| Lost in Hyperspace: Metrics and Mental Models | | BIBAK | 1-40 | |
| M. Otter; H. Johnson | |||
| Being disorientated or lost is one of the fundamental difficulties which
users experience when trying to navigate within hypertext systems. In this
paper, two new metrics of lostness are described and applied. The new metrics
focus on the effects of link-type and the accuracy of user's mental models of
system structure. In a series of studies, the new metrics were compared with
the only other published metric of lostness, the optimal path deviation measure
formulated by Smith [P.A. Smith, Towards a practical measure of hypertext
usability, Interacting with Computers 4 (1996) 365-381], and with other
measures including self-report estimates and task times. The results
tentatively suggest that some types of hyperlink have a greater impact on
lostness than others. The accuracy of the subjects' mental models did not
correlate significantly with other measures of lostness, however this may have
been due to task demands. Based on these findings, suggestions are made for the
design of more effective hypertext systems that minimise lostness, and a new
approach to designing such systems, based on the mental models of users, is put
forward. Keywords: Hypertext; Hyperlinks; Metrics; Usability; Lostness; Mental models | |||
| Editorial: Introduction to this Special Issue on "Scenario-Based System Development" | | BIB | 41-42 | |
| J. M. Carroll | |||
| Five Reasons for Scenario-Based Design | | BIBAK | 43-60 | |
| J. M. Carroll | |||
| Scenarios of human-computer interaction help us to understand and to create
computer systems and applications as artifacts of human activity as things to
learn from, as tools to use in one's work, as media for interacting with other
people. Scenario-based design of information technology addresses five
technical challenges: scenarios evoke reflection in the content of design work,
helping developers coordinate design action and reflection. Scenarios are at
once concrete and flexible, helping developers manage the fluidity of design
situations. Scenarios afford multiple views of an interaction, diverse kinds
and amounts of detailing, helping developers manage the many consequences
entailed by any given design move. Scenarios can also be abstracted and
categorized, helping designers to recognize, capture and reuse generalizations
and to address the challenge that technical knowledge often lags the needs of
technical design. Finally, scenarios promote work-oriented communication among
stakeholders, helping to make design activities more accessible to the great
variety of expertise that can contribute to design, and addressing the
challenge that external constraints designers and clients face often distract
attention from the needs and concerns of the people who will use the
technology. Keywords: Scenario-based design; Human-computer interaction; Work-oriented
communication | |||
| Scenarios in User-Centred Design -- Setting the Stage for Reflection and Action | | BIBAK | 61-75 | |
| S. Bødker | |||
| This paper discusses three examples of use of scenarios in user-centred
design. Common to the examples are the use of scenarios to support the tensions
between reflection and action, between typical and critical situations, and
between plus and minus situations. The paper illustrates how a variety of more
specific scenarios emphasising, e.g. critical situations, or even caricatures
of situations are very useful for helping groups of users and designers being
creative in design. Emphasising creativity in design is a very different view
on the design process than normally represented in usability work or
software/requirement engineering, where generalising users' actions are much
more important than, in this paper, the suggested richness of and contradiction
between actual use situations. In general the paper proposes to attune
scenarios to the particular purposes of the situations they are to be used in,
and to be very selective based on these purposes. Keywords: Scenarios; Co-operation with users; Use context; Reflection; Action | |||
| Improving Reviews of Conceptual Models by Extended Traceability to Captured System Usage | | BIBAK | 77-95 | |
| P. Haumer; M. Jarke; K. Pohl; K. Weidenhaupt | |||
| When specifying change for an existing system, the history and functionality
of the system to be replaced has to be considered. This avoids neglecting
important system functionality and repeating errors. The properties and the
rationale behind the existing system can be elicited by analysing concrete
system-usage scenarios [Pohl, K., Weidenhaupt, K., Domges, R., Haumer, P.,
Jarke, M., Klamma, R., 1999. Process-integrated (modelling) environments
(PRIME): foundation and implementation framework. ACM Transactions on Software
Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM), vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 343-410]. The results
of the analysis of the existing system are then typically represented using
conceptual models. To establish conceptual models of high quality reviewing the
models is common practice. The problem faced with when reviewing conceptual
models, is that the reviewer cannot assess and therefore understand the basis
(concrete system usage) on which the conceptual models were built.
