the context of a furniture-style preference survey. The results of the study display the clear advantage for Web 3D for usability and show that perceived usefulness and sense of presence both mediate the effect of the technology treatment on the usability outcomes. The contribution of this study is that it includes empirical data to show how Web 3D benefits users when adopted in the context of a product demonstration and how the advantage is obtained through the user's interaction with the Web 3D technology.     

An Empirical Evaluation of the System Usability Scale

This article presents nearly 10 year's worth of System Usability Scale (SUS) data collected on numerous products in all phases of the development lifecycle. The SUS, developed by Brooke (1996) Brooke, J. 1996. “SUS: A “quick and dirty” usability scale”. In Usability evaluation in industry, Edited by: Jordan, P. W., Thomas, B. A. Weerdmeester and McClelland, I. L. 189–194. London: Taylor & Francis.  [Google Scholar], reflected a strong need in the usability community for a tool that could quickly and easily collect a user's subjective rating of a product's usability. The data in this study indicate that the SUS fulfills that need. Results from the analysis of this large number of SUS scores show that the SUS is a highly robust and versatile tool for usability professionals. The article presents these results and discusses their implications, describes nontraditional uses of the SUS, explains a proposed modification to the SUS to provide an adjective rating that correlates with a given score, and provides details of what constitutes an acceptable SUS score.     

A Balanced Approach to IT Transformation

The continuous improvement strategies necessary in today's climate of random change mandate that IT organizations transform the way they relate to other business units, deploy new technology, and organize and develop their people. Crafting an individualized transformation program that balances efforts in each of these areas will help IT managers add value to the bottom line while achieving real gains in customer service and productivity.     

THOMAS FLEISHMAN On The Role of IS in Health Care

Abstract

MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF firms are expected to use IT outsourcing in 2006. the sourcing issue is among the top five agenda items for IT executives, as the amount of such outsourcing grows, its impact on the economies of companies and nations increases and political controversy over the consequent jobs lost to off-shore outsourcing heightens. Thus, outsourcing is, and will likely continue to be, a hot professional and political topic and a major determinant of the future of IT.     

Sensitivity analysis for biometric systems: A methodology based on orthogonal experiment designs

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an effective and structured methodology for carrying out a biometric system sensitivity analysis. The goal of sensitivity analysis is to provide the researcher/developer with insight and understanding of the key factors—algorithmic, subject-based, procedural, image quality, environmental, among others—that affect the matching performance of the biometric system under study. This proposed methodology consists of two steps: (1) the design and execution of orthogonal fractional factorial experiment designs which allow the scientist to efficiently investigate the effect of a large number of factors—and interactions—simultaneously, and (2) the use of a select set of statistical data analysis graphical procedures which are fine-tuned to unambiguously highlight important factors, important interactions, and locally-optimal settings. We illustrate this methodology by application to a study of VASIR (Video-based Automated System for Iris Recognition)—NIST iris-based biometric system. In particular, we investigated k = 8 algorithmic factors from the VASIR system by constructing a (2^6?1 × 3¹  × 4¹) orthogonal fractional factorial design, generating the corresponding performance data, and applying an appropriate set of analysis graphics to determine the relative importance of the eight factors, the relative importance of the 28 two-term interactions, and the local best settings of the eight algorithms. The results showed that VASIR’s performance was primarily driven by six factors out of the eight, along with four two-term interactions. A virtue of our two-step methodology is that it is systematic and general, and hence may be applied with equal rigor and effectiveness to other biometric systems, such as fingerprints, face, voice, and DNA.     

Developing Faculty ICT Competencies Inside and Outside the Library

Despite all the financial resources that are directed to support and acquire learning technologies, the results have been generally disappointing. Faculty are eager to use technology but lack the technical skills, ability, and experience. Library staff includes a talent tool rich in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)/WEB 2.0 technical expertise and experience. In terms of content sourcing and procurement, library technical services and selection staff have broad knowledge of the marketplace for online information and content as well as experience in licensing access. They have a firm grasp of the transaction process, workflows, pricing, and licensing negotiations. Content development and sourcing inevitably involves access management, online storage, copyright, and licensing—things at which libraries are good. ICT deployment is changing teaching and learning on campuses, and the roles of those involved in teaching and learning are also changing. Whether formally through mandated library services, or informally through back channels, library staff are supporting faculty new technology use as well as faculty teaching materials content sourcing and procurement.     

The pataphysics of creativity: developing a tool for creative search

We introduce the idea of a new kind of web search tool that uses the literary and philosophical idea of pataphysics as a conceptual framework in order to return creative results. Pataphysics, the science of exceptions and imaginary solutions, can be directly linked to creativity and is therefore very suitable to guide the transformation from relevant into creative search results. To enable pataphysical algorithms within our system we propose the need for a new type of system architecture. We discuss a component-based software architecture that would allow the flexible integration of the new algorithms at any stage or location and the need for an index suitable to handle patadata, data which have been transformed pataphysically. This tool aims to generate surprising, novel and provocative search results rather than relevant ones, in order to inspire a more creative interaction that has applications in both creative work and learning contexts.     

Investigations into the molecular-level adhesion characteristics of hydroxyapatite-coated and anodized titanium surfaces using the molecular orbital approach

It has been established that the adhesion of cells on to the surfaces of orthopaedic implants depends on the ability of the surfaces to accommodate protein molecules. Hydroxyapatite coating and anodizing are the most common methods to make TiAl6V4 implants (Ti) more biocompatible. In this paper Spartan 02, a molecular dynamics software, is used to analyze and predict the bonding characteristics of Extra cellular matrix protein sequence arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) on a Hyrdoxyapatite (HA) coated Ti and an anodized Ti surface based on the property of its constituent atoms, their polarity (net electrostatic charge, Qr), the energies of the molecular orbital E_HOMO (energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital), and E_LUMO (energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital). The results show favourable criterion for formation of bonding between the HOMO orbital of the HA coated and anodized surfaces and LUMO orbital of the glycine strand from the RGD unit. The mechanism of bonding of individual atoms to form primary calcium oxide compounds is likely only in the case of HA coated surfaces . The surface texture of the anodized Ti with inherent porosities appear more responsible for the adsorption of proteins on to them by mechanical interlocking than the formation of any intermediate calcium oxide compounds.