| BSCW for Disabled Teleworkers: Usability Evaluation and Interface Adaptation of an Internet-Based Cooperation Environment | | BIBA | PDF | 7 | |
| Michael Pieper; Henrike Gappa; Dirk Hermsdorf | |||
| TEDIS (TEleworking for DISabled People) is a research & development project of the research group on Human Computer Interaction at the German National Research Center for Information Technology (GMD). TEDIS is an assistive technology contribution to the promotional program "Telecooperation -- Value Added Services" of the German Federal Department for Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF) and human computer interface for accessing internet, which can be adapted to a variety of different needs of handicapped as well as elderly people. As part of a field-trial, the internet-based telecooperation environment BSCW (Basic Support for Cooperative Work) was installed to manage the teleworking process for two severely physically disabled teleworkers. At present, BSCW is adjusted to their special needs based upon data gained by structured usability-interviews. As a result, complete accessibility of BSCW by keyboard will soon be available, since operating a mouse causes many problems for motorically-disabled, blind or visually impaired end-users. | |||
| Synchronisation and Delay in a Formal Model of User Cognition | | BIBA | PDF | 19 | |
| D. Duke; G. Faconti; M. Massink | |||
| This work is part of a syndetic approach to the evaluation of the usability of interaction devices that takes into account the cognitive resources needed to use a device to perform particular tasks. In the syndetic approach both a cognitive model and a model of system behaviour are specified and brought together within a single framework in order to investigate their relations. The ICS model is such a cognitive model of human information processing. In this model the human information processing is depicted as a number of independent cognitive processes that cooperate by means of exchanging mental representations of the observed environment. The style in which the model is described is close to a data flow style, which is also one of the formal approaches used within Computer Science for the specification of systems behaviour. In this paper we present a data flow oriented representation of a simplified version of the ICS model in which we study the synchronisation and delay of the streams of representations owing through the model. The data flow approach is shown to give particularly interesting possibilities to investigate the consequences of a relative difference in speed between the information processing of the human and the change of the environment in which (s)he is working. | |||
| Considering the User in Mixed-Initiative Meeting Management | | BIBA | PDF | 17 | |
| A. Cesta; D. D'Aloisi; R. Brancaleoni | |||
| This paper describes a multi-agent system able to manage the meeting schedule of a set of users. The problem of meeting scheduling has been considered because represents an example of how routine daily activities may be delegated to software agent to relief activity overloading of human agents. In the paper a general agent architecture is described which is used to realize different kinds of agent in a specific system called MASMA (Multi Agent System for Meeting Automation). The way MASMA addresses various aspects of the agenda management problem is described and, in particular, several issues concerning the acceptability of the agent approach by human users are discussed. To increase acceptability, an important aspect is the attention paid to the problem of user control over agents activities. The possibility of task delegation is considered a relevant achievement of software agent technology, but issues like, non-invasion, possibility of inspection, and privacy should be taken into account. In the paper the way these problems are dealt with in MASMA is also described. | |||
| User Modelling for Information Retrieval from Multidatabases | | BIBAK | PDF | 9 | |
| Lachlan Mackinnon; Michael Wilson | |||
| The design options in resolving heterogeneous data source access from a
single query, and for a supporting user modelling component are discussed. The
MIPS system is used as an example to consider the role of user modelling in
automatically generating hypermedia presentations of the information retrieved
from such distributed data sources whose semantics are unknown to its users. A
user modelling component from a previous system was able to be used, showing
its portability. The opportunities for the application of user modelling to
tailor the retrieval and presentation process are investigated, not only for
query construction and information filtering, but throughout the entire
process. Keywords: User modelling, Multidatabase, Intelligent interface | |||
| Semi-Automatic Design and Prototyping of Adaptive User Interfaces | | BIBAK | PDF | 8 | |
| F. Mario Martins | |||
| This paper presents a software environment, GAIA, for the automatic
generation of self-adaptive user interfaces for API-based applications.
