| Designing Ethnographic Encounters for Enriched HCI | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 3-12 | |
| Jo-Anne Bichard; Catherine Greene; Gail Ramster; Tom Staples | |||
| This paper present three case studies of design research in HCI that has
utilized an ethnographic approach to understand user needs. All of the projects
were undertaken at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design (HHCD), based at the
Royal College of Art. The HHCD specialises in an inclusive design philosophy,
which seeks to directly involve users in the design process. Two of the
projects were undertaken as Research Council United Kingdom (RCUK) funded
initiatives, and one was commissioned by a major technology company. They
highlight how a design ethnography approach can be both rigorous for academic
design research within HCI, and dynamic for the needs of the commercial sector. Keywords: ethnography; inclusive design; design research methods; user engagement | |||
| Heuristic Methods Aiding Ergonomic Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 13-20 | |
| Marcin Butlewski | |||
| The increasing complexity of the world of technology and the technical
components surrounding humans increases the need for ergonomic measures.
However, these activities often have only a corrective character, and
therefore, despite (or perhaps because of) the possibility of computer support,
their results are not satisfactory. When solving problems, very often it is
difficult to give up the well-worn strategies or hypotheses, even though they
turn out to be ineffective. During the design process a specific attitude is
formed towards a certain kind of conduct, which certainly makes it difficult to
adopt new and effective strategies, which in turn inhibits creativity.
Moreover, it appears that in many cases a functional solution is not determined
by a systematic evaluation of all possible solutions, and the initially adopted
concept's primary reasons often have been removed. Therefore, in this article,
it was decided to take on the subject of the possibility of using heuristic
methods in ergonomic design. In the article, described is the use of specific
methods and design situations requiring a new approach. Also presented are the
limitations of heuristic methods for ergonomic design and the possibility of
their fusion in typical design processes. Keywords: ergonomic design; heuristic methods; design; ergonomics | |||
| Universal Access to Interaction as Revealed by UAHCI Words | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 21-30 | |
| Maria Cecília Calani Baranauskas; Julián Esteban Gutiérrez Posada | |||
| The analysis of publications created over time as journal articles and other
media is important to emphasize the interests, identity and culture in a
certain research area. This paper proposes an analysis on the content of the
Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction (UAHCI) conferences since 2007,
based on information from the article titles. We were especially interested in
knowing about changes in recent years related to user categories, the
technologies used, and the processes associated with the systems engineering or
with the human-computer interaction practices. Discussions are situated from
the creation and observation of tagclouds formed with the data. As a
contribution, we found what the words reveal about main trends of the area, the
profile and the differences between the various editions of the conference, and
also the gaps and potential for future research work toward accessibility and
design for all. Keywords: Universal Design; User and Context Diversity; Applications | |||
| Implementing Disability Accommodations in a Widely Distributed Web Based Visualization and Analysis Platform -- Weave | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 31-39 | |
| Heather Granz; Merve Tuccar; Shweta Purushe; Georges Grinstein | |||
| Visualization tools give authors the ability to present large amounts of
data in a way that allows the viewer to gain understanding of the data with
just a glance. This strategy, while useful to the sighted population, presents
obvious barriers for blind or visually impaired individuals. A solution to this
problem has become more vital, as ever more publicly funded agencies turn to
data visualization as a tool for conveying information to the public. In this
paper we present a solution based on previous research that allows a system to
do automatic analysis of a line chart visualization to extract and then present
it's intended message. Previous advancements in this area, an implemented
prototype of the proposed solution and a description of the platform in which
it was built are presented, as well as a discussion of the implications of this
research and future work. Keywords: Weave; visualization; accessibility; blind; screen reader; disability;
universal design; vision; access | |||
| Interviewer Agent for Cognitive Task Analysis | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 40-49 | |
| Taro Kanno; Masahiro Uetshuhara; Kazuo Furuta | |||
| A chat-based interviewer agent (IA) for cognitive task analysis was
developed. This agent automatically generates questions for and responses to
the answers from the human interviewee. The automated response process is based
on shallow intelligence incorporating an interview technique for cognitive task
analysis. We also considered the knowledge awareness (KA) effect and designed
the interview as a fake group interview, with one agent interviewer, one agent
interviewee, and a human interviewee. We conducted test interviews with 14
subjects to evaluate the new functions of the IA. The results show that KA and
the fake group interview were effective and that the performance was better
than that of the previous version, which used a one-on-one interview without
considering KA. Keywords: interviewer agent; cognitive task analysis; knowledge awareness; group
interview effect | |||
| A Method to Evaluate Disabled User Interaction: A Case Study with Down Syndrome Children | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 50-58 | |
| Isys Macedo; Daniela G. Trevisan | |||
| Testing products with representative users is a key factor for user-centered
design. When such representative users are disabled children the user testing
process becomes a challenge and in this case evaluation methods based on
heuristics and inspection could not attend the final user needs. The major
purpose of our research is to provide an evaluation method that could measure
disabled children interaction. This work first discusses the development of the
coding scheme based on the detailed video analysis method which was adapted to
observe interaction of children with Down syndrome. After that we demonstrate
the method reliability by applying the cohen's kappa coefficient and the
any-two agreement measure. Finally we discuss how this method could be used to
evaluate usability and fun problems. Keywords: Usability game evaluation; children interaction; down-syndrome | |||
| Prototype of a Virtual User Modeling Software Framework for Inclusive Design of Consumer Products and User Interfaces | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 59-66 | |
| Svetlana Matiouk; Markus Modzelewski; Yehya Mohamad; Michael Lawo; Pierre Kirisci; Patrick Klein; Antoinette Fennell | |||
| The recent developments in technology inspire designers and engineers in
creating more and more sophisticated and smart consumer products. However, the
most ingenious device in the world will fail, if its users are not able to
access the mastermind it provides. How can we best support product creators in
the thorny task of inclusive design? In this paper a prototypic realization of
a virtual user modeling framework to support designers in creating more
inclusive products following the phase-based product development process is
presented. A qualitative usability survey evaluated the acceptance of the
proposed end-user applications among designers and the effectiveness of the
recommendations-driven support -- the paper provides insights. Keywords: Virtual user modeling; digital human model; recommendations-driven design
support; virtual usage simulation; user experience; inclusive product design | |||
| Inclusive Design and the Bottom Line: How Can Its Value Be Proven to Decision Makers? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 67-76 | |
| Anna Mieczakowski; Sue Hessey; P. John Clarkson | |||
| Designing technology products that embrace the needs and capabilities of
heterogeneous users leads not only to increased customer satisfaction and
enhanced corporate social responsibility, but also better market penetration.
Yet, achieving inclusion in today's pressured and fast-moving markets is not
straight-forward. For a time, inaccessible and unusable design was solely seen
as the fault of designers and a whole line of research was dedicated to
pinpointing their frailties. More recently, it has become progressively more
recognised that it is not necessarily designers' lack of awareness, or
unwillingness, that results in sub-optimal design, but rather there are
multi-faceted organisational factors at play that seldom provide an adequate
environment in which inclusive products could be designed. Through literature
review, a detailed audit of inclusivity practice in a large global company and
ongoing research regarding quantification of cost-effectiveness of inclusive
design, this paper discusses the overarching operational problems that prevent
organisations from developing optimally inclusive products and offers
best-practice principles for the future. Keywords: Inclusive Design; Cost-Benefit Model; Principles for Change | |||
| Designing Sustainable IT System -- From the Perspective of Universal Design Principles | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 77-86 | |
| Moyen Mohammad Mustaquim; Tobias Nyström | |||
| Since the concept of universal design is already extending the boundary of
disabilities, it is significant to include different aspects of information
technology where universal design enabled efforts can contribute towards better
designed systems, products and services. Sustainability is an important and
growing public concern in today's world. Nevertheless, attempts of designing IT
system that can be called sustainable in nature are not so evident at present.
