What do volunteers want from citizen science technologies? A systematic literature review and best practice guidelines

Although hundreds of citizen science applications exist, there is lack of detailed analysis of volunteers' needs and requirements, common usability mistakes and the kinds of user experiences that citizen science applications generate. Due to the limited number of studies that reflect on these issues, it is not always possible to develop interactions that are beneficial and enjoyable. In this paper we perform a systematic literature review to identify relevant articles which discuss user issues in environmental digital citizen science and we develop a set of design guidelines, which we evaluate using cooperative evaluation. The proposed research can assist scientists and practitioners with the design and development of easy to use citizen science applications and sets the basis to inform future Human-Computer Interaction research in the context of citizen science

Social Networking Services on Mobile Devices: User Interface Designs and User Experience Studies

People commonly use social networking services (SNSs) on their mobile devices. Web sites, mobile applications and mobile widgets are the typical user interfaces (UIs) used to access SNSs. These UIs are restricted to content from single services, which constrain people’s simultaneous browsing of multiple SNSs. Previous studies propose workarounds – such as displaying SNS content in augmented phonebooks – to combine multiple SNSs. These studies, however, do not provide a genuine solution to the user’s problem. The objective of this dissertation is to explore novel UI designs for in-depth integration of multiple SNSs on a mobile device and to evaluate the user experience (UX) that these designs support. Here UX covers a person's perceptions and responses in using an interactive product. This dissertation explores mobile use of SNSs from a human–computer interaction (HCI) perspective. Following the design research approach, the study investigated novel means of using multiple SNSs on mobile devices in a concept called ‘LinkedUI’. The work focused on SNSs, although the results could also be relevant to mobile use of other Web services. Three main results emerged from this research. Firstly, in their use of mobile devices, people prefer to be aware of relevant SNS content when taking micro breaks. They often do not aim for concrete goals other than keeping informed and updated. Current UIs limit these browsing activities, as people need to interact with UI elements intensively before accessing the content in which they are interested. Secondly, LinkedUI introduces a holistic device UI – regulating all functions of a mobile device – based on hypertext navigation. This supports aggregation of content from multiple services and automatic filtering to highlight relevant content. User evaluations showed that these designs contributed to positive user experiences of SNS use on mobile devices. The third main result addresses usage patterns and user experiences of LinkedUI like mobile UIs. People frequently check SNSs in brief sessions. They attend to content selectively, mainly content directed to them, recently shared, or shared by relevant contacts. These factors aid in prediction of the relevance of the SNS content. In terms of UX, LinkedUI rewards users with enhanced awareness experience. It is easy to use and grants users a sufficient sense of control in the face of constant information flow. The main contribution of this dissertation is to characterise user activities on the mobile Web, while the associated research created and evaluated novel means for accessing SNSs on mobile devices. Research discussed in this dissertation resulted in UI designs that explored one potential direction for the future mobile UI development and influenced the Notifications home view of some Nokia Symbian and MeeGo smartphones. This dissertation reveals usage patterns and UX associated with mobile use of SNSs, and it proposes implications for future research and development in this domain

The role of social media in HIV/AIDS communication: The relationship between perceived need and design utilities

Includes bibliographical references.This study aims to explore the role of social media in HIV/AIDS communication, by investigating the relationship between perceived need utilities of social media and the design utilities of the communication channel. Following the media richness theory (MRT) and channel expansion theory (CET), a model is proposed that suggests that need utilities drive social media utility. It is furthermore suggested that social media utility is positively associated with the design appropriateness of social media to create or consume HIV/AIDS content. The proposed model presents the interpersonal consumer expectations of message control, privacy, trust and endorsement as need utilities, while social media as a place to interact and a place to which to escape, are identified as social media utilities. As a high at-risk HIV- group, the research approach is outlined within the demographic segment of university students in the Western Cape, between the ages of 18 to 24 years. The constructs of social change (communication objective), social capital (product of communication) and social influence (targeted communication), are operationalised within a social media context to explore consumer motivations to interact or escape. The benefits and limitations of using social media for effective HIV/AIDS communication are also assessed, as these practically influence the perception of the role of a communication channel within a particular communication context. The research methodology firstly comprised of six qualitative focus group discussions, which assisted in the generation of the hypotheses and facilitated the formulation of the conceptual model. Secondly, data from 991 online surveys were analysed to quantitatively test the formulated hypotheses and gauge support for the proposed model. The results support the hypotheses and proposed model, by indicating that need utilities drive social media utility, which in turn drive design appropriateness. Furthermore, the results also reveal that the social media utility of being a place to interact is positively associated with the design appropriateness of social media for HIV/AIDS content creation and consumption. The perception of social media as a place to which to escape, however negatively affects the design appropriateness of social media for HIV/AIDS content creation and consumption. The study discusses the implications for health communication from an integrated marketing communications approach and puts forward recommendations for strategy development, as well as monitoring and evaluation. Lastly several recommendations are put forward for future research

Электронные системы и технологии

В сборнике опубликованы материалы докладов, представленных на 58-й НК аспирантов, магистрантов и студентов БГУИР, по направлению «Электронные системы и технологии». Авторами рассматриваются вопросы имитационного моделирования, численных методов, новых информационных технологий в образовании, радиоэлектронике, телекоммуникациях, вычислительных сетях, а также возможности современных систем автоматизированного проектирования. Материалы одобрены оргкомитетом и публикуются с учетом того, что авторская позиция и стилистические особенности публикаций полностью сохранены при соблюдении требований к оформлению материалов. Сборник предназначен для широкого круга специалистов в области электронных систем и технологий. Представленные материалы будет полезны научным и инженерно-техническим работникам, преподавателям, аспирантам, магистрантам и студентам технических вузов. Сборник индексируется в РИНЦ