| Towards Modelling Exploratory Learning in the Context of Direct Manipulation Interfaces | | BIBAK | 3-24 | |
| Herre van Oostendorp; Benjamin J. Walbeehm | |||
| The characteristics of direct manipulation interfaces (DMIs) are examined.
The main purpose of this examination is to provide ideas for future research on
modelling exploratory learning in the context of using DMIs.
Four topics are discussed: the perceptual characteristics of DMIs, exploratory learning and display-based problem-solving in general, modelling human-computer interaction in the context of DMIs, and the consequences of DMIs for modelling the interaction by means of a production system. Specifically, the questions that are discussed are: first, how do DMIs afford, encourage and support exploratory learning, and how can typical DMI characteristics such as the objects on the screen be included in models of user behaviour? Second, what are the characteristics of problem-solving and exploratory learning in the context of visual displays? Third, how is novice behaviour and, more generally, problem-solving modelled in the context of human-computer interaction? In the final section, suggestions are made based on the topics discussed, with the aim of presenting some steps towards developing a model consisting of production rules that can simulate human interaction with DMIs more adequately than has been the case thus far. Two important consequences of DMIs for modelling human interaction are discussed. First, the external display of DMIs allows recognition instead of recall. Consequently, production rules can be more recognition-based. Second, with regard to the structure of production systems, the mechanism of partial matching is proposed to account for errors during performance. Constraints and affordances can be accounted for by proposing production rules to fire context-dependently, and by assuming that production rules can be meaningfully grouped and actively scanned for a match. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Exploratory learning, Direct manipulation
interface | |||
| Multi-Paradigm Query Interface to an Object-Oriented Database | | BIBAK | 25-47 | |
| Dac Khoa Doan; Norman W. Paton; Alistair C. Kilgour; Ghassan al-Qaimari | |||
| The object-oriented paradigm has a number of widely recognised strengths
when applied to data management, but the increased complexity of actual systems
compared with their relational predecessors often means that such databases are
less readily accessible to non-programmers than relational systems. A number
of proposals have been made for textual, form-based and graph-based query
interfaces to object-oriented databases, but it is clear that a single approach
cannot be considered to be the best, given the wide range of potential user
groups, application domains and tasks. The paper presents a query interface to
an object-oriented database which supports alternative user-level query
paradigms in a fully integrated environment, thereby enabling different
categories of user to select a preferred interface paradigm from a list of
options. Furthermore, the interface enables users to examine queries written
in one query interface using any of the other interface paradigms, which is
useful for sharing queries in the multi-paradigm context, and for helping users
familiar with one approach to learn another. The system has been prototyped
using the ADAM object-oriented database system, and an experimental comparison
of different interaction modes has been conducted. Keywords: Human computer interaction, Object-oriented database, Query interface | |||
| Lean Cuisine+: An Executable Graphical Notation for Describing Direct Manipulation Interfaces | | BIBAK | 49-71 | |
| Chris Phillips | |||
| The paper describes an executable semi-formal graphical notation, Lean
Cuisine+, for describing the underlying behaviour of event-based direct
manipulation interfaces, and outlines a methodology for constructing Lean
Cuisine+ specifications. Lean Cuisine+ is a multi-layered notation, and is a
development of the meneme model of Lean Cuisine. A motivation of the research
stems from the need for tools and techniques to facilitate high-level interface
design. The research supports and brings together a number of views concerning
the requirements of notations at this level. These are that a notation should
be semi-formal, graphical, executable, and object-based, and that to be most
effective it should be targeted at a specific category of interaction. The
Lean Cuisine+ notation meets all these criteria, the underlying meneme model
matching closely with the selection-based nature of direct manipulation
interfaces. Keywords: Human computer interaction, Interface design, Direct manipulation, Graphical
dialogue notations | |||
| Experimental Comparison between Automatic and Manual Menu Interface Design Methods | | BIBAK | 73-89 | |
| Peretz Shoval | |||
| An experimental comparison between two methods of designing a menu-tree
interface for an information system is described. The 'automatic' method is
based on the ADISSA methodology (architectural design of information systems
based on structured analysis) according to which the interface is derived
automatically from dataflow diagrams (DFD) as a by-product of the system
analysis stage. In the 'manual' ('conventional') method the designer
constructs an appropriate interface by applying common principles of interface
design. The objective of the experiment is to find out which design method
yields a better initial interface, before it is given to users for further
improvements. The user's viewpoint is adopted i.e., the interface was
evaluated subjectively. The hypothesis is that menu-trees designed
automatically are as good as those designed by people.
