| Visual Mediation Mechanisms for Collaborative Design and Development | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 3-11 | |
| Carmelo Ardito; Barbara Rita Barricelli; Paolo Buono; Maria Francesca Costabile; Antonio Piccinno; Stefano Valtolina; Li Zhu | |||
| Collaborative design involving end users has emerged as a response to the
needs felt by various organizations of adapting software to specific
environments and users. During time, users and environments evolve; this is
another reason why software has to be modified. Different stakeholders,
including consultants, designers internal to the organization and, recently,
end users, have to collaborate among themselves, and possibly with the software
providers, to shape software. Such stakeholders face fundamental challenges in
learning how to communicate and in building a shared understanding. Researchers
are now addressing such challenges. This paper contributes to this innovative
research by formally defining visual mediation mechanisms for collaborative
design. A case study illustrating their application is discussed. Keywords: collaborative design; mediation mechanisms; end-user development;
meta-design; communities of practice | |||
| Design for the Information Society | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 12-19 | |
| Agata Bonenberg | |||
| The aim of this paper is to discuss the accomplishments of contemporary
design, focusing on its flexible and adaptative features -- meeting demands of
migrating, mobile societies. With the expansion and popularization of
information and communication technologies in the last decades, traditional
space-use patterns evolved. Divisions and borders between work and leisure,
public and private slowly loose their importance. Users often seek "multi-use",
"multi-task" and "open space" solutions. Research is based on projects
developed at the Faculty of Architecture, Poznan University of Technology,
under supervision of the Author. Keywords: Evolution-based adaptation; adaptive change in modern design; modification;
adjustment; reactivity; devices; utilitarian/common use/ everyday objects | |||
| Classifying Interaction Methods to Support Intuitive Interaction Devices for Creating User-Centered-Systems | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 20-29 | |
| Dirk Burkhardt; Matthias Breyer; Christian Glaser; Kawa Nazemi; Arjan Kuijper | |||
| Nowadays a wide range of input devices are available to users of technical
systems. Especially modern alternative interaction devices, which are known
from game consoles etc., provide a more natural way of interaction. But the
support in computer programs is currently a big challenge, because a high
effort is to invest for developing an application that supports such
alternative input devices. For this fact we made a concept for an interaction
system, which supports the use of alternative interaction devices. The
interaction-system consists as central element a server, which provides a
simple access interface for application to support such devices. It is also
possible to address an abstract device by its properties and the
interaction-system overtakes the converting from a concrete device. For
realizing this idea, we also defined a taxonomy for classifying interaction
devices by its interaction method and in dependence to the required interaction
results, like recognized gestures. Later, by using this system, it is generally
possible to develop a user-centered system by integrating this
interaction-system, because an adequate integration of alternative interaction
devices provides a more natural and easy to understand form of interaction. Keywords: Multimodal Interaction; Human-Centered Interfaces;
Human-Computer-Interfaces; Gesture-based Interaction | |||
| Evaluation of Video Game Interfaces | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 30-35 | |
| Joyram Chakraborty; Phillip L. Bligh | |||
| The interface is an essential part of every video game. However, research in
the understanding of the modern game player's preferences is lacking. This
paper reports the preliminary findings from the evaluation of a computer game
user interfaces that determines specific user preferences. Keywords: User Interface Evaluation; Video Game Design; End User Preferences | |||
| Emergent Design: Bringing the Learner Close to the Experience | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 36-41 | |
| Joseph Defazio; Kevin Rand | |||
| The creative process of design is at the foundation of serious game and
simulation development. Using a systematic approach, the designer of serious
simulations or games analyzes the best approach that would deliver an
interactive learning experience; one that will harnesses growing forms of
behavior, requiring both the learner and technology to engage in an open-ended
cycle of productive feedback and exchange. According to Collins [1], "Beyond
simply providing an on/off switch or a menu of options leading to 'canned'
content, users should be able to interact intuitively with a system in ways
that produce new information. Interacting with a system that produces emergent
phenomena is what I am calling interactive emergence" (4th Annual Digital Arts
Symposium: Neural Net{work}). Keywords: creative process; emergent design; serious game design; health education
simulation | |||
| Eliciting Interaction Requirements for Adaptive Multimodal TV Based Applications | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 42-50 | |
| Carlos Duarte; José Coelho; Pedro Feiteira; David Costa; Daniel Costa | |||
| The design of multimodal adaptive applications should be strongly supported
by a user centred methodology. This paper presents an analysis of the results
of user trials conducted with a prototype of a multimodal system in order to
elicit requirements for multimodal interaction and adaptation mechanisms that
are being developed in order to design a framework to support the development
of accessible ICT applications. Factors related to visual and audio perception,
and motor skills are considered, as well as multimodal integration patterns. Keywords: Multimodal interaction; Adaptation; User trials | |||
| Making Task Modeling Suitable for Stakeholder-Driven Workflow Specifications | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 51-60 | |
| Peter Forbrig; Anke Dittmar; Jens Brüning; Maik Wurdel | |||
| This paper discusses approaches for specifying workflows based on task
models. These task models represent activities of stakeholders in different
ways. It is shown how the development process of workflow specifications can be
supported to get hierarchical, structured and sound specifications. Further on,
a language CTML is introduced that was developed to specify activities in smart
environment. The language has the potential to be used to specify general
workflow specifications as well. It is demonstrated how cooperative work can be
specified using this language. Keywords: Stakeholder-driven Specifications; Business process modeling; Workflow
specifications; Task Modeling | |||
| A Method to Solve the Communication Gap between Designers and Users | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 61-69 | |
| Jeichen Hsieh; Chia-Ching Lin; Pao-Tai Hsieh | |||
| There are always discrepancies when abstract design concepts are transferred
to solid products. How to make sure that design concepts are conveyed exactly
