Supporting creative composition: the FrameWorks approach

We present a new system for music composition using structured sequences. FrameWorks has been developed on the basis of Task Analysis research studying composition processes and other user-centred design techniques. While the program only uses MIDI information, it can be seen as a ‘proof of concept’ for ideas generally applicable to the specification and manipulation of other music control data, be it raw audio, music notation or synthesis parameters. While this first implementation illustrates the basic premise, it already provides composers with an interesting and simple to use environment for exploring and testing musical ideas. Future research will develop the concept, in particular to enhance the scalability of the system

Human-centric design of unified communications: e-collaboration features

This article describes a co-design process in the context of user experience (UX) and usability testing and analysis of a first proof of concept of e-collaboration features based on unified communications, co-designed within an organization aiming to optimize users' communication cognitive load. An initial digital prototype with a detailed graphical interface, and simulated user narratives was established and the qualitative validation process is described and discussed. The implemented R&D process is mainly supported on user-centred design (UCD) methodology, namely action research with service design thinking method and co-design techniques. Qualitative data was gathered with concurrent think-aloud activities (CTA) stimulated by user experience expectation questions, observation notes, with integration in an eye tracking technology system. The UCD process and results are discussed, substantiating the added value due to the individual contributions and consequent usefulness of a final unified communication service for the organization.publishe

Development of mobile application prototype for smart tourism based on user-centered design

In this paper, the implementation of ISO 9241-210:2010 (Human Centred Design for Interactive Systems) standard for the development of a mobile application is presented in order to strengthen the user experience when using the mobile application in situ. Following the phases that the standard dictates for the development and evaluation of software and hardware in order to obtain a working prototype, and at the end of the process a product. The implementation of the standard allowed to generate an initial prototype validated by real users (tourists), so that, for future work will be carried out using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques and data analysis, these same, will complement this work, resulting in a fully validated and functional application for Smart Tourism. It should be noted that the purpose is to use User-Centered Design (UCD), thus achieving a high-fidelity prototype.

Towards a tool for the subjective assessment of speech system interfaces (SASSI)

Applications of speech recognition are now widespread, but user-centred evaluation methods are necessary to ensure their success. Objective evaluation techniques are fairly well established, but previous subjective techniques have been unstructured and unproven. This paper reports on the first stage of the development of a questionnaire measure for the Subjective Assessment of Speech System Interfaces (SASSI). The aim of the research programme is to produce a valid, reliable and sensitive measure of users' subjective experiences with speech recognition systems. Such a technique could make an important contribution to theory and practice in the design and evaluation of speech recognition systems according to best human factors practice. A prototype questionnaire was designed, based on established measures for evaluating the usability of other kinds of user interface, and on a review of the research literature into speech system design. This consisted of 50 statements with which respondents rated their level of agreement. The questionnaire was given to users of four different speech applications, and Exploratory Factor Analysis of 214 completed questionnaires was conducted. This suggested the presence of six main factors in users' perceptions of speech systems: System Response Accuracy, Likeability, Cognitive Demand, Annoyance, Habitability and Speed. The six factors have face validity, and a reasonable level of statistical reliability. The findings form a userful theoretical and practical basis for the subjective evaluation of any speech recognition interface. However, further work is recommended, to establish the validity and sensitivity of the approach, before a final tool can be produced which warrants general use

The Application of Design Thinking on Evaluating a User Self-Service Data Analytics/Science Platform

This thesis is aimed at utilising design thinking and the first half of the double diamond framework to i) set-up a research and select the appropriate participants, ii) gather requirements and define user personas from those eligible participants, and then iii) define the framework for evaluating a user self-service data analytics/science platform. Derived from the author’s own experiences, both as a Business Analyst (BA) and Citizen Data Scientist, with no-, low-, and code-based data analytics and science platforms are being implemented for enabling user self-service analytics – for users who are completely new to the space of data analysis and science as well as those who are experienced analysts and data scientists across a variety of industries and global regions – and there has been a need to outline an enablement process for this space. Through this research, the current state of the marketplace is researched, analysed, and evaluated alongside user research carried out on the feasibility and applicability of a UI- and UX-centric framework for ensuring human-centred design. A literature review showcases the benefits of human-centred design for humans when it comes to usability and techniques for such an application in various other fields. The key aspects of this research are to understand the users’ capabilities, needs, and wants, then categorise those users into personas, analyse and segment the requirements, create functional and non-functional requirements for platform capabilities, and then, ultimately, provide an evaluation framework for any organisation and/or individual looking for a user self-service data analytics/science platform by carrying out a pilot research study on ten (10) participants

Formal modelling as a component of user centred design

User centred design approaches typically focus understanding on context and producing sketch designs. These sketches are often non functional (e.g., paper) prototypes. They provide a means of exploring candidate design possibilities using techniques such as cooperative evaluation. This paper describes a further step in the process using formal analysis techniques. The sketch design of a device is enhanced into a specification that is then analysed using formal techniques, thus providing a systematic approach to checking plausibility and consistency during early design stages. Once analysed, a further prototype is constructed using an executable form of the specification, providing the next candidate for evaluation with potential users. The technique is illustrated through an example based on a pill dispenser.We are grateful to Nuno Rodrigues, João Vilaça and Nuno Dias from IPCA (Polytechnic Institute of Cavado and Ave) who developed the first prototypeof the pill dispenser. José C. Campos, Paolo Masci and Michael Harrison werefunded by project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000016, financed by the North Por-tugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL2020 Partnership Agreement, and through the European Regional DevelopmentFund (ERDF)

