| The Ecology of Work and Interface Design | | BIBA | 3-20 | |
| Jens Rasmussen | |||
| The paper is intended to demonstrate the importance of a careful study of the ecology of work for an effective design of modern human-work interfaces and the need for cross-disciplinary analysis of the deep structure of particular work systems. The basis of purposeful activities and the problems met in analysis of adaptive systems are discussed. The importance of the intentional structures of work domains is discussed with reference to different kinds of work domains. Finally, the problem of human factors guidelines for design is reviewed and an alternative approach is suggested. | |||
| Molecular Graphics: From Pen Plotter to Virtual Reality | | BIBA | 21-27 | |
| R. E. Hubbard | |||
| The past ten years has seen intense developments in the application of
graphics and computing techniques and technologies in the study of molecular
structure and function. This is a very demanding application. The complexity
of molecular structure is such as to be always pushing against the limitations
of computing power or the speed of the graphics engines available. All of
which is complicated by our, at present, naive understanding of the physical
and chemical principles that govern molecular structure. Because of these
limitations, molecular graphics has been crucial in the representation and
dissection of structure, as many of the scientific insights have come only by
exploiting properly the structural intuition of the scientist manipulating
molecules through a computer screen.
In this paper, I will try to give an outline of molecular graphics and modelling, concentrating on the features which are particularly demanding in terms of interaction and 3D representation. Many of the principles are drawn from the work of the Protein Structural Research Group at York, although similar challenges exist in materials, polymers and small molecule modelling. I will then give a brief discussion of how current technologies have evolved to meet these demands. This laboratory has just (April 1992) started a collaboration with Glaxo Group Research, IBM UK and Division to investigate the potential of virtual reality techniques in molecular graphics and modelling. I will give a brief overview of this project. Hopefully by the time of the September meeting, we will have some results to discuss. | |||
| User Interface Architectures for an Information Age | | BIBA | 29-41 | |
| Dan R., Jr. Olsen | |||
| The needs of users for information based user interface architectures are discussed. An architecture is proposed. It is shown how this architecture would serve the needs of such user. It is also shown how a malleable interface environment is enable and how multi-user interfaces can be serviced. | |||
| The Use of Unfamiliar Programming Languages by Experienced Programmers | | BIBAK | 45-56 | |
| Jean Scholtz; Susan Wiedenbeck | |||
| This paper begins by describing a model of the influences operating when an
experienced programmer learns to program in an unfamiliar language. It then
reports on an empirical study which investigated how a change of programming
language affects experienced programmers. Programmers solved a familiar
problem using an unfamiliar language. It was found that programmers used
knowledge from past experience in solving the problem but often had to adapt
the knowledge to take good advantages of the new language. They were only
partly successful in doing this, and overall performance was poor. Their
solution process was disrupted, as shown by more plan changes and backward
planning. Keywords: Cognition of programming, User models, Transfer of programming skills | |||
| Modelling the Relationship Between Planning, Control, Perception and Execution Behaviours in Interactive Worksystems | | BIBAK | 57-72 | |
| Walter Smith; Becky Hill; John Long; Andy Whitefield | |||
| This paper presents a model of planning carried out by interactive
worksystems which attempts:
1. To describe the relationship between planning, control, perception and
execution behaviours; and 2. To make explicit how these may be distributed across the user and physically separate devices. Such a model, it is argued, is more suitable to support HCI design practice than theories of planning in cognitive science which focus on problem-solving methods and representations. To demonstrate the application of the model to work situations, it is illustrated by examples drawn from an observational study of secretarial office administration. Keywords: User modelling, Planning, Control, Office administration | |||
| The Effects of Skill Development and Feedback on Action Slips | | BIBAK | 73-86 | |
| Wai On Lee | |||
| We examined the effects of skill development and feedback on the level of
action slips within an experiment involving three one hour sessions. Two types
of visual feedback: static and dynamic were used to suppress a type of action
slips called the `unselected window error'. The results showed dynamic
feedback to be more effective than static feedback. Although the result did
not support theories which predict that increase in expertise will be
paralleled by increase in action slips, there were indications that under
certain conditions, the level of unselected window errors were more likely to
rise as users became increasingly experienced. Keywords: Skill development, Action slips, Unselected window error, Static feedback,
Dynamic feedback | |||
| What is Gained and Lost when Using Evaluation Methods Other than Empirical Testing | | BIBAK | 89-102 | |
| Heather W. Desurvire; Jim M. Kondziela; Michael E. Atwood | |||
| There is increasing interest in finding usability testing methods that are
easier and cheaper to implement than traditional laboratory usability testing.