via products? To develop the early stage prototypes for tests and surveys is
one of the solutions. The research applies POE (Post-Occupancy Evaluation) on
prototypes of students' design cases repeatedly. The result revealed that
product prototype POE can anticipate the performances of products in final
evaluation as an evaluation can predict post-production consumer reception. It
suggests that performances of product prototype by POE would be clarified if
extraneous variables are under strict control in advance. Two cases show chaos
phenomenon, to probe into the field of students' design activities with
grounded theory might help to unearth some discovery. Keywords: Post-Occupancy Evaluation; Prototype; Cognitive Differences | |||
| Teaching the Next Generation of Universal Access Designers: A Case Study | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 70-79 | |
| Simeon Keates | |||
| This paper describes the development of the "Usability and Accessibility"
course for M.Sc. students at the IT University of Copenhagen. The aim is to
examine whether this course provides an effective and useful method for raising
the issues around Universal Access with the designers of the future. This paper
examines the results and conclusions from the students over 5 semesters of this
course and provides an overview of the success of the different design and
evaluation methods. The paper concludes with a discussion of the effectiveness
of each of the specific methods, techniques and tools used in the course, both
from design and education perspectives. Keywords: usability; accessibility; universal access; education | |||
| Use-State Analysis to Find Domains to Be Re-designed | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 80-89 | |
| Masami Maekawa; Toshiki Yamaoka | |||
| Even if the problems concerning HCI are individually solved, it is not easy
to relate to a big value solution. It tends to be some small improvements of
narrow scope. Therefore, this proposal pays attention to the situations in
which the problem occurred. It was attempted to clarify the domains to be
re-designed by using mathematical analysis methods with use-state keywords as
data extracted from the descriptions of situations. Consequentially, it is
understood that there is a possibility of this method through a trial
experiment. And, some limits of this method were found. Additionally, the
difference with the result of a common classification method was confirmed by a
comparative experiment. Keywords: Use-state Analysis; Design; Human Computer Interaction; Context | |||
| An Approach towards Considering Users' Understanding in Product Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 90-99 | |
| Anna Mieczakowski; Patrick Langdon; P. John Clarkson | |||
| Although different techniques for supporting the process of designing exist,
there is, at present, no easy-to-use and pragmatic way of helping designers to
infer and analyse product representations that users form in their heads and to
compare them with designers' own understanding of products. This paper is part
of ongoing research that attempts to develop an approach for supporting
designers in identifying, during the early stages of the design process,
whether specific product features evoke similar understanding and responses
among the users as among the designers of those features. Keywords: Inclusive Design; Product-User Interaction; Mental Models; Cognitive
Representations; Prior Experience | |||
| Evaluation of Expert Systems: The Application of a Reference Model to the Usability Parameter | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 100-109 | |
| Paula Miranda; Pedro T. Isaías; Manuel M. Crisóstomo | |||
| This study aims to present an expert systems' performance evaluation model,
which will then be used to evaluate an existing expert system as a way of
testing its applicability. The proposed model's evaluation criteria are:
usability, utility, quality, interface, structure, productivity and return.
Information systems, especially expert systems, are today a real necessity for any organisation intending to be competitive. Given this scenario, organisations investing in these systems, aim to, progressively, ensure that the investment they've made is contributing to the organisation's success. Hence, it is fundamental to evaluate the expert system performance. The evaluation assesses an expert system's adaptability to its original requisites and objectives and determines if its performance satisfies its users and meets the organisation's strategic goals. Keywords: Expert systems; performance evaluation; evaluation model; usability | |||
| Investigating the Relationships between User Capabilities and Product Demands for Older and Disabled Users | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 110-118 | |
| Umesh Persad; Patrick Langdon; P. John Clarkson | |||
| This paper presents the results of a study that specifically looks at the
relationships between measured user capabilities and product demands in a
sample of older and disabled users. An empirical study was conducted with 19
users performing tasks with four consumer products (a clock-radio, a mobile
phone, a blender and a vacuum cleaner). The sensory, cognitive and motor
capabilities of each user were measured using objective capability tests. The
study yielded a rich dataset comprising capability measures, product demands,
outcome measures (task times and errors), and subjective ratings of difficulty.
Scatter plots were produced showing quantified product demands on user
capabilities, together with subjective ratings of difficulty. The results are
analysed in terms of the strength of correlations observed taking into account
the limitations of the study sample. Directions for future research are also
outlined. Keywords: Inclusive Design; Product Evaluation; User Capability Data; Disability | |||
| Practical Aspects of Running Experiments with Human Participants | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 119-128 | |
| Frank E. Ritter; Jong W. Kim; Jonathan H. Morgan; Richard A. Carlson | |||
| There can often be a gap between theory and its implications for practice in
human-behavioral studies. This gap can be particularly significant outside of
psychology departments. Most students at the undergraduate or early graduate
levels are taught how to design experiments and analyze data in courses related
to statistics. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of materials providing
practical guidance for running experiments. In this paper, we provide a summary
of a practical guide for running experiments involving human participants. The
full report should improve practical methodology to run a study with diverse
topics in the thematic area of universal access in human-computer interaction. Keywords: Experiments; Human Participants; Universal Access | |||
| A Genesis of Thinking in the Evolution of Ancient Philosophy and Modern Software Development | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 129-138 | |
| Stephan H. Sneed | |||
| This paper is a brief discussion on the issue of modeling evolution. The
question posed is where does modeling theory come from and where is it going. A
parallel is drawn between the evolution of modeling theory and ancient
philosophy. In the end both must come to the conclusion that a theory must be
applicable to a human problem and must lead to a solution of that problem.
