| Designing Optimum CRT Text Blinking for Video Image Presentation | | BIBAK | 1-6 | |
| Seiji Kitakaze; Yutaka Kasahara | |||
| A reference scale has been established to assist in the determination of
optimum text blinking times for portions of video image texts being presented
on CRT display systems. Optimum text blinking time herein is considered to be
that time which most effectively catches and holds viewer attention and
quickens his understanding of message import. Three experiments involving
questions of the psychology of blinking time were conducted. The first
experiment examined subjects' preconceived notions of optimum blinking time,
i.e., what they imagined, within their own minds, such times would be for
specific text portions. The second experiment determined the gap between those
preconceived notions and the subjects' changed concepts of optimum blinking
times, based on their experience of visual trials. The third experiment
applied a scale of blinking times, based on the experience gained in the second
experiment, to a new set of subjects in order to further refine our
understanding of optimum intervals. For the portions of text used here,
optimum blinking times centered about 1.0 second.
Moreover, through an adaptation to the video image presentation system, the effectiveness of the optimum text blinking times and the psychological scale was confirmed. Keywords: Text blinking, User interface, Video image presentation, Psychological scale | |||
| Why Reading Was Slower from CRT Displays Than from Paper | | BIBAK | 7-11 | |
| John D. Gould; Lizette Alfaro; Rich Finn; Brian Haupt; Angela Minuto; Josiane Salaun | |||
| Experiments, including our own (Gould et al., 1982; 1984; 1986), have shown
that people read more slowly from CRT displays than from paper. Here we
summarize results from a few of our fifteen experiments that have led us to
conclude that the explanation centers on the image quality of the CRT
characters. Reading speeds equivalent to those on paper were found when the
CRT displays contained character fonts that resembled those on paper (rather
than dot matrix fonts, for example), had a polarity of dark characters on a
light background, were anti-aliased (e.g., contained grey level), and were
shown on displays with relatively high resolution (e.g., 1000 x 800). Each of
these variables probably contributes something to the improvement, but the
trade-offs have not been determined. Other general explanations for the
reading speed difference that can be excluded include some inherent defect in
CRT technology itself or personal variables such as age, experience, or
familiarity at reading from CRT displays. Keywords: Reading, Displays, Productivity | |||
| On the Parameters of Human Visual Performance: An Investigation of the Benefits of Antialiasing | | BIBAK | 13-19 | |
| K. S. Booth; M. P. Bryden; W. B. Cowan; M. F. Morgan; B. L. Plante | |||
| A two-part experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of aliasing
artifacts and screen resolution on a simple visual recognition task. The
results indicate that in many cases far less realism may be necessary in
synthetic computer-generated imagery than is often assumed in the literature.
The first part of the experiment comprised a subjective rating of image
quality, the second part measured task effectiveness of image quality. In the
second part subjects were asked to discriminate between images of two types of
objects built from cubes, similar to objects used in experiments involving
mental rotation.
At higher resolutions the elimination of aliasing artifacts did not significantly improve subjects' performance. At intermediate and low resolutions, comparable to what might be used for iconic menus, the reduction in aliasing artifacts resulted in improved performance. The subjective ratings indicate that for both high and low resolution the elimination of aliasing artifacts does not improve "quality," whereas images rendered at intermediate resolutions are significantly degraded by aliasing artifacts to the extent that antialiasing improves the subjective rating. An interpretation of these results is given in the context of an ongoing research program aimed at identifying the parameters of real-time human performance for graphics workstations. Keywords: Antialiasing, Image quality, Vision | |||
| Approximate Modelling of Cognitive Activity: Towards an Expert System Design Aid | | BIBAK | 21-26 | |
| Phil Barnard; Michael Wilson; Allan MacLean | |||
| Constructs from theoretical psychology can be used to decompose the
representational and processing resources of cognition. The decomposition
supports "cognitive task analysis" through which user performance can be
related to the functioning of resources. Such functional relationships have
been formalised and embodied in an expert system. This builds approximate
models which describe cognitive activity associated with the execution of
dialogue tasks. Attributes of these "cognitive task models" can be used to
predict likely properties of user performance. Keywords: Cognitive models, Approximation, User-system dialogue, Expert systems | |||
| Transfer Between Text Editors | | BIBA | 27-32 | |
| Peter G. Polson; Susan Bovair; David Kieras | |||
| This paper describes a successful test of a quantitative model that accounts for large positive transfer effects between similar screen editors, between different line editors and from line editors to a screen editor, and between text and graphic editors. The model is tested in an experiment using two very similar full-screen text-editors differing only in the structure of their editing commands, verb-noun vs noun-verb. Quantitative predictions for training time were derived from a production system model based on the Polson and Kieras (1985) model of text editing. | |||
| Predicting the Time to Recall Computer Command Abbreviations | | BIBAK | 33-40 | |
| Bonnie E. John; Allen Newell | |||
| A GOMS theory of stimulus-response compatibility is shown to predict
response-time performance on a command/abbreviation encoding task. Working
with parameters that were set by an earlier study and which have rational,
task-meaningful interpretations as mapping, motor, perception and retrieval
operators, zero-parameter predictions were made that fit the observed
performance with r² = 0.776 (p<0.05). The reasonableness of the
parameters, the algorithms used to generate the predictions, and the weighting
assumption used to combine algorithms into a single prediction are discussed. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Cognitive modeling | |||
| Voice: Technology Searching for Communication Needs | | BIBA | 41-44 | |
| Arlene Aucella; Robin Kinkead; Chris Schmandt; Anna Wichansky | |||
| Voice technology is just beginning to gain a foothold in the information
processing world. Applications such as voice mail, credit verification, order
entry and airline reservation systems are slowly being introduced. Critics of
voice systems frequently point out their limitations with little understanding
of their power or advantages. One key determinant of the success or failure of
voice systems is the USER INTERFACE. It is important that the dialogue
structure, prompts, system feedback and error messages be designed based on
user input, testing and evaluation.