In this paper, we present an approach to overcome this problem. We establish Extended Traceability, by recording concrete system-usage scenarios using rich media (e.g. video, speech, graphic) and interrelating the recorded observations with the conceptual models. We discuss the main improvements for review processes and illustrate the advantages with excerpts from a case study performed in a mechanical engineering company. Keywords: Scenario-based requirements engineering; Requirements management;
Requirements traceability; Formal reviews; Goal modelling; Rich media; CASE
environments | |||
| Linking Soft Systems and Use-Case Modelling through Scenarios | | BIBAK | 97-110 | |
| D. W. Bustard; Z. He; F. G. Wilkie | |||
| Scenarios are fundamental to the description and comprehension of systems of
any type. They can therefore provide a common base when attempting to combine
different modelling approaches. This paper considers their particular role in
linking Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and Use-case modelling. It does so in
the context of examining the potential gain from using these techniques in
combination. SSM supports strategic planning for business design or
improvement. This involves the development of system models to identify the
activities that an organisation must perform to meet its goals. Use-case
modelling is a requirements engineering technique that similarly leads to the
identification of system activities, but is driven more by the needs of the
system's 'users' than those of the system itself. These different but
complementary perspectives suggest that either technique can be used to help
validate the other's models. This seems particularly valuable in the
development of information systems. More significantly, however, SSM emerges as
a way of enhancing Use-case development and UML in general. Keywords: Business improvement; Soft systems methodology; Use-cases; Scenarios | |||
| Applying and Testing an Approach to Design for Culturally Diverse User Groups | | BIBAK | 111-126 | |
| P. Bourges-Waldegg; S. A. R. Scrivener | |||
| This paper intends to illustrate how user interface designers can apply the
Meaning in Mediated Action (MIMA) approach (P. Bourges-Waldegg, A.R. Scrivener,
Meaning; the central issue is cross-cultural HCI design, Interacting with
Computers, 9 (3) (1998) 287-310, special issue on "Shared Values and Shared
Interfaces") to design for culturally diverse user groups. After outlining its
theoretical foundation, we describe how the MIMA stages -- observation,
evaluation, analysis and design -- were carried out to redesign a WWW system.
Finally, we assess the efficacy of this approach by comparing the results of
the evaluation of the original and the redesigned interfaces. Keywords: Culture; Interface design; Representation; Meaning; Context | |||
| What is Beautiful is Usable | | BIBAK | 127-145 | |
| N. Tractinsky; A. S. Katz; D. Ikar | |||
| An experiment was conducted to test the relationships between users'
perceptions of a computerized system's beauty and usability. The experiment
used a computerized application as a surrogate for an Automated Teller Machine
(ATM). Perceptions were elicited before and after the participants used the
system. Pre-experimental measures indicate strong correlations between system's
perceived aesthetics and perceived usability. Post-experimental measures
indicated that the strong correlation remained intact. A multivariate analysis
of covariance revealed that the degree of system's aesthetics affected the
post-use perceptions of both aesthetics and usability, whereas the degree of
actual usability had no such effect. The results resemble those found by social
psychologists regarding the effect of physical attractiveness on the valuation
of other personality attributes. The findings stress the importance of studying
the aesthetic aspect of human-computer interaction (HCI) design and its
relationships to other design dimensions. Keywords: User interface; Aesthetics; Usability; Apparent usability; HCI design
considerations; HCI perceptions | |||
| Effective Information Visualisation: A Study of Graph Drawing Aesthetics and Algorithms | | BIBAK | 147-162 | |
| H. C. Purchase | |||
| Information visualisation systems which generate diagrams representing
discrete relational information must consider potential users if they are to be
effective. Many algorithms which render an abstract graph structure as a
diagram are valued for their conformance to aesthetic criteria (e.g. reducing
the number of edge crossings, maximising symmetry), or for computational
efficiency. They are not usually judged on their ability to produce diagrams
that maximise human performance.
