Situation awareness measurement: A review of applicability for C4i environments

The construct of situation awareness (SA) has become a core theme within the human factors (HF) research community. Consequently, there have been numerous attempts to develop reliable and valid measures of SA but there is a lack of techniques developed specifically for the assessment of SA in command, control, communication, computers and intelligence (C4i) environments. During the design, development and evaluation of novel systems, technology and procedures, valid and reliable situation awareness measurement techniques are required for the assessment of individual and team SA, in order to determine the improvements (or in some cases decrements) resulting from proposed design and technological interventions. The paper presents a review of existing situation awareness measurement techniques for their suitability for use in the assessment of SA in C4i environments. Seventeen SA measures were evaluated against a set of HF methods criteria. It was concluded that current SA measurement techniques are inadequate by themselves for use in the assessment of SA in C4i environments, and a multiple-measure approach utilising different approaches is recommended

Miles away. Determining the extent of secondary task interference on simulated driving

There is a seemingly perennial debate in the literature about the relative merits of using a secondary task as a measure of spare attentional capacity. One of the main drawbacks is that it could adversely affect the primary task, or other measures of mental workload. The present experiment therefore addressed an important methodological issue for the dual-task experimental approach – that of secondary task interference. The current experiment recorded data in both single- and dual-task scenarios to ascertain the level of secondary task interference in the Southampton Driving Simulator. The results indicated that a spatial secondary task did not have a detrimental effect on driving performance, although it consistently inflated subjective mental workload ratings. However, the latter effect was so consistent across all conditions that it was not considered to pose a problem. General issues of experimental design, as well as wider implications of the findings for multiple resources theory, are discusse

Eliciting user requirements with older adults: Lessons from the design of an interactive domestic alarm system

This paper documents how methodological challenges were addressed when identifying user requirements for an Interactive Domestic Alarm System (IDAS) designed to enable older adults to live independently in their own homes for longer. A novel approach to determine possible IDAS functionality is described, and the results of focus groups conducted with older adults and care workers are reported. The paper identifies some difficulties encountered when using the focus group method with an ageing sample, and highlights the importance of careful preparatory work if this method is to be used successfully in such a context

HCI – the domain and the Education –coming of age, expanding territory, and marrying new domains

Podeu consultar el llibre complet a: http://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/64797Having developed academic HCI teaching in many countries, and being involved in professional societies from the start, we will show how the domain of HCI, and the related education, developed in different parts of the world, specifically in North America, Europe, and China. We observed local flavors and differences that in the last decades gradually related, merged, and moved the original domain to broader areas of application and to a larger population of users. Usability was exchanged for experience, programming languages were replaced by service opportunities, interactive art, and cultural participation

The assessment of usability of electronic shopping: A heuristic evaluation

Today there are thousands of electronic shops accessible via the Web. Some provide user-friendly features whilst others seem not to consider usability factors at all. Yet, it is critical that the electronic shopping interface is user-friendly so as to help users to obtain their desired results. This study applied heuristic evaluation to examine the usability of current electronic shopping. In particular, it focused on four UK-based supermarkets offering electronic services: including ASDA, Iceland, Sainsbury, and Tesco. The evaluation consists of two stages: a free-flow inspection and a task-based inspection. The results indicate that the most significant and common usability problems have been found to lie within the areas of ‘User Control and Freedom’ and ‘Help and Documentation’. The findings of this study are applied to develop a set of usability guidelines to support the future design of effective interfaces for electronic shopping

Developing a validated instrument to measure pre-service teachers’ ICT competencies : meeting the demands of the 21st-century

The main objective of this study is to develop a self-report instrument to measure pre-service teachers’ ICT competencies in education. The questionnaire items of this instrument are based on an existing comprehensive framework and were created with input from experts in the field. The data were collected from a sample of 931 final-year pre-service teachers in Flanders (Belgium). A first subsample was used for an exploratory factor analysis, and a second one to verify the identified factor structure via confirmatory factor analysis. A two-factor structure of ICT competencies was identified: (a) competencies to support pupils for ICT use in class and (b) competencies to use ICT for instructional design. This two-factor structure was confirmed in the confirmatory factor analysis. Recommendations are made on how this reliable instrument can help assess the level and progress of pre-service teachers’ ICT competencies