In this paper we propose a framework originating from sustainable IT system
design principles (also described in the paper). The universal design
principles are used as a foundation upon which the resultant sustainable IT
system design principles were derived. The concept of 'sustainable IT system'
addressed in this research paper is beyond the common phenomenon of
sustainability like green IT, CO2 emission etc. Rather, the framework proposed
in this paper incorporates more user inclusion and increased user satisfaction
together towards higher usability. And an IT system designed in this manner is
a sustainable IT system according to the argument of this paper which can
therefore be designed by following the proposed design principles and
framework. Keywords: Universal design; Sustainability; Sustainable design principles; Design for
all | |||
| Usability in a New DCS Interface | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 87-96 | |
| Manuel Pérez Cota; Miguel Ramón González-Castro | |||
| The current operating displays of DCS (Distributed Control System) are
designed for 2D environments. This limits the full awareness situation of the
industrial process, since it is distributed across multiple operator displays
and requires the operator to navigate among them. This inspired the idea of
creating a single operation DCS display, in a 2.5D/3D environment that allows a
full view of the entire manufacturing process. This increases the amount and
quality of information that is given to the operator and prevents unnecessary
operation navigation between displays. Keywords: DCS; HCI; 3D; 2.5D; visualization models | |||
| Best Practice for Efficient Development of Inclusive ICT | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 97-106 | |
| Till Halbach Røssvoll; Kristin Skeide Fuglerud | |||
| This work aids ICT projects in delivering solutions which are highly
accessible and usable in an efficient manner, i.e., with a minimum of
additional costs. The aid comes in the form of guidelines / best-practice
recommendations. The guidelines are based on a literature survey considering
related research, and an analysis of development work conducted at our research
institute which discusses possible pit-falls. This approach led to both
high-level recommendations, such as which overall research methodology to
apply, as well as detailed low-level guidelines, such as which activities to
include in the project workflow and when. The advice is supported by a template
for an example workflow with relevant activities. The recommendation from the
literature is to extend general user centered methodology with particular
activities to ensure that also individuals with impairments are accounted for,
while our own development experience suggests an iterative approach with user
involvement from early on in the project throughout the end. Keywords: Software development; agile user centered design; IT; ICT; universal design;
e-inclusion; accessibility; usability; impairments; iterative design; best
practices; workflow | |||
| The Evolving Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII) | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 107-116 | |
| Gregg C. Vanderheiden; Jutta Treviranus; Maria Gemou; Evangelos Bekiaris; Kasper Markus; Colin Clark; Antranig Basman | |||
| We are facing a perfect storm where, just as access to ICT is becoming
mandatory for meaningful participation, independence, and self sustenance, we
find that we not only are nowhere near providing access to everyone who needs
it, but we are actually losing ground due to reasons such as technical
proliferation across platforms, increasing product churn (breaking existing
solutions), decreasing social resources to address it, and an inability to
effectively serve the tails of these populations because of the higher cost to
do so. At the same time the incidence of disabilities is increasing as our
population ages. This paper describes the Cloud4all and Prosperity4All projects
and progress in building the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure, an
infrastructure based on cloud, web and platform technologies that can increase
dissemination and international localization while lowering the cost to
develop, deploy, market, and support a broad range of access solutions. Keywords: Universal Design; Inclusive Design; Digital Divide; Cloud computing | |||
| Universal Access: The "Universal" Is Not as It Seems | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 117-126 | |
| Helia Vannucchi; Alexandre Torrezam | |||
| The quest for universal access, still today is faced with the expectation of
a minimal knowledge of the use of interactive equipment in order to establish
successful communication between these equipments and users. We propose to
broaden the discussion on ways to include those unfamiliar with the use of
computers, the internet and interactive devices, people with little education
and/or illiterate, while not excluding those already accustomed to the use of
information technologies. We are not unaware of the undeniable fact that the
search for a fully universal interaction is utopian, however, we try to explain
the problem here and provoke discussion about the concept of universality. Keywords: universality; interactive systems; interface; usability | |||
| Improvements in Interface Design through Implicit Modeling | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 127-136 | |
| Patrick K. A. Wollner; Ian Hosking; Patrick M. Langdon; P. John Clarkson | |||
| Touchscreen devices are often limited by the complexity of their user
interface design. In the past, iterative design processes using representative
user groups to test prototypes were the standard method for increasing the
inclusivity of a given design, but cognitive modeling has potential to be an
alternative to rigorous user testing. However, these modeling approaches
currently have many limitations, some of which are based on the assumptions
made in translating a User Interface (UI) into a definition file that cognitive
modeling frameworks can process. This paper discusses these issues and
postulates potential approaches to improvements to the translation procedure. Keywords: inclusive design; universal design; cognitive modeling; cognitive
architectures | |||
| Evaluating User Interface Design Using Hierarchical Requirements Extraction Method (REM) | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 137-142 | |
| Toshiki Yamaoka | |||
| The paper shows the hierarchical requirements extraction method in order to
evaluate user interface design. REM has two functions, (1) extracting the
source of systems, products and GUI problems, (2) constructing the ultimate
purpose of systems, products and GUI. The process is as follows. After the
problems are acquired by checklist and so on, the solutions for problems are
derived using the function solved the problems. The purpose of solutions is
defined from view point of the relation of "purpose and means". The ultimate
purpose is examined repeatedly based on the solutions from view point of the
relation of "purpose and means", and finally defined. Next the cause of
problems is defined from view point of the relation of "results and cause". The
source of the problems is examined repeatedly from view point of the relation
of "results and cause", and defined. Keywords: hierarchical requirements extraction method (REM); User interface design;
usability | |||
| A Conceptual Client-Designer Framework: Inspiring the Development of Inclusive Design Interactive Techniques | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 143-152 | |
| Emilene Zitkus; Patrick M. Langdon; John Clarkson | |||
| The adoption of inclusive design approach into design practice is compatible
to the needs of an ageing society. However, tools and methods that promote
inclusivity during new product development are scarcely used in industry. This
paper is part of a research project that investigates ways to accommodate
inclusive design into the design process in industrial context.
The present paper is based on the finds from the observations and interviews with industrial designers and interviews with stakeholders. The outcomes from the study supported a better understanding of the client-designer dynamic as well as the stages in the design process where information related to inclusive design could be introduced. The findings were essential to inspire the development of an inclusive design interactive technique to be used by clients and designers. Keywords: universal design; design for all; new product development; industry;
designer | |||
| ICT Accessibility Criteria in Public Procurement in OECD Countries -- The Current Situation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 155-164 | |
| Gunela Astbrink; William Tibben | |||
| Public procurement is the process by which government bodies purchase their
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products and services. Including
accessibility criteria in the procurement process may improve employment
opportunities in government for people with disabilities and could have flow-on
effects for increased accessibility. Various methods of incorporating
accessibility criteria in public procurement need to be assessed to ascertain
the most effective processes to achieve e-inclusion. This paper outlines a
research project investigating the current status of legislation, regulation
and policy of ICT accessibility criteria in public procurement in OECD
countries. Using mixed-methods research to gather information, the paper draws
on contrasting cases for comparative analysis. The research finds that
voluntary schemes contributed to the failure of these programs. It is apparent
that lack of understanding about ICT accessibility plays a key role. Mandatory
processes based on uniform global standards coupled with compliance will have
an impact. Keywords: Public procurement; ICT accessibility; web accessibility; people with
disabilities; accessibility | |||
| Rational Interfaces for Effective Security Software: Polite Interaction Guidelines for Secondary Tasks | | BIBA | Full-Text | 165-174 | |
| Gisela Susanne Bahr; William H. Allen | |||
| States of the science and practice agree on the failure of security application to engage end users in the assurance of security and privacy in everyday personal computing. We propose as the cause an underlying irrational interface model of security related applications. Irrational Interfaces are counterproductive because they minimize the intended software utility and pay-off. In the case of security interactions, utility is minimized by the assumption of security primacy and the alienation of end user from the decision making process through disruptive messaging and disengaging content. Therefore effective security dialogues must be based on a rational interaction model. We present a small set of simple guidelines based on cognitive psychological research for polite interactions that appropriately optimize user engagement during tasks that users perceive as secondary. The guidelines for secure applications that politely interact with the end user are supported by a pay-off matrix that can be used to predict and evaluate rational secure interface performance. The rational, polite interface is a radical paradigm shift for security applications' design because it integrates end users as active stakeholders and resources in the assurance of security and privacy. | |||
| Social Dimension of Sustainable Development -- Safety and Ergonomics in Maintenance Activities | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 175-184 | |
| Malgorzata Jasiulewicz-Kaczmarek; Przemyslaw Drozyner | |||
| The paper considered the issue of the impact of maintenance services for the
safety and health of workers. This is undoubtedly an important issue as
statistics show that in Europe 10 to 15% of fatal industrial accidents can be
traced to maintenance operations. The role of these services in the modern
enterprise is increasing, as companies increasingly depend on the proper
functioning of its technical systems. In addition, the maintenance process
involves not only technical services company employees, but also the employees
of other functional areas and external agencies. All this makes, that
maintenance in terms of security is a complex issue. Activities of maintenance
services are generally associated only with phase of the operation of
machinery. In the paper authors consider the effects of enlargement of
operations maintenance services for all phases of the life of a technical
object, including not only operation but also design, manufacturing and
disposal phases. Such approach is able to provide more effective, proactive and
preventive health and safety system. Keywords: Maintenance; maintenance stakeholders; safety culture levels | |||
| Using Human Factors Standards to Support User Experience and Agile Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 185-194 | |
| Martin Maguire | |||
| The ISO 9241-210 standard provides a framework for human-centred design
(HCD) activities comprising the four stages: context of use, specification of
user and organisational requirements, design solutions, and evaluation against
requirements. Other parts of the 9241 standard cover user interface design and
usability. This paper uses the HCD framework to emphasise user experience (UX)
design and methods used to help create good user experiences. It also relates
the framework to an agile software development environment. It is concluded
that the flexible and iterative nature of ISO 9241-210 makes it a good basis
for both user experience design and an agile development process. Keywords: Human-centred design; User experience (UX); Usability; Agile; Standards | |||
| Secure, Usable Biometric Authentication Systems | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 195-204 | |
| Liam M. Mayron; Yasser Hausawi; Gisela Susanne Bahr | |||
| Biometrics are physiological features that allow individuals to be
identified. Popular biometrics include fingerprints, faces, and irises. A
common use of biometric systems is to authenticate users desiring access to a
system or resource. Universal Access can be promoted with biometrics.