This paper presents the results of experiments investigating the relative worth (from an HCI point of view) of graph drawing aesthetics and algorithms using a single graph. The results indicate that while some individual aesthetics affect human performance, it is difficult to say that one algorithm is 'better' than another from a relational understanding point of view. Designers of automatic layout algorithms, and the systems which embody such algorithms, can benefit from this study and this human-centred approach, by adapting their methods to focus on user concerns, rather than computational ones. Keywords: Graph drawings; Graph layout aesthetics; Graph layout algorithms; User
experimentation; Relational information visualisation | |||
| World Wide Web Working whilst Ignoring Graphics: Good News for Web Page Designers | | BIBAK | 163-181 | |
| D. Diaper; P. Waelend | |||
| Many web pages are made up of blocks of text with surrounding graphics. In
some cases these graphics are animated in a variety of different ways. A common
task of web users is to search the text on a web page for some information of
interest and, often, this is what such pages' designers expect. Where
information extraction from text is likely to be the primary concern of both
web users and designers, then it is useful to know if typical, current examples
of surrounding graphics, animated or static, distract people from their primary
information extraction task. An experiment using realistic web pages supports
the view that experienced web users are not distracted by surrounding graphics.
This is good news for web page designers because such graphics are often
considered highly desirable, and are sometimes commercially essential as paid
advertising. Data on the time it takes to search for information on web pages
and their perceived complexity are also presented. Keywords: World Wide Web; Attention; Graphics; Animated graphics; Visual search | |||
| The Effects of Sound and Colour on Responses to a Computer Game | | BIBAK | 183-192 | |
| S. Wolfson; G. Case | |||
| Background colour (red/blue) and sound (loud/quiet) were manipulated in a
series of computer games. Players using a blue screen improved gradually over
the session, while red screen players peaked midway and then deteriorated. A
similar pattern for heart rate was found, suggesting that arousal was
implicated in the effect. Sound alone had little impact, but the red/loud
combination was associated with perceptions of excitement and playing well. The
results suggest that the aura of a computer game may affect cognitive and
physiological responses. Keywords: Computers; Games; Sound; Colour; Arousal | |||
| Surveying the Scene: Technologies for Everyday Awareness and Monitoring in Control Rooms | | BIBAK | 193-228 | |
| P. Luff; C. Heath; M. Jirotka | |||
| Recent technologies to support collaborative work have sought, in various
ways, to enhance an individual's awareness of another's activities. Through a
range of diverse technologies developers have endeavoured to provide users with
capabilities that allow them to monitor, either passively or actively, what
others are doing. In this paper we aim to examine awareness by analysing a
setting where one of the responsibilities of the staff is to oversee, through a
set of technologies, a complex environment in order to monitor the various
spaces and locations in the local domain, the individuals who move through
these spaces, and the events that occur in it. We outline the resources they
utilise to make sense of what personnel see on the screens and to initiate
collaborative action with colleagues. We conclude by discussing how such
analyses can inform the design of novel systems which aim to support awareness
and monitoring of environments. More critically we draw on this study to
reconsider the conception of awareness utilised within Computer Supported
Cooperative Work and other fields where technological solutions are being
proposed to support individuals to monitor, whether peripherally or not,
locations, activities and other individuals in digital environments. Keywords: Awareness; CSCW; Close Circuit Television; Surveillance systems; Command and
control | |||
| RemUSINE: A Bridge between Empirical and Model-Based Evaluation when Evaluators and Users are Distant | | BIBAK | 229-251 | |
| F. Paterno; G. Ballardin | |||
| There are few computer-aided approaches that provide a model-based usability
evaluation using empirical data. This paper proposes a solution that allows
designers to remotely evaluate the usability of interactive software
applications with the support of automatic tools, empirical data, and the task
model of the application. Keywords: Usability engineering; Automatic tools for usability evaluation; Model-based
design and evaluation | |||
| Electronic Mail versus Printed Text: The Effects on Recipients | | BIBAK | 253-263 | |
| K. Hill; A. F. Monk | |||
| Experiment 1 examined power of email communications, compared to equivalent
printed communications, to influence a recipient's behaviour. 160 people were
sent requests to volunteer for an experiment. Half received these requests
through email and half on printed media through the internal mail. These groups
were further subdivided into those who replied by internal or electronic mail.