Another key determinant of the success of voice systems is the careful matching of users, tasks and environment to the technology. Voice technology is often broken down into 3 major categories. | |||
| NoteCards in a Nutshell | | BIBA | 45-52 | |
| Frank G. Halasz; Thomas P. Moran; Randall H. Trigg | |||
| NoteCards is an extensible environment designed to help people formulate,
structure, compare, and manage ideas. NoteCards provides the user with a
"semantic network" of electronic notecards interconnected by typed links. The
system provides tools to organize, manage, and display the structure of the
network, as well as a set of methods and protocols for creating programs to
manipulate the information in the network. NoteCards in currently being used
by more than 50 people engaged in idea processing tasks ranging from writing
research papers through designing parts for photocopiers.
In this paper we briefly describe NoteCards and the conceptualization of idea processing tasks that underlies its design. We then describe the NoteCards user community and several prototypical NoteCards applications. Finally, we discuss what we have learned about the system's strengths and weaknesses from our observations of the NoteCards user community. | |||
| A Multiple, Virtual-Workspace Interface to Support User Task Switching | | BIBA | 53-59 | |
| Stuart K. Card; Austin, Jr. Henderson | |||
| An interface is presented that is designed to help users switch among tasks on which they are concurrently working. Nine desirable properties for such an interface are derived. It is argued that a key constraint to building interfaces that support task switching is that low user-overhead switching among tasks requires a large amount of display space, whereas actual display space is limited. A virtual workspace design is presented that greatly speeds the inevitable task-switching induced window faulting. The resulting interface is presented as a study in theory-based human-interface design. It is shown how in this case theory is important in inspiring a design, but design entailments outside the theory raise new issues that must be faced to make the design viable. These design experiences, in turn, help inspire new theory. | |||
| Experiences with the Alternate Reality Kit: An Example of the Tension between Literalism and Magic | | BIBAK | 61-67 | |
| Randall B. Smith | |||
| This paper presents an overview of the Alternate Reality Kit (ARK), an
animated environment for creating interactive simulations. ARK is built upon a
physical-world metaphor: all objects have an image, a position, a velocity, and
can experience forces. Users manipulate objects with a mouse-operated "hand"
which enables them to carry and throw objects, to press buttons, and to operate
sliders.
The interface features are discussed in light of a general user interface tension between literalism and magic. Literal features are defined to be those that are true to the interface's metaphor. Literal features enhance an interface's learnability. Magical features are defined to be those capabilities that deliberately violate the metaphor in order to provide enhanced functionality. Discussion of each ARK feature includes informal observations of early ARK users, an assessment of the feature's learnability, of its usefulness, and of its position on the magical-literal axis. Even though ARK includes magical features, applications-level users have be trained in a few minutes. Although this paper is about ARK, the tension between literalism and magic raises some interesting questions on its own. Some of these questions are presented briefly in the conclusion. Keywords: Simulation, Visual programming, Smalltalk, Learnability, Graphical
interfaces | |||
| A Case Example of Human Factors in Product Definition: Needs Finding for a Voice Output Workstation for the Blind | | BIBAK | 69-73 | |
| Richard M. Kane; Matthew Yuschik | |||
| Human factors efforts can contribute to product design at every design phase
from conception through evaluation of a product in the field. Early human
factors involvement has certain advantages. The major advantage is that it can
have greater "leverage" by influencing more far-reaching aspects of a product.
Input at later design phases, on the other hand, may delay product schedules or
require a major re-design effort. Input at earlier stages can diminish these
problems. As a case example, a needs finding study for a voice output
workstation for the blind is described. Users of these workstations
participated in a semi-structured interview to determine their needs. Results
identified specific features needed. The findings also indicated that the
original scope of the project, word processing, should be broadened to include
other applications. Keywords: Blind, Handicapped, Voice output workstation, Human factors, Needs finding,
Methods | |||
| A User Interface for Deaf-Blind People (Preliminary Report) | | BIBA | 75-80 | |
| Richard Ladner; Randy Day; Dennis Gentry; Karin Meyer; Scott Rose | |||
| A user interface suitable for deaf-blind users is presented and justified. The interface is designed for small paperless Braille displays, large font visual displays, or other low-bandwidth displays. Some of the key properties of the interface are that it uses a hierarchical approach to structure both commands and data, has a small universal command set, and has pervasive editing capability. DBNet, a system employing the user interface, has been built and tested with deaf-blind users. DBNet will provide various communication services to the deaf-blind community including electronic news, mail, and bulletin boards. | |||
| Towards Universality of Access: Interfacing Physically Disabled Students to the Icon Educational Microcomputer | | BIBAK | 81-87 | |
| Gerbrand Verburg; Debbie Field; Francois St. Pierre; Stephen Naumann | |||
| A micro-processor based Interface Unit and Teacher Utility have been
developed at the Hugh MacMillan Medical Centre that will facilitate physically
disabled users' access to the Icon educational microcomputer. The Interface
Unit allows a variety of alternate input devices to be used with the Icon
computer. Evaluations of the use of the Icon by physically disabled students
without and with the Interface Unit were completed. The Teacher Utility offers
on-line instruction and support for teachers with physically disabled students
who have problems accessing the Icon. The design of the Teacher Utility is
presented from three perspectives: the teacher, the physically disabled
student, and the developers. Keywords: Alternate keyboards, Educational microcomputer, Physically disabled
students, Interfacing, Trackball emulation | |||
| Psychology and Design: Contrasting Approaches | | BIB | 89-91 | |
| Robert L. Campbell; Peter G. Polson; John Whiteside | |||
| Interface Design: A Neglected Issue in Educational Software | | BIBAK | 93-97 | |
| Douglas Frye; Elliot Soloway | |||
| The user interface is particularly important for educational software
because 1) it must provide an entry to the content domain of the program rather
than vice versa and 2) it must be sensitive to the general skill and/or
developmental level of the user. In spite of these special characteristics,
interface design for educational software has been given little attention.
