| Designing Towards Emotional Usability in Customer Interfaces -- Trustworthiness of Cyber-Banking System Interfaces | | BIBAK | PDF | 1-29 | |
| Jinwoo Kim; Jae Yun Moon | |||
| In this research we investigate the possibility of designing a user
interface for electronic commerce systems that will evoke target feelings in
the customer. The focus is on the impact of visual design factors on the
feeling of trustworthiness because of its significant effect upon the behavior
of customers using electronic commerce systems. Four empirical studies were
conducted in the domain of cyber-banking systems. The subjects were
cyber-banking system developers, bank personnel and potential customers of
cyber-banking systems in Korea ranging in age from late teens to early forties.
The first study was directed at developing the self-report questionnaire that
faithfully reflects the emotional factors related to cyber-banking systems.
The resulting questionnaire consisted of the forty bipolar emotive differential
scales representative of the emotions most important in interacting with
cyber-banking systems, e.g. reliable -- not reliable. The second study focused
on determining the important visual design factors from the customer's
perspective. Fourteen design factors identified from subjects' descriptions
were classified into the four design categories of title, menu, main clipart
and color. The third study investigated the correlations between the emotional
factors and design factors. The design factors were found to have significant
effects upon the extent of feelings related to symmetry, trustworthiness,
awkwardness and elegance. In the final study, two interfaces were designed
based on the results of the third study to differentiate the extent of
trustworthiness evoked. The results indicate that it is possible to manipulate
the visual design factors of the customer interface in order to induce a target
emotion, such as trustworthiness. The paper concludes by discussing the
implications of the empirical results on the design and implementation of
customer interfaces to electronic commerce systems in general. Keywords: Emotional usability, Customer interface, Trustworthiness, Electronic
commerce, Cyber-banking systems | |||
| About the Importance of Auditory Alarms During the Operation of a Plant Simulator | | BIBAK | PDF | 31-44 | |
| Matthias Rauterberg | |||
| An experiment was carried out to estimate the effect of auditory alarms on
the work of a plant operator in the context of a computer simulation. The
process simulator was implemented so that each of eight machines (computer
numeric controlled [CNC] robots) produced sounds to indicate its status over
time. Each sound was designed to reflect the 'real-world' semantic of the
actual breakdown event. As many as 32 different auditory alarms plus six
normal machine sounds could be played at once. We attempted to design the
auditory alarms so that none would be masked (rendered inaudible) by other
auditory alarms. Eight students of computer science operated our process
simulation program of an assembly line with the eight CNC robots. Relevant
information of disturbances and machine breakdowns was given in a visual (test
condition 1), and in visual and auditory form (test condition 2). The results
indicate that the additional feedback of auditory alarms significantly improves
operator performance and increases some mood aspects positively. Keywords: Audible alarms, Auditory feedback, Computer simulation, Human-computer
interaction | |||
| MobiCom: Networking Dispersed Groups | | BIBAK | PDF | 45-65 | |
| Steinar Kristoffersen; Fredrik Ljungberg | |||
| The paper describes MobiCom, a research project aimed at realizing
information technology support for dispersed groups of networking, mobile
knowledge workers. MobiCom addresses two fundamental problems of this emerging
organizational form: work coordination and collective sharing of experiences.
