Methodological development

Book description: Human-Computer Interaction draws on the fields of computer science, psychology, cognitive science, and organisational and social sciences in order to understand how people use and experience interactive technology. Until now, researchers have been forced to return to the individual subjects to learn about research methods and how to adapt them to the particular challenges of HCI. This is the first book to provide a single resource through which a range of commonly used research methods in HCI are introduced. Chapters are authored by internationally leading HCI researchers who use examples from their own work to illustrate how the methods apply in an HCI context. Each chapter also contains key references to help researchers find out more about each method as it has been used in HCI. Topics covered include experimental design, use of eyetracking, qualitative research methods, cognitive modelling, how to develop new methodologies and writing up your research

Scoping analytical usability evaluation methods: A case study

Analytical usability evaluation methods (UEMs) can complement empirical evaluation of systems: for example, they can often be used earlier in design and can provide accounts of why users might experience difficulties, as well as what those difficulties are. However, their properties and value are only partially understood. One way to improve our understanding is by detailed comparisons using a single interface or system as a target for evaluation, but we need to look deeper than simple problem counts: we need to consider what kinds of accounts each UEM offers, and why. Here, we report on a detailed comparison of eight analytical UEMs. These eight methods were applied to it robotic arm interface, and the findings were systematically compared against video data of the arm ill use. The usability issues that were identified could be grouped into five categories: system design, user misconceptions, conceptual fit between user and system, physical issues, and contextual ones. Other possible categories such as User experience did not emerge in this particular study. With the exception of Heuristic Evaluation, which supported a range of insights, each analytical method was found to focus attention on just one or two categories of issues. Two of the three "home-grown" methods (Evaluating Multimodal Usability and Concept-based Analysis of Surface and Structural Misfits) were found to occupy particular niches in the space, whereas the third (Programmable User Modeling) did not. This approach has identified commonalities and contrasts between methods and provided accounts of why a particular method yielded the insights it did. Rather than considering measures such as problem count or thoroughness, this approach has yielded insights into the scope of each method

Goal Driven Interaction (GDI) vs. Direct Manipulation (MD), an empirical comparison

Interacción'15, September 07-09, 2015, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain ACM 978-1-4503-3463-1/15/09. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2829875.2829892This paper presents a work in process about Goal Driven Interaction (GDI), a style of interaction intended for inexperienced, infrequent and occasional users, whose main priorities are to use a system and achieve their goals without cost in terms of time or effort. GDI basic philosophy is to guide the user about the "what" to do and the "how" to do it in each moment of the interaction process, without requiring from the user a previous knowledge to use the interface. This interaction style was introduced in previous work, where a description of its characteristics and the most appropriate user interface for it, were described. Those works included a methodology for the analysis and synthesis of the whole interactive process through a language of specification. This paper presents partial results we are collecting in real user testing, with the main aim of comparing GDI with direct manipulation interfaces (MD), nevertheless the most extended and commonly regarded as the most suitable for novice and experienced users.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A Nine Month Report on Progress Towards a Framework for Evaluating Advanced Search Interfaces considering Information Retrieval and Human Computer Interaction

This is a nine month progress report detailing my research into supporting users in their search for information, where the questions, results or even thei

Structured Inspections of Search Interfaces: A Practitioners Guide

In this paper we present a practitioners guide on how to apply a new inspection framework that evaluates search interfaces for their support of different searcher types. Vast amounts of money are being invested into search, and so it is becoming increasingly important to identify problems in design early, while it is relatively cheap to rectify them. The inspection method presented here can be applied quickly to early prototypes, as well as existing systems, and goes beyond other inspection methods, like Cognitive Walkthroughs, to produces rich analyses, including the support provided for different search tactics and user types. The guide is presented as a detailed example, assessing a previously unevaluated search interface: the Tabulator, and so also provides design recommendations for improving it. We conclude with a summary of the benefits of the evaluation framework, and discuss our plans for future enhancements

Recovery of spinning satellites

The behavior of a space tug and a spinning satellite in a coupled configuration was simulated and analyzed. A docking concept was developed to investigate the requirements pertaining to the design of a docking interface. Sensing techniques and control requirements for the chase vehicle were studied to assess the feasibility of an automatic docking. The effects of nutation dampers and liquid propellant slosh motion upon the docking transient were investigated