Characterizing Natural User Interface with Wearable Smart Watches

Background - The emergence of new interaction paradigms makes the use of technology inrealizing the users??? natural ways of exploring the real world the ultimate goal of designers today.Research on interactive and immersive technologies for user interface design is still a challenging chore for engineers and scientists when it comes to designing natural interaction for wearable smart devices. To address the challenge, our study aims to develop guidelines for design practitioners in designing wearable smart watches that could offer natural user experiences. Methods - To better understand natural user experiences with smart watches, an extensive literature review was conducted. A quantitative survey with 80 participants was conducted, of which the focus was on the expected functions of smart watches. Based on the survey results, we selected eight participants in terms of technology familiarity. To achieve the objectives of our research, three studies were conducted: a design workshop (Study 1), a cultural probe (Study 2), and a focus group interview (Study 3). The design workshop was created to figure out the needs and wishes people have forsmart watches. In the cultural probe, the focus was on figuring out natural interactions with smart watches. Finally, the focus group interview aimed to gain more insights from the results of the cultural probe in terms of natural user interaction with particular functions. Results - To address the needs and wishes of the users toward wearable smartwatches, we made a subdivision into three categories, such as functions, input measures, and notification (feedback) methods. According to the results, participants wanted weather notification, health monitoring, and identification as expected functions. Regarding the methodof input, voice command and touch screen were preferred. In order to get feedback, most of the participantswanted vibrations, particularly as a reaction tocompleting the commands or inputs. There was also a suggestion to customize their smart watch. For example, users can select the functions and build their own command system, and even choose the notificationmethods. Considering natural user interface with respect to functions (weather, answering a call, navigation, health monitoring, taking a picture and messaging), specific natural user interfaces were mentioned for particular functions. Conclusions - Throughout the study, people???s needs and wishes and their perceptions about natural interaction were identified and the characteristics of natural user interfacesweredetermined. Based on the results, tenperceptions were specifically defined to provide a better understanding of smart watches in terms of natural interaction: user affinity of form, awareness by familiarity, reality correspondence, behavioral extension, purpose orientation, easiness of performance, timeliness, routine acceptance, generality, and rule of thumb. In addition to that, natural user interfaces were categorized into five groups: user familiarity, realistic interaction, accomplishment assistance, contextual appropriateness, and social awareness. In this study,we tried to identify what constitutes anatural interaction and how it should be created. The limitations and further study are discussed at the end.ope

Vuorovaikutteisuus aktiivisuusrannekkeissa ja älykelloissa

Aktiivisuusrannekkeiden ja älykellojen suosio on kasvanut viime vuosien aikana. Markkinoille on tuotu aiempaa tehokkaampia laitteita, jotka yhdistävät useita eri vuorovaikutustapoja keskenään. Vuorovaikutustavat aktiivisuusrannekkeiden ja älykellojen sekä käyttäjän välillä hyödyntävät useita eri modaliteetteja. Tämän tutkielman tarkoituksena on selvittää, minkälaisia laitteita markkinoilla on ja minkälaisia vuorovaikutustapoja ne hyödyntävät. Lisäksi selvitän, minkälaiset vuorovaikutustavat ovat käyttäjien mielestä miellyttävimpiä ja miten niitä on hyödynnetty markkinoilla olevissa laitteissa. Tutkielmassa esitellään myös sellaisia laitteita, joista on tehty prototyyppejä. Lisäksi selvitän, miten näissä prototyypeissä toteutettuja vuorovaikutustapoja voitaisiin hyödyntää tai on jo hyödynnetty markkinoilla olevissa laitteissa

Context-aware gestural interaction in the smart environments of the ubiquitous computing era