Otherwise, it is useless. It is pointed out, that some methodological
approaches are even detrimental to reaching a good solution. They only absorb
costs and effort and lead to nowhere. Just as Aristotle rounded out the ancient
philosophical discussion, the S-BPM method appears as the next logical step in
the evolution of modeling methods. In the end, some research issues are
discussed, for the S-BPM method as well as for modeling comparison in general. Keywords: SA; OOA; OOP; S-BPM; paradigm change; modeling methods; programming
languages; software development; evolution | |||
| Understanding the Role of Communication and Hands-On Experience in Work Process Design for All | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 139-148 | |
| Christian Stary | |||
| The paper motivates the explicit recognition of communication and hands-on
experience when stakeholders design work processes, both, on the individual and
on the organization level. As a straightforward implementation Subject-oriented
Business Process Management is reviewed. Its constructs for modelling and
resulting capabilities for seamless execution when using a corresponding suite
are discussed. In particular, it is shown how stakeholders can articulate their
way of task accomplishment in terms of communication relationships while
producing an executable model. As the behaviour of all participating
stakeholders in a specific business process can be expressed in terms of
communication acts, adjusting individual and task-relevant flows of
communication leads to a complete picture of an organization in operation.
Moreover, subject-oriented representations allow executing the resulting
workflow without further transformations. They enable interactive experience of
business processes which in turn facilitates (collective) reflection and
redesign. In this way, stakeholders can trigger and control seamless
round-trips in organizational development. It minimizes development costs and
social risks, since alternative ways of task accomplishment can be negotiated
before becoming operational in daily business. Keywords: Work process modeling; Subject-oriented Business Process Management;
Participatory Design; seamless roundtrip engineering; articulation and
negotiation | |||
| Extending Predictive Models of Exploratory Behavior to Broader Populations | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 149-158 | |
| Shari Trewin; John T. Richards; Rachel K. E. Bellamy; Bonnie E. John; Calvin Swart; David Sloan | |||
| We describe the motivation for research aimed at extending predictive
cognitive modeling of non-expert users to a broader population. Existing
computational cognitive models have successfully predicted the navigation
behavior of users exploring unfamiliar interfaces in pursuit of a goal. This
paper explores factors that might lead to significant between-group differences
in the exploratory behavior of users, with a focus on the roles of working
memory, prior knowledge, and information-seeking strategies. Validated models
capable of predicting novice goal-directed exploration of computer interfaces
can be a valuable design tool. By using data from younger and older user groups
to inform the development of such models, we aim to expand their coverage to a
broader range of users. Keywords: Cognitive modeling; information foraging; usability testing; accessibility;
interface design; older users | |||
| Digitizing Interaction: The Application of Parameter-Oriented Design Methodology to the Teaching/ Learning of Interaction Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 159-167 | |
| Shu-Wen Tzeng | |||
| The development of digital technology has changed the way users interact
with products and forced industrial design educators to rethink the role of
design education with respect to both the integrity and suitability of current
design curriculum. This study is sought to figure out a better way for
teaching/ learning Interaction Design in the discipline of Industrial Design
with considerations to the nature of interaction design and students' learning
mode. A newly created interaction design methodology will be introduced in this
paper, and the case study on the application of this approach to a graduate
school level interaction design course should explain how this methodology can
be manipulated in the development of an interaction design, making teaching/
learning Interaction Design more effective and enjoyable. Keywords: Interaction Design; Design Methodology; Design Education | |||
| A Study on an Usability Measurement Based on the Mental Model | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 168-173 | |
| Yuki Yamada; Keisuke Ishihara; Toshiki Yamaoka | |||
| If you find distance between user's model and designer's model, the system
is not good. We made a scale constructed with six viewpoints of similarity and
practiced it. In result, we found possibility to measure a satisfaction at
usability, roughly. If we complete this study, this method is useful for all
interface designer and usability engineer. Keywords: Mental Model; Similarity; Usability; Interface | |||
| Enabling Accessibility Characteristics in the Web Services Domain | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 177-186 | |
| Dimitrios Giakoumis; Dimitrios Tzovaras; George Hassapis | |||
| Accessibility in ICT and web-based applications has become an issue of great
importance during the last years. However, the notion of accessibility was
until recently undervalued in the web services domain. Trying to fill this gap,
this paper presents work conducted towards enabling web services (WS) with
accessibility characteristics, trying to ensure that HCI through applications
utilizing them is accessible. For this purpose, a WS accessibility assessment
framework has been deployed, having as basis guidelines which if followed, can
ensure that accessible WSs are developed. In order to further facilitate the
development of accessible WSs, a WS accessibility assessment tool has been
developed on the basis of the proposed framework. In its current
implementation, the tool is capable to automatically assess whether SOAP- or
REST- based services conform to proposed guidelines. Thus, by using this tool,
developers can be significantly facilitated towards developing accessible web
services, or also enriching their already developed not-accessible ones with
accessibility characteristics and so as to make them accessible. Keywords: Web Services; accessibility; assessment; Human Computer Interaction;
User-centered design | |||
| Results from Multi-dimensional Accessibility Assessment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 187-196 | |
| Rogério Bandeira; Rui Lopes; Luís Carriço | |||
| This paper discusses the variability of websites accessibility using a
multi-dimensional evaluation that considers specific sets of relevant
guidelines according to different devices and different disability types. We
use an accessibility evaluation framework that is able to explore different
combinations of guidelines from web content accessibility and mobile web best
practices. It was applied to evaluate a set of interesting case studies. The
obtained results show that the web content presents different accessibility
issues regarding specific disability types, always a subset of the universal
accessibility assessments. Regarding the devices' dimension, results of the
assessment show significant differences depending on the web resource
representation for different devices. In all cases the dissimilarities between
the general accessibility assessment and the evaluation for specific
disabilities were visible. Keywords: Mobile Web; Accessibility; Assessment | |||
| A Harmonised Methodology for the Components of Software Applications Accessibility and its Evaluation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 197-205 | |
| Eleni Chalkia; Evangelos Bekiaris | |||
| Accessibility today is gaining more and more ground, becoming a real
necessity in daily living and every day needs. Authorities and experts are
putting a lot of effort towards accessibility, especially in the software
application domain. Despite this fact the ICT applications and systems are