Biometrics provide a secure way to access information technology, although the
use of biometrics presents challenges and opportunities unique to other
authentication methods (such as passwords and tokens). Biometric systems are
also vulnerable to poor usability. Such systems must be engineered with wide
user accessibility and acceptability in mind, but also need to provide robust
security. This paper considers the application of biometrics in Universal
Access systems with regards to usability and security. Keywords: universal access; biometrics; security; usability | |||
| Breaking Psychological Barrier toward Changes: Two Experiences | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 205-213 | |
| Bruno Merlin | |||
| The paradigm of multilayer interface was created to promote universal use of
software. We previously revisit this concept and adapt it to smooth the
transition between two versions of software involved in a critical activity.
Then we generalized this idea by proposing multilayer interface as a technical
and psychological way to ease transition between software versions. We resumed
two projects applying this paradigm and observe common results into those two
different contexts. It mainly enabled to break a psychological barrier toward
changes and improve the acceptability of new versions of software and new
working methods. Keywords: Multilayer interface; learning; transition; universal usage | |||
| Design Principles of Open Innovation Concept -- Universal Design Viewpoint | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 214-223 | |
| Moyen Mohammad Mustaquim; Tobias Nyström | |||
| The concept of open innovation is becoming an increasingly popular topic of
interest and seems to promise a lot in organizational development. However, to
date there are no certain design principles that can be followed by
organizations on how to use open innovation successfully. In this paper seven
design principles of open innovation concept have been proposed. The derived
principles are the outcome which is based on the principles of universal
design. The open innovation design, based on these principles could create
better business values and new business strategies. Finally a theoretical
framework is also proposed that shows how to use these principles for
successful open innovation design. Keywords: Open innovation; Universal Design; Design Principles for Open Innovation;
Design Principles | |||
| E-Inclusion as the Next Challenge for Sustainable Consumption | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 224-232 | |
| Amon Rapp; Alessandro Marcengo; Marina Geymonat; Rossana Simeoni; Luca Console | |||
| In this paper we highlight how small producers of quality food, depositary
of traditions that nowadays are running the risk of being lost, could be
included in the benefits provided by digital technologies, through an
interactive system that could enhance their old communication habits. Within
PIEMONTE Project we adopted a co-design process to include these social actors
in the design development. The result is an interactive system that, based on
three technological pillars (a visual recognition algorithm, an ontology based
knowledge manager, and a social network engine) and a vision of intelligent
objects as a mean to promote the access and the interconnection in the world of
quality food, tries to keep alive the cultural heritage of a territory. Keywords: co-design; sustainability; gastronomy | |||
| Effect of Accommodation Training in Foreign Labor | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 233-241 | |
| Masumi Takada; Yasuyuki Matsuura; Masaru Miyao; Hiroki Takada | |||
| By relaxing the contracted focus-adjustment muscles around the eyeball, such
as the ciliary and extraocular muscles, improvement of the pseudo-myopia is
expected. This understanding has led to the accommodation training in which the
visual target is given by stereoscopic video clips. However, it is pointed out
that the motion sickness can be induced by viewing stereoscopic video clips. In
the measurement 1 of this study, we verify whether the new 3-dimensional (3D)
technology reduce the severity of motion sickness in accordance with the
stabilometry. We then evaluate short-term effects of the accommodation training
utilizing new stereoscopic video clips on foreign labors (11 females) suffering
from eye fatigue in the measurement 2. The foreign workers were trained in 3
days. We could show that the new 3D technology reduce the severity of motion
sickness in accordance with the stabilometry. The effect of the accommodation
training utilizing the new 3D video clip was investigated in foreign labors
suffering from eye fatigue, and the eye strain was reduced by the continuous
accommodation training for a short-term period. Keywords: Visually induced motion sickness; Stabilometry; Sparse density; Liquid
crystal displays (LCDs); Accommodation training; 3D video clip | |||
| A Study of Accommodation Training by Stereoscopic Film Presentation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 242-251 | |
| Masumi Takada; Akihiro Sugiura; Yasuyuki Matsuura; Masaru Miyao; Hiroki Takada | |||
| By relaxing the contracted focus-adjustment muscles around the eyeball, such
as the ciliary and extraocular muscles, improvement of the pseudo-myopia is
expected. This understanding has led to the accommodation training in which the
visual target is given by stereoscopic video clips. In this study, we verify
short-term effects of the accommodation training on eyesight of visual
inspection workers (22 females) suffering from eye fatigue and 12 middle-aged
persons. In the Measurement 1, the workers were trained in 3 days. Moreover,
the middle-aged were investigated on several trials of the eyesight recovering
apparatus in the Measurement 2. In the Measurement 3, we verify the effects of
the accommodation training on eyesight and asthenopia of the young. The
accommodation training is compared with close work on VDTs. As a result, the
visual acuity was statistically improved by continuous accommodation training
which will promote a ciliary muscle-stretching effect. Keywords: Myopia; Presbyopia; Spherical Diopter (SPH); Visual Acuity (VA);
Stereoscopic Images; Ciliary Muscle; Accommodation | |||
| The Impact of Visual Impressions on Human Work Environment -- Based on the Example of Industrial Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 255-263 | |
| Wojciech Bonenberg | |||
| This paper presents an original method for evaluating aesthetic factors in
the work environment. The study assumes that the aesthetic appeal affects the
behavior, enhances the identification, positive effects on the emotional
attitude toward work. On the contrary, ugliness causes negative attitude,
discourages creativity, causes indifference. In reality between perfection and
aesthetic ugliness there is a whole range of intermediate states, which are in
very different ways shaping our emotional relationship to the environment. The
aim of research is to associate those emotions with d characteristic aesthetic
features of industrial forms. Keywords: work environment; visual quality; emotions | |||
| Facade Retention Accomplishments in View of Ergonomic Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 264-272 | |
| Jerzy Charytonowicz; Maciej Skowronski | |||
| Both individual buildings and large complexes of buildings that are now
being adapted or revitalized may have been withdrawn from using due to some
general economic tendencies progressing, as well as in consequence of technical
deterioration of the given object or just not being able to keep up-to-date
maintenance standards. These objects, although appreciated for their monumental
value and favorable location near the center of a big city, may easily fall
into ruin if they are not properly used and maintained. The reconstruction and
modernization of the interiors in such buildings, with the original facade
retained -- which sometimes is a necessary condition imposed by the local
planning authorities -- may be a chance to restore the building functionality
and thus avoid the costly, energy-consuming demolition. Keywords: facade retention; facade technology; ecology; reuse; sustainable design | |||
| Creating Public Space in Wroclaws Urban Housing Environment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 273-280 | |
| Barbara Gronostajska | |||
| Despite the passage of time the polands housing built in panel technology is
not modernized sufficiently. More and more interesting examples from abroad
appears, which shows how this kind of housing can be transformed. Actions
should be carried out in three areas, starting from town-planning and
architectural transformations (macro scale), thru the neighborhood spaces
transformation (mezo scale) to the individual functional-spatial flats
transformation (micro scale). Keywords: concrete slabs technology; estate environment; housing | |||
| The Current Possibilities for Controlling Parameters of Environment of Housing and Workplace Based on the Selected Architectural Realizations | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 281-287 | |
| Pawel Horn | |||
| In the introduction the author outlines the scope of the present
possibilities to control internal parameters of internal climate in buildings.