The role of usability engineering in the development of an intelligent decision support system

This paper presents an overview of the usability engineering process for the development of a personalised clinical decision support system for the management of type 1 diabetes. The tool uses artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to provide insulin bolus dose advice and carbohydrate recommendations that adapt to the individual. We describe the role of human factors and user-centred design in the creation of medical systems that must adhere to international standards. We focus specifically on the formative evaluation stage of this process. The preliminary analysis of data shows promising results

Experience unbound: The effects of coworking on workplace design practice

This thesis uses the typology of coworking and the values associated with it as a lens through which to look at the design of the broader workplace. It examines the ways in which people behave in these new working environments and how these designed spaces are planned, briefed, commissioned and evaluated. The study responds to a continuing gap in the knowledge around the spatial constitution and behaviours of coworking despite a growing interest from corporate organisations. Taking an inter-disciplinary approach that draws on environmental psychology, design practice and the social sciences, the thesis is rooted in both academia and industry, presenting four design studies that map the development and spatial manifestations of coworking and explore user behaviour in space. The thesis explores the values and spatial strategies of coworking through the quantitative analysis of 100 coworking home pages and 73 floor plans, and places coworking in the wider context of historical and current workplace development. Alongside this, it adopts design ethnography techniques to explore user behaviour in space at three different sites: the Impact Hub in Birmingham and Second Home in London - both coworking spaces - and Sony PlayStation in London, a commercial workplace seeking to build a more creative community. Each site uses different strategies for managing change and co-creation, but with the same aims of prioritising user experience and building and supporting collaborative relationships. In the original design study, new user-centred design tools for brief making and evaluation are developed and applied at the Impact Hub and Sony PlayStation. With relatively little academic research into the spaces of coworking, these design studies provide a platform to explore the values, infrastructures and spatial strategies associated with coworking, identify points of departure from established models, and identify whether there are central ideas within coworking that might be applied to the wider workplace. Six original contributions to knowledge are presented: a new definitional model of coworking, quantitative coworking spatial analysis, a design taxonomy of coworking spaces, an adapted framework for considering user experience, a user-centred design toolkit, and recommendations for incorporating aspects of coworking into wider workplace design. The study identifies that the success of a coworking space depends on the experience that they create. This relies on complex and evolving interactions between space, support and service infrastructures, brand identification and community management, and the thesis highlights that simply adopting the spatial strategies or aesthetics of coworking without acknowledging its careful curation of space and relationships is unlikely to produce the desired results. This presents new challenges for the briefing, design and ongoing management of the workplace, which are discussed in the thesis. This PhD concludes with insights into how the essential qualities of coworking might be used to reshape spaces for creative knowledge work alongside a set of practical tools and recommendations that relate to briefing, design and post-occupancy evaluation processes

VASABI: Hierarchical User Profiles for Interactive Visual User Behaviour Analytics

User behaviour analytics (UBA) systems offer sophisticated models that capture users’ behaviour over time with an aim to identify fraudulent activities that do not match their profiles. Making decisions based on such systems; however, requires an in-depth understanding of user behaviour both at an individual and at a group level where a group can consist of users with similar roles. We present a visual analytics approach to help analysts gain a comprehensive, multifaceted understanding of user behaviour at multiple levels. We take a user-centred approach to design a visual analytics framework supporting the analysis of collections of users and the numerous sessions of activities they conduct within digital applications. The framework is centred around the concept of hierarchical user profiles, where the profiles are built based on features derived from sessions they perform and visualised with task-informed designs to facilitate interactive exploration and investigation. We also present techniques to extract user tasks that summarise the behaviour and to cluster users according to these tasks for providing hierarchical overviews of groups of users along with individual users and the sessions they conduct. We externalise a series of analysis goals and tasks, and evaluate our methods through a number of use cases that demonstrate how these tasks are addressed. We observe that with the aid of interactive visual hierarchical user profiles, analysts were able to conduct exploratory and investigative analysis effectively, and able to understand the characteristics of user behaviour to make informed decisions whilst evaluating suspicious users and activities

Liveability Considerations: Towards Designing Sustainable Public Housing in Niger State, Nigeria

This study investigates liveability in the context of sustainable public housing in Niger State, Nigeria, where existing housing efforts have fallen short of residents' satisfaction. Recognizing the critical link between liveability indicators and environmental sustainability, this research aims to identify key liveability variables that could be integrated into the design and construction of sustainable public housing. Employing a mixed-method approach, the study involved cluster sampling for selecting housing estates and units, followed by the administration of 910 questionnaires containing 102 questions on liveability variables. Analytical techniques, including Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, Factor Analysis, and Multiple Regression Analysis, were used to group, refine, and validate the liveability variables. The results revealed 21 significant variables that collectively could achieve a 92.9% satisfaction rate among residents if incorporated into public housing design. These findings underline the potential of addressing liveability in the pursuit of sustainable housing solutions, offering insights for urban planners, architects, and policymakers. By focusing on the residents' perspectives, the study contributes to a more user-centred approach in public housing development, promoting long-term satisfaction and reducing the need for post-occupancy alterations