still not fully accessible. The main idea of the ACCESSIBLE project is to
contribute towards better accessibility for all citizens. This will be achieved
by increasing the use of standards and by the development of an assessment
simulation environment, as well as, a harmonized methodology that links all the
accessibility components. In the current paper we will present to the reader
the general harmonised methodology introduced in ACCESSIBLE project to
correlate the proposed accessibility components. Attention will be also given
to the evaluation of the ACCESSIBLE harmonised methodology, as well as the
future plans. Keywords: Accessibility; harmonization; disability | |||
| An Architecture for Multiple Web Accessibility Evaluation Environments | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 206-214 | |
| Nádia Fernandes; Rui Lopes; Luís Carriço | |||
| Modern Web sites leverage several techniques that allow for the injection of
new content into their Web pages (e.g., AJAX), as well as manipulation of the
HTML DOM tree. This has the consequence that the Web pages that are presented
to users (i.e., browser environment) are different from the original structure
and content that is transmitted through HTTP communication (i.e., command line
environment). This poses a series of challenges for Web accessibility
evaluation, especially on automated evaluation software. In this paper, we
present an evaluation framework for performing Web accessibility evaluations in
different environments, with the goal of understanding how similar or distinct
these environments can be, in terms of their web accessibility quality. Keywords: Web Accessibility; Web Accessibility Evaluation Environments | |||
| Overview of 1st AEGIS Pilot Phase Evaluation Results | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 215-224 | |
| Maria Gkemou; Evangelos Bekiaris | |||
| This paper presents the most significant results, emerging from the users'
evaluation of the accessible solutions developed (and/or utilised as starting
point) in the ÆGIS IP project (Open Accessibility Everywhere: Groundwork,
Infrastructure, Standards; http://www.aegis-project.eu) of the 7th European
Framework Programme. Users participating in the first out of the three in total
evaluation rounds scheduled within the project represented all user clusters
targeted by the project. The emerging results, which are considered overall
positive, will constitute the basis for the optimisation to be held until the
next evaluation round of the project. Keywords: eAccessibility; Open Source Software; iterative evaluation | |||
| An End-User Evaluation Point of View Towards OSS Assistive Technology | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 225-234 | |
| Maria Gkemou; Evangelos Bekiaris; Karel Van Isacker | |||
| This paper describes the evaluation framework developed in the ÆGIS IP
project (Open Accessibility Everywhere: Groundwork, Infrastructure, Standards;
http://www.aegis-project.eu) of the 7th European Framework Programme, in the
context of its overall User Centered Design plan, focusing on the experimental
planning of its first out of the three scheduled evaluation rounds. The
ÆGIS evaluation framework may serve as a valuable manual for testing in
the overall eInclusion area, beyond the narrow context of the project. Keywords: eAccessibility; Open Source Software; iterative evaluation; User Centred
Design | |||
| A Method to Automate the Ranking of Web Pages According to User Defined Accessibility Ratings | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 235-243 | |
| Alice Good | |||
| The premise of this research is to present the final results of an
investigation, which looked at a means to automate the rating of web pages
according to their accessibility to specific user groups. These groups include
visual impairments, mobility restricted and dyslexia. This research identifies
three integrated, user-centred studies that assisted in the development of this
work. The research conducted for this project has collected data that will help
to develop a better method for disabled users to search for and easily locate
accessible web pages. It has investigated how web pages can be rated for
accessibility using specific algorithms that have designed according to user
defined ratings of accessibility. The results presented in this paper
demonstrate that re-ordering search results, by ranking web pages according to
user defined ratings, could provide a better user experience for people with
disabilities. Keywords: Accessibility; Algorithms; Disabilities; HCI | |||
| Issues in Web Presentation for Cognitive Accessibility | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 244-248 | |
| Clayton Lewis | |||
| For people with cognitive disabilities, access to mainstream content is
crucial, for educational materials, and for access to other information and
services essential to participation in society. Key features for these users
are clear, simple presentation (of navigation and interaction as well as
content), multimodal presentation to assist with difficulty in processing text,
and access to definitions of unfamiliar terms. Simple configurability of
presentation, ideally via online profiles, is also important. The Fluid project
family is developing technical approaches for realizing these facilities
automatically, without requiring content and service providers to develop
separate sites for accessibility. Keywords: Inclusive design; Web accessibility; cognitive disabilities | |||
| A Study of Accessibility Requirements for Media Players on the Web | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 249-257 | |
| Lourdes Moreno; María González; Paloma Martínez; Ana Iglesias | |||
| Multimedia content covers the Web, and we should provide access to all
people. For this reason, we must consider including accessibility requirements
in a synchronized manner with the alternative resources such as caption and
audio description among others. In addition, it is very important to take into
account accessibility requirements in the player to avoid barriers and to
ensure access to this multimedia content as well as their resources. This paper
presents an overall study on standards and players with accessibility
requirements. Moreover, solutions to improve the accessibility features in the
YouTube player are presented. Based on this study, we have distinguished a set
of guidelines to take into account for including accessibility requirements in
players. Furthermore, we suggest an agile evaluation process which indicates
the order of accessibility guidelines to check. Finally, the proposed
evaluation method is put into practice with a case study: accessibility
features are evaluated in three widely used players. Keywords: Web accessibility; user agent; media players; standard; evaluation;
accessibility requirement | |||
| An Accessibility Assessment Framework for Improving Designers Experience in Web Applications | | BIBA | Full-Text | 258-266 | |
| Theofanis Oikonomou; Nikolaos Kaklanis; Konstantinos Votis; Dimitrios Tzovaras | |||
| The current situation for the accessibility assessment of web applications is encouraging, though not sufficient. Many efforts have been made for the development of various tools that carry out the evaluation of web pages. However, their effectiveness is somehow incomplete. In this work we propose a new framework that has adopted the latest web standard and supports a plethora of assessment configurations to meet the user needs. | |||
| A Unified Environment for Accessing a Suite of Accessibility Evaluation Facilities | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 267-275 | |
| Nikolaos Partarakis; Constantina Doulgeraki; Margherita Antona; Theofanis Oikonomou; Nikolaos Kaklanis; Konstantinos Votis; Grammati-Eirini Kastori; Dimitrios Tzovaras | |||
| This paper presents the design and implementation of an interactive portal
and a standalone tool to act as mediators to a number of accessibility
assessment facilities for Web Content Accessibility Assessment, Mobile Web
Content Assessment, Web Services Assessment and Description Languages (SDL).