As an example the author analyzes the relationship between the systems applied
in MGP office building in Katowice, Poland and the quality of work environment,
comparing at the same time the financial aspects of using building management
systems in public and residential buildings. Keywords: parameters of inner environment of a building; sustainable design;
tri-generation system; Maria Goeppert-Mayer building in Katowice Poland | |||
| The Computed-Aided Judiciary -- How the Contemporary Technologies Change the Courtroom Design? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 288-296 | |
| Grazyna Hryncewicz-Lamber | |||
| The introduction of multimedia electronic systems changed the legal practice
over the last decade. The presence of computer-aided techniques such as
information booths, digitalized case lists and land registers, e-courts in
selected case categories, and electronic registration of the proceedings have
entered the courts. Juristic buildings are permeated by sophisticated
technologies, some of them influence the spatial organization of the courts.
Has this change impacted courthouse architecture and furnishings? In order to
answer this question the paper presents some implications of the implementation
of computer-aided jurisdiction. The paper concentrates on the problems of
architectural and acoustic requirements for the courtroom in view of electronic
registration of the court proceedings; spatial needs for new types of rooms ie.
electronic land register reading rooms, e-courts, secure teleconference and
hearing facilities, server rooms; spatial and ergonomic requirements for the
location of electronic information devices such as secure info-booths and
electronic case lists. Keywords: architecture; IT in courtroom; spatial organization of courtroom | |||
| Design Research of Augmented Realty Plant to Depressurize on Office Ladies | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 297-303 | |
| Jei-Chen Hsieh; Chang-Chan Huang; Hwa-San Kwan | |||
| Melancholia is regarded as one of the three major diseases by World Hygiene
Organization of United Nations. By using two stage questionnaires with virtual
plant (named Green Point) design, research focuses on what is the office lady
pressure comes from and what product could release her stress? The result
reveals that career women have the positive evaluation in the aspect of degree
of satisfaction of virtual plant. Being asked for which virtual planting
tension-relieving product design style is more likeable, career women prefer
pure fashion and lovely look, and have a deep impression on nature and
creativity. Keywords: Adaptive and augmented interaction; Augmented Realty; Depressurize; Office
Ladies | |||
| Religious and Cultural Aspects in Shaping the Public Space of Hygiene and Sanitation Activities | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 304-312 | |
| Anna Jaglarz | |||
| All cultures and religions of the world, in all theirs branches and sects,
have their own point of view and way of teaching when it comes to the human
body, its purification and physiological needs. It was not only the result of
social and cultural dimensions of the times, but also the then common medical
knowledge shaping opinions and views on these matters. The paper discusses and
analyzes the complex religious and cultural aspects affecting the reactions and
attitudes towards water, bathing and hygiene practices and defining the range
of the needs, requirements and preferences for public health, hygiene and
sanitary environment, its form and equipment. Keywords: public bathing; public hygiene practices; public hygiene facilities;
religious and cultural aspects of public hygiene; sanitary spaces formation | |||
| Touching Buildings -- A Tangible Interface for Architecture Visualization | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 313-322 | |
| Tiffany Chen; Andreas Kratky | |||
| The process of architectural design and urban planning has been
fundamentally transformed through digital media. While providing the
opportunity to make the process more flexible and open to realize an extensive
public participation, they also pose specific problems. Touching Buildings is a
prototype for a multimodal, collaborative interface that integrates the various
aspects of the planning and communication process through a platform for
tangible interaction with an open communication system. This paper presents the
results of a first implementation of this prototype. Keywords: Urban planning; visualization; touch interfaces; natural user interface;
tangible interaction | |||
| Photography as a Research Method in Collecting Information from Elderly Respondents in Senior Housing Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 323-329 | |
| David Ming-Da Lee; Robert C. C. Chen; Tsai-Ju Lee | |||
| This study is concerned with acquiring knowledge of elderly peoples'
perceptions toward senior housing design by using "photographic technique"
based on participant design theory. The researchers asked 78 participants to
choose 5 important areas of their own home and to take pictures of these. This
was followed by a semi-structured interview. From those meaningful dialogues
during the interview process the best insight into the elderly persons'
experience is revealed and, therefore, offers an understanding of the elderly
persons' perceptions and their spatial design preferences.
The results reveal four very important issues for the elderly participants in their everyday life. First, is concerning the items connected to or from the past. The second relates to family or social life. Third, concerns their hobbies or interests. Fourth, is in regards to where they spend most of their time. Moreover, the results show that by using a "photo taking" method this could possibly make the elderly participant feel themselves as contributing more to the project. Potentially this could improve the effectiveness of data gathered from the elderly respondents. Keywords: Senior housing Design; Ethnographic method; User experience; Photographic
method | |||
| The Role of Woman and Man on Shaping the Old and Modern Households | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 330-338 | |
| Przemyslaw Nowakowski | |||
| Owning a house or a flat is closely related to the necessity of maintaining
it. Housework requires various skills and abilities, as well as both physical
and mental effort, overcoming weariness caused by the repetition of activities
while experiencing lack of lasting effects, financial difficulties, and
sometimes shortages of supplies and services. Moreover, the housework sometimes
has to be done in poor living conditions. The primary goal of housework is
creating, for each of the household members, the conditions in which one can
develop, regenerate and relax. Modern households, especially the kitchenware,
reflect the technological advancement of our digitalized contemporary world.
The declining role of people in housework reflects grave social and cultural
problems in the developed countries, such as: disintegration and atomization of
family, anonymity and unification of behavior. The paper presents: the models
of housework organization and their evolution in history, the role of women and
men in housework, historically changing specificity of housework (including
kitchen chores), as well as contemporary tendencies in domestic life in
industrialized countries. Keywords: Ergonomics; households; housework | |||
| Optimum Building Shape in View of Energy Saving | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 339-347 | |
| Andrzej Skowronski | |||
| In most highly developed countries there are standards applied to define the
requirements for the insulation coefficient of outer partitions, as well as
adequate computer programs to both measure the heat loss in the buildings
designed and calculate the amount of electrical and thermal energy needed for
heating and ventilating the building. Although these programs are able to
calculate the heat loss in the designed buildings, they cannot define their
optimum shape. Apart from other numerous factors which influence the ecological
and ergonomic value of the architectural project the building shape itself may
significantly reduce the construction and maintenance costs of the object. An
optimum shape of the building is very important for energy effectiveness, as
well as keeping ecological and ergonomic standards applied to solve the space
of the building. These factors should be analyzed by the architect as early as
in the initial design stage, i.e. while the visual concept of the object is
being developed. For different shapes of the object, with the same area of the
plan and the same insulation quality of outer partitions, the area of these
partitions can be very different, so the amount of the building materials
necessary for the constructing, as well as the heat loss resulting from its
maintenance can also differ significantly. Keywords: architecture; ecology; ergonomics; economy | |||
| Spatial Transformations of Architect's Workplace Due to Development of Computer Aided Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 348-357 | |
| Elzbieta Trocka-Leszczynska; Joanna Jablonska | |||
| Architects, among other professional groups, are especially involved in the
technical development of their occupation at three different levels: designed
objects, ways of performing investment processes and methods of current
communication. The usage of stationary and mobile computers, graphical tablets,
smart phones and other multimedia equipment are currently influencing not only
the way of work, but the space of workplaces as well. This paper is aimed at
researching this transformation and development. A comparison between two
approaches towards a design process will be made, i.e. classical -- based on a
drawing board and modern -- with implementation of Computer Aided Design,
graphical stations, virtual modeling and multimedia presentations. There will
be a discussion on proper measurements and parameters of the workplace in
relation to human needs and limitations tested in case studies and in
literature examples. Based on conclusions, the guidelines concerning designer's
work with the modern electronic equipment will be formulated. Keywords: architect's workplace; workplace with computer; work with multimedia
equipment | |||
| Design of Modern Hotels -- Humanization of the Residential Environment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 358-367 | |
| Elzbieta Trocka-Leszczynska; Joanna Jablonska | |||
| After the hotel building boom before Euro 2012, the Polish tourist branch is
currently experiencing a period of stabilization. Current investments are
prepared with more consideration as regards the ways of gaining and attracting
new customers to the proposed services. Small and very economical buildings
like hostels and motels that are erected nowadays are attracting a young part
of the society, while elegant and more expensive buildings gain customers from
constantly aging people. Attempts to provide better and well-adjusted functions
evolve along the demand to meet different needs of people with various
disabilities. Humanization and individualization of service for the benefit of
various customers should be based on appropriate ergonomic solutions and novel
technologies. Analyses will be carried out on recommendations for hotels
designed for people with disabilities, different medical conditions and
representative case studies of German examples. Keywords: ergonomics in architecture; hotels for the disabled; hotels for the elderly;
ergonomics of the disabled | |||
| Evaluation of Guideline System and Sign Design of Public Space in Taiwan Emergency Department | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 368-375 | |
| Wan-Ting Tseng; Jin-Han Tseng; Hsin-Hsi Lai; Fong-Gong Wu | |||
| In order to prevent the man-made error under stressful environment in the
Emergency Department (ED), it is important to design the clear guidance of the
sign. The anticipated goal of this study is to evaluate the emergency service
in three major hospitals of southern Taiwan, especially to compare the
strengths and weakness of guidance sign and the medical flow. By the focus
groups with design professional and twice questionnaires, this study not only
indicates the common problem of ED, but also redesigns the guideline system.