The experiment included six information system development projects. One menu-tree interface was designed automatically for each system. Four others were designed manually by different designers who were assigned randomly to the systems. The five different interfaces of each system were given to 16 potential users for evaluation and comparison. Analysis of the results revealed no significant difference between the mean scores of the two types of interface. Noting that the automatic menus are obtained as a by-product of the system analysis stage, and that they can be improved by users during prototyping, it is concluded that the method provides a good start for the interface design. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, System analysis, Interface design | |||
| Integrating Technologies to Support Action | | BIBAK | 91-107 | |
| Clive Holtham | |||
| As computer supported co-operative work (CSCW) becomes of increasing
practical significance in business and public sector organisations, there is a
need to develop a framework which can embed CSCW within the wider needs of the
organisation. It is proposed here, based on specific study into the group
working of executives, that such a framework needs to draw on the four domains
of business drivers, information, human and social aspects, and technology. In
much of the work to date for executives, there has been a preoccupation with
their decision support needs. It is proposed that 'systems to support action'
(SSA) should be given greater significance. The framework to underpin SSA
could be based on one of the systems approaches, and that particularly examined
here is managerial cybernetics, as developed by Stafford Beer. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Computer supported cooperative work, Systems to
support action | |||
| The Case for Supportive Evaluation During Design | | BIBAK | 115-143 | |
| Jon May; Philip Barnard | |||
| The relevance of human-computer interaction to industry is being questioned,
and the emphasis is shifting away from providing generalised support to
systematic evaluation methods, typified by cognitive walkthroughs (CW). The
evidence suggests that CW has not proved as effective as hoped. This evidence
is examined, and the authors argue that the problem lies not with CW or its
underlying theory in particular, but with its limited scope and in the
increasing dissociation of an evaluation method from its theoretical
foundation. Evaluation methods retaining a theoretical element would provide
the necessary conceptual support to enable designers to identify, comprehend
and resolve usability problems, and would also be less limited than dissociated
evaluation methods in their breadth and depth of application. A vision of a
'supportive evaluation' tool is presented and cognitive task analysis (CTA),
the methodology upon which a proof-of-concept tool has been based is described.
Three brief design scenarios are described to illustrate how CTA supports the
identification and resolution of usability problems and the role of cognitive
modelling in the context of design is discussed. Keywords: Human computer interaction, User interface, Cognitive walkthrough, Cognitive
task analysis | |||
| Harmony through Working Together: Editorial to the Australasian Special Issue | | BIB | 145-149 | |
| Steve Howard; Ying K. Leung | |||
| Colour in Map Displays: Issues for Task-Specific Display Design | | BIBAK | 151-165 | |
| Walter Smith; John Dunn; Kim Kirsner; Mark Randell | |||
| Colour is generally regarded as a desirable property of computer displays
chiefly because it supports users' preattentive visual processes, such as
texture segregation, which rapidly organize and structure screen information.