More specifically, the design approach followed is briefly outlined in order to
get an insight on the underlying rationale and the specific benefits gained in
terms of the final outcome. Subsequently, the architecture adopted for
achieving the goals set by this research work are presented, together with the
specific technical characteristics of the approach followed for the development
of the two interactive applications. Finally, the deployed versions of these
applications are presented, revealing the complete set of facilities and tools
and discussing their advantages and benefits from the point of view of the
development of accessible applications and services. Keywords: Accessibility; assessment; web; web services; description languages; mobile
web content | |||
| Introducing TactoWeb: A Tool to Spatially Explore Web Pages for Users with Visual Impairment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 276-284 | |
| Grégory Petit; Aude Dufresne; Jean-Marc Robert | |||
| This paper introduces the TactoWeb tool. TactoWeb is a Web browser allowing
users with visual impairment to explore Web pages using tactile and audio
feedbacks. It is used in conjunction with the Tactograph device or the iFeel
mouse. We first present a comparative study of existing tools that give users
with visual impairment access to Web pages. The aim of this study is to
identify the capabilities and limitations of these tools in order to define
important features which are needed to improve navigation on the Web for users
with visual impairment. TactoWeb is designed to make spatial navigation
possible, with better audio and tactile feedbacks. It should be superior to
sequential exploration with only audio feedback. Keywords: Accessibility; Visual impairment; Multimodal interaction; Tactile feedback;
Screen reader; Spatial exploration | |||
| Remote Evaluation of WCAG 2.0 Techniques by Web Users with Visual Disabilities | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 285-294 | |
| Christopher Power; Helen Petrie; André Pimenta Freire; David Swallow | |||
| The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines represent an opportunity to provide
concrete, structured guidance for designers and developers regarding how to
build accessible web pages. However, there is currently a lack of evidence
regarding which techniques contained within WCAG 2.0 produce accessible
websites. This paper presents a methodology for evaluating implementation
techniques with remote users and demonstrates its use in evaluation techniques
for one Success Criterion of WCAG 2.0. Keywords: web accessibility; Web Content Accessibility Guidelines; visually disabled
web users | |||
| Embedded Cultural Features in the Design of an Accessibility Agent for the Web | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 295-304 | |
| Ingrid Teixeira Monteiro; Clarisse Sieckenius de Souza | |||
| This paper presents the Web Navigation Helper (WNH), an interface agent for
users with special needs originally developed for Brazilian users. WNH mediates
scripted interaction with web sites, by providing alternative dialogs with
appropriate style, structure, etc. The paper reports the results of qualitative
empirical studies done at the early design stages. In particular, it shows how
our design vision changed when findings from initial studies revealed that the
technology we were about to develop was implicitly guided by a sociability
model that was not prevalent in the Brazilian culture. The main contributions
of the paper are to expose the process by which we became aware of cultural
factors affecting the design of accessibility agents, and to propose a kind of
technology that may be adopted in cultures whose sociability models are based
on personal relations with friends and family members. Keywords: Web Accessibility; User Agents; Computer Mediated Communication; Cultural
Issues in HCI Design; Sociability | |||
| Some Issues Regarding the Design of Adaptive Interface Generation Systems | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 307-316 | |
| Julio Abascal; Amaia Aizpurua; Idoia Cearreta; Borja Gamecho; Nestor Garay; Raúl Miñón | |||
| This paper describes the main issues related to the design of user adaptive
interaction systems, in order to discuss their applicability to a specific
domain: the automatic generation of accessible user interfaces for people with
disabilities who make use of ubiquitous services. Advances in the domain of the
accessible Web are especially interesting for this purpose. Nevertheless, even
if several procedures are similar, there are specific features that require new
approaches, such as the formal specification of the functionality of the
interface that will be generated. Keywords: Adaptive Systems; Special Needs; Adaptive User Interfaces; Ubiquitous
Computing; Knowledge Modelling | |||
| Search Intention Analysis for User-Centered Adaptive Visualizations | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 317-326 | |
| Dirk Burkhardt; Matthias Breyer; Kawa Nazemi; Arjan Kuijper | |||
| Searching information on web turned to a matter of course in the last years.
The visualization and filtering of the results of such search queries plays a
key-role in different disciplines and is still today under research.