This study evaluates a representative interface from arithmetic software now
used in the schools. It was found that the interface caused students a large
number of difficulties. These difficulties were sufficient to interfere with
the instructional effectiveness of the software. Designing interfaces that
will benefit educational software will require careful study of the users of
these programs along with an in-depth understanding of the domains being
taught. Keywords: Interface design, Educational software, Direct manipulation interfaces | |||
| Cognition-Sensitive Design and User Modeling for Syntax-Directed Editors | | BIBAK | 99-102 | |
| Lisa Rubin Neal | |||
| Syntax-directed editors were created with the intent of aiding in and
improving the programming process. Despite their potential, they have not been
successful, as evidenced by limited use. In general, they are perceived as
being too difficult to use and the benefits of their use are outweighed by the
difficulties.
We believe that the cognitive styles and skills of the users have been ignored in the design process. In this paper we present some of our initial results which show that cognitive styles vary over a significant spectrum and that their consideration in the design of a syntax-directed editor will result in an intelligent tool that will be right for the cognitive skills and expertise of an individual user. In turn, an approach to design that takes cognitive variation into account would support the construction of syntax-directed editors which are successfully used. Keywords: Cognition-sensitive design, Programming, Syntax-directed editors, User
modeling | |||
| A Self-Regulating Adaptive System | | BIBAK | 103-107 | |
| Robert Trevellyan; Dermot P. Browne | |||
| The viability of providing adaptive user interfaces has been demonstrated
([3], [5]). Such systems identify differences between users in order to
provide purposeful change at the user interface. Thus, adaptive systems have
objectives, as indicated by the term 'purposeful'. The research reported here
takes an important step forward by demonstrating that adaptive systems can be
built that regulate their own behaviour by assessing whether their adaptations
are being successful in meeting these objectives. Keywords: Adaptation, Feedback, Objective, Success | |||
| The Definition, Editing, and Contouring of Surfaces for the Analysis of Field Problems | | BIBAK | 109-114 | |
| Robert R. Dickinson; Richard H. Bartels | |||
| This paper reports on an interactive system for manipulating a
tensor-product B-spline approximation to field data for applications in which
contours are of interest. The features of the system are: an interpolation
technique for approximating fields defined from scattered or gridded data by
tensor-product B-splines, an interactive display providing control-vertex
manipulation of the resulting B-spline approximation, and a contouring
algorithm that is designed specifically for B-spline surfaces. Keywords: Field data, Contouring, Interactive surface editing, Tensor-product
B-splines | |||
| From Contours to Surfaces: Testbed and Initial Results | | BIBAK | 115-120 | |
| Kenneth R., Jr. Sloan; James Painter | |||
| This paper is concerned with the problem of reconstructing the surface of
three-dimensional objects, given a collection of planar contours representing
cross-sections through the objects. This is an important problem, with
applications in clinical medicine, bio-medical research and instruction, and
industrial inspection. Current solutions to this problem have raised
interesting theoretical questions about search techniques and the exploitation
of domain-specific aspects of such search problems. In this paper, we survey
known reconstruction techniques, describe a testbed for evaluating these
techniques and present an improvement on the simple divide-and-conquer method
analyzed by Fuchs, Kedem and Uselton [5]. Keywords: Computer graphics, Surface reconstruction, Triangulation, Search | |||
| Social Science and System Design: Interdisciplinary Collaborations | | BIBA | 121-123 | |
| Lucy Suchman; William Beeman; Michael Pear; Randy Trigg; Barbara Fox; Paul Smolensky | |||
| Contributions from the behavioral sciences to the design of computer systems
have come primarily from psychology, and have focused on individual cognition.
In this symposium, we consider the applicability to system design of approaches
that focus on social interaction. The participants comprise pairs of
researchers engaged in projects that aim to bring together systematic studies
of naturally occurring human activities with the design of computer-based
technology. Each of the projects emphasizes the importance of the social
organization of communities, everyday communication and practice.