The researchers consulted the strength in current emergency system and
integrated color-coding to signal redesign. Guiding Line, Banner Design and
Color Coding Integration were shown in the design stage. In the end, three
factors (Guidance, Identification and Comprehension) were estimated the
usability by Likert scale in questionnaire II. The design improvement might
increase the efficiency and efficacy care of S.O.P in hospital emergency
service, as well as quality of patient in future ED. Keywords: Sign; Emergency Department; Public Area; Color Coding | |||
| Dwelling Houses of Building Cooperative Schlesische Heimstätte in Wroclaw (Former Breslau) and in Silesia in 1919-1941 as a Precursor of Modern Ergonomics in Architecture | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 376-385 | |
| Jadwiga Urbanik | |||
| Wroclaw should be regarded as the most important amongst German cities in
developing and promoting modern domestic architecture in interwar period. The
influx of refugees fleeing the territories of Germany had lost as a result of
the war and massive migration to other cities exacerbated the housing
shortages. With its economy ruined by the war and burdened with huge
reparations imposed on Germany, the country undertook considerable efforts to
develop and present model solutions. New building cooperatives and societies
were established to develop modern housing estates. In Wroclaw, with the
financial back up of the state, a housing cooperative -- "Schlesiche
Heimstätte" was founded in 1919. Between 1919-1925 it was managed by Ernst
May and it specialized in building cheap and functional houses for the people
of modest means. It worked out the catalogue of ready-made designs and
published a magazine called "Heim". It built housing estates with small flats
and functional gardens in sub-Wroclaw districts and towns in Lower Silesia. It
existed till 1941. In new housing estates not only a new form but also or may
be first of all, new construction solutions, new, promoted at that time,
materials, new colors, new layouts of flats, new interior arrangement, new way
of living in modern houses and new urban planning were presented. Keywords: interwar period; "Schlesiche Heimstätte"; dwelling houses | |||
| The Discussion of Innovative Concept for Icon Display on Elevator's Indicator | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 386-395 | |
| Ming-Tang Wang | |||
| In this paper, we focus on the researching innovation of open-close button
of elevator by questionnaire. The text of native language is found the best
cognition for button indicator of open-close on the attributes of observability
and relative advantage in elevator. The conclusions are: (1) Chinese glyphs
"開 (open)" and "關 (close)" are the most easily observable and the
highest relative advantage. So the text of native language could be the best
for open-close button in elevators. (2) The complex symbols are the thick
stroke with multi-element. (3) Important indicators of elevators could not only
need thick black and slender arrows, but also it is non-highlighted. Keywords: elevator; button indicator; caring concept; diffusion of Innovations | |||
| A Map Guidance System by Multiple Dialog Robots Cooperation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 396-405 | |
| Ken Yonezawa; Yu Suzuki; Hirotada Ueda | |||
| The purpose of this study is to release user's feeling of unease and
loneliness, which occur in people's mind while heading for the destination, by
appropriate encouragement by multiple robots. In our development, we combined
the robot technology with "good old-fashioned guidance know-how" and employed
five concepts: Manual less, Operation free, Device free, corporeality of robot
and Advantage of network robot. A comparative experiment was conducted. It
proved the effectiveness of robot giving ease and joy to user. At the same
time, we have found that the user come to feel uneasy with increasing distance
from the robot. Therefore, measures for improving this problem have been
studied. Those are the quantification of psychic distance concerning unease and
the introduction of mobile robot. Keywords: multiple dialog robots; guidance; networks; cooperation; encouragement | |||
| Towards Designing Audio Assistance for Comprehending Haptic Graphs: A Multimodal Perspective | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 409-418 | |
| Özge Alaçam; Christopher Habel; Cengiz Acartürk | |||
| Statistical graphs, such as line graphs are widely used in multimodal
communication settings. Language accompanies graphs and humans produce gestures
during the course of communication. For visually impaired people, haptic-audio
interfaces provide perceptual access to graphical representations. The local
and sequential character of haptic perception introduces limitations in haptic
perception of hard-to-encode information, which can be resolved by providing
audio assistance. In this article we first present a review of multimodal
interactions between gesture, language and graphical representations. We then
focus on methodologies for investigating hard-to-encode information in graph
comprehension. Finally, we present a case study to provide insight for
designing audio assistance. Keywords: Haptic Graph Comprehension; Audio-Verbal Assistance | |||
| User Target Intention Recognition from Cursor Position Using Kalman Filter | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 419-426 | |
| Gökçen Aslan Aydemir; Patrick M. Langdon; Simon Godsill | |||
| This paper discusses user target intention recognition algorithms for
pointing -- clicking tasks to reduce users' pointing time and difficulty.
Predicting targets by comparing the bearing angles to targets proposed as one
of the first algorithms [1] is compared with a Kalman Filter prediction
algorithm. Accuracy and sensitivity of prediction are used as performance
criteria. The outcomes of a standard point and click experiment are used for
performance comparison, collected from both able-bodied and impaired users. Keywords: Intention Recognition; cursor movement; tracking; Kalman Filter | |||
| The Effects of Mirroring in a Playful Virtual Environment: A Comparative Study with Children and Adults Having Impairments | | BIBA | Full-Text | 427-435 | |
| Nanna Borum; Line Gad Christiansen; Henrik Wolff Jepsen; Kasper Kristensen; Jacob Nghia Trung Lam; David Lindholm; Eva Petersson Brooks; Anthony Lewis Brooks | |||
| This study explored the effects of a projected self-image in a game situation created for people with different impairments and ages, to question life quality and social cognition. A simple video capture game utilizing the Microsoft Kinect enabling embodied interaction was created. Test sessions consisting of two test conditions, a mirrored self-image condition and a silhouette condition, were conducted with repeated measurement and an interval of one week between each condition. The participants were from four special needs daycare centers and selected by caregivers. They consisted of 20 children (10 male, 10 female) and nine adults (three male, six female), all with various impairments. Video recordings were analyzed with a qualitative case study approach, and a follow up semi-structured "in-situ" interview with the caregivers was held to support the interpretations. Overall findings indicate that the system has a variety of possibilities and the participants used it in their own way e.g. for rough-and-tumble play, creative expression, and as a medium for cooperation. However there was no visible difference between the mirrored condition and the silhouette condition. | |||
| Designing Accessible Visualizations: The Case of Designing a Weather Map for Blind Users | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 436-445 | |
| Dustin Carroll; Suranjan Chakraborty; Jonathan Lazar | |||
| Major strides have been made to improve the accessibility of text-based
documents for blind users, however, visualizations still remain largely
inaccessible. The AISP framework represents an attempt to streamline the design
process by aligning the information seeking behaviors of a blind user with
those of a sighted user utilizing auditory feedback. With the recent popularity
of touch-based devices, and the overwhelming success of the talking tactile
tablet, we therefore suggest that the AISP framework be extended to include the
sense of touch. This research-in-progress paper proposes such an extended
design framework, MISD. In addition, the article also presents the preliminary
work done in designing an accessible weather map based on our theory-driven
design. A discussion and an outline of future work conclude the manuscript. Keywords: Accessibility; Universal Usability; Auditory Information Seeking Principle;