The MobiCom project is based on studies of work and IT use in a pharmaceutical
research company. It comprises ethnographic investigations, design and
evaluation. MobiCom has resulted in DARWIN, an application for negotiating
task distribution and exchanging lessons learned within the CIDES IT-support
group in the company, and MOSCOW, the architecture and protocol by which DARWIN
is implemented. Taking seriously the mobile nature of work in the group,
DARWIN is lightweight, has low overheads and is easy to use. MOSCOW represents
an open approach to mobile computing, aiming to integrate well with existing
and future desktop applications. MobiCom contributes to establishing a new,
interdisciplinary research area, by bringing CSCW and HCI concerns into the
rather technical domain of mobile computing. Keywords: Mobile computing, Networking, CSCW, HCI | |||
| Subjectivity and Notions of Time and Value in Interactive Information Retrieval | | BIBA | 67-75 | |
| Chris Johnson; Mark D. Dunlop | |||
| "Time is money", especially if you are downloading web pages over low-bandwidth telephone lines. All too often this investment goes unrewarded. Users simply cannot extract relevant information from the mass of data that is being provided over the Internet. This information saturation is exacerbated by the problems of electronic gridlock. The increasing demand for remote resources has led to increasing delays during peak periods on popular sites. This paper argues that, in the short term, technological solutions to these problems will not keep pace with the exponential growth in demand. The world's communications infrastructure cannot be improved at the rate that would be required to combat increasing retrieval delays. We, therefore, advocate interface design techniques as the only effective means of addressing the usability problems that frustrate interaction with Internet resources. Later sections introduce a central argument that links the papers in this special edition. Collaborative approaches to information retrieval, where search engines are augmented by advice from human experts, can reduce the problems of electronic gridlock and information saturation. | |||
| A Psychological Investigation of Long Retrieval Times on the World Wide Web | | BIBAK | PDF | 77-86 | |
| Judith Ramsay; Alessandro Barbesi; Jenny Preece | |||
| With the increasingly rapid uptake of the World Wide Web, even those pages
classed as 'the best of the web' are not immune to large download latencies.
This paper investigates whether the latency between requesting a page and
receiving it influence user perceptions of the page. The paper describes a
study in which users are presented with seven different web pages with delays
ranging from 2 s to 2 min, and are then asked to rate the pages on a number of
criteria. Predetermined delays were injected into the page loading process.
Pages which were retrieved faster were judged significantly more interesting
than their slower counterparts. The implications for web page design are
discussed. Keywords: World Wide Web, Response time, Information retrieval, Usability, Subjective
satisfaction | |||
| Designing for Delay in Interactive Information Retrieval | | BIBAK | PDF | 87-104 | |
| Chris Roast | |||
| The relevance of timeliness in effective interaction has been recently
recognized in HCI research. One area where users of a system consistently
encounter varying system delays is that of interactive information retrieval.
The effectiveness of information retrieval in an interactive context can be
highly influenced by the computational delays encountered.
This paper develops a framework for assessing the appropriateness of alternative interfaces and user tasks for systems in which significance of computational delays cannot be ignored. The framework is motivated by the ability of users to attune to the duration and pace of events in their environment. The framework is applied to interactive information retrieval, assessing alternative designs, and identifying how interface design details can enhance effective interactive information retrieval. The outcome of this assessment demonstrates that meeting temporal interface requirements can have a significant influence upon overall system design and the view of task adopted by users. Keywords: Information retrieval, Temporal issues, Formal modelling | |||
| Generalised Similarity Analysis and Pathfinder Network Scaling | | BIBAK | PDF | 107-128 | |
| Chaomei Chen | |||
| This paper introduces a generic approach to the development of hypermedia
information systems. This approach emphasises the role of intrinsic
inter-document relationships in structuring and visualising a large hypermedia
information space. In this paper, we illustrate the use of this approach based
on three types of similarity measurements: hypertext linkage, content
similarity and usage patterns. Salient patterns in these relationships are
extracted and visualised in a simple and intuitive associated network. The
spatial layout of a visualisation is optimised such that closely related
documents are placed near to each other and only those intrinsic connections
among them are shown to users as automatically generated virtual links. This
approach supports self-organised information space transformation based on
usage patterns and other feedback such that the visual structure of the
information space is incrementally tailored to users' search and browsing
styles. Keywords: Hypertext, Virtual link structure, Visualisation, Information retrieval | |||
| Navigation in Hyperspace: An Evaluation of the Effects of Navigational Tools and Subject Matter Expertise on Browsing and Information Retrieval in Hypertext | | BIBAK | PDF | 129-142 | |
| Sharon Mcdonald; Rosemary J. Stevenson | |||
| This study examined the effectiveness of a map and a textual contents list
on the navigation performance of subjects with and without prior knowledge of
the text topic. After reading the text, subjects used the document to answer
ten questions. The results showed that performance in the map condition was
superior to that of the contents list condition, which in turn was superior to
that of the hypertext only condition (no navigational aid). In addition,
knowledgeable subjects performed better than non-knowledgeable subjects, except
in the map condition where their performance was equivalent. The results also
show that non-knowledgeable users tend to rely more heavily on navigational
aids than knowledgeable users, and that aids were used primarily during
browsing. These results are discussed in relation to the ways in which
navigational aids interact with the prior knowledge of the user to enhance or
impede performance. Keywords: Hypertext, Disorientation, Information retrieval, Navigation, Navigational
aids, Browsing | |||
| A Flexible Hypertext Courseware on the Web Based on a Dynamic Link Structure | | BIBAK | PDF | 143-154 | |
| Licia Calvi; Paul De Bra | |||
| Hypertext is being used more and more often for on-line course texts.