Recent research has looked at a few of these methods. The current study uses
three groups of evaluators with different types of expertise, to evaluate a
telephone-based interface using two different evaluation methods, the Cognitive
Walkthrough and Heuristic Evaluation. This data is compared to laboratory
results. Specific problems named in the laboratory and by the evaluator groups
are analyzed for what contributions are made by each evaluator group under each
method, and what is lost when traditional usability testing cannot be
implemented. Future research directions are also discussed. Keywords: Cognitive walkthrough, Cost-effectiveness, Empirical testing, Heuristic
evaluation, Telephone-based interface, Usability expertise, Usability testing | |||
| EVADIS II: A New Method to Evaluate User Interfaces | | BIBAK | 103-115 | |
| Harald Reiterer | |||
| Depending on the directive concerning the minimum safety and health
requirements for VDT workers of the European Community there is an increasing
need for practical evaluation methods for user interfaces, which will allow to
test the conformance with the directive. The presented evaluation method
EVADIS II could be a step in this direction and also a starting-point for
developing an evaluation method which allows a conformance test in the sense of
ISO 9241 Parts 10 and 11. EVADIS II overcomes some typical deficits of known
evaluation methods. Especially it considers the tasks, the user, and the
organizational context and provides computer support for the use of the
evaluation procedure. All essential steps and components of the EVADIS II
procedure are described in the paper in some detail. Keywords: Dialogue principles, EVADIS, Evaluation, Evaluation methods, Human factors,
User interface | |||
| From User's Problems to Design Errors: Linking Evaluation to Improving Design Practice | | BIBAK | 117-134 | |
| A. G. Sutcliffe; M. V. Springett | |||
| An evaluation study of Claris MacDraw is reported. The method used combines
error classification with analysis of users' problems by comparison of user and
system models. Usability problems were attributed to poor feedback, cueing or
inappropriate functionality. However, more detailed model-based analysis
demonstrated many errors had several causes and the design features responsible
are investigated. The results are discussed in light of design problems
inherent in direct manipulation interfaces and the need for economic evaluation
methods to discover and understand design problems. Keywords: Usability evaluation, Errors, Direct manipulation | |||
| Inferring Graphical Constraints with Rockit | | BIBAK | 137-153 | |
| Solange Karsenty; James A. Landay; Chris Weikart | |||
| Rockit is a system that identifies the possible graphical constraints
between objects in a two-dimensional scene and allows the user to choose and
apply the desired constraints quickly and easily. Rockit looks for
intersections between the position of a designated object and the gravity
fields of other objects to determine the possible constraints. These candidate
constraints are passed to a rule system that encodes some simple knowledge
about how graphical objects normally interact and can thus be constrained to
one another. The rules are used to determine the most likely constraints to be
applied between the designated object and the other objects in the scene. As
the user manipulates the object, the object will gravitate towards the most
likely constraint scenario. The inferred constraints are indicated by the
creation of graphical and sonic feedback objects. Rockit makes it easy to try
other likely scenarios by simply pressing a key, causing the system to cycle
through the other possibilities. Keywords: Geometric constraints, Graphical editors, Inferencing, Interaction
techniques, Direct manipulation, User interfaces, Sonic feedback, Audio | |||
| On the Use of LOTOS to Describe Graphical Interaction | | BIBAK | 155-173 | |
| F. Paterno'; G. Faconti | |||
| This paper discusses a formal specification of a model of a graphical
interaction object by using the LOTOS notation and the possible results that we
can obtain from this approach. With this model the relationship between input
and output functionality can be addressed. A User Interface System, which
manages dialogues between the user and the application, may be described as a
composition of instances of graphical interacting objects. Examples of common
graphical interactions are described following the proposed abstract model for
graphical interaction objects and by using the LOTOS notation. Application of
automatic tools to the performed specifications is discussed. Keywords: User interface system, Formal methods, Interactive systems, Graphic input
models | |||
| Effective Graphics: Accessing Spatial Relations | | BIBAK | 175-189 | |
