The impact of a computerized conferencing system on the productivity of scientific research communities

Researchers and practitioners in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) have for a while been embracing the concepts of user and consumer experience as well as emotions in design, encouraging the industry to emphasise hedonic and symbolic qualities of products and services, over and beyond their utilitarian characteristics. However, the idea that mobile phone users, for instance, seek increasingly experience-rich, personalised products can not be taken for granted. Therefore, it is valuable to investigate the degree to which users really share designers' increasingly socio-emotional stances. The presented longitudinal study investigated users' mobile phone-related product meaning, particularly its development from 2004 to 2008. Product meaning was conceptualised in terms of an affective-cognizant choice mode dimension complemented by items capturing utilitarian, hedonic, and symbolic facets of the construct. The findings provide grounds for raising an important discussion about a possible pragmatic shift in product meaning, away from emotional and holistic, towards piecemeal and rational valuation. This would obviously challenge current design maxims. Linking these results to users' personality and mobile phone ownership history, subgroups with notably dissimilar product meaning development could be distinguished mainly with regard to levels of neuroticism, extraversion and brand loyalty – however, not gender.     

A study of the suitability of videophones for psychometric assessment

Abstract

In order to determine whether videophones are appropriate communication tools for psychometric assessments, we need to determine whether the quality of videophones is adequate to enable this type of assessment or whether it places a burden on the communication. The purpose of this study is to measure the subjective quality of video and audio features of commercially available videophones in the context of a psychometric assessment session. We recruited 52 subjects who used the videophone to participate in a psychometric assessment using the Perceived Stress Scale. After each session, participants filled out the ITU-T P.920 that assesses the context-specific quality of the video-call. Findings indicate that the overall audio and image quality of the video-call was satisfactory and participants perceived the videophones as useful in the context of psychometric assessment. These findings strengthen the call for use of video mediated communication in home and hospice settings and disease management.     

Effects of age,cognitive, and personal factors on PDA menu navigation performance

The present study examined the PDA menu navigation performance of younger and older adults. The research focus was directed to the understanding of the combination and interaction of user characteristics with PDA menu navigation performance. In order to detail individual factors that influence user's performance, users' age, spatial ability, verbal memory, the confidence to use technical devices and computer-expertise were studied and related to performance outcomes. Younger and older adults, experienced with the usage of different technical devices, but PDA novices, had to complete four common tasks in the digital diary of an emulated PDA and users' effectiveness and efficiency were surveyed. Even though the users of both age groups had a comparably high computer experience, participants had considerable difficulties to solve the PDA tasks successfully. Especially older adults were strongly disadvantaged when navigating through the PDA menu. Among the user characteristics which were revealed to be essential for performance, spatial abilities were the best predictor to explain PDA performance. In addition, an adequate mental representation of the PDA data structure was decisive for navigation performance, especially in the older adult group.     

KidStory: A technology design partnership with children

We present a new design method that is used within the KidStory project to enable a large number of young children to participate as partners in the design of advanced storytelling technology. The method is an adaptation of the cooperative inquiry method for school environments and uses a combination of evaluation, brainstorming and traditional education methods. These activities have lead to the elaboration of new ideas, impacted the design of existing software and produced a number of interesting new technology designs.     

The importance of task analysis in Usability Context Analysis - designing for fitness for purpose

Usability Context Analysis (UCA) suggests the use of task analysis in order to characterize the user's requirements of a product. This paper shows that a task analysis is a necessary (but not sufficient) part of a usability context analysis. Further, it is argued that it is necessary to carry out the task analysis to sufficient depth to establish fitness for purpose of the product under test. In addition, the analyst should have some knowledge of the application domain so that from various task sequences, that giving the best user-product task match can be used. The paper indicates by using an example of an echosounder that discrepancies of use can be highlighted through this task-based approach to usability context analysis.     

Effective user involvement in product development by improving the analysis of user needs

User involvement has been shown to be beneficial in the development of useful and usable systems. The trend of software development becoming a product-oriented activity creates challenges to user involvement. Field studies appear a promising approach, but the analysis of the gathered user needs has been shown to be demanding. This study presents, on the basis of seven case studies, an early user-involvement process showing how user needs can be analysed and how the input to product development can be identified. In addition, the process is evaluated in two industrial cases with interviews and a questionnaire. The results show that the process supports effective early user involvement; the resulted requirements were evaluated as being more successful and their quality as better than average in a company. However, the case studies show that user involvement not only provides useful information about users' needs but also increases the understanding of users' values.     

组织文化影响组织绩效的作用机制研究——组织文化匹配性的视角

组织文化与组织绩效之间的相关性研究呈现了乐观的结果,但是研究的局限和管理实践的困惑都难以得到解释。从组织文化匹配性的视角出发,以组织文化内部匹配性和外部匹配性为实验变量,探求组织文化与组织绩效之间的关系机制。通过中美两国制造企业的数据分析发现:组织文化的匹配性与积极的组织行为呈正相关,组织行为影响组织绩效,在组织文化与组织绩效之间起完全中介作用。提供了新的视角看待组织文化的重要性,也为塑造和建设企业文化提出了新的思路和方法。     

基于GIS地图的移动机器人路径规划

针对移动机器人路径规划实现条件的限制,提出基于GIS（geographicinformationsystem）地图的移动机器人路径规划．该方法应用改进A’算法,较好地实现了移动机器人的最优路径规划．在任意给定的地图中,只要确定了机器人的起点和终点,就可以找到该机器人在实际工作环境中符合需求的路径规划轨迹．应用VC＋＋编程进行实验,证明了该方法的有效性．     

Simulation of thermomechanical behavior during continuous casting process based on MiLE method

A new method called mixed Lagrangian and Eulerian method(MiLE method) was used to simulate the thermomechanical behavior during continuous casting process of steel YF45MnV.The simulation results are basically in agreement with the measured data.The delaying period at the beginning of solidification is about 0.1 in square root of solidification time which is agreement with the data in literatures,and shell thickness increases in linear relation to square root of solidification time.The bloom surface temperature decreases gradually as the casting proceeds.The effective stress in the corner is much larger than that in the mid-face.The corner area is the dangerous zone of cracking.The effects of mold flux break temperature on the air gap and hot tearing indicator were also modeled.The model predicts that the bloom surface temperature increases with the increase of the mold flux break temperature,but the heat flux decreases with the increase of the mold flux break temperature.The hot tearing indicator is much smaller when the mold flux break temperature is higher.