This paper examines the use of colour in computerized map displays of the sort
used by geographic information systems. In particular, it focuses on the
perception of patterns formed by subclasses of map symbols, defined by colour
or shape. Three experiments are reported which confirm the utility of colour,
but which also identify two potential problems: interference of task-irrelevant
colour and superficial processing of spatial configurations of colour-defined
symbols. These findings support a general argument that colour should not be
preferred automatically, but rather its utility depends on the cognitive
demands of the task for which the display is designed. Keywords: Geographic information systems, Map displays, Colour | |||
| Process Support: Inflexible Imposition or Chaotic Composition? | | BIBAK | 167-180 | |
| Geraldine Fitzpatrick; Jim Welsh | |||
| Current process support systems seek to impose a process structure which
controls the work of participants in co-operative work activities. This
structure is based on the false premise that the global order emergent from the
chaotic dynamics of work processes can be used to prescribe local activity
which is in fact situated and unpredictable. A spatial approach to the support
of cooperative work processes is proposed. A space of work is defined,
incorporating service, information, role and artefact objects, to capture the
bounds and characteristics of the global order. The situated reality of work
processes is supported by enabling participants to compose objects dynamically
to form their own process path through the space. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Workflow, Groupware | |||
| Computer Anxiety: Correlates, Norms and Problem Definition in Health Care and Banking Employees using the Computer Attitude Scale | | BIBAK | 181-193 | |
| Ron Henderson; Frank Deane; Kate Barrelle; Doug Mahar | |||
| Computerised systems have become an integral part of modern business
practice and it has become increasingly difficult to avoid daily interaction
with computerised technology. With this expansion has come the modern day
malaise of 'computer anxiety'. The paper reports normative data and correlates
of computer anxiety in three separate samples (N = 255) using the Computer
Attitude Scale (Loyd and Gressard, 1984). In an effort to estimate the impact
of computer anxiety in the workforce, three non-academic samples from the
health and banking sector were studied. Using a clinical reference group an
attempt to estimate the potential range of problematic levels of computer
anxiety was made. Prior relationships between age, sex, computer experience
and computer anxiety previously found in student/teacher samples were
replicated in the present study. The practical implications of computer
anxiety and potential interventions aimed at reducing computer anxiety are
discussed. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Computer anxiety, Computer Attitude Scale | |||
| Four Principles of Groupware Design | | BIBAK | 195-210 | |
| Andy Cockburn; Steve Jones | |||
| Groupware design is at a stage where identification, clarification and
validation of best practice is critical if its potential is to be realised.
The paper examines and records the major causes of groupware failure, and
provides four groupware design principles that encapsulate the problems and
guide design teams around them. The principles provide an extendable framework
that is a synthesis of design lessons recorded in CSCW literature. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Groupware, Design, Principles, User-acceptance | |||
| Functional Visual Programming Interface to Geographical Information Systems | | BIBAK | 219-236 | |
| Craig Standing; Geoffrey G. Roy | |||
| Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are now widely used for the
manipulation of spatial data. Clear limitations in the design of GIS for the
user are identified, notably the limited knowledge represented within the
systems, the time and difficulty involved in becoming a competent user and, in
many cases, the low-level nature of the commands. One of the principal
requirements of a more knowledgable GIS involves the representation of
knowledge related to a number of features: the data in the system; the
operations that can be performed; the processing of requests; and the
presentation of results. Many of the ideas presented can be generally applied
to other query language driven systems.