| Jon Slack; Cristina Conati | |||
| Graphical interfaces derive part of their effectiveness from encoding
to-be-communicated information as spatial relations. Encoding the information
in this way facilitates the User's access to it by exploiting the rapid
perceptual operations that identify and encode the spatial relations implicit
in the visual array. The paper outlines a representation framework for the
cognitive/perceptual encoding of graphically presented information. The
processes that access the information by extracting and decoding spatial
relations can be specified within this framework. These specifications provide
a basis for costing the information extraction routines thereby enabling the
notion of `effective graphics' to be quantified. An example is worked through
in detail, showing how these ideas can be applied to the generation of the
optimal graphical format for quantitative relational data. Keywords: Graphical presentations, Effective graphics, Information access | |||
| Pace and Interaction | | BIBAK | 193-207 | |
| Alan Dix | |||
| Channels of communication are presented as an emergent property of
cooperative work. During actual interaction channels of communication are
typically used in an intermittent fashion. Thus bandwidth is not an
appropriate measure. Instead pace, the measure of the rate at which individual
communications occur through a channel, is proposed as a primary property. We
can relate this to the pace of interaction between participants, and to the
pace of the common task. Any mismatch of pace will result either in the
participants being forced to adopt coping strategies or in the worst case a
complete breakdown in the cooperative work. Keywords: Communication, CSCW, Group work, Formal analysis, Channels, Information
theory | |||
| Systematic Menu Design | | BIBAK | 209-226 | |
| William Edmondson; Robert Spence | |||
| This paper presents an account of framework-based Systematic Menu Design.
The formalisms incorporated in the framework are: Lean Cuisine, User Action
Notation and Event Response System -- for the interface -- and two less
familiar formalisms for the underlying functional and behavioural structures.
Systematic Menu Design requires the designer to use the formalisms of the
framework to minimize unconstrained arbitrariness in menu systems. The
designer works from the user's requirements towards both the application
functionality and the interface, using formal notations as far as possible.
The flow of influence is from the user to the interface. The use of SMD to
produce a menu is illustrated. Keywords: Design, Formalism, Framework, Interfaces, Menus | |||
| User Modelling and User Interface Design | | BIBAK | 227-239 | |
| Chris Kelly; Lynne Colgan | |||
| This paper presents an analysis of user and task models which takes into
consideration the different types of each model, the differences between the
models, and their relationship to user interface design. A UK collaborative
project known as ADEPT (Advanced Design Environment for Prototyping and Task
Modelling) is outlined, and in particular the development of the ADEPT User
Model is described. It constitutes a computational model of a `typical' user,
and is structured from a high level picture of a generic user based on a
cognitive architecture, down to characteristics applicable to a group of users. Keywords: User model, Task model, User interface design, Design environment, ADEPT | |||
| Hypertext Document Retrieval and Assembly in Legal Domains | | BIBAK | 243-256 | |
| Peter Thomas; Vijay Mital | |||
| This paper describes an approach to information retrieval for legal document
assembly which differs significantly from previous approaches. The approach
exploits the features of hypertext in combination with active links between
text units to help guide the user through often complex and interrelated
fragments of information. The approach exploits the idea of semantically
differentiated links within a hypertext environment without reliance on
problematic knowledge-based techniques. This paper describes the way in which
semantically-differentiated links are employed and outlines the architecture
and operation of a system which is based on these ideas. Keywords: Hypertext, Document, Management, User-centred design, User-guided
information retrieval | |||
| Does a Video Diary Help Recall? | | BIBAK | 257-269 | |
| Margery Eldridge; Michael Lamming; Mike Flynn | |||
| The purpose of this paper is to determine the value of video recording in
aiding the recall of work activities. A Video Diary System is described and
the results of a preliminary evaluation of the system are presented. The
memory experiment provided subjects with several different memory aids. The
use of a Video Diary increased the number of activities which were recalled