The symposium participants -- anthropologists, linguists and computer scientists -- bring interdisciplinary perspectives to bear on the problem of how to design tools that incorporate the right mix of support for current work practices, solutions to recognized problems, and innovations in the way that work gets done. The aim of the symposium is to explore the possibilities for a productive relationship between research on socially organized human activities and system design. | |||
| Positioning Human Factors in the User Interface Development Chain | | BIBAK | 125-131 | |
| Jonathan Grudin; Susan F. Ehrlich; Rick Shriner | |||
| Human factors professionals are not completely free to support the
optimization of user interface design within the time span of individual
software development projects. Interface design is constrained by conservative
forces, such as the expectations of users of existing systems in the installed
base and emerging de facto or formal standards. At the same time, human
factors involvement with a particular product may ultimately have its greatest
impact on future product releases. In this paper we explore an expanded time
line for influencing product design. This time line brings middle- and
upper-management concerns into focus, revealing critical opportunities for
effectively positioning and applying human factors resources. Keywords: User interface, Human factors, Software life cycle, Installed user base,
Management | |||
| The Interface is Often Not the Problem | | BIBAK | 133-136 | |
| Bengt Goransson; Mats Lind; Else Pettersson; Bengt Sandblad; Patrik Schwalbe | |||
| Computer systems in the form of tools for specific functions within a work
environment are becoming increasingly common. Because the users are not
computer experts, and because the introduction of the new tools can
dramatically change their tasks, problems arise. It is argued that even if the
proper design of the MMI is very important, this will not solve all the
problems. More basic problems concern what functions should be included in the
system and how the users can understand what the system can do in different
work situations and how the response should be evaluated in the context of the
work situations. This is demonstrated by experiences from application
projects. It is concluded that more research must be devoted to these problem
areas. Another important result is the fact that the possibilities to develop
more generally applicable computer based tools are limited. Adaptation to
local circumstances and needs is usually a necessity. Keywords: User participation, Change analysis, Man machine interaction, User interface | |||
| Designing for Designers: An Analysis of Design Practice in the Real World | | BIBAK | 137-142 | |
| Mary Beth Rosson; Susanne Maass; Wendy A. Kellogg | |||
| Twenty-two designers were interviewed about their design of interactive
systems. They were asked to select a recent project having a significant user
interface component, and were probed about the general design process involved,
how the design of the user interface fit into that process, and their personal
strategies for exploring ideas. Analysis of their responses pointed to two
models of the design process. The relationship of these models to the type of
user testing done and the strategies used for generating ideas is discussed,
especially with respect to the implications for developing tools to support
design. Keywords: Design practice, Tools for design, Usability engineering | |||
| Automated Lip-Synch and Speech Synthesis for Character Animation | | BIBAK | 143-147 | |
| J. P. Lewis; F. I. Parke | |||
| An automated method of synchronizing facial animation to recorded speech is
described. In this method, a common speech synthesis method (linear
prediction) is adapted to provide simple and accurate phoneme recognition. The
recognized phonemes are then associated with mouth positions to provide
keyframes for computer animation of speech using a parametric model of the
human face.
The linear prediction software, once implemented, can also be used for speech resynthesis. The synthesis retains intelligibility and natural speech rhythm while achieving a "synthetic realism" consistent with computer animation. Speech synthesis also enables certain useful manipulations for the purpose of computer character animation. Keywords: Facial animation, Speech synthesis | |||
| Story Driven Animation | | BIBAK | 149-153 | |
| Yosuke Takashima; Hideo Shimazu; Masahiro Tomono | |||
| An animation system has been developed which generates animations from
stories written in natural language. The system consists of three modules:
story understanding module, stage directing module and action generating
module.
The story understanding module extracts actions that are not explicitly described in the story and makes a scenario. The stage directing module adapts the scenario by determining the actors' positions on the stage and setting the stage. Actors are defined as 3-Dimensional articulated figures. Each component of an actor has its primitive motion method. To achieve complicated actions, primitive motions are combined. Referring to these complicated actions, the action generating module produces animated sequences from the adapted scenario. These three modules are tightly coupled with their knowledge bases. As an example, the story of the "Hare and Tortoise" from Aesop's Fables, written for elementary schoolchildren is used. This example proves that it is possible to produce computer animation directly from the story written in natural language, now in Japanese. Keywords: Computer animation, Natural language, Story understanding, Truth maintenance
system, Stage directing, Motion generating, Object oriented programming,
Constraint propagation | |||
| Issues Limiting the Acceptance of User Interfaces Using Gesture Input and Handwriting Character Recognition | | BIBA | 155-158 | |
| John Sibert; Michael G. Buffa; Hewitt D. Crane; Wolfgang Doster; James Rhyne; Jean Renard Ward | |||
| Recently there has been increasing graphical user interfaces under the name of "gesture input". This technique actually has a long history: "sketch recognition" interfaces of 15 or more years ago were highly praised [Applicon 73], and user interfaces using handwriting input before the wide use of text keyboards were one of the first research goals in computer science [Bledsoe 59]. The underlying character and symbol recognition technologies have been a major research area in their own right since the early 1950s [Suen 80]. | |||
| What Kind of Minimal Instruction Manual is the Most Effective | | BIBAK | 159-162 | |
| John B. Black; John M. Carroll; Stuart M. McGuigan | |||
| An empirical study examined the effectiveness of four different versions of
a self-instruction manual for a word processing system: a Skeletal version that
explicitly states only the essential information, an Inferential version that
has the users infer some of the essential information, a Rehearsal version that
is like the Skeletal manual, but adds opportunities to rehearse the explicitly
stated information, and a Lengthy version that adds nonessential explanatory
and descriptive information to the Skeletal version. The best learning
performance was obtained with the inferential approach, particularly for more
realistic tasks. Keywords: Learning, Instruction, Manual design | |||
| Intelligent Help in a One-Shot Dialog: A Protocol Study | | BIBAK | 163-168 | |
| Amy Aaronson; John M. Carroll | |||
| A database of 150 interactions conducted via electronic mail was analyzed.