Multi-Sensory; Sonification; Spatial Sound; Visualizations; Weather | |||
| Modified Control-Response Ratio for Move and Rotation Operations on a Large Multi-touch Interface | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 446-453 | |
| Wenzhi Chen; Chun-Wen Chen; Kuan-Hung Chen | |||
| This study focused on the effect of the control-response ratio (C/R ratio)
of a multi-touch interface for move and rotation operations. The experiments
were conducted to collect data on user performance and subjective evaluation to
analyze the effects of five levels of the C/R ratio. Forty-five participants,
15 male and 30 female, were given tasks to complete. The results showed that in
overall operations, subjective satisfaction was highest with the C/R ratio 1/1,
but in the usability analysis among the C/R ratios 1/1, 1/2, and 2/1, there was
no significant difference. Specific operations that analyzed the effects of the
C/R ratio showed in the move operations the best C/R ratio was located between
1/1 and 1/2, and in the rotation operations, the difference among the C/R
ratios 2/1, 1/1, and 1/2 was not significant. The best C/R ratio might be
located among the three values. The results show that on a mid-size multi-touch
screen, a modified C/R ratio may help users in pan and rotation operations to
improve performance and satisfaction. Keywords: C/R ratio; multi-touch; large touchscreen | |||
| Gesture-Based Interaction for Cultural Exhibitions | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 454-463 | |
| Tin-Kai Chen; Robert C. C. Chen; Fong-Gong Wu | |||
| The study aims to reveal the effect of in-air gesture interaction using the
depth camera technology on complex human performance and to identify possible
design failures and its implementation to the digital shadow play. Since in-air
coordinate system of body kinematics shares the same directional vector with
on-screen coordinate of the visual character, a systematic approach
"directional vector transformation" has been proposed for transforming the
in-air coordinate into the on-screen coordinate. A comprehensive literature
review of human computer interaction, digital shadow play and gesture
interfaces is given. Finally, identification of design failures and design
guideline for further study are made for the design of in-air gesture
interfaces. Keywords: Gesture Interfaces; Depth Camera; Fitts' law; FLG; Usability | |||
| Including Uncertainty Treatment on the Accessibility Assessment of DOSVOX System | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 464-473 | |
| Maria Isabel Farias Carneiro; José Eustáquio Rangel de Queiroz; Joseana Macêdo Fechine | |||
| The speech interface development per se is not a guarantee of quality for
the accessibility to visually impaired users either to as much of a website as
possible where it can be achieved or to as much of functions a stand-alone
product can provide. In this paper, a methodological approach for assessing
accessibility problems in voice user interfaces (VUI) is proposed, which
includes uncertainty treatment by using Bayesian networks. A case study is
discussed, in which the proposed approach has provided encouraging results, and
seems to have a potential to be successfully applied to other similar speech
stand-alone software applications. Keywords: Accessibility; Conformance Inspection; Bayesian Networks; Vocal User
Interfaces; VUI | |||
| OnScreenDualScribe: A Computer Operation Tool for Users with a Neuromuscular Disease | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 474-483 | |
| Torsten Felzer; I. Scott MacKenzie; Stephan Rinderknecht | |||
| We developed a tool based on a modified number pad aimed at empowering
persons with neuromuscular diseases to efficiently operate a computer and enter
text. As the keypad lies securely in both hands, the system is ideal for
someone who has motor problems using a full-size keyboard but cannot use speech
recognition as an alternative method, because of dysarthria. The software
offers various assistive techniques; for example, text entry is facilitated
with the help of word prediction. An ambiguous mode with word-level
disambiguation allows text entry with six keys. Initial empirical results with
the system -- which is already in regular use -- indicate that it indeed
represents a viable alternative, since it decreases effort without increasing
the time to operate a computer. Keywords: human-computer interaction; keyboard replacement; mouse emulator; word
prediction; ambiguous keyboards; dysarthria; neuromuscular diseases;
Friedreich's Ataxia | |||
| Universal Access to Participatory Musical Experiences for People with Disabilities | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 484-489 | |
| Nizan Friedman; David J. Reinkensmeyer; Mark Bachman | |||
| Participating in music is a promising way to provide therapy for people with
neurological and developmental disabilities. Unfortunately people are often
unable to participate in music because of cognitive or physical impairment, and
the steep learning curve of playing an instrument. We developed the Sensor to
MIDI Interface (SMIDI) controller in order to provide a common platform to
create MIDI-based musical instruments that are appropriate for people with
disabilities. In this paper we discuss the SMIDI controller and three unique
applications that use the system. The first is the MusicGlove, a musical
instrument that motivates use of the hand through practicing functional
gripping movements. The second is a fabric-based sensor technology that can be
cut into any size or shape and connects with SMIDI to turn ordinary objects
into a musical instrument. The third is a sensor laden stuffed animal that
elicits sounds through bending and squeezing various appendages. Through the
SMIDI system we hope to make music participation an accessible and enjoyable
medium for therapy. Keywords: music therapy; participation in music; physical disability; musical
instruments; stroke; spinal cord injury; autism | |||
| An Ontology-Based Architecture for Natural Language Access to Relational Databases | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 490-499 | |
| Lawrence Muchemi; Fred Popowich | |||
| Natural language (NL) access to databases is a problem that has interested
researchers for many years. We demonstrate that an ontology-based approach is
technically feasible to handle some of the challenges facing NL query
processing for database access. This paper presents the architecture,
algorithms and results from the prototype thereof which indicate a domain and
language independent architecture with high precision and recall rates. Studies
are conducted for each of English and Swahili queries, both for same language
and cross-lingual retrieval, from which we demonstrate promising precision and
recall rates, language and domain independence, and that for language pairs it
is sufficient to incorporate a machine translation system at the gazetteer
level. Keywords: Natural Language Interfaces; Databases; Ontologies | |||
| Multimodal Kinect-Supported Interaction for Visually Impaired Users | | BIBA | Full-Text | 500-509 | |
| Richard Gross; Ulrich Bockholt; Ernst W. Biersack; Arjan Kuijper | |||
| This paper discusses Kreader, a proof-of-concept for a new interface for blind or visually impaired users to have text read to them. We use the Kinect device to track the users body. All feedback is presented with auditory cues, while a minimal visual interface can be turned on optionally. Interface elements are organized in a list manner and placed ego-centric, in relation to the user's body. Moving around in the room does not change the element's location. Hence visually impaired users can utilize their "body-sense" to find elements. Two test sessions were used to evaluate Kreader. We think the results are encouraging and provide a solid foundation for future research into such an interface, that can be navigated by sighted and visually impaired users. | |||
| Evaluating Facial Expressions in American Sign Language Animations for Accessible Online Information | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 510-519 | |
| Hernisa Kacorri; Pengfei Lu; Matt Huenerfauth | |||
| Facial expressions and head movements communicate essential information
during ASL sentences. We aim to improve the facial expressions in ASL
animations and make them more understandable, ultimately leading to better
accessibility of online information for deaf people with low English literacy.
This paper presents how we engineer stimuli and questions to measure whether
the viewer has seen and understood the linguistic facial expressions correctly.