compared to using only a written diary. People and objects were particularly
valuable cues in aiding the recall of work activities. Although the Video
Diary was very useful, it clearly does not completely capture the events of the
working day. Keywords: Memory, Multi-media, Video | |||
| An Ethnographic Approach to Analysing Navigation and Task Structure in Interactive Multimedia: Some Design Issues for Group Use | | BIBAK | 271-287 | |
| Lydia Plowman | |||
| The classroom research on which this study is based suggests that groups of
children using interactive multimedia programmes require clear structure at
both global and local levels, and exploratory learning is not necessarily
appropriate. Video recordings and spoken and written protocols are used, in
conjunction with media interaction charts, to relate task structure to
navigation, learner control and machine interaction. Two programmes are used
as the basis of the study and some design guidelines with specific reference to
group use of interactive multimedia programmes are provided. Keywords: Educational interactive multimedia, Groupwork, Navigation, Task structure,
Design guidelines | |||
| A Structured Design of Word Processing Functionality | | BIBAK | 291-306 | |
| Carla Huls; Alice Dijkstra | |||
| We developed a structured approach to designing word processing
functionality in an editorial support environment (ESE). Four types of
functions are distinguished: text editing, text checking, layout editing and
layout checking. These functions can be applied to three types of arguments:
Content-based; Media-based; and User-based arbitrary text fragments. We
describe how the framework can serve as a basis for research into useful
editorial support functionality, for research into user interface design and
for research into learning how to use a word processor. Keywords: Design, Word processing | |||
| Design Principles for Improving Service Integration for End-Users in Broadband Communication Systems | | BIBAK | 307-322 | |
| Ian Denley; Andy Whitefield; Paul Byerley; Ulla-Britt Voigt; Sibylle Hermann; Jon May | |||
| End-users of broadband communication systems will face ease of use problems
in integrating the various services that will be provided. This paper
discusses the development of principles for designers which it is claimed might
contribute to solutions to these problems. The paper describes the advantages
of these principles over similar extant Human Factors advice both with respect
to their scope and their application by designers. A case study illustrates
the use of the principles in the design of a prototype multimedia multiuser
system. Keywords: Design principles, Service integration, Integrated broadband communication
(IBC) systems | |||
| CICS/ESA Usability: A Measure of Success | | BIBAK | 323-338 | |
| S. R. Hakiel; G. E. Mann | |||
| The IBM Corporation recognises that market driven principles, including
usability, are key to the acceptance, or otherwise, of any IBM product. To
help guarantee acceptable products a number of Corporate and product
initiatives demand that product usability be specified and measured as an
integral part of the development process, in a repeatable and consistent
fashion. This paper describes how such principles were applied during the
development of Customer Information Control System/Enterprise Systems
Architecture Version 3 (CICS/ESA V3) to evaluate the usability of its resource
management features. The main significance of this work was an emphasis on the
user's view of the world, starting with data based upon an understanding of the
users, their tasks, and their environments. From this data explicit usability
requirements and objectives were established, a rigorous usability
specification prepared, and test scenarios and systems created. Finally,
representative customer users were involved once again to derive usability
measurements and diagnostic data, and to validate the tasks they undertook. It
has been possible to show that, with customer assistance, usability can be
defined and measured in accordance with both user-oriented requirements and
IBM's Corporate directives. It is shown that market-driven principles can be
applied throughout the product development process ultimately leading to
improved product quality and improved customer satisfaction. Keywords: Usability, Human factors, Evaluation, Case study | |||
| Sociologists Can be Surprisingly Useful in Interactive Systems Design | | BIBAK | 341-353 | |
| Ian Sommerville; Tom Rodden; Pete Sawyer; Richard Bentley | |||
| This paper makes a case, to system developers, for inter-disciplinary
working and the involvement of sociologists in the systems design process. Our
argument is based on the fact that effective systems must take account of the
social context in which these systems are situated. The paper is based on our