In this paper a new approach for classifying the search intention of users' is presented. The approach uses existing and easy parameters for a differentiation between explorative and targeted search. The results of the classification are used for a differentiated presentation based on graphical visualization techniques. Keywords: User Intention Analysis; Search result visualization; Semantic
Visualization; User-Centered Interaction; Adaptive Visualization; Semantic Web | |||
| Adaptations Based on Ontology Evolution as a Mean to Exploit Collective Intelligence | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 327-336 | |
| Laura Burzagli; Francesco Gabbanini; Pier Luigi Emiliani | |||
| The paper discusses new possible facets regarding the concept of adaptation,
focused on allowing users to intervene in the process by having the possibility
both to insert new data and to alter the structure of ontological knowledge
bases which contain adaptation determinants. The approach is based on the
exploitation of the synergy between Web 2.0 and Semantic Web and may give the
opportunity to obtain more personalized, comprehensive and tailored service to
all users, by allowing user communities to model a domain of interest and to
develop it according to their interests. The paper discusses background ideas
and gives technical details of an example implementation of a software
component designed to perform ontology evolution based on the analysis of
contributions expressed by users of a service in natural language. Keywords: Design for All; Semantic Web; Web 2.0; Adaptations | |||
| The Contribution of Multimodal Adaptation Techniques to the GUIDE Interface | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 337-346 | |
| José Coelho; Carlos Duarte | |||
| This paper describes the European Union funded project GUIDE, focusing on
the issues of multimodal and context adaptation techniques, as well as in the
importance of having a multimodal system architecture based in user models and
integrated with fusion and fission mechanisms in order to give elderly and
impaired users several input and output modalities in their interaction with TV
and set-top box based technology. The possible future role of GUIDE in the
development of accessible applications is also focused. Keywords: Multimodal adaptation; context adaptation; user modeling; GUIDE | |||
| Adapting Multimodal Fission to User's Abilities | | BIBA | Full-Text | 347-356 | |
| David Costa; Carlos Duarte | |||
| New ways of communication are now possible thanks to adaptive multimodal systems, enabling the improvement in accessibility of ICT applications to all users. We are developing a project which combines TV with a multimodal system in order to overcome accessibility and usability problems by impaired users. This paper is focused on the fission of outputs, and how the presentations of applications running on GUIDE's environment are adapted to the user's capabilities. | |||
| Self-adapting TV Based Applications | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 357-364 | |
| Daniel Costa; Carlos Duarte | |||
| The lack of accessibility of ICT applications affects mainly the disabled
and/or elderly people, who have a high risk of social exclusion. Using the
advantages of adaptive multimodal systems and a well-accepted device like the
TV, those difficulties can be surmounted and social exclusion can be stopped.
GUIDE intends to simplify the interaction and at the same time not limit the
users able to use it, providing multimodal interaction. Also, applications
running on GUIDE environment will be able to adapt, on an automated way, to the
user's needs and characteristics. Keywords: Accessibility; Adaptive Multimodal Systems; Dialogue Manager | |||
| A Survey on Guiding Logic for Automatic User Interface Generation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 365-372 | |
| Gaurav Dubey | |||
| Mobile devices and other computationally-capable artifacts are presenting
new ways in which to interact with our applications and data. However, to do so
effectively requires user interfaces that are optimized for the target
platform. Designing such user interfaces manually for every platform and
application would be an impractical way to approach this problem; this is one
area where automatic user interface generation could prove useful. This
process, however, requires guiding logic, formalized from usability knowledge
and represented in a form that an automatic UI generation system can use. This
paper discusses some of the issues related to this task, presenting examples
from the relevant literature. The paper then introduces the concept of
genericity, which could help manage the problem space encompassed by automatic
UI generation. Keywords: automatic user interface generation; adaptation | |||
| Adaptive Multimodal Fusion | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 373-380 | |
| Pedro Feiteira; Carlos Duarte | |||
| Multimodal interfaces offer its users the possibility of interacting with
computers, in a transparent, natural way, by means of various modalities.
Fusion engines are key components in multimodal systems, responsible for
combining information from different sources and extract a semantic meaning
from them. This fusion process allows many modalities to be effectively used at
once and therefore allowing a natural communication between user and machine.
Elderly users, whom can possess several accessibility issues, can benefit
greatly from this kind of interaction. By developing fusion engines that are
capable of adapting, taking into account the characteristics of these users, it
is possible to make multimodal systems cope with the needs of impaired users. Keywords: Multimodal Interfaces; Adaptive multimodal fusion; Fusion engines;
Evaluation | |||
| Intelligent Working Environments for the Ambient Classroom | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 381-390 | |
| Maria Korozi; Stavroula Ntoa; Margherita Antona; Constantine Stephanidis | |||
| This paper introduces a suite of Window Managers purposed for the
technologically enhanced classroom. The overall objective is to instantiate a
common look and feel across various classroom artifacts, thus providing a
unified working environment for the students and teachers. To achieve optimal
interaction and application display, the workspaces for each artifact are
designed keeping in mind both the platform's characteristics and the user's
requirements. The usability evaluation of the developed system is reported. Keywords: window managers; education; smart classroom; pervasive user interfaces | |||
| Adaptive Interfaces: A Little Learning is a Dangerous Thing... | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 391-399 | |
| Kyle Montague; Vicki L. Hanson; Andy Cobley | |||
| In this paper we present a possible approach to improve accessibility and
usability of software applications through shared user models. Previous work in
adaptive user interfaces has relied on local and domain specific user models,
which lack in scope and detail. Shared user models can increase the accuracy
and depth of data used to adapt the interfaces and user interactions. This
research focuses on the accessibility of touch screen mobile devices for users
with low vision and mobility impairments. Keywords: adaptive interfaces; mobile computing; low vision; physical disability | |||
| A Novel Design Approach for Multi-device Adaptable User Interfaces: Concepts, Methods and Examples | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 400-409 | |
| Alexandros Mourouzis; Asterios Leonidis; Michalis Foukarakis; Margherita Antona; Nicos Maglaveras | |||
| User interface designers and engineers are faced today with unprecedented
challenges. Applications are progressively required to run on multiple
computing platforms and accommodate the capabilities of different devices.