In two studies, we investigate how changing several parameters (the variety of
facial expressions, the language in which the stimuli were invented, and the
degree of involvement of a native ASL signer in the stimuli design) affects the
results of a user evaluation study of facial expressions in ASL animation. Keywords: American Sign Language; accessibility technology for people who are deaf;
animation; natural language generation; evaluation; user study; stimuli | |||
| Multimodal Synthesizer for Russian and Czech Sign Languages and Audio-Visual Speech | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 520-529 | |
| Alexey Karpov; Zdenek Krnoul; Milos Zelezny; Andrey Ronzhin | |||
| This paper presents a model of a computer-animated avatar for the Russian
and Czech sign languages. Basic principles of sign language(s) and their
implementation in a computer model are briefly sketched. Particular attention
is paid to animation principles of the "talking head", which allows for maximum
expansion of the functions of the program, making it suitable not only for deaf
and hard-of-hearing people, but for blind and non-disabled people too, so the
universal audio-visual synthesizer is proposed. Keywords: Signing Avatar; Speech Synthesis; Talking Head; Assistive Technology;
Multimodal User Interface; Universal Access | |||
| Investigation into a Mixed Hybrid Using SSVEP and Eye Gaze for Optimising User Interaction within a Virtual Environment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 530-539 | |
| Paul McCullagh; Leo Galway; Gaye Lightbody | |||
| Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology has been used successfully in
neurophysiological research laboratories, but has had less success when used
outside the laboratory and particularly for people with disability. The hybrid
BCI approach offers the potential for a more robust solution, with potential
better usability to promote greater acceptance. The emphasis on improving human
computer interaction may facilitate more widespread deployment, particularly
where BCI alone has proved unsuccessful. This paper adapts an existing modular
BCI architecture to support a 'mixed hybrid', by combining a BCI with a
commercial eye tracker, and suggests graphical user interfaces to facilitate
operation and control of a virtual environment. Keywords: Hybrid; Brain; Computer; Interface; Eye-gaze | |||
| Odours and Spatialities: Designing Sensory Experiences | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 540-547 | |
| Luisa Paraguai | |||
| Smell is a chemical phenomenon, historically signified and culturally
shared; it creates deep interactions, enforcing social structures or
transgressing them. From natural environments to urban spaces, the large
variety of odours can stimulate olfactory senses and evoke experiences, in
which pleasant and unpleasant, and even non-smelling scents, are combined as
parameters of spatial limits. The main aim of this paper is to contextualize
some chemical and cultural aspects of smells, and their potential to create and
reconfigure spatial orientations. Based on Constance Classen, David Howes, and
Anthony Synnott's researches, odours are understood as cultural classification
systems, and therefore they are possible modes of ordering the world. At the
end, some projects and scent maps are brought since odours are considered an
aesthetic medium to design evocative experiences and perceptive access modes. Keywords: Odours and spatialities; perception and accessibility; spatial experiences;
design and technology; art and technology | |||
| Subunit Modeling for Japanese Sign Language Recognition Based on Phonetically Depend Multi-stream Hidden Markov Models | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 548-555 | |
| Shinji Sako; Tadashi Kitamura | |||
| We work on automatic Japanese sign Language (JSL) recognition using Hidden
Markov Model (HMM). An important issue for modeling sign is that how to
determine the constituent element of sign (i.e., subunit) like "phoneme" in
spoken language. We focused on special feature of sign language that JSL is
composed of three types of phonological elements which is hand local
information, position, and movement. In this paper, we propose an efficiently
method of generating subunit using multi-stream HMM which is correspond to
phonological elements. An isolated word recognition experiment has confirmed
the effectiveness of our proposed method. Keywords: Hidden Markov models; Sign language recognition; Subunit; Phonetic systems
of sign language | |||
| A Biological and Real-Time Framework for Hand Gestures and Head Poses | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 556-565 | |
| Mario Saleiro; Miguel Farrajota; Kasim Terzic; João M. F. Rodrigues; J. M. Hans du Buf | |||
| Human-robot interaction is an interdisciplinary research area that aims at
the development of social robots. Since social robots are expected to interact
with humans and understand their behavior through gestures and body movements,
cognitive psychology and robot technology must be integrated. In this paper we
present a biological and real-time framework for detecting and tracking hands
and heads. This framework is based on keypoints extracted by means of cortical
V1 end-stopped cells. Detected keypoints and the cells' responses are used to
classify the junction type. Through the combination of annotated keypoints in a
hierarchical, multi-scale tree structure, moving and deformable hands can be
segregated and tracked over time. By using hand templates with lines and edges
at only a few scales, a hand's gestures can be recognized. Head tracking and
pose detection are also implemented, which can be integrated with detection of
facial expressions in the future. Through the combinations of head poses and
hand gestures a large number of commands can be given to a robot. Keywords: Hand gestures; Head pose; biological framework | |||
| Challenges for Inclusive Affective Detection in Educational Scenarios | | BIBA | Full-Text | 566-575 | |
| Olga C. Santos; Alejandro Rodriguez-Ascaso; Jesus G. Boticario; Sergio Salmeron-Majadas; Pilar Quirós; Raúl Cabestrero | |||
| There exist diverse challenges for inclusive emotions detection in educational scenarios. In order to gain some insight about the difficulties and limitations of them, we have analyzed requirements, accommodations and tasks that need to be adapted for an experiment where people with different functional profiles have taken part. Adaptations took into consideration logistics, tasks involved and user interaction techniques. The main aim was to verify to what extent the same approach, measurements and technological infrastructure already used in previous experiments were adequate for inducing emotions elicited from the execution of the experiment tasks. In the paper, we discuss the experiment arrangements needed to cope with people with different functional profiles, which include adaptations on the analysis and results. Such analysis was validated in a pilot experiment with 3 visually impaired participants. | |||
| Enriching Graphic Maps to Enable Multimodal Interaction by Blind People | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 576-583 | |
| Caterina Senette; Maria Claudia Buzzi; Marina Buzzi; Barbara Leporini; Loredana Martusciello | |||
| Geographical maps are by their nature inherently inaccessible to blind users
since the information is conveyed mainly in a visual way. The attempt to
convert all the information to an alternative modality allowing satisfactory
exploration by blind people is a very active field of research. Several studies
offer interesting solutions currently only available as prototypes. The work
described herein investigates multimodality, focusing on the tactile
interaction skills of a blind subject. Given the difficulty of rendering all
the information available in a generic map in a tactile and/or text (Braille)
format, the challenge is to provide additional substantial information content
through different means: speech synthesizer, text or sound alerts and vibration
events that the user may call as needed. A further challenge of our work is to
make a map opportunely modified to "speak" for itself, without using dedicated
devices, through web technologies and the possibility of easily developing
programs for Android-based mobile devices. Keywords: Blind; visual impairment; tactile maps; graphics maps; multimodal
interaction; Android; accessibility | |||
| I-Ball: A Programmable Sporting Aid for Children with a Visual Impairment to Play Soccer | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 584-591 | |
| Surya P. N. Singh; Paul E. I. Pounds; Hanna Kurniawati | |||
| The Interactive Ball ("I-Ball") is a programmable tonal soccer ball that
varies its output based on measurements from an inertial sensor. As a sporting
aid for children with blindness and low-vision it makes participation in team
sports more accessible without a conspicuous constant tone and in a manner the
provides information when stationary. The paper presents the design rationale
of the system. Exploitative evaluation with visually impaired users indicates
that the encoded information provides utility, but also that noise and wind are
complicating external factors that can limit perceptual range. Keywords: Accessibility; adaptive user feedback; HRI; sporting aids | |||
| Design of Intuitive Interfaces for Electric Wheelchairs to Prevent Accidents | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 592-601 | |
| Hitoshi Tamura; Yasushi Kambayashi | |||
| Japan has more than 200 accidents related to electric wheelchairs every
year. Current electric wheelchairs do not have any device for accident
prevention; it can be said they are dangerous vehicles. In order to mitigate
the situation, we have proposed and implemented an interface that makes user
recognize the surrounding circumference so that it prevents electric wheelchair
accidents. In this paper, we present the design, implementation and feasibility
study of intuitive human interfaces for electric wheelchairs. Keywords: Prevention of accidents; Electric wheelchair; HMD; Multi touch panel;
Assistive technology | |||
| Using Sonification and Haptics to Represent Overlapping Spatial Objects: Effects on Accuracy | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 602-611 | |
| Junlei Yu; Kris Lohmann; Christopher Habel | |||
| For blind and visually impaired people, the access to spatial information is
crucial. Therefore, the development of non-visual interfaces to spatial
representations, e.g. maps and floor plans, are important tasks. In earlier
empirical work [19], we investigated virtual haptic floor plans, accessible
through a Phantomforce feedback device, which allows haptic exploration of
virtual objects (walls), in combination with sonification for representing
overlapping objects (windows). In the following we present an empirical study
on multiple-overlap constellations (in the room-plan scenario: walls, windows
and radiators). We reduced the complexity of the environments from complete
apartments to only one wall and overlapping subsections, to focus on the
spatial accuracy of acquired knowledge. This one-wall experiment has two goals:
to compare the accuracy of size and position estimation with the experiment
with complete apartments and to investigate the usability of sonification to
represent overlapping entities at walls. Qualitative measures on the
correctness of overlap-relationship identification and quantitative
investigation on the accuracy of size and position estimations are discussed.