There was no evidence that an email message has less weight in persuading
people to reply positively. The pattern of reply frequencies is completely
explained by the relative effort required to reply. Experiment 2 examined
recipients' reactions to email and print communications using rating scales. An
email and printed text group were asked to rate two documents, a job
application and a thank you note, on various qualities. While the content of
the document had a significant effect on ratings, there was no evidence that
recipients rate messages or their senders differently depending on the medium
used. It is concluded that for this student population email has taken on many
of the characteristics previously expected of print. Keywords: Email; Printed communications | |||
| Exploration Environments: Supporting Users to Learn Groupware Functions | | BIBAK | 265-299 | |
| V. Wulf | |||
| Explorative learning plays a major role when users face new functionality.
Nevertheless, the multi-user character of groupware makes explorative learning
more difficult. Users are often unable to understand the way certain functions
work because they cannot perceive the effects of the functions' execution. This
problem gets more severe with tailorable groupware. Therefore, we propose
exploration environments as an additional feature to support users in
self-directed learning. Looking at three tailorable groupware tools, we show
how exploration environments can be realized. To generalize our findings, we
develop a model which describes the user interface of tailorable groupware.
Based on this model, we compare the design of the three tools and present
general guidelines for the implementation of exploration environments. Finally,
we report about the results of a workshop in which a groupware tool containing
exploration environments has been evaluated. Keywords: Groupware; Tailorable; PoliTeam; Exploration; Learning | |||
| A Framework for Engineering Metaphor at the User Interface | | BIBAK | 301-322 | |
| J. L. Alty; R. P. Knott; B. Anderson; M. Smyth | |||
| Interface metaphors facilitate the learning of new computer systems by
supporting the transformation of existing knowledge in order to improve the
comprehension of novel situations. However, there is very little guidance for
software designers on how to select, implement and evaluate interface
metaphors. This paper, which is based upon extensive work in developing
metaphors for telecommunications systems, provides a framework for software
designers who wish to exploit the use of interface metaphors. The paper
proposes a set of six design steps, to provide designers with a practical
approach to the application of metaphor in the design of interactive systems.
An explanation of the activities required in each step is given and justified
from experience gained in developing a number of interface metaphors. A
pragmatic model of the use of metaphor in human centred system design is
introduced, and a technique for eliciting metaphor characteristics is developed
from ethnomethodology. The approach has been discussed with software designers
at two workshops, and the final content has been influenced by their input. Keywords: Metaphor; Interface design; Software design process; Framework | |||
| Editorial: Interfaces for the Active Web | | BIB | 323-324 | |
| Dave Clarke; Alan Dix | |||
| Beyond the Interface: Users' Perceptions of Interaction and Audience on Websites | | BIBAK | 325-351 | |
| A. Light; I. Wakeman | |||
| Dynamic pages and the increasing number of functions that websites can
perform are changing users' relations with the Web. Little has been reported on
how the experience of using this kind of interactive site differs from the
'point and click' interactivity of the early Web. This paper reports on a
qualitative study of users who entered text while visiting a website of their
choice. It shows how the process brought with it two levels of awareness: that
of the interface, and that of the social context beyond the interface. The
paper goes on to describe the perception of audience that emerged from
analysing users' accounts. It also gives details of the data collection method,
which is based on the work of Vermersch and has not been widely used outside
France for analysing interaction with computers. The implications for website
design are considered. Keywords: Interaction; Perception; Communication model; Interface; Participant roles;
Discourse analysis; Explicitation interview | |||
| Supporting Educational Activities through Dynamic Web Interfaces | | BIBAK | 353-374 | |
| M. da Graca Pimentel; Y. Ishiguro; B. Kerimbaev; G. D. Abowd; M. Guzdial | |||
| The Web is used for many purposes in education, such as the publication of
course management information, centralized distribution of course materials,