Users and context are significantly characterized by diversity, leading to a
very broad range of accessibility and interaction requirements and preferences
that need to be adequately addressed. The current approach of designing
separate user interfaces, one for each target use, is time consuming, error
prone, and does not adequately addresses the challenges of cross-platform
consistency, universal access and integration. To this end, this paper proposes
a new integrative approach to multi-device user interface development for
achieving device-independence by-design and further pursuing improved levels
user experience for all through adaptive presentational models for various
devices and contexts of use. Explanatory examples that were implemented in the
context of the REMOTE R&D project are also presented. Keywords: User interface design; Multi-device; Device-independent; Adaptable user
interfaces; Migratory interfaces; Accessibility; Design for All | |||
| Cultural Difference in Nonverbal Behaviors in Negotiation Conversations: Towards a Model for Culture-Adapted Conversational Agents | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 410-419 | |
| Fumie Nori; Afia Akhter Lipi; Yukiko I. Nakano | |||
| As the basis of generating nonverbal expressions in animated agents, this
paper proposes factors that account for cultural difference in nonverbal
behaviors in negotiation interaction. First, we introduce theories of
negotiation and cultural characteristics. Then, our analysis of human
interaction in negotiation conversations in CUBE-G corpus is described.
Finally, by integrating cultural and negotiation parameters with empirical data
obtained in the corpus analysis, we design a parameterized network model that
generates culture specific nonverbal expressions in negotiation conversations. Keywords: Negotiation; Nonverbal behaviors; Comparative corpus analysis | |||
| An Investigation into a Personalised and Web2.0-Based Search Engine Interface | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 420-429 | |
| Tsai-Hsuan Tsai; Hsien-Tsung Chang; Shih-Ting Huang | |||
| This study aims to investigate user behaviours and preferences for the usage
of search engine interfaces and to provide a user-centred search engine
interface with various functions and services that cater to user needs and
personalisation along the Web2.0 trend. A survey was conducted to examine the
relationship between user behaviours and interface needs for Web2.0 search
engines. Some influential factors in association with user issues and Web2.0
concepts were proposed as design principles for a personalised search engine
interface design. Then, a conceptual search engine interface, which matched the
theory-driven principles and practical experiences, was developed. It matches
the concept of user-orientated services and provides every user with
personalised search engine interface that offers mash-up search results and
multiple functions. Users are allowed to share search results while using a
personalised interface. Through the new concept of search engine interface, the
convenience of the search process will include more convenient search
procedures that meet personal needs. Keywords: search engine interface; user behaviours; Web 2.0 | |||
| Cyber Risks to Secure and Private Universal Access | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 433-442 | |
| Gisela Susanne Bahr; Liam M. Mayron; Hannah J. Gacey | |||
| The overarching goal of UA is affording all individuals, regardless of
disabilities, geographic status, infrastructure, age or training background,
the use and benefit of information technology. The goal of this paper is to
raise awareness of the security and privacy cyber risks in the everyday use of
UA technology. The challenge of UA technology transfer from the laboratory to
real world setting leads us to identify vulnerabilities of UA users and to
present examples of cyber security strategies to safeguard data. The principles
of confidentiality, integrity and availability guide our non-exhaustive review
of concrete UA approaches and their security and privacy implications for
everyday use. We examine the cyber risks to privacy and security of brain
computer interfaces and UA home networking and conclude with call to
interdisciplinary collaboration between the security and UA expert communities
to ensure the transitioning of safe and secure UA technologies to the
end-users. Keywords: Universal Access; Privacy; Security; Technology Transfer; Brain Computer
Interfaces; Networks; Hacking; Interdisciplinary Research | |||
| Towards Information Technology Security for Universal Access | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 443-451 | |
| Shiran Cohen; Noam Ben-Asher; Joachim Meyer | |||
| One way to secure Information Technology (IT) systems is with authentication
mechanisms that distinguish between users. Users who differ in their cognitive
and motor abilities, cultural background and personal characteristics should be
able to operate the IT system including its security features. If system design
fails to consider user diversity, users might bypass or disable the security
feature, reducing system security. Providing universal accessibility and
acceptability is generally a challenge, especially when dealing with IT
security. We present a conceptual model that explores and establishes
guidelines for the inclusion of biometric authentication in systems which serve
a wide range of users. Aspects of this model were examined in laboratory
settings using a task which simulates mobile access to an eBanking system with
biometric authentication. Younger and older participants used the
authentication mechanism. The age groups clearly differed in their interaction
with the IT and the security system. Designing security system for universal
access remains a major challenge. Keywords: Universal access; usability; security; authentication; information
technology | |||
| The Barriers to and Benefits of Use of ICT for People with Visual Impairment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 452-462 | |
| Kristin Skeide Fuglerud | |||
| This paper reports results from a focus group interview and a field study,
which includes 28 visually impaired PC users in Norway. The main goal of the
study was to identify benefits of, and barriers to, use of ICT for the visually
impaired, and to propose measures to remove barriers. The use of Internet
services, mobile phones, kiosks, ticket machines, ATMs, and queuing management
systems, were studied. Visually impaired users' encounters with technology were
investigated through a focus group interview, observation of task-solving
activities, and semi-structured interviews. The analysis revealed that several
commonly used ICT services, such as online banking, electronic forms, and
learning material have major accessibility problems. The first barrier is often
mechanisms for registration and authentication. The proliferation of
inaccessible everyday technologies, unstable systems, and lack of training
constitutes other major challenges. Based on the findings some suggestions for
further development and research priorities are suggested. Keywords: accessibility; universal design; visually impaired; assistive technology;
self-service terminals; queuing systems; user diversity | |||
| Supporting a Shared Dialog on Healthcare Policy between Researchers, Practitioners, and the Lay Public: Creating the SpeakHealth Online Community | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 463-472 | |
| David Gurzick; Lee Boot; Stacy Arnold; Martha Chandler Gurzick | |||
| The U.S. spends more on health care than any other nation. Despite these
expenditures, health outcomes in the U.S. rank surprisingly low among
industrialized countries. While access to care and socioeconomic status are
strong indicators of health, individual and collective notions of health are
the most powerful health improvement assets; no treatment compares. This paper