However, the navigational freedom offered by a rich link structure is a burden
for students who need guidance throughout the learning process. This paper
presents a framework for adaptive link structures. By enabling links when a
student is ready to read the pages these links lead to, and disabling links to
pages that are no longer needed, the student can be assured that links always
lead to interesting new information she is ready to read. This framework is
illustrated by means of the courseware for an on-line course on 'Hypermedia
structures and systems', developed at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Keywords: Hypertext courseware, Adaptive interaction, Dynamic link structure | |||
| Genres in Support of Collaborative Information Retrieval in the Virtual Library | | BIBAK | PDF | 157-175 | |
| Rob Procter; Ana Goldenberg; Elisabeth Davenport; Andy Mckinlay | |||
| The advent of the virtual library is usually presented as a positive
development for library users. However, much of the research and development
work being carried out in this field tends to reinforce the perception of the
use of information resources as a predominantly solitary activity. We argue
that this narrow view of the virtual library may be counterproductive to its
aims. Recent studies have emphasized that information retrieval (IR) in the
conventional library is often a highly collaborative activity, involving
library users peers and experts in IR such as librarians. Failure to take this
into account in the move to digitally based resource discovery and access may
result in users of the virtual library being disadvantaged through lack of
timely and effective access to sources of assistance.
Our focus here is on the ways in which, in the conventional library setting, users consult with reference librarians for the resolution of their IR problems. We describe an investigation of consultation and collaboration issues as seen from the perspective of librarians and users contexts and analysed within the framework of genre. Drawing upon this analysis, we then describe the design of a prototype network, multimedia-based system which is intended to support collaboration between librarians and IR system users in the virtual library. Keywords: Collaboration, Genre, Information retrieval, Virtual library | |||
| Designing Interfaces to Support Collaboration in Information Retrieval | | BIBAK | PDF | 177-193 | |
| Michael Twidale; David Nichols | |||
| Information retrieval systems should acknowledge the existence of
collaboration in the search process. Collaboration can help users to be more
effective in both learning systems and in using them. We consider how to build
systems that more actively support collaboration. We describe a system that
embodies just one kind of explicit support; a graphical representation of the
search process that can be manipulated and discussed by users. A consideration
of this system leads to an analysis of designing systems to support coping
behaviour by users; including the need to support both help-giving by people,
and recovery from the failure of intelligent agents. We also discuss the idea
of interfaces as notations for supporting dialogues between people. Keywords: Collaborative learning process, Information retrieval, Interface design,
Visualization | |||
| Providing a Networked Future for Interpersonal Information Retrieval: Infovine and User Modelling | | BIBAK | PDF | 195-212 | |
| Clare F. Harvey; Peter Smith; Peter Lund | |||
| The Internet and Intranet provide the potential for people to access a great
deal more information from databases which were not previously available to
them. They can also facilitate connections between people who previously did
not know one another. These links to other people are valuable, as they help
the individual to filter and interpret the plethora of information to which
s/he now has access. This is because an important part of information-seeking
behaviour is interpersonal. The existence of user profiles within a system has
the potential to allow interpersonal information retrieval in information
systems. This paper proposes a novel approach for future Intranet
communication. A software system, InfoVine, which has been developed by the
authors and is based on this approach, shows how user models can help in
performing interpersonal information retrieval and in viewing people as an
index to information. The benefits of the InfoVine approach are discussed in
the context of user profiling for information retrieval. Keywords: Networked information retrieval, User modelling, SDI | |||