The results can be extended to the use of sonification to represent overlapping
entities in general. Keywords: Spatial Knowledge Acquisition; Virtual Haptics; Sonification;
Representational Multimodality | |||
| Effortless Passive BCIs for Healthy Users | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 615-622 | |
| Anne-Marie Brouwer; Jan van Erp; Dirk Heylen; Ole Jensen; Mannes Poel | |||
| While a BCI usually aims to provide an alternative communication channel for
disabled users who have difficulties to move or to speak, we focused on BCIs as
a way to retrieve and use information about an individual's cognitive or
affective state without requiring any effort or intention of the user to convey
this information. Providing only an extra channel of information rather than a
replacement of certain functions, such BCIs could be useful for healthy users
as well. We describe the results of our studies on neurophysiological
correlates of attention, workload and emotion, as well as our efforts to
include physiological variables. We found different features in EEG to be
indicative of attention and workload, while emotional state may be better
measured by physiological variables like heart rate and skin conductance.
Potential applications are described. We argue that major challenges lie in
hardware and generalization issues. Keywords: Passive BCI; user state monitoring; attention; workload; emotion; EEG; MEG;
NIRS; physiological measures | |||
| Brain-Computer Interfacing for Users with Cerebral Palsy, Challenges and Opportunities | | BIBA | Full-Text | 623-632 | |
| Ian Daly; Martin Billinger; Reinhold Scherer; Gernot Müller-Putz | |||
| It has been proposed that hybrid Brain-computer interfaces (hBCIs) could
benefit individuals with Cerebral palsy (CP). To this end we review the results
of two BCI studies undertaken with a total of 20 individuals with CP to
determine if individuals in this user group can achieve BCI control.
Large performance differences are found between individuals. These are investigated to determine their possible causes. Differences in subject characteristics are observed to significantly relate to BCI performance accuracy. Additionally, significant relationships are also found between some subject characteristics and EEG components that are important for BCI control. Therefore, it is suggested that knowledge of individual users may guide development towards overcoming the challenges involved in providing BCIs that work well for individuals with CP. | |||
| Multi-modal Computer Interaction for Communication and Control Using EEG, EMG, EOG and Motion Sensors | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 633-641 | |
| Guenter Edlinger; Christoph Kapeller; Arnau Espinosa; Sergi Torrellas; Felip Miralles; Christoph Guger | |||
| This work introduces a new system to allow persons with motor disabilities
to control remote devices and communicate with their environment. This system
consists of a real-time data processing computer that analyzes biosignals like
the electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG), electrooculogram (EOG)
and a second computer that controls a smart home system, a robot, a TV, a
webcam and social networks like Twitter and Facebook. The user can choose the
input method that best suits his/her individual condition. A comparative study
over 11 healthy subjects and different input methods showed best performance of
EMG and mouse inputs, followed by EOG and EEG based inputs. However, the
usability might change for disabled persons. Keywords: EEG; EMG; EOG; motion tracking; BCI | |||
| Experimental Art with Brain Controlled Interface | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 642-651 | |
| Tania Fraga; Mauro Pichiliani; Donizetti Louro | |||
| This essay presents experimental computer artworks using Brain Controlled
Interface (BCI). It points to a preliminary contextualization and general
development emphasizing affective, sensory, poetic and aesthetic experiences
intermediated by mindware devices. BCI offers a new research art field using a
low-cost neuro system to explore human mind's untapped potential. A BCI for a
Java3D framework allowed to arrive at the concept of exoendogenous
interactivity. The main contribution of this essay is the novel use of
affective quantified data to provide emotional feedback to computers and
participants while experimenting an art piece, intertwining human affective
states with computational autonomous processes. May one say that computer
agents, by capturing world percepts, perceive the human mind activity? Possible
answers to this question may open poetic and aesthetic research fields for
artists, leading to a better understanding of how computers collect and respond
to emotional states within human minds. Keywords: Brazilian Computer Art; Brain Controlled Interface (BCI); exoendogenous
interactivity; Caracolomobile; affective computing; awareness widgets; Emotiv
neural EEG headset; machine percepts | |||
| Multi-Brain Games: Cooperation and Competition | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 652-661 | |
| Anton Nijholt; Hayrettin Gürkök | |||
| We survey research on multi-user brain-computer interfacing applications and
look in particular at 'multi-brain games'. That is, games where in one or other
form the (EEG-) measured brain activity of more than one user is needed to play
the game. Various ways of integrating and merging brain activity in a game
context are investigated. Existing research games are mentioned, but the
emphasis is on surveying BCI research that will provide ideas for future
multi-brain BCI games. Keywords: brain-computer interfaces; multi-brain games; social games | |||
| A Passive Brain-Computer Interface for Supporting Gaze-Based Human-Machine Interaction | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 662-671 | |
| Janna Protzak; Klas Ihme; Thorsten Oliver Zander | |||
| Tracking eye movements to control technical systems is becoming increasingly
popular; the use of eye movements to direct a cursor in human-computer
interaction (HCI) is particularly convenient and caters for both healthy and
disabled users alike. However, it is often difficult to find an appropriate
substitute for the click operation, especially within the context of hands-free
interaction. The most common approach is the use of dwell-times, but this can
lead to the so-called "Midas-Touch" problem. This problem is defined by the
fact that the system incorrectly interprets fixations due to long processing
times or spontaneous dwellings as a user command. The current study explores
the event-related potentials (ERPs) that might indicate a user's intention to
select. Therefore, Electroencephalography (EEG) data was recorded from 10
participants during an interaction with a dwell-time system within a selection
process. The aim was to identify EEG potentials related to the intention to
interact (i.e. the selection of targets on a screen) and to classify these
against EEG potentials unrelated to interaction during random fixations on the
screen. As a result, we found a clear negativity over parietal electrodes for
the intention of item selection. This negativity did not occur when participant
fixated an object without intention to select (no specific intention). We
robustly could classify the underlying brain activity in most of our
participants with an average accuracy of 81%. The presented study provides
evidence that the intention to interact evokes EEG activity that can clearly be
detected by passive BCI technology. This leads to a new type of implicit
interaction that holds the potential to improve human-machine interaction by
increasing efficiency and making it more intuitive. Keywords: EEG; passive BCI; implicit interaction; gaze-based interaction | |||
| A Collaborative Brain-Computer Interface for Accelerating Human Decision Making | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 672-681 | |
| Peng Yuan; Yijun Wang; Xiaorong Gao; Tzyy-Ping Jung; Shangkai Gao | |||
| Recently, collective intelligence has been introduced to brain-computer
interface (BCI) research, leading to the emergence of collaborative BCI. This
study presents an online collaborative BCI for improving individuals' decision
making in a visual Go/NoGo task. Six groups of six people participated in the
experiment comprising both offline and online sessions. The offline results
suggested that the collaborative BCI has the potential to improve individuals'
decisions in various decision-making situations. The online tests showed that
using Electroencephalogram (EEG) within the first 360 ms after the stimulus
onset, which was 50 ms earlier than the mean behavioral response time (RT)
(409±85 ms), the collaborative BCI reached a mean classification
accuracy of 78.0±2.6% across all groups. It was 12.9% higher than the
average individual accuracy (65.1±8.1%, p<10-4). This study
suggested that a collaborative BCI could accelerate human decision making with
reliable prediction accuracy in real time. Keywords: brain-computer interface (BCI); group decision making; Electroencephalogram
(EEG); collaborative BCI | |||
| Towards Implicit Control through Steady-State Somatosensory Evoked Potentials | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 682-688 | |
| Thorsten Oliver Zander; Jonas Brönstrup; Elisa Klose; Robert S. Sonnenberg; Wouter K. Vos; Marc Grootjen | |||
| We present a reliable reactive BCI based on steady-state somatosensory
evoked potentials (SSSEPs). As the stimulation frequencies are higher than 35
Hz this system ensures no interference with BCIs relying on ERPs or SMR. Hence,
the presented system can be combined with other BCIs broadening the bandwidth
of communication. Keywords: Reactive BCIs; steady-state somatosensory evoked potentials (SSSEPs) | |||
| Designing Wearable Bio-Interfaces: A Transdisciplinary Articulation between Design and Neuroscience | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 689-699 | |
| Rachel Zuanon | |||
| This paper presents and discusses the rapprochement between Design and
Neuroscience in the design of wearable bio-interfaces based on the
contributions of studies related to the environment/behavior/neuroscience
paradigm and emotional processing in the human brain, regarding the
identification and recognition of neurophysiological information relevant to
projectual practice in Design. The article also considers the
Design-Neuroscience relationship in the projectual practice of wearable
computers "BioBodyGame" (2006-2008) and "NeuroBodyGame" (2008-2010) by means of
which it addresses the interaction between the body of the user
(neurophysiological signals and brain waves) and the computer by the use of
bio-interfaces. Keywords: Design; Neuroscience; Wearable Bio-Interfaces; Transdiciplinarity | |||