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyTechnology is becoming pervasive and the current interfaces are not adequate for the interaction with the smart environments of the ubiquitous computing era. Recently, researchers have started to address this issue introducing the concept of natural user interface, which is mainly based on gestural interactions. Many issues are still open in this emerging domain and, in particular, there is a lack of common guidelines for coherent implementation of gestural interfaces. This research investigates gestural interactions between humans and smart environments. It proposes a novel framework for the high-level organization of the context information. The framework is conceived to provide the support for a novel approach using functional gestures to reduce the gesture ambiguity and the number of gestures in taxonomies and improve the usability. In order to validate this framework, a proof-of-concept has been developed. A prototype has been developed by implementing a novel method for the view-invariant recognition of deictic and dynamic gestures. Tests have been conducted to assess the gesture recognition accuracy and the usability of the interfaces developed following the proposed framework. The results show that the method provides optimal gesture recognition from very different view-points whilst the usability tests have yielded high scores. Further investigation on the context information has been performed tackling the problem of user status. It is intended as human activity and a technique based on an innovative application of electromyography is proposed. The tests show that the proposed technique has achieved good activity recognition accuracy. The context is treated also as system status. In ubiquitous computing, the system can adopt different paradigms: wearable, environmental and pervasive. A novel paradigm, called synergistic paradigm, is presented combining the advantages of the wearable and environmental paradigms. Moreover, it augments the interaction possibilities of the user and ensures better gesture recognition accuracy than with the other paradigms

The WEAR Scale: Development of a measure of the social acceptability of a wearable device

The factors affecting the social acceptability of wearable devices are poorly understood, yet they have a strong influence on whether a new wearable succeeds or fails. Because consumer wearable devices are a recently expanding and distinct form of technology, the literature is limited and existing measures of technology acceptance are insufficient. Factors uniquely affecting wearable devices, as compared to technologies not worn on the body, include manners, moral codes, the symbolic communication of dress, habits of dress, fashion, context of use, form, and aesthetics. Therefore, a new measure must be developed to understand the factors affecting the social acceptability of wearable devices and to predict acceptance. The objective of this research was to use established scale development methodology to develop the WEAR (WEarable Acceptability Range) Scale, a measure of wearable acceptability that can be used with regard to any wearable device. The first step was to determine what is being measured by defining the construct “social acceptability of a wearable” using the literature and interviews of the intended population (Study 1). Next, the WEAR Scale’s initial item pool was composed, then reviewed by experts in Study 2. The resulting scale was administered to sample respondents along with similar scales and items for validation purposes. In Study 3, 221 participants responded to the items in response to a Bluetooth Headset. In Study 4, 306 participants responded to the items in response to Apple Watch and Google Glass. Factor analysis of Study 3 and Study 4 data resulted in a two-factor, fourteen-item solution (WEAR v.3) that was consistent among the three datasets. WEAR v.3 demonstrated good reliability across the three datasets, with alpha ranging from 0.79 to 0.88, and split-half reliability ranging from 0.81 to 0.88. Construct validity was demonstrated by significant correlations between the WEAR Scale and related constructs such as affinity for technology, likeableness ratings, and adoption of technology. The methodical and thorough development process provides a strong argument for content validity. The resulting WEAR Scale identifies two unique dimensions of wearable social acceptability, providing surprising and valuable information for many uses by both academia and industry, including predictive modeling, theory-building, and wearable development and applications

Designing a desirable smart bracelet for older adults

In this paper, we present the design process of a smart bracelet that aims at enhancing the life of elderly people. The bracelet acts as a personal assistant during the user's everyday life, monitoring the health status and alerting him or her about abnormal conditions, reminding medications and facilitating the everyday life in many outdoor and indoor activities

Élaboration d’un module de raisonnement adaptable dédié aux risques liés à l’utilisation d’une cuisinière par des personnes âgées

Le vieillissement de la personne implique généralement un déclin des fonctions cognitives et physiques pouvant apporter des risques dans la vie de tous les jours. Les personnes âgées tendent à vouloir rester vivre chez elles le plus longtemps possible, afin de conserver un sentiment d’indépendance. Cependant, cette volonté peut nécessiter des aménagements au domicile de la personne, afin d’assurer sa sécurité et rassurer son entourage. Cette sécurité passe notamment par la cuisine, qui est un lieu à haut risque. Un incendie peut facilement se déclarer si la personne âgée n’est pas assez attentive à ce qu’elle cuisine, tout comme la personne peut se brûler ou être intoxiquée par les émanations de fumées. Pour pallier à cette problématique de l’utilisation de la cuisinière par une personne âgée, nous proposons Inovus, un système permettant la prévention des risques majeurs liés à l’utilisation de la cuisinière, ainsi que des méthodes d’interventions pour avertir et protéger la personne de ces risques. Inovus regroupe un ensemble de capteurs surveillant des paramètres critiques liés à l’utilisation d’une cuisinière, dans le but de prévenir efficacement les trois risques majeurs identifiés, à savoir les incendies, les brûlures et les intoxications. Pour ces trois risques, un niveau de dangerosité est défini grâce à un module de raisonnement et un ensemble de règles linguistiques. En se basant sur ces niveaux de risque, Inovus va déterminer quelles sont les interventions à effectuer auprès de la personne pour l’avertir des risques et la protéger le plus efficacement possible. Ces interventions sont déterminées grâce à module de raisonnement qui évalue le niveau de risque auquel la personne est confrontée et décide des interventions les plus appropriées. Les interventions développées sont sensibles au contexte et à l’activité de la personne. En fonction de la position de la personne dans son domicile et du niveau de risque déterminé, les interventions s’effectueront au niveau de la cuisinière ou bien dans le reste du domicile. Plusieurs méthodes d’interventions sont proposées afin de s’assurer que la personne soit efficacement avertie des risques. Des interventions d’ordre lumineuses et sonores servent principalement à avertir la personne des risques. De plus des interventions sur les appareils intelligents de la personne sont également proposées afin de l’informer de la situation