and supporting on-line discussions between instructors and students or among
the students themselves. Leveraging off the Web for educational activities both
inside and outside the classroom produces a dynamic educational repository. In
this paper, we present work that explicitly attempts to connect in-class
activity, in the form of multimedia, Web-accessible captured lectures, with
collaborative discussion spaces. Flexible and dynamic interfaces for the
captured lectures and the discussion spaces are presented, as well as
specialized interfaces that connect the two. We discuss our experience in a
recent course taught using this integrated and dynamic educational repository
and explain how our experience has lead to some solutions for visualizing the
changes that occur over this rich space. Keywords: Educational application; Automated capture and access; Collaborative
discussion; Hypertext; Multimedia; Ubiquitous computing | |||
| Navigating the World Wide Web: Bookmark Maintenance Architectures | | BIBAK | 375-400 | |
| C. Sorensen; D. Macklin; T. Beaumont | |||
| The World Wide Web is increasingly becoming the preferred repository of
information. The strength of this information infrastructure is also its
weakness. Faced with the chaos of millions of places to go and thousands of
places to remember having been, the thousands of new Web users who join every
day, need a helping hand. The aim of this paper is, to highlight possible
components of technologies supporting web navigation and the maintenance of
indexes to web resources. The BASE framework is suggested as a means of
understanding the pragmatic technological choices, and six experimental
prototypes are presented and discussed. The prototypes support various aspects
of bookmark maintenance and information filtering. Keywords: Web navigation support; Web application framework; Bookmark systems;
Information filtering; Web agents | |||
| Multi-Authoring Virtual Worlds Via the World Wide Web | | BIBAK | 401-426 | |
| P. Phillips; T. Rodden | |||
| The rapid growth of the Internet has seen a range of Collaborative Virtual
Environments (CVEs) emerge that support virtual worlds, where users can
interact with both objects and each other. However, little consideration has
been given to the development of these environments and the provision of tools
to allow users to manage them.
This paper presents a web-based model for jointly authoring multi-user virtual worlds using the ideas of object ownership and division of the virtual environment at the object level. A brief description of an implementation and its more interesting features is also provided. Keywords: Multi-authoring virtual worlds; Virtual environments; Object ownership | |||
| Comparing Two Spreadsheet Calculation Paradigms: An Empirical Study with Novice Users | | BIBAK | 427-446 | |
| M. Tukiainen | |||
| Empirical studies of spreadsheet programming have commonly shown high
overall error rates but only little attention has been paid to reasons for
these errors. One often mentioned cause for errors is the low conceptual level
of spreadsheet systems, e.g. the lack of abstraction and modularity mechanisms.
By offering these kinds of mechanisms to spreadsheet users, we wanted to study
whether the conceptual level has an effect on types of errors produced. The
higher conceptual level paradigm offered is the structured spreadsheet
calculation paradigm, which utilizes goals, plans and spreadsheet data
structures in computation. In this paper, we present an empirical study with
novice users, comparing the traditional spreadsheet calculation paradigm and
the structured spreadsheet calculation paradigm. The results show that the two
different paradigms produce different error behaviors. Keywords: Human-computer interaction; Empirical studies of programmers; Calculation
paradigms; Spreadsheet calculation | |||
| Time and Representational Devices in Rapid Application Development | | BIBAK | 447-466 | |
| D. Tudhope; P. Beynon-Davies; H. Mackay; R. Slack | |||
| This paper discusses an ethnographic study of a commercial prototyping
software development project. A distinguishing feature of the development was
its concentration in one span of time and in one room, with both users and
developers participating. This gave rise to a working practice based around the
use of low technology representations of design. The case study explores
practical issues important for prototyping: time management, user involvement,
everyday design representations and the development environment. The mundane
nature of design representations facilitated user participation. The public
representations of work on the walls showed the current state in design of
different components of the system and facilitated collaborative activities.