The database had been constructed as an on-line tool for users and advisors,
but the interactions can also be regarded as modelling intelligent help dialog
in which posing a query and providing a response are each accomplished in
"one-shot". The types of questions users ask and the advisory strategies
employed for incomplete queries without follow-up questioning are described.
The goal is to understand this new on-line tool for advising and its
implications as a model of one-shot intelligent help dialogs. Keywords: Advisory dialog, Intelligent help | |||
| Learning a Word Processing System with Training Wheels and Guided Exploration | | BIBAK | 169-174 | |
| Richard Catrambone; John M. Carroll | |||
| A Training Wheels interface creates a reduced functionality system intended
to prevent new users from suffering the consequences of certain types of common
errors when they exercise system functions and procedures. This has been shown
to be an effective training system design for learning basic text editing
function [4]. We extend this result by examining the extent to which training
wheels learners can transfer their skills to interaction with the full-function
system. The experiment reported here indicates that training wheels subjects
were better able to perform advanced full-system editing functions than
subjects who were trained on the full system itself. Keywords: Skill transfer, Error blocking, Guided exploration, Minimalist
documentation, Training wheels, User training | |||
| Behavioral Experiments on Handmarkings | | BIBAK | 175-181 | |
| John D. Gould; Josiane Salaun | |||
| Handmarkings, e.g., handwritten proofeditors' marks, can be used as direct
editing commands to an interactive computer system. Three exploratory
experiments studied the potential value of handmarkings for editing text and
pictures. Results showed that circles are the most frequently used scoping
mark and arrows are the most frequently used operator and target indicators.
Experimental comparisons showed that handmarkings have the potential to be
faster than keyboards and mice for editing tasks. But their ultimate value
will depend upon the style and details of their user interface implementation. Keywords: Handmarkings, Gestures, Editing, User interface techniques | |||
| An Evaluation of an Eye Tracker as a Device for Computer Input | | BIBAK | 183-188 | |
| Colin Ware; Harutune H. Mikaelian | |||
| Since humans direct their visual attention by means of eye movements, a
device which monitors eye movements should be a natural "pick" device for
selecting objects visually present on a monitor. The results from an
experimental investigation of an eye tracker as a computer input device are
presented. Three different methods were used to select the object looked at;
these were a button press, prolonged fixation or "dwell" and an on screen
select button. The results show that an eye tracker can be used as a fast
selection device providing that the target size is not too small. If the
targets are small speed declines and errors increase rapidly. Keywords: Input devices, Eye movements | |||
| A Hand Gesture Interface Device | | BIBAK | 189-192 | |
| Thomas G. Zimmerman; Jaron Lanier; Chuck Blanchard; Steve Bryson; Young Harvill | |||
| This paper reports on the development of a hand to machine interface device
that provides real-time gesture, position and orientation information. The key
element is a glove and the device as a whole incorporates a collection of
technologies. Analog flex sensors on the glove measure finger bending. Hand
position and orientation are measured either by ultrasonics, providing five
degrees of freedom, or magnetic flux sensors, which provide six degrees of
freedom. Piezoceramic benders provide the wearer of the glove with tactile
feedback. These sensors are mounted on the light-weight glove and connected to
the driving hardware via a small cable.
Applications of the glove and its component technologies include its use in conjunction with a host computer which drives a real-time 3-dimensional model of the hand allowing the glove wearer to manipulate computer-generated objects as if they were real, interpretation of finger-spelling, evaluation of hand impairment in addition to providing an interface to a visual programming language. Keywords: Human interface, User interface, Motor interface, Tactile interface, Gesture
recognition | |||
| Developing Computer Animation Packages | | BIB | 193-196 | |
| Jeffrey Graber; Kevin Lefebvre; Michael Sciulli; Donald Leich; Milan Novacek; David Ross; David Zeltzer; David Sturman | |||
| Learning about Hidden Events in System Interactions | | BIBAK | 197-203 | |
| Stephen Casner; Clayton Lewis | |||
| Understanding how to use a computer system often requires knowledge of
hidden events: things which happen as a result of user actions but which
produce no immediate perceptible effect. How do users learn about these
events? Will learners explain the mechanism in detail or only at the level at
which they are able to use it? We extend Lewis' EXPL model of causal analysis,
incorporating ideas from Miyake, Draper, and Dietterich, to give an account of
learning about hidden events from examples. We present experimental evidence
suggesting that violations of user expectations trigger a process in which
hidden events are hypothesized and subsequently linked to user actions using
schemata for general classes of situations which violate user expectations. Keywords: Explanations, Example-based learning, Models of learning | |||
| Transfer of Learning: Beyond Common Elements | | BIBAK | 205-210 | |
| Linda Tetzlaff | |||
| An experiment on transfer of learning using text editors revealed
significant differences in performance, based on the learning experience of the
subjects. The set of commands of a text editor was divided into four subsets.
Different groups of subjects learned these subsets in different orders.