| Information Rendezvous | | BIBAK | PDF | 213-224 | |
| Daniel E. Rose; Jeremy J. Bornstein | |||
| This paper proposes a new type of asynchronous group communication tool
called an information rendezvous system. The purpose of the system is to
mediate between producers and consumers of information. Among other
attributes, information rendezvous systems rely on the knowledge of the user
community in determining the relevance of information. We also two describe
two prototypes that demonstrate the feasibility of the information rendezvous
concept. Keywords: Communication, Information rendezvous, Asynchronous communication | |||
| Exploring the Layers of Information Retrieval Evaluation | | BIBAK | PDF | 225-236 | |
| M. D. Dunlop; C. W. Johnson; J. Reid | |||
| This special issue presents current work on modelling interactive
information retrieval systems and users' interactions with them. This
introductory paper analyses the papers in the context of evaluation in
information retrieval (IR) by examining the different layers at which IR system
use could be evaluated. IR poses the double evaluation problem of evaluating
both the underlying system effectiveness and the overall ability of the system
to aid users. The papers in this collection look at different issues in
combining human-computer interaction (HCI) research with IR research and
provide insights into the problems of evaluating the information seeking
process. Keywords: Information retrieval, Modelling, Human-computer interaction, Evaluation | |||
| Interactive Searching and Interface Issues in the Okapi Best Match Probabilistic Retrieval System | | BIBAK | PDF | 237-248 | |
| Micheline Beaulieu; Susan Jones | |||
| We explore some interface design issues raised by the development and
evaluation of a highly interactive information retrieval (IR) system based on a
probabilistic retrieval model with relevance feedback. The Okapi system uses
term frequency weighting functions to display retrieved items in a best match
ranked order; it can also find additional items similar to those marked as
relevant by the searcher. Its query expansion mechanism has been implemented
in several different ways, and subjected to a number of evaluative studies.
The object has been to compare the effectiveness of automatic and interactive
query expansion in different user interface environments. In automatic query
expansion, the system extracts terms from items judged relevant by the searcher
and immediately creates a new query to search for more items. In the
interactive versions the extracted terms are displayed, and the searcher may
intervene in the construction of a modified query for the next phase of the
search. These contrasting approaches serve to illustrate the interplay between
different principles of human computer interaction and the information
retrieval task. The discussion focuses on the nature of interaction in IR and
the interrelationship between functional visibility, the user's cognitive
loading, and the balance of control between user and system. Keywords: Interactive information retrieval, Search interaction, User evaluation,
Querying, Browsing | |||
| Human-Computer Interaction in Information Retrieval: Nature and Manifestations of Feedback | | BIBAK | PDF | 249-267 | |
| Amanda Spink; Tefko Saracevic | |||
| This study develops a theoretical framework for expressing the nature of
feedback as a critical process in interactive information retrieval (IR).
Feedback concepts from cybernetics and social sciences perspectives are used to
develop a concept of informational feedback applicable to IR. Models from
human-computer interaction and interactive IR are then adapted as a framework
for studying the manifestations of feedback in IR. An informational feedback
loop is defined as a unit of measure for IR feedback. Results are then
presented from an empirical study of real-life interactions between users,
professional mediators (information specialists) and an IR system 'computer'.
Data are presented involving 885 feedback loops classified in five categories.
In conclusion we present a connection between the theoretical framework and
empirical observations and provide a number of pragmatic and research
suggestions. Keywords: Interactive information retrieval, Feedback, Cybernetics, Human-computer
interaction, Relevance | |||
| Evaluation of Information-Seeking Performance in Hypermedia Digital Libraries | | BIBAK | PDF | 269-284 | |
| Michail Salampasis; John Tait; Chris Bloor | |||
| Nowadays, we are witnessing the development of new information-seeking
environments and applications such as hypermedia digital libraries.