Firstly, a characterization of the design space for the adaptive user
interfaces the system is able to generate is discussed. System's
characteristics like the adapted constituents of the UI, the system's degree of
intelligence, the timing and information for adaptation, the adaptation method
and how it models the user are defined. Keywords: Adaptive user interfaces, Automatic generation, Model of the user,
Knowledge, AUI prototyping | |||
| Agents Classes for Managing Dialogue Control Specification Complexity | | BIBAK | GZ | 10 | |
| Anthony Savidis; Constantine Stephanidis | |||
| The organization of interface implementation software by means of agents is
an elegant model for managing the interface construction complexity. Agents
have their own local control, may manage arbitrary collections of interaction
objects, and may communicate with, control, or affect other agents. The
explicit realization of the agent model in dialogue specification languages is
currently restricted. The I-GET interface specification language (for the I-GET
UIMS) encompasses specification facilities directly reflecting the software
agent model; these facilities and some key implementation issues will be
presented and discussed. The agent-based specification kernel of the I-GET
language provides a framework that could be combined with various other
interface specification languages. Keywords: Dialogue specification, Software agents, Dialogue control | |||
| PIM: a Tool for Building Programming Layers on Top of Toolkits | | BIBAK | GZ | 11 | |
| Anthony Savidis; Constantine Stephanidis | |||
| Learning to program with interface toolkits requires a considerable amount
of time. Due to the fact that existing toolkits provide radically different
programming layers, programmers familiar with one particular toolkit require
additional training before they can effectively use another toolkit. Virtual
toolkits have contributed positively in this context, by providing the same
programming layer for a fixed number of target toolkits. However, users of
virtual toolkits are not enabled: (i) to locally incorporate a new toolkit, or
(ii) to extend or modify the supplied programming layer (e.g. adding new
interaction facilities, changing naming conventions and programming structure
of interaction elements). A tool has been developed, called PIM, through which
interface developers may establish the desired programming layers on top of
toolkits, such as virtual toolkits, with reduced development effort. The PIM
tool provides: (a) a language for the specification of the desired programming
layers for toolkits, (b) a compiler to translate such a specification to a C++
software library (i.e. generated programming layer), and (c) an asynchronous
communication library, called generic toolkit interfacing protocol, for
"connecting" the generated programming layer with the original target toolkit;
such a connection should be realized through the implementation of a toolkit
server module (one toolkit server implementation is needed for each programming
layer to be built). Keywords: Programming interfaces, Toolkits, Platform integration, Virtual toolkits,
Toolkit protocols | |||
| Quality of Service for Information Access | | BIBAK | PDF | 8 | |
| Martin Prime; Michael Wilson | |||
| Information is available in many forms from different sources, in
distributed locations; access to information is supported by networks of
varying performance; the cost of accessing and transporting the information
varies for both the source and the transport route. Users who vary in their
preferences, background knowledge required to interpret the information and
motivation for accessing it, gather information to perform many different
tasks. This position paper outlines some of these variations in information
provision and access, and explores the impact these variations have on the
user's task performance, and the possibilities they make available to adapt the
user interface for the presentation of information. Keywords: User interfaces for all, Information retrieval, Intelligent interface,
Automatic information presentation | |||
| Evaluating Social Interactions on the Introduction of a Telephone-Based System for Nursing Handovers | | BIBA | PDF | 2 | |
| Betty Hewitt | |||
| This paper reports a study of nursing shift handovers conducted over a six month period in 1995, with the aim of evaluating a telephone based voice recognition system called the Nurse Communicator. During this study we explored the co-operative nature of nursing handovers on two wards both before and after the introduction of the Nurse Communicator. We wished to look at the social interactions and socially constructed context of nursing handovers in three different situations: office based handovers, walkround handovers and the changing nature of the interactions of the nurses on the introduction of Nurse Communicator. | |||
| Guiding User Interfaces Equationally | | BIBA | PDF | 12 | |
| T. B. Dinesh; S. Uskudarli | |||
| Direct manipulation user interfaces consist of interactive widgets of
various kinds. Many of them are event based (assist in handling the various
input events) but a variety of them are geometry based [OJK95]. We are
interested in not only composing these geometry based widgets to build direct
manipulation user interfaces but also provide meaning to these compositions
using equations. To describe this we abstract away from event based user
interfaces by assuming a syntax based editor that helps build the desired
"widgets".
We present a simple model for guiding user interaction, that with the help of certain editor tools, and mechanisms for defining user short-cuts (some event based "widgets") would result in practical user interfaces that are more flexible than ones of today | that only allow connectors between components of the user interface while the semantics is specified in a language (like C++ or C) external to user interface specification language. | |||
| Interaction in an ERCIM Virtual Laboratory | | BIBA | PDF | 2 | |
| C. Stephanidis; D. Akoumianakis | |||
| The proposed work is concerned with the following developments. First of
all, co-operative interface toolkits embodying properties from selected real
world metaphors will be developed to facilitate the construction of the
multiple metaphor environment. Possible real world metaphors to be examined
include the document metaphor, the book metaphor, the card note, the desktop,
the rooms metaphor, the television metaphor, the telephone metaphor.
Secondly, unified interface specification techniques will be developed for co-operative dialogue processing in the multiple metaphor environment. Thirdly, a metaphor design environment including selection of real world objects and corresponding attributes, as well as mapping to interaction components with suitable look and feel and dynamic behaviour. Fourthly, a methodology will be developed for designing interaction metaphors and embedding them to user interface development and implementation. Finally, on the application site, some of the applications to be developed include a shared file management system for ERCIM papers and documents, point-to-point video conferencing and the ERCIMlab guided tour for visitors. | |||
| ERCIM Collaborative Interaction Design Toolset | | BIBA | PDF | 5 | |
| C. Stephanidis; D. Akoumianakis | |||
| This position paper aims to present a proposal for collaborative long term research amongst ERCIM members in the context of the current ESPRIT Call on Intelligent Information Interfaces (I3). The paper outlines work proposed to be carried out in the context of the Connected Community Schema of ESPRIT Intelligent Information Interfaces initiative. The proposed work is primarily concerned with the way in which a specific community (such as for example the user interface design community within ERCIM as well as other corporate organisational or institutional working communities) may progressively and incrementally consolidate accumulated wisdom into reusable, sharable and expandable knowledge repositories. As an example, we provide a tentative scenario of such a community emphasising core activities, the issues to be addressed and the benefits to be obtained through suitable technology. | |||