explores the decisions underlying the sociotechnical design of the SpeakHealth
online community -- a project jointly undertaken by medical professionals,
media designers, and information scientists to encourage healthy, mindful
behaviors, and to enlist support for structural changes in national healthcare
policies and practice. Here we report on the multidisciplinary challenges
faced, and decisions made, in crafting its social media strategy and related
online community design. The project outcomes made clear that the dynamics
between the stakeholders and the professional cultures of these domains was a
powerful factor influencing the design of online community. Keywords: Online Communities; Sociotechnical Systems; Moderation; Design; Social
Media; Health; Healthcare Policy | |||
| Social Inclusion through Digital Engagement | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 473-477 | |
| Vicki L. Hanson | |||
| With the current explosion of digitally available products and services, a
societal transformation has occurred in which social inclusion demands ability
to use current devices and digital media. Those unable to use such products and
services are disadvantaged in this new landscape. This paper examines key areas
in which technological advances have benefited disabled users and older members
of society: language, mobility, life skills, and technology access. Continuing
efforts to address these topics are considered from the perspective of a new UK
research center that addresses social inclusion. Keywords: social inclusion; older adults; disability; digital economy; engagement | |||
| Legal and Policy Implications of Cloud Computing | | BIBA | Full-Text | 478-483 | |
| Eve Hill | |||
| Cloud computing holds great promise for addressing the barriers that keep people with disabilities, low literacy and aging-related impairments from fully engaging with technology. However, using cloud-based computing to make assistive technology (AT) more widely available also raises legal and policy issues. The Americans with Disabilities Act, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Communications Act, and other disability rights laws support increased availability of AT. However, what should the balance be between built-in accessibility and cloud-based access? There are also limits to the requirements and coverage of these laws, and issues about the definition of accessibility as technology develops. Copyright and digital rights are potentially implicated by cloud-based AT, as well as privacy and security rights. The needed infrastructure and interoperability of cloud based AT may raise concerns for technology developers that regulation may stifle innovation or reduce commercial viability. | |||
| Technology Support via Telephone -- to Elderly and People with Disability | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 484-491 | |
| Lars Johansson; Claes Tjäder | |||
| There is a number of persons lacking basic knowledge about computers and
other IT-related products and equipment. When facing problems there is a need
to ask someone. A telephone support function could be a way to include people. Keywords: Service telephone; technology support; elderly and people with disability;
practical field test | |||
| Virtual Structured Dialogic Design as Tool for Analysis of Threats before Implementing European Dialogues Aiming to Identify R&D Gaps in Assistive ICT | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 492-497 | |
| Yiannis Laouris; Georgina Siita; Patrick Roe; Pier Luigi Emiliani; Aleco Christakis | |||
| The objective of CARDIAC (Coordinated Action funded by EU's 7th FP) is to
create a platform that can bring together the various stakeholders in the area
of accessible and assistive ICT with a view of identifying R&D gaps and
emerging trends and generating a research agenda roadmap. The project consists
of three pan-European structured dialogues. The consortium organized a virtual
structured dialogic design co-laboratory to collect and investigate obstacles
that might appear during the three subsequent dialogues to identify potential
threats and risks in order to take corrective measures in a timely manner. In
response to the Triggering Question "In view of the three upcoming dialogues,
what obstacles and threats do you anticipate that might compromise the quality
of the outcomes," they came up with 23 potential threats. The SDD process
revealed greatest sensitivity to five. Keywords: assistive technologies; roadmap; accessibility; risk analysis; structured
dialogic design; cogniscope | |||
| Investigation of Best Practices for Maintaining Section 508 Compliance in U.S. Federal Web Sites | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 498-506 | |
| Jonathan Lazar; Abiodun Olalere | |||
| The purpose of this paper is to discuss best practices in web site
compliance with Section 508 among Federal agencies. Individuals involved with
508 compliance at three different federal agencies were interviewed, to
determine how their agencies meet 508 compliance requirements. The discussion
includes specific evaluation methods used, such as how users with disabilities
are involved, how often they perform usability testing, and what software tools
are used on an ongoing basis for evaluation. It also examines the policies in
place, such as the possibility of losing a content management system account
for repeatedly posting non-compliant web content. We also compare the best
practices in accessibility compliance from U.S. Federal agencies to approaches
taken in other countries, such as Sweden and the United Kingdom. Keywords: Section 508; accessibility; best practices; Web site; compliance; federal;
government | |||
| eInclusion: Policies and Concepts Regarding Persons with Disabilities -- Considerations about Brazil and Portugal | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 507-516 | |
| Ana Isabel B. B. Paraguay | |||
| Digital inclusion and citizenship are closely related, because they strive
for equal opportunities related to education, learning, better living,
well-being, access to information and building up knowledge. ICT are
advantageous for everyone, but for persons with disabilities they have an
utmost importance -- they bridge the gap between impossible and possible ways.
Many legal frameworks and practices coexist in the same country or differ
widely in scope and structure from one country to another, regarding
eInclusion. Besides all, they target citizenship and human rights, as well as
the digital market. Keywords: eInclusion; digital inclusion; disability; Brazil; Portugal; policy | |||
| Creating a Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 517-526 | |
| Gregg C. Vanderheiden; Jutta Treviranus | |||
| As we move more to a digital economy and integrate technology every more
completely in all aspects of life there is a looming crisis for a growing
number of increasingly marginalized individuals. The accessibility technologies
we have are meeting the needs of only some, at high cost -- and will not work
with many new technologies. In addition, the pace and path of technological
change predestines these approaches to fail in the very near future. At the
same time, the incidence of disabilities is increasing as our population ages.
The same technical advances however hold the key for a radical paradigm shift
in our approach to accessibility that can harness the pace of innovation and
have it work for us rather than against us. Proposed is the development of a
Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII) that can tap the unprecedented
ability to pool resources and match demand with supply enabled by the Cloud to
deliver accessibility to every individual where they need it, when they need it
and in a way that matches their unique requirements; automatically so that they
do not need to negotiate, explain, qualify or justify. Keywords: digital divide; universal design; cloud computing; personalization | |||