experiences of working with sociologists in a study of air traffic control
automation. We describe the model of working which we use and which we believe
allows effective utilisation of the skills of both disciplines. We then set
out pre-cursors for effective inter-disciplinary collaboration and how people
from radically different backgrounds can work in harmony. Finally, we discuss
some of the problems of collaboration which are likely to arise. Keywords: Systems design, Ethnography, Inter-disciplinary working | |||
| CoOpLab: Practical Experiences with Evaluating a Multi-User System | | BIBAK | 355-368 | |
| Michele E. Morris; Tony A. Plant; Philip T. Hughes | |||
| This paper describes the pragmatic approach taken to designing and
evaluating a shared window conferencing system (CoOpLab). The design and
evaluation of CSCW systems poses unique challenges to the HCI community. The
evaluation techniques and design principles developed for handling single-user
systems require substantial modification for use with multi-user systems,
especially where the subjects are geographically distributed. We have shown
that many of the current evaluation techniques and principles can be adapted
for use in this situation. We also found that taking a user-centred approach
to system design yields significant benefits when compared to more technology
led approaches. Keywords: CSCW, Evaluation, Informal meetings, Shared workspace | |||
| ShareME -- Shared Multimedia Environments: Some Issues on Interaction in Distributed Multimedia Information Environments | | BIBAK | 369-388 | |
| Kaisa Vaananen; Wolfgang Hubner | |||
| This paper describes the conceptualization and realization of a system
called ShareME for information acquisition and distributed student-expert
collaboration. ShareME is a tool for building distributed multimedia
information environments based on a network of NeXT workstations. The central
concepts are structuring mechanisms for multimedia information space,
user-oriented interaction and collaboration methods for heterogeneous media
(audio, video, telecommunication, shared screens), and explicit user interface
metaphors for multimedia environments. ShareME tool and the first test
environment for information acquisition on the new German states are described.
Using the ShareME tool and following the concepts presented allows the
environment author to easily construct shared multimedia environments. In
these environments the users can interact, communicate, collaborate, and
acquire information in an intuitive and rewarding manner. Keywords: Shared multimedia, Information acquisition, Wide-channel communication,
Collaboration, User interface metaphors, Multimedia authoring | |||
| A Taxonomy of Adaptive User Interfaces | | BIBAK | 391-414 | |
| Uwe Malinowski; Thomas Kuhme; Hartmut Dieterich; Matthias Schneider-Hufschmidt | |||
| This paper presents a taxonomy of Adaptive User Interfaces (AUIs). The
taxonomy contributes to the clarification of terms and is used to classify the
results of related work and projects. Moreover, it will serve to identify the
most promising research areas in this field. The taxonomy covers a broad range
of classification parameters, including tasks and agents, types, levels, scope,
goals, methods, strategies, models and architectures of adaptation, and
adaptation techniques. The taxonomy is presented as a classification tree.
Each issue is discussed with regard to its significance and potential
advantages/disadvantages. Keywords: Adaptability, Adaptation, Adaptive user interfaces, Intelligent interfaces,
Plan recognition, Structural models, User interface management systems (UIMS),
User modelling, Task modelling, Taxonomy | |||
| The Re-Use and Integration of Existing Software: A Central Role for the Intelligent User Interface | | BIBAK | 415-427 | |
| E. A. Edmonds; B. S. Murray; J. Ghazikhanian; S. P. Heggie | |||
| The paper is concerned with the delivery to users of systems that solve
their specific problems whilst taking advantage of generally available existing
systems and services. The user interface software is seen as an integration
component. An architecture that enables this integration and allows for the
incorporation of intelligent/knowledge-based user support is presented. The
FOCUS Toolkit, that has been developed to implement these Knowledge-Based Front
Ends (KBFE), is also briefly described. Keywords: Integration, Intelligent interfaces, Existing software applications, User
support, Messaging, Multiple processes, Networks | |||
| Analysis of User Behaviour as Time Series | | BIBAK | 429-444 | |
| Alan Dix; Janet Finlay; Russell Beale | |||
| The trace of user interactions with a system is the primary source of data
for on-line user modelling and for many design and research experiments. This