Depending on the order of learning, subjects formed different concepts of the
editor as manifest by their choice of commands, their errors, and their model
of the editor, elicited by a sorting task. Pragmatic production model
approaches to transfer would need significant enhancement to accommodate this
result. Keywords: Transfer, Cognitive skills, Human factors, Text editing, Production models | |||
| Sophisticated Image Rendering in Environmental Design Review | | BIBAK | 211-217 | |
| John W. Danahy | |||
| The Landscape Architecture Programme and the Computer Systems Research
Institute at the University of Toronto undertook two studies using advanced
rendering tools pioneered in the areas of computer animation and graphic art.
Through two professional landscape architectural design studies we explored the
potential role and impact of computer simulation in the initial, more creative
phases of the design work. Advanced image rendering hardware and software were
used to produce high quality computer drawings of design concepts. The
techniques employed in this study are unique in their application to
environmental design where they dramatically improve the designer's
opportunities to simulate realistic images of proposed design alternatives and
to consider the visual and spatial implications of such alternatives.
The case studies represented in the paper were undertaken for the National Capital Commission in Ottawa, Canada. The first project is an urban design massing study called the "Parliamentary Precinct Study" and the second project is a detailed design of the "Ceremonial Routes" in Ottawa. Keywords: Computer-aided design, Image rendering, Design review, System specification | |||
| The User Interface and Program Structure of a Graphical VLSI Layout Editor | | BIBAK | 219-225 | |
| Kevin S. B. Szabo; Mohamed I. Elmasry | |||
| In this paper the user interface and program organization of the SYMPLE VLSI
symbolic layout editor is examined. The user interface is driven by a small
interpreter that is constructed from a LISP-like language at run time and has
access to a consistent library of menus and graphical information-gathering
functions. To improve maintainability, the editor has been constructed in a
modular form with well-defined interfaces. Keywords: User interface, CAD/CAM, VLSI editor, Symbolic layout | |||
| Computer-Supported Cooperative Work: Is This REALLY a New Field of Research? | | BIB | 227-228 | |
| Irene Greif; Bill Curtis; Herb Krasner; Thomas W. Malone; Ben Shneiderman | |||
| Specifying Complex Dialogs in ALGAE | | BIBAK | 229-234 | |
| Mark A. Flecchia; R. Daniel Bergeron | |||
| The complexity and high development costs of user interfaces has led to
research into the design of User Interface Management Systems (UIMSs). At the
heart of a UIMS is a facility for specifying a dialog control component, which
processes user actions and coordinates program responses. This paper describes
a language called ALGAE, which allows the specification of multi-threaded,
event driven dialogs. Keywords: Computer-user dialogs, Event based languages, User interface management
systems | |||
| Modular Implementation of Presentations | | BIBAK | 235-240 | |
| Pedro Szekely | |||
| The presentation of an application program specifies how the data and
operations provided by an application are presented to users. Most traditional
techniques for implementing presentations lead to unstructured, unmodular
implementations that are hard to construct and change. We present a model of
presentation that identifies the dependencies between the presentation and
functionality portions of an application. Based on this model, we show how
several implementation techniques can be used to construct presentations in a
modular way. Keywords: Graphical user interfaces, User interface management systems, Semantics of
interaction, Object-oriented programming | |||
| Event-Response Systems -- A Technique for Specifying Multi-Threaded Dialogues | | BIBAK | 241-248 | |
| Ralph D. Hill | |||
| Event-Response Systems are a technique for specifying the syntax of
multi-threaded dialogues. They are based on the paradigm of specifying system
responses to events generated by the user. They can compactly represent the
concurrency needed to implement multi-threaded dialogues. This concurrency
support also allows interfaces to be structured differently than is possible
with existing dialogue specification systems based on state transition
specifications or grammars. This flexibility allows many interfaces,
especially direct manipulation interfaces, to be specified with a more modular
structure than most existing systems allow.
Event-Response Systems are described formally, and a dialogue specification language based on the ERS formalism is informally presented. Some example uses and implementation techniques are also described. Keywords: Computer graphics, Methodology and techniques, Languages, Interaction
techniques, Information systems, User/machine systems, Human factors, Software
engineering, Tools and techniques, User interfaces, User interface management
systems, Concurrency | |||
| Towards a Model of User Perception of Computer System Response Time | | BIBAK | 249-253 | |
| Robert Geist; Robert Allen; Ronald Nowaczyk | |||
| The foundational structure of a new model of user perception of computer
system response time is proposed. It is suggested that the development of such
a model is now of central importance to the computer system configuration
design effort. The new model is seen to explain the success of an earlier
measure, designed for the non-interactive environment, in predicting user
estimates of response time for interactive systems. The results of new
empirical studies, designed to delineate specific components of the model, are
also discussed. Keywords: Models, User perception, Configuration design, Performance measures,
Empirical studies | |||
| A Comparison of Rule-Based and Positionally Constant Arrangements of Computer Menu Items | | BIBAK | 255-260 | |
| Benjamin L. Somberg | |||
| An experiment was conducted to evaluate user performance under four
different menu item arrangements: alphabetic, probability of selection (most
popular choices are positioned near the beginning of the list), random, and
positionally constant (consistent assignment of individual items to screen
positions). During the initial stages of practice, the rule-based approaches
produced faster mean search times, but after moderate amounts of practice, the
positionally constant arrangement appeared to be most efficient. People seem
to remember quite easily the location of items on a display, indicating that
positional constancy can be an important factor in increasing the efficiency of