The case study was part of a larger research project (1995-1998) which
investigated the commercial use of prototyping in the UK. The development was
influenced by a recent trend in commercial prototyping practice, Rapid
Application Development (RAD). Implications of the case study for RAD and
participatory design are discussed. Keywords: Prototyping; Ethnography; Rapid Application Development; User participation;
Design representations | |||
| Semiotic Engineering Principles for Evaluating End-User Programming Environments | | BIBAK | 467-495 | |
| C. S. de Souza; S. D. J. Barbosa; S. R. P. da Silva | |||
| End user programming (EUP) environments are difficult to evaluate
empirically. Most users do not engage in programming, and those who do are
often discouraged by the complexity of programming tasks. Often the
difficulties arise from the programming languages in which users are expected
to express themselves. But there are other difficulties associated with
designing extensions and adjustments to artifacts that have been originally
designed by others. This paper characterizes EUP as a semiotic design process,
and presents two principles that can be used to illustrate the distinctions
between the various kinds of techniques and approaches proposed in this field.
The principles support a preliminary theoretical model of EUP and should thus
facilitate the definition and interpretation of empirical evaluation studies.
They also define some specific semiotic qualifications that more usable and
applicable EUP languages could be expected to have. Keywords: Semiotic engineering; End-user programming; Evaluation methods; Usability;
Theoretical model | |||
| Human-Computer Interface Design Issues for a Multi-Cultural and Multi-Lingual English Speaking Country -- Botswana | | BIBAK | 497-512 | |
| E. A. Onibere; S. Morgan; E. M. Busang; D. Mpoeleng | |||
| This paper reports on research carried out to determine whether a localised
interface is preferred by users in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual country
where a non-local language is nationally used. We attempted to discover whether
local symbols are more acceptable to users as icons and also whether the
current phrases used in menus and icon descriptions are clearly understood by
the various communities.
A survey was conducted nation-wide among computer end-users in Botswana. The results indicate an overwhelming desire from users for a localised interface. However, there appears to be little need for localised icons and no agreement as to which language to use for text-based interfaces. Keywords: Usability; Culture; Localised interface; Interface design | |||
| The Effects of Frame Layout and Differential Background Contrast on Visual Search Performance in Web Pages | | BIBAK | 513-525 | |
| P. van Schaik; J. Ling | |||
| Usability is paramount for the success of Web sites. This study aims to
contribute towards Web design guidelines for usability through an empirical
investigation into two Web page design parameters. Using a 2x4 mixed measures
experimental design, we studied the effects of frame layout and background
contrast on visual search performance. One hundred and eighty-nine
undergraduates carried out a visual search task using mock Web pages. Analysis
showed an effect of layout both on accuracy and speed measures, with frames
located at the top or left of the screen leading to better performance. No main
effect of contrast was found, although there was an interaction between layout
and contrast in reaction time for hits. Preference for frame layout was
dependent on background contrast. The results are discussed in terms of visual
search processes and design recommendations are given. Keywords: World wide web; Frames; Contrast; Visual search; Usability | |||
| A Student Centered Methodology for the Development of a Physics Video Based Laboratory | | BIBAK | 527-548 | |
| F. Gamboa Rodriguez; J. L. Perez Silva; F. Lara Rosano; F. Caviedes Contreras; A. I. Miranda Vitela | |||
| The design and development of good quality software is not, in itself, an
easy task. In the context of Educational Software development, another major
problem is introduced: the user's goal is to learn. Unfortunately, learning is
not a task that might be modeled and represented on a computer system. This
paper intends to provide some answers to this problem: a Student Centered
Methodology for the Development of Educational Software is presented. The
methodology makes explicit how the different design choices were made, in order
to obtain a final product that not only takes advantage of today's interaction
technologies, but also makes an effective use of them. Keywords: Student centered development methodologies; Educational software design;
Human-computer interaction | |||
| The Mediating Effects of Intrinsic Motivation, Ease of Use and Usefulness Perceptions on Performance in First-Time and Subsequent Computer Users | | BIBAK | 549-580 | |
| Sid Davis; Susan Wiedenbeck | |||
| This study examines how certain software interfaces and prior exposure to
other interfaces lead to effective learning. In particular, it studies the
roles of the interaction style and the learner's prior exposure to other
interaction styles mediated by the engagement of the learning environment,