trace should really be analysed as a time series, but standard time series
techniques do not deal well with discrete data and fuzzy matching. Techniques
from machine learning (neural nets and inductive learning) have been applied to
this analysis but these are limited to fixed size patterns and fail to deal
properly with the trace as a time series. Many of the notations used to
describe the system dialogue (e.g. CSP, production systems) and the user's
behaviour (e.g. GOMS, grammars) can be regarded as describing non-deterministic
finite state machines. Such a representation forms a key to using machine
learning techniques, focussed on the state transitions. Keywords: Trace analysis, User modelling, Machine learning, Time series, State
transition, GOMS | |||
| An Assessment of Font Preferences for Screen-Based Text Display | | BIBAK | 447-461 | |
| Patrick A. Holleran | |||
| This study presents an examination of the use of and preferences for various
typefaces for reading text on computer screens. Computer users were surveyed
by phone for information about their favorite fonts and the fonts they used on
their machines. An additional set of subjects was brought into the laboratory
and asked to rate 53 difference typefaces displaying text on screen. Results
provided information about font preferences and revealed moderate levels of
agreement among subjects. Additionally, it proved possible to establish a
relationship between measurements of font characteristics and subjects'
ratings. Keywords: Font, Typeface, Reading, VDT, Preferences | |||
| Using Animated Demonstrations to Teach Graphics Skills | | BIBAK | 463-474 | |
| Patrick Waterson; Claire O'Malley | |||
| Recent research has shown that animated demonstrations are better than
textual instructions in teaching novices how to use an interface, as measured
by immediate retention, but that this advantage is not maintained longer
retention intervals. It is argued here that such effects may depend upon the
type of interface being learned. In this study users were taught to use a
graphics application, either via animated demonstrations or textual
instructions. Results show that, at least for graphics applications, animated
demonstrations are more effective than textual instructions, even after an
interval of one week. We conclude that animations may be superior to textual
instructions for some types of application because they encourage active
exploration of the interface. Keywords: Animated demonstrations, Display-Based problem solving, Graphical help,
Exploratory learning | |||
| HCI, Where's the Practice? | | BIB | 477-479 | |
| Jonathan Earthy; David Pullinger; Chris Fowler; Stephen Page; Alistair Sutcliffe | |||
| CSCW: Power, Control, Conflict | | BIB | 481-483 | |
| Colston Sanger; Nigel Gilbert; David Wastell; Wendy Mackay; Steve Easterbrook | |||
| Interface Construction for the Millennium: Beyond Objects and Widget Pushers | | BIB | 485-487 | |
| David England; Peter Johnson; Roger Took; Stephen W. Draper | |||
| Human Factors and Flight Deck Automation | | BIB | 489-491 | |
| Andrew McClumpha; Peter Bugge; Vic Lebacqz; Kathy Abbott; Marianne Rudisill; Paul Wilson | |||
| HCI: The Search for Solutions | | BIB | 493-495 | |
| Dan Diaper; Mark Addison | |||
| The Human-Computer Interaction Group at the University of York | | BIBK | 499-501 | |
| M. D. Harrison; A. F. Monk; P. C. Wright | |||
Keywords: Evaluation, System and user modelling, Computer-mediated communication,
Error tolerant systems | |||
| Some Research at Glasgow Interactive Systems cenTre | | BIBK | 503-506 | |
| Stephen W. Draper | |||
Keywords: Focus groups, Think-aloud protocols, Checklists, Usability framework,
Consistency, Style, Data model | |||
| The State-of-the-Art at the Research Institute for Theoretical Informatics | | BIBK | 507-509 | |
| Florin Rotaru; Eduard Antoniu; Felix Paulet | |||
Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Fuzzy systems, Image processing, Neural networks | |||
| Human-Computer Interaction Engineering: A Laboratory Overview of the Ergonomics Unit, University College London | | BIBK | 511-514 | |
| John Long | |||
Keywords: HCI engineering, Human factors, Design | |||
| Rank Xerox Cambridge EuroPARC | | BIBK | 515-518 | |
| Allan MacLean | |||
Keywords: Multimedia | |||
| Human Interface Design: Laboratory Overview | | BIBK | 519-521 | |
| Simon Hakiel | |||
Keywords: Usability, Design, Evaluation, Human factors | |||
| Logica Cambridge Ltd -- Laboratory Overview | | BIBK | 523-525 | |
| Rosalind Barden; Angela Lucas | |||
Keywords: User-centred design, Prototyping, Co-operative working, User interface style | |||
| The LUTCHI Research Centre | | BIBK | 527-529 | |
| Ernest Edmonds; James L. Alty; Anthony Clarke; Stephen Scrivener | |||
Keywords: Knowledge-based, Multimedia intelligent interfaces, Visual perception | |||