Reflection and personal health informatics for people living with HIV

Recent advances in medicine mean that millions of people who are living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) can expect to live normal life spans. However, HIV, the medication prescribed to control the virus, and living with a stigmatized disease, are each associated with a wide array of negative impacts on the body and mind, and these present a challenge in an individual’s ability to self-manage their health information. A key aspect of self-management is self-understanding, and Personal Health Informatics (PHI) has the potential to help those living with HIV in understanding their health through reflection. However, there is little indication of the needs of people living with HIV and how PHI systems can best support them in reflecting on their health information. In order to fill this gap, this thesis aims to answer the overall research question: How can Personal Health Informatics systems support people living with HIV in reflecting on their personal health information? Answering this research question was approached in four parts: • The development of a synthesized model of the process of PHI, as means of understanding the context of PHI. • Interviews with HIV+ individuals were conducted to understand where there were opportunities for supporting reflection. • An analysis of an online forum was conducted to determine what people living with HIV were trying to reflect upon, what health information was being asked about, and how the community attempts to support them in reflecting on their health. • Two visual prototypes were designed to simulate community-aided reflection and support people living with HIV in reflecting on their personal health information. These were used during a user study to understand how reflection occurred. My research is the first to explore how to support HIV+ people in reflecting on their personal health information. The main contribution of this research is a detailed understanding of how PHI systems can support people living with HIV in reflecting on their health information. This main contribution is comprised of four smaller ones: • A six-stage process model of Personal Health Informatics • A detailed understanding of how people living with HIV currently track and reflect on their personal health information, and design implications for PHI systems to support them in reflection • An empirical understanding of community-aided reflection as it occurs in an online forum, alongside the identification of five common questions that people living with HIV seek help in online forums for reflecting upon, the information asked about, and how the community attempts to address the questions • A detailed depiction of how reflection occurs when using a prototype designed to simulate community-aided reflectio

Pflegeroboter

Dieses Open-Access-Buch bündelt technische, wirtschaftliche, medizinische und ethische Reflexionen über Pflegeroboter. Pflegeroboter, im Moment noch mehrheitlich Prototypen, unterstützen oder ersetzen menschliche Pflegekräfte bzw. Betreuer. Sie bringen Kranken und Alten die benötigten Medikamente und Nahrungsmittel, helfen beim Hinlegen und Aufrichten oder alarmieren den Notdienst. Vorteile von Pflegerobotern sind durchgehende Verwendbarkeit und gleichbleibende Qualität der Dienstleistung. Nachteile sind Kostenintensität (bei möglicher Amortisation) und Komplexität der Anforderungen. Unter der wissenschaftlichen Leitung von Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel trafen sich im September 2017 Vertreter verschiedener wissenschaftlicher Disziplinen im Rahmen eines Ladenburger Diskurses der Daimler und Benz Stiftung, um über den aktuellen und künftigen Einsatz von Pflegerobotern zu sprechen und Forschungspotenziale zu identifizieren. Die Autoren gehen in ihren Beiträgen auch Fragen aus Wirtschafts-, Medizin- und Informationsethik nach: Wer trägt die Verantwortung bei einer fehlerhaften Betreuung und Versorgung durch die Maschine? Inwieweit kann diese die persönliche und informationelle Autonomie des Patienten unterstützen oder gefährden? Ist der Roboter eine Entlastung oder ein Konkurrent für Pflegekräfte? Antworten müssen von Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft gefunden werden