users' perceptions of the usefulness of the software, and users' perceptions of
their ability to use the software successfully. In the experimental paradigm,
two groups that learned a menu-driven or command-driven word processors after
prior exposure to the assimilative context of a direct manipulation interaction
style were compared to groups that learned those same interaction styles with
no prior exposure to the assimilative context of the direct manipulation style
software. The results confirm the importance of directness in the interaction
style and of a prior assimilative context for learning. However, they also
indicate that engagement has a strong effect on performance via its effect on
perceived ease of use (PEU). This suggests that software designers should not
only give special attention to creating software that promotes interface
directness, but that also promotes engagement. Our results also suggest that it
may be difficult to create engaging learning environments for learners who do
not possess a relevant assimilative context to support software learning. Keywords: Software training; Intrinsic motivation; Perceived ease of use; Interaction
style; Assimilation theory; Social cognitive theory | |||
| A Linguistic Approach to User Interface Design | | BIBAK | 581-599 | |
| Rumen Dimov Andreev | |||
| This paper considers user interface design world (UIDW) as a system of
communication lines. It necessitates the adoption of a UI design method,
centered on language application. For that reason, this approach to UI design
is called linguistic approach. The basic characteristics of communication
require the presence of a balanced model of UIDW. The integration approach
applied to the proposed balanced model submits for analyzing the following
issues: the possibilities of object-oriented (OO) approach for providing a
homogeneous platform for UI designing; the potential of OO approach for
language implementation. The use of formal description provides a basis for the
consideration of these issues.
As a result of these considerations, the following conclusions are drawn. A technology can be used for language implementation if it ensures all abstract forms reflected to the language structure: concept - this is the essence of the word; forms based on individual abstraction reflect static relations of one description; forms based on group abstraction provide context description. At present, the OO technology covers a part of the language structure. It ensures the forms of concept and the forms based on individual abstraction. The OO paradigm can be regarded as a foundation of a linguistic approach to UI design when new OO forms are developed. They have to cover the forms of group abstraction. Keywords: User interface design; System design; Object-oriented approach; Linguistic
approach; Abstract forms of cognition | |||
| N-Fingers: A Finger-Based Interaction Technique for Wearable Computers | | BIBAK | 601-625 | |
| Juha Lehikoinen; Mika Roykkee | |||
| With wearable computers, using the computer is usually just an occasional,
secondary task. The user may operate the computer while walking in the street
or sitting in a bus. Hence, efficient and natural methods for controlling the
user interface while still being able to interact with the environment are
needed. We present a way to navigate and control the wearable computer user
interface with fingers. Our approach, called N-Fingers, replaces the
conventional desktop pointing devices and the metaphors associated with them,
and allows the user to control the user interface in an easy, natural way by
using the thumb to push 'buttons' located in the other fingers. An initial
qualitative usability evaluation showed N-Fingers to be a promising interaction
technique for wearable computers. It is intuitive to use and easy to learn. It
can also be used without looking at the hand. The subsequent quantitative
evaluation proved that N-Fingers is a fast, accurate technique that can be
learned very quickly. N-Fingers enables the wearable computer user interface
designers to develop interfaces that are efficient to use yet unobtrusive. Keywords: Interaction technique; Wearable computing; Fingers; Joints | |||
| Editorial: Interfaces for the Active Web (Part 2) | | BIB | 627-629 | |
| Dave Clarke; Alan Dix | |||
| Automatic Generation of Instructional Hypermedia with APHID | | BIBAK | 631-654 | |
| Judi R. Thomson; Jim Greer; John Cooke | |||
| This research investigates the use of patterns in designing adaptable,
flexible hypermedia applications. While patterns are particularly applicable to
software design, they can also be used to assist designers of other types of
applications. We have developed a method (APHID) that guides a hypermedia
creator through the analysis and design process. The method ensures that good
design principles are followed, both for the hypermedia application and for the
interface that presents the hypermedia application. Our method uses a concept
map, constraints, and patterns (instructional and presentation) to support
partial automation for creating hypermedia applications. We also present a
prototype software system that uses the APHID method to create instructional