Information Retrieval (IR) is increasingly embedded in these environments and
plays a cornerstone role. However, in hypermedia digital libraries IR is a
part of a large and complex user-centred information-seeking environment. In
particular, information seeking is also possible using non-analytical,
opportunistic and intuitive browsing strategies. This paper discusses the
particular evaluation problems posed by these current developments. Current
methods based on Recall (R) and Precision (P) for evaluating IR are discussed,
and their suitability for evaluating the performance of hypermedia digital
libraries is examined. We argue that these evaluation methods cannot be
directly applied, mainly because they do not measure the effectiveness of
browsing strategies; the underlying notion of relevance ignores the highly
interconnected nature of hypermedia information and misses the reality of how
information seekers work in these environments. Therefore, we propose a new
quantitative evaluation methodology, based on the structural analysis of
hypermedia networks and the navigational and search state patterns of
information seekers. Although the proposed methodology retains some of the
characteristics (and criticisms) of R and P evaluations, it could be more
suitable than them for measuring the performance of information-seeking
environments where information seekers can utilize arbitrary mixtures of
browsing and query-based searching strategies. Keywords: Evaluation, Hypermedia digital libraries, Structural analysis of hypermedia,
Relative distance relevance | |||
| Modelling Information Seeking | | BIBAK | PDF | 285-302 | |
| Kathleen Burnett; E. Graham Mckinley | |||
| This article proposes three inter-related models to aid in the understanding
of the complex and constructive process of contemporary information seeking:
(1) postmodern model of identity; (2) rhizomorphic model of information
contexts; and (3) hypertextual model of technology interaction. The nature of
the information seeking problem is redefined as an individual's negotiation of
identity through the exploration of the interaction of private ignorance and
public knowledge. The three models are introduced, and their association with
the information seeking problem clarified. The incorporation of foci on
interactive processes, borrowed from communication studies, into the current
proposed approach to modelling information seeking is justified. Finally,
suggestions are offered for further research based on this approach. Keywords: Information seeking models, Postmodern model of identity, Rhizomorphic model
of information contexts, Hypertextual model of technology interaction,
Communication models | |||
| How Many Relevances in Information Retrieval? | | BIBAK | PDF | 303-320 | |
| Stefano Mizzaro | |||
| The aim of an information retrieval system is to find relevant documents,
thus relevance is a (if not 'the') central concept of information retrieval.
Notwithstanding its importance, and the huge amount of research on this topic
in the past, relevance is not yet a well understood concept, also because of
inconsistently used terminology. In this paper, I try to clarify this issue,
classifying the various kinds of relevance. I show that: (i) there are many
kinds of relevance, not just one; (ii) these kinds can be classified in a
formally defined four dimensional space, and (iii) such classification helps us
to understand the nature of relevance and relevance judgement. Finally, the
consequences of this classification on the design and evaluation of information
retrieval systems are analysed. Keywords: Information retrieval, Relevance, Kinds of relevance, Relevance judgement,
System design, System evaluation | |||
| Towards a Cognitive Theory of Information Retrieval | | BIBAK | PDF | 321-351 | |
| Alistair Sutcliffe; Mark Ennis | |||
| A framework for constructing a cognitive model of users' information
searching behaviour is described. The motivation for the framework is to
create explanatory and predictive theories of information searching to improve
the design of information retrieval (IR) systems. The framework proposes a
taxonomy of components for process models of the information seeking task,
information need types and knowledge sources necessary to support the task.
The framework is developed into a preliminary version of a cognitive theory of
information searching by the addition of strategies and correspondence rules
which predict user behaviour in different task stages according to information
need types, facilities provided by the IR system and knowledge held by the
user. The theory is evaluated by using claims analysis based on empirical
observations of users information retrieval and by a walkthrough of an IR
session to investigate how well the theory can account for empirical evidence.