The approach taken to the design and implementation of a prototype high-level interface to GIS is based on the functional style of programming. Functional languages appear to offer some important properties, for example: the strong and polymorphic typing and the ease with which new types can be defined; the ability to order the knowledge base within functions; and the facility to create functional hierarchies composed of compound or higher-order functions which allow high-level operations to be manipulated as units. It is described how a functional solution to the problems can be represented by a command based approach and how this can be improved upon through the use of a graphical user interface with direct manipulation of objects/icons. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Functional programming, Visual programming | |||
| Video Support for Shared Work-Space Interaction: An Empirical Study | | BIBAK | 237-253 | |
| Masood Masoodian; Mark Apperley; Lesley Frederickson | |||
| A study has been carried out to identify the effects of different
human-to-human communication modes on dyadic computer supported group work. A
pilot study evaluated an available shared work-space software system,
supplemented by face-to-face, telephone-based, and text-based communication
modes between the two users. The findings from this study were then used to
design an extensive experiment to explore the relative impact of face-to-face,
full-motion video, slow-motion video, and audio-only communication modes when
used in conjunction with this type of CSCW system. This paper describes the
experiments, and examines the findings of this empirical study with the aim of
establishing the importance of co-presence in CSCW, and the effectiveness of
these various communication modes in achieving it. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Computer supported cooperative work, Group work,
Video conferencing | |||
| Human Performance in Fault Diagnosis: Can Expert Systems Help? | | BIBAK | 254-272 | |
| Gitte Lindgaard | |||
| Two unrelated fields are compared within which fault diagnosis plays a
significant role: medical and process control. It is argued that the
diagnostic process may be seen to be very similar regardless of the domain of
application, and that characteristics of human problem solving are common to
all domains, including medicine and process control. However, it is shown that
the kind of computer support needed to enhance diagnostic activities varies
considerably between these domains. Judgemental biases and application of
inappropriate heuristics are shown to be as prevalent among expert
diagnosticians in both domains as among non-experts, and the complex concept of
diagnosticity is apparently poorly understood. For that reason, medical
experts need assistance in generating a wider range of hypotheses than they
habitually consider and also in generating probabilistic information to
supplement diagnostic performance. By contrast, multilevel displays that
emphasize the relationship between critical variables in perceptually salient
ways are needed to support process control operators. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Problem solving, Expert systems | |||
| Database Systems: Challenges and Opportunities for Graphical HCI | | BIBAK | 273-303 | |
| Peter Sawyer; John A. Mariani | |||
| Databases and their applications form one of the most important classes of
computer systems yet they have received relatively little attention from the
HCI community. They have nevertheless spawned some notably innovative user
interfaces and it is interesting to examine these in the light of contemporary
HCI issues. The paper addresses the relationship between HCI and database
systems, reviews some of the major themes running through existing database
user interfaces and postulates some issues which are likely to be important to
database usability in the future. The underlying argument is that databases
are sufficiently different from other classes of application to necessitate a
raft of user interface techniques specifically for the needs of database users
which would reward increased attention by the HCI community. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Graphical user interfaces, Databases | |||
| Modelling of Menu Design in Computerized Work | | BIBAK | 304-330 | |
| Julie A. Jacko; Gavriel Salvendy; Richard J. Koubek | |||
| The objective of the research was to propose and validate a theoretically
meaningful link between three constructs of hierarchical menu design: menu
dimension, task complexity, and user knowledge structure. Twenty-four subjects
participated in a nested factorial experiment. The subjects performed a menu
retrieval task using a hierarchical menu system constructed for use in the
domain of utility boiler control. The dependent variables were time to respond
and accuracy. The independent variables were menu dimension, task complexity
and user knowledge structure. Four hypotheses were tested. The foundation of
the hypotheses was based upon the premise that when task complexity is low, the
short-term memory requirements of the menu retrieval task are low. Thus, the
user's knowledge structure will not affect performance because it is not
required for the chunking of visual information. The objectives of this
research were met and are presented in the context of an information processing
model for psychomotor tasks. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Menu design, Task complexity | |||
| PETRA: Participatory Evaluation Through Redesign and Analysis | | BIBAK | 335-360 | |
| Susi Ross; Magnus Ramage; Yvonne Rogers | |||
| Compared with single user-computer interactions, evaluating
multiuser-computer interactions is much more complex. We argue for
multiplicity -- of theory, method and perspective -- in the evaluation of
computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW). This allows us to address both
theoretical concerns and practical design issues, and to incorporate the
expertise and experiences of both researchers and participants. We propose the
PETRA framework, incorporating a theoretically-driven evaluators' perspective
to investigate the collaborative activity, and a design-based, user-focused
participants' perspective to evaluate the supporting tool. Our study
investigated collaborative writing, both in a face-to-face context, and
supported by a computer-based group editor. In our instantiation of the PETRA
framework, we used distributed cognition and a form of breakdown analysis to
investigate the development of shared understanding in the two different
mediating settings; and devised a rapid prototyping session (inspired by
participatory design) to elicit participant reactions to and redesigns of the
tool interface. Our findings show that computer-supported shared understanding
develops technologically, using social coordination as a repair mechanism; and
that the collaborative tool must be particularly sensitive to issues of
awareness, communication, focus and ownership. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, CSCW evaluation, Collaborative writing | |||
| Field Evaluation of a Prototype Laser Safety Decision Support System | | BIBAK | 361-382 | |
| Anthony Clarke; Basil Soufi; Luise Vassie; John Tyrer | |||
| A field evaluation of a decision support system prototype is described. The
system is designed to aid the decision making of laser safety hazard assessors
and laser manufacturers. The aims of the evaluation were to establish the
usefulness and usability of the system, and to indicate where design changes
might be needed. Three complementary methods namely observation evaluation,
expert evaluation, and survey evaluation were used. Fifteen laser safety
hazard assessors took part in the evaluation as subjects. Objective and
subjective data were analysed and areas of user difficulty with the system were
identified. The system was well-received although some pointers to
modification for the eventual delivery system were identified. It is concluded
that the aims of the evaluation were successfully met. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Decision support system, Usability | |||
| Menu -- What Menu? | | BIBAK | 383-394 | |
| Lynne E. Hall; Xavi Bescos | |||
| In recent years information system interface design has become increasingly
dominated by the use of menus, with the majority of systems relying on static
menus as their main dialogue structure. Alternatives to this interface style
are explored, and through the discussion of an application developed in banking
a number of alternative styles which can be used are detailed. The usability
and utility of this application is evaluated with positive results. It is
suggested that while menus are a viable and useful interface design design
technique, the use of other techniques should also be encouraged, and that
small-scale innovations in interface design will improve the variety, usability
and acceptability of information systems. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Menus, Interfaces | |||
| Theoretical Examination of the Effects of Anxiety and Electronic Performance Monitoring on Behavioural Biometric Security Systems | | BIBAK | 395-411 | |
| Frank Deane; Ron Henderson; Doug Mahar; Anthony Saliba | |||
| Computerised biometric systems are automated methods of verifying or
recognising the identity of a user on the basis of some physiological
characteristic, like a fingerprint or some aspects of behaviour such as
keystroke patterns. Behaviourally based biometric systems include signature,
speaker and keystroke verification. The investigation of psychological factors
which might impact on the efficiency of a behavioural biometric computer
security monitoring system has to our knowledge not been conducted. Of
particular concern in the present paper are the potential effects of state
anxiety on individual's physiological and performance responses. It is
suggested that in a behaviourally based biometric computer security monitoring
system, state anxiety may have sufficient effects to alter typical
physiological and performance responses, resulting in an increased risk of
security challenges, interruption of work-flow and resultant poor performance.
It is also proposed that behaviourally based biometric systems may have the
potential to be used as electronic performance monitoring systems, and typical
responses to such systems need to be examined when developing and implementing
any behaviourally based biometric security system. Keywords: Anxiety, Computer security, Electronic performance monitoring | |||
| An Examination of Four User-Based Software Evaluation Methods | | BIBAK | 412-432 | |
| Ron Henderson; John Podd; Mike Smith; Hugo Varela-Alvarez | |||
| Usability has become an important factor in the design of interactive
software. In the quest to develop usable software, user participation in the
design and evaluation process has been advocated. Four methods; logged data,
questionnaires, interviews, and verbal protocol analyses have been the
prominent base evaluation methods used, sometimes being combined in an attempt
to provide a comprehensive evaluation. However, little is known about the
strengths and weaknesses of these methods. In this study, these four methods
were used to evaluate three different software types (spreadsheet, word
processor, and database) with 148 subjects participating. The data obtained
enabled a number of conclusions to be drawn regarding the usefulness of the
methods when used individually and in combination. Keywords: Human-computer interaction, Software evaluation, Usability | |||