the search of computer menus and other displays. Keywords: Computer menus, Human-computer interaction, Visual displays, Visual search,
Screen formatting | |||
| Comparing a Form-Based and a Language-Based User Interface for Instructing a Mail Program | | BIBAK | 261-266 | |
| Robin Jeffries; Jarrett Rosenberg | |||
| In the domain of interaction languages, forms have been found to be of value
in allowing users, especially non-programmers, to specify objects and
operations with a minimum of training, time, and errors. Most of that
research, however, has been on the use of data base query languages. The
present research found that in a procedural task of specifying mail filtering
instructions, non-programmers using a form were as fast as programmers using a
procedural language, although programmers using the form were faster still. Keywords: Forms, Design trade-offs, Interaction styles | |||
| Intelligence in Interfaces | | BIBA | 267-269 | |
| Robert Neches; John Seely Brown; Tom Malone; Norm Sondheimer; Mike Williams | |||
| The purpose of this symposium is three-fold:
First, by presenting a selection of our work as examples, we seek to define a model of intelligent interaction and illustrate points in the interface process where artificial intelligence can play a role. Second, by comparing the approaches represented in our efforts, we intend to explore a fundamental philosophical difference in the field of intelligent interfaces: the distinction between the power tools vs. the intelligent assistant paradigms. (As part of this discussion, we intend to consider how to mine the rich ground that lies between these two extremes.) Third, by examining the design process underlying our examples, we seek to provide a better understanding of the relationship between AI interface tools and the applications that they communicate with. | |||
| Creating Dynamic Interaction Techniques by Demonstration | | BIBAK | 271-278 | |
| Brad A. Myers | |||
| When creating highly-interactive, Direct Manipulation interfaces, one of the
most difficult design and implementation tasks is handling the mouse and other
input devices. Peridot, a new User Interface Management System, addresses this
problem by allowing the user interface designer to demonstrate how the input
devices should be handled by giving an example of the interface in action. The
designer uses sample values for parameters, and the system automatically infers
the general operation and creates the code. After an interaction is specified,
it can immediately be executed and edited. This promotes extremely rapid
prototyping since it is very easy to design, implement and modify mouse-based
interfaces. Peridot also supports additional input devices such as touch
tablets, as well as multiple input devices operating in parallel (such as one
in each hand) in a natural, easy to specify manner. This is implemented using
active values, which are like variables except that the objects that depend on
active values are updated immediately whenever they change. Active values are
a straightforward and efficient mechanism for implementing dynamic
interactions. Keywords: Programming techniques, Automatic programming, Software engineering, Tools
and techniques, User interfaces, Artificial intelligence, Automatic
programming, Program synthesis, Computer graphics, Methodology and techniques,
Human factors, Interaction techniques, Programming by example, Visual
programming, User interface design, User interface management systems, Direct
manipulation | |||
| Panther: A Specification System for Graphical Controls | | BIBAK | 279-284 | |
| J. I. Helfman | |||
| An experimental graphical control specification system, called Panther, has
been written in C for UNIX-based applications. Unlike similar systems, which
focus on combining interaction techniques, Panther allows the specification of
low-level interactions by invoking user-selectable subroutines for input-device
transitions. A Panther interface is specified in a textual table as a set of
hierarchically nested regions. Regions can model any control device, such as
menu buttons, slider-bars, switches, alphanumeric displays, or even
combinations of other regions. Panther does not rely on special hardware,
extensive software, or interprocess communication. Keywords: Graphical controls, Graphical user interfaces, Graphical interface
specification | |||
| A Control Panel Interface for Graphics and Image Processing Applications | | BIBAK | 285-290 | |
| Gene L. Fisher; Kenneth I. Joy | |||
| This paper describes a graphical interface for application programs. The
interface is based on the notion of a control panel. A control panel contains
a browsable list of an application's parameters and a set of functions to
control the application's execution. A variety of graphical knobs and gauges
may be associated with any or all of the parameters to permit fine-grain
execution control, including animation of an application's output. The control
panel interface is integrated into the framework of an interactive programming
environment for graphics and image processing applications. This integration
is an important feature of the overall interface design. Keywords: Graphical interface, Applications environment, Graphics applications, Image
processing applications | |||
| The Use of Scenarios in Human-Computer Interaction Research: Turbocharging the Tortoise of Cumulative Science | | BIBAK | 291-296 | |
| Richard M. Young; Phil Barnard | |||
| A scenario is an idealised but detailed description of a specific instance
of human-computer interaction (HCI). A set of scenarios can be used as a
"filter bank" to weed out theories whose scope is too narrow for them to apply
to many real HCI situations. By helping redress the balance between generality
and accuracy in theories derived from cognitive psychology, this use of
scenarios (1) allows the researcher to build on empirical findings already
established while avoiding the tar-pits associated with the experimental
methodology, (2) enables the researcher to consider a range of phenomena in a
single study, thereby directly addressing the question of the scope of the
theory, and (3) ensures that the resulting theory will be applicable in HCI
contexts. Keywords: Scenarios, Methodology, Research strategy, Scope and accuracy of models | |||
| Structural Analysis of Verbal Data | | BIBAK | 297-301 | |
| Wayne A. Bailey; Edwin J. Kay | |||
| Current methods of analyzing verbal reports (Protocol Analysis) from
human-computer interactions fall short of their potential. Although there are
systematic methods for collecting complete and objective verbal reports
applicable to a broad range of problem-solving tasks, currently available
analyses of verbal reports are ad hoc and apply only to well constrained tasks.