Results show that the theory can indicate the expert strategies which should be
followed in different task contexts but predictions of actual user behaviour
are less accurate. The future possibilities for employing the theoretical
model as a tutorial advisor for information retrieval and as an evaluation
method for IR systems are reviewed. The role and potential of cognitive
theories of user task-action in Information Retrieval and Human Computer
Interaction are discussed. Keywords: Information searching, Cognitive task models, Theory, Framework, Scenarios | |||
| How did University Departments Interweave the Web: A Study of Connectivity and Underlying Factors | | BIBAK | PDF | 353-373 | |
| Chaomei Chen; Julian Newman; Rhona Newman; Roy Rada | |||
| This paper presents two studies of the use of the WWW in Scottish
universities and American land-grant universities. First, we investigated the
relationship between the organisational profile of a university department in
Scotland and its structural connectivity on the WWW. A Spearman rank order
correlation analysis revealed a number of strong correlation relationships
between structural connectivity measures and the organisational profile based
on research assessment exercise ratings, teaching quality assessments, student
-- staff ratios and funding levels. Linkage patterns from 13 Scottish academic
sites to commercial sites in Britain and America highlighted the impact of
culture and the appropriateness of information technologies on the acceptance
of the WWW. The second study is a content survey of WWW-based education
activities in American land-grant universities to investigate successful
applications of these enabling techniques in education. The two studies
together highlighted cultural, political and technological interactions in the
use of the WWW. Keywords: WWW, Connectivity analysis, Hypertext references, Scientific networks,
Content analysis | |||
| The Effects of Password Length and Reference Profile Size on the Performance of a Multivariate Text-Dependent Typist Verification System | | BIBAK | PDF | 375-383 | |
| Doug Mahar; Ron Henderson; William Laverty; Rene Napier | |||
| The performance of Napier et al.'s typist verification algorithm (Keyboard
user verification: toward an accurate, efficient, and ecologically valid
algorithm, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 43 (1995) 213-222)
was assessed in a text-dependent setting. Twenty-nine subjects typed a 17
character password 50 times. False acceptance and false rejection rates were
then calculated as the number of repetitions of the password included in the
reference profile was increased from 6 to 20 and the number of digraphs from
the password included in the verification process was increased from 2 to 16.
The performance of the system (12% total error rate) was found to be comparable
with the best results reported in other studies using text-dependent
algorithms, and substantially better than that reported in studies using a
text-independent paradigm with passwords of this length. The relationship
between password length and reference profile size was found to conform to an
exponential decay function, which accounted for 92% of the variability in
verification error rates. Keywords: Computer security, Typist verification, Password length | |||
| The Beta Test of an Electronic Supermarket | | BIBAK | PDF | 385-399 | |
| R. Henderson; D. Rickwood; P. Roberts | |||
| This paper presents findings of a beta test of an electronic supermarket.
It first reports qualitative information elicited during interviews and focus
groups conducted with the beta test user group. A total of 57 users who had
tested the system participated in the qualitative component of the study.
Interviews and focus groups addressed what the users considered the best and
worst features of the system and what things they would do differently if they
were the management of the electronic supermarket. Results generated a number
of suggestions for improvement and concerns. Interestingly, it became apparent
that the electronic supermarket, rather than being considered an impersonal
form of shopping, was considered a very personalized form of shopping, akin to
the corner grocery market. The paper then reports the results of a
quantitative survey that aimed to predict intentions to use the electronic
supermarket are reported. Construct measurement was loosely based on the
technology acceptance model, a derivative of the theory of reasoned action, and
further supplemented by industry specific relevant constructs. Constructs
tapped, therefore, consisted of perceived usefulness, enjoyment, peer-group
norms, usability and perceptions of the electronic shopping experience.
Biographical and situational data were also recorded. Analysis was conducted
on 64 completed questionnaires. Results indicated a high level of intention to
use the system in the future. Not surprisingly, many of the hypothesised
predictors of intention to use the system were inter-correlated. Multivariate
regression analyses revealed, however, that two variables contributed
significantly to the intention to use the system in the future: enjoyment in
using the system and peer-group norms, together accounting for 61% of the
variance in intentions to use the system in the future. The implications of
the research for theory and practice are discussed. The paper concludes by
presenting a theoretical model of the factors identified as being important in
the use of electronic supermarkets. Keywords: Electronic commerce, Electronic supermarket, IT uptake, Theory of planned
behavior | |||