hypermedia applications semi-automatically. The applications created using
APHID are tailored to specific types of learners. We conclude with a claim that
this approach is applicable not just to instructional hypermedia, but to the
larger problem of generating adaptable interfaces. Keywords: Hypermedia design; Patterns; Automated design methods; Instructional design | |||
| Supporting Interactive Collaboration on the Web with CORK | | BIBAK | 655-676 | |
| P. L. Isenhour; M. B. Rosson; J. M. Carroll | |||
| The World Wide Web has served as a medium for collaboration since its
inception. Web-based collaboration has, however, been dominated by systems
supporting asynchronous activities such as sharing documents and participating
in discussion forums. Supporting interactive, synchronous collaboration on the
Web has proven much more challenging. In this paper we describe three of the
challenges encountered in the context of supporting network-based collaboration
among middle and high school science students: integrating synchronous and
asynchronous modes of interaction, minimizing consumption of bandwidth, and
adapting non-collaborative software components for collaborative use. We then
present the Content Object Replication Kit, a toolkit for building interactive
Java-based collaborative systems for use on the Web. Keywords: Synchronous and asynchronous collaboration; Collaborative software for
education; Groupware architecture; Java object replication | |||
| Designing a Document-Centric Coordination Application over the Internet | | BIBAK | 677-693 | |
| Paolo Ciancarini; Davide Rossi; Fabio Vitali | |||
| In this paper we describe an experience in designing a groupware application
distributed over the WWW to solve a conference management problem. The system
we design coordinates the activities of several people engaged in reviewing and
selecting papers submitted for a scientific conference. We discuss why such an
application is interesting and describe how we designed it. The architecture we
suggest implements what we call an active Web, because it includes entities
which we are able to use and provide services offered through WWW
infrastructures. Users, agents, and active documents can interoperate using a
set of basic services for communication and synchronization. The active Web
infrastructure we describe here is based on coordination technology integrated
with Java. Keywords: Coordination; WWW architectures; Collaborative platforms; CSCW | |||
| Creating User-Adapted Websites by the Use of Collaborative Filtering | | BIBAK | 695-716 | |
| Arnd Kohrs; Bernard Merialdo | |||
| The information globalization induced by the rapid development of the
Internet and the accompanying adoption of the Web throughout the society leads
to Websites which reach large audiences. The diversity of the audiences and the
need of customer retention require active Websites, which expose themselves in
a customized or personalized way: We call those sites User-adapted Websites.
New technologies are necessary to personalize and customize content.
Information filtering can be used for the discovery of important content and is
therefore a key-technology for the creation of user-adapted Websites.
In this article, we focus on the application of collaborative filtering for user-adapted Websites. We studied techniques for combining and integrating content-based filtering with collaborative filtering in order to address typical problems in collaborative filtering systems and to improve the performance. Other issues which are mentioned but only lightly covered include user interface challenges. To validate our approaches we developed a prototype user-adapted Website, the Active WebMuseum, a museum Website, which exposes its collection in a personalized way by the use of collaborative filtering. Keywords: Collaborative filtering; Personalization; Content-based filtering;
User-adapted Websites; Web museum | |||
| Interactivity and Collaboration on the WWW -- is the 'WWW Shell' Sufficient? | | BIBAK | 717-730 | |
| S. Morris; I. Neilson; C. Charlton; J. Little | |||
| The web and its associated technologies -- Cgi-scripts, JavaScript and Java
-- have become a platform for the development and deployment of applications.
Such has been the impact of these technologies that their combination has been
likened to an Expert System Shell, and referred to by the term 'WWW shell'.
This WWW shell it is claimed is particularly adapted to the development of
collaborative applications. This paper challenges this claim on three grounds:
browser incompatibilities limit the potential benefits from client-side
processing technologies; the generic Common Gateway Interface as an application
delivery mechanism is inadequate and the networking restrictions on Java
applets constrain effective use of the latter as dedicated interfaces to remote
applications. This argument is illustrated with respect to three case studies
of practical collaborative applications of WWW shell technology. The paper
concludes by exploring the implications of new server side technologies, in
particular Java servlets for the future development of the WWW shell and the
evolution of an 'Active Web'. Keywords: WWW; CGI; JavaScript; Java; Applets; Servlets; CSCW; WWW shell;
Collaboration | |||