Structural Analysis is a systematic method, currently under development, for
analyzing real-world tasks involving human-computer interaction. Starting with
a rule that assigns utterances to two dichotomous categories related to a
behavior of interest, rules are generated that expose the goal building and
evaluation underlying that behavior. The resulting data yield time
distributions that characterize subjects' goal-directed behavior and that allow
comparisons among tasks or among subjects. Keywords: Protocol analysis, Verbal data, Cognitive engineering, Problem solving | |||
| Evaluating User and System Models: Applying Scaling Techniques to Problems in Human-Computer Interaction | | BIBAK | 303-308 | |
| Wendy A. Kellogg; Timothy J. Breen | |||
| A user's mental model of a system should be an important determinant of
performance and as well as a means of understanding why particular user errors
occur. In particular, experienced users' models should be in closer agreement
with the system than less experienced users' models, and deviations of expert
models from the system should correspond to difficulties in performance and
suggest ways that system usability could be improved. The present study
explored the utility of scaling techniques for defining and comparing user and
system models. The results support the assertion that with experience users'
mental models approach the system model. However, even experienced users had
significant deviations from the system model, leading to predictions of where
experts would have difficulty using the system and suggestions for improving
usability. Keywords: Mental models, User conceptual models, Psychological scaling techniques,
Assessment of system usability | |||
| Issues from the 1986 Workshop on Interactive 3D Graphics | | BIB | 309 | |
| Henry Fuchs; Stuart Card; Frank Crow; Stephen M. Pizer | |||
| Whither (or Wither) UIMS? | | BIBA | 311-314 | |
| Dan R., Jr. Olsen; Mark Green; Keith A. Lantz; Andrew Schulert; John L. Sibert | |||
| The subject of User Interface Management Systems (UIMS) has been a topic of research and debate for the last several years. The goal of such systems has been to automate the production of user interface software. The problem of building quality user interfaces within available resources is a very important one as the demand for new interactive programs grows. Prototype UIMSs have been built and some software packages are presently being marketed as such. Many papers have been published on the topic. | |||
| Evolution of an Organizational Interface: The New Business Department at a Large Insurance Firm | | BIBAK | 315-322 | |
| Andrew Clement; C. C. Gotlieb | |||
| This paper describes how the work organization and computer system of the
New Business Department at a large life insurance firm have interacted and
evolved over time. The dynamics of interaction are explained largely in terms
of the economic incentive to reduce the length of transaction processing chains
and the more political goal of extending managerial control. It is argued that
examining the interaction of organizations and computer systems can contribute
to a better theoretical understanding of the development of large computer
systems and offer guidance to designers of user-computer interfaces. A
graphical technique for depicting organizational interfaces is presented. Keywords: Organizational interface, Case study, Organizational study, On line computer
system, Managerial control | |||
| Social and Psychological Factors Influencing the Design of Office Communication Systems | | BIBAK | 323-329 | |
| Susan F. Ehrlich | |||
| Office automation is used by groups of people with complex communication
needs to help them reach business goals such as scheduling, tracking,
reviewing, and delegating. Effective individual and group decisions are
heavily dependent on communication protocols and social conventions. Because
these conventions are so ingrained, they are sometimes not readily available to
conscious inspection during the design of communication systems. Even more
problematic, system designers may not have first hand knowledge of the
conventions and protocol for the range of environments in which their systems
will be used. Nevertheless, office systems must work in tandem with these
conventions. Wang Laboratories has a continuing program of research directed
at identifying the psychological and social factors that come into play during
the adoption and use of computer communication systems and the implications of
these factors for the design of those systems. Highlights of a three year
program of research are presented covering implications for voice mail,
electronic mail, and electronic calendars. Keywords: Communication, Sociology, Electronic mail, Voice mail, Office systems | |||
| The Politics of Human Factors | | BIB | 331-332 | |
| William Mosteller; Stephen J. Boies; Charles E. Grantham; Thomas Irby; Richard Rubinstein; Dennis Wixon | |||
| Psychology as a Mother of Invention | | BIBA | 333-335 | |
| Thomas K. Landauer | |||
| Important progress has been made in the methodology for making computer systems easier to use. Highlights are the "Wizard-of-Oz" technique and rapid iterative developmental testing. It is argued that more fundamental advances, inventions of truly new and useful computer-based cognitive tools, will result from deeper behavioral analysis of the capabilities and limitations of human performance. Three such analysis methods are described; failure analysis, individual difference analysis, and time profile analysis. A few dramatic success stories are recounted. Promising targets for "synthesis by analysis" are proposed. | |||
| The Social Dimensions of Computerization | | BIBK | 337-339 | |
| Rob Kling | |||
Keywords: Social impacts of computing, Computerization and work, Social analysis of
computing | |||
| Summary of the CHI'87 Doctoral Consortium | | BIBA | 341-342 | |
| Tom Carey | |||
| Thirteen selected Ph.D students who are currently working on dissertation research in human-computer interaction met for two days prior to the CHI+GI'87 Conference in a Doctoral Consortium. The consortium was designed to provide these students with an opportunity to exchange ideas on their dissertation research and to build a cohort group of colleagues. Of particular interest for the participants was the opportunity to compare research questions, paradigms and techniques, and the consortium encourages interdisciplinary dialogue. | |||