Designing Interfaces for Faster Information Processing: Examination of the Effectiveness of Using Multiple Information Cues

One of the problems studied in human-computer interaction (HCI) research is the design of interfaces that improve user information selection and processing performance. Based on prior research findings this study proposes that information selection can be improved by using multiple, supplementary cues to encode information in interface design. The research is motivated by cue-summation theory. Color and information location are proposed as relevant, supplementary cues that can improve processing performance by enhancing the reliance on a fast and automatic associative processing. Most prior studies examining the benefits of color have not controlled for information location. Our study describes a laboratory experiment in which both color and information location are employed as supplementary cues in a customer account management application. The results suggest that color and location cues significantly improve information selection and processing speed, along with user satisfaction, with the best results obtained when both cues are used

Designing Emergency Response Applications for Better Performance

Emergency responders often work in time pressured situations and depend on fast access to key information. One of the problems studied in human-computer interaction (HCI) research is the design of interfaces to improve user information selection and processing performance. Based on prior research findings this study proposes that information selection of target information in emergency response applications can be improved by using supplementary cues. The research is motivated by cue-summation theory and research findings on parallel and associative processing. Color-coding and location-ordering are proposed as relevant cues that can improve ERS processing performance by providing prioritization heuristics. An experimental ERS is developed users’ performance is tested under conditions of varying complexity and time pressure. The results suggest that supplementary cues significantly improve performance, with the best results obtained when both cues are used. Additionally, the use of these cues becomes more beneficial as time pressure and complexity increase

Designing Emergency Response Dispatch Systems for Better Dispatcher Performance

Emergency response systems are a relatively new and important area of research in the information systems community. While there is a growing body of literature in this research stream, human-computer interaction (HCI) issues concerning the design of emergency response system interfaces have received limited attention. Emergency responders often work in time pressured situations and depend on fast access to key information. One of the problems studied in HCI research is the design of interfaces to improve user information selection and processing performance. Based on cue-summation theory and research findings on parallel processing, associative processing, and hemispheric differences in information processing, this study proposes that information selection of target information in an emergency response dispatch application can be improved by using supplementary cues. Color-coding and sorting are proposed as relevant cues that can improve processing performance by providing prioritization heuristics. An experimental emergency response dispatch application is developed, and user performance is tested under conditions of varying complexity and time pressure. The results suggest that supplementary cues significantly improve performance, with better results often obtained when both cues are used. Additionally, the use of these cues becomes more beneficial as time pressure and task complexity increase

Notifications in a multi-device environment

Notifications are an integral part of how smartphones are used today. Apps can use notifications to inform the user about new text messages, upcoming events or available updates. By using visual cues, auditory signals and tactile output the attention of the user can be gained, enabling him or her to react right away. Notifications on desktop computers existed years before the introduction of smartphones and tablets are already widespread and share most of their characteristics. Other types of connected devices will soon join or already have joined smartphones in daily life. Recent development in the field of wearable devices indicates an upcoming widespread adoption of smartwatches and smartglasses. These devices can be used in situations where the use of a smartphone would be impractical or inappropriate. Previous work showed that notifications can distract the user, inducing stress and anxiety. Such effects could worsen with a growing number of notifying devices. Therefore, it is necessary to explore how notifications should behave in this "multi-device" environment. For that reason, we developed a concept for a framework that allows synchronizing notifications across multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets and desktop computers. Based on the approach of research in the large, we implemented the framework with support for a large number of devices as an update to an existing application and deployed it to a user base of several thousand users. After two months in the wild, the updated application was actively used by more than 33,000 users. On a per app basis the application allows disabling the content or sending notifications altogether. We analyzed the user settings for over 36,000 apps and found, for example, that apps from the "tools" category were excluded from sending notifications most frequently. On the other hand, the users disabled sending the text for apps related to communication most often. In a final large-scale study, the users rated the usefulness of synchronized notifications on different devices. Overall, synchronized notifications from messenger apps received the highest usefulness rating across all devices. The gained insights can support the development of ubiquitous notification mechanisms that keep users informed without overloading them.Benachrichtigungen sind ein integraler Bestandteil bei der Nutzung von Smartphones. Apps können mithilfe von Benachrichtigungen den Benutzer über neue Nachrichten, anstehende Termine oder verfügbare Softwareaktualisierungen informieren. Die Aufmerksamkeit des Benutzers kann durch das Verwenden von visuellen Hinweisen, akustischen Signalen und taktilem Feedback gewonnen werden und ermöglicht dem Benutzer eine schnelle Reaktion auf die Benachrichtigung. Auf Desktop-Computern wurden Benachrichtigungen schon Jahre vor der Verbreitung von Smartphones eingesetzt. Auch Tablets sind bereits weit verbreitet und teilen sich viele Eigenschaften mit Smartphones. In absehbarer Zeit werden noch weitere Gerätetypen hinzukommen. Aktuelle Entwicklungen im Bereich des "Wearable Computing" deuten darauf hin, dass auch intelligente Uhren und Brillen bald verbreitet sein werden. Diese Geräte können in Situationen eingesetzt werden, in denen das Verwenden eines Smartphones unpraktisch oder unangemessen ist. Existierende Arbeiten zeigten, dass Benachrichtigungen den Benutzer von Aufgaben ablenken und Stress verursachen können. Mit einer wachsenden Anzahl von Geräten können diese negativen Effekte zunehmen. Daher sollte erforscht werden, wie sich Benachrichtigungen in einem Umfeld mit mehreren Geräten verhalten sollen. Aus diesem Grund wurde in dieser Arbeit ein Konzept für ein Framework entwickelt, das es ermöglicht, Benachrichtigungen über mehrere Geräte hinweg zu synchronisieren. Um das Framework im realen Umfeld mit einer großen Anzahl von Nutzern testen zu können, wurde eine bestehende Anwendung angepasst und die Änderungen wurden an eine bestehende Nutzerbasis mit mehreren tausend Benutzern verteilt. Nach zwei Monaten wurde die aktualisierte Anwendung von mehr als 33.000 Nutzern aktiv genutzt. Die Anwendung erlaubt es, für bestimmte Apps das Senden des Inhaltes oder die gesamte App auszunehmen. Die Analyse der Benutzereinstellungen für über 36.000 Apps ergab, dass Apps der Kategorie "Tools" am häufigsten vom Senden ausgenommen wurden. Andererseits wurde das Senden des Inhaltes meist für Apps deaktiviert, die im Zusammenhang mit Kommunikation stehen. In einer umfangreichen Studie haben die Benutzer die Nützlichkeit der synchronisierten Benachrichtigungen auf verschiedenen Geräten bewertet. Auf allen Geräten haben synchronisierte Benachrichtigungen von Messenger Apps die höchsten Bewertungen für die Nützlichkeit erhalten. Die gewonnen Erkenntnisse können die Entwicklung eines ubiquitären Benachrichtigungssystems unterstützen, das den Benutzer informiert, ohne ihn oder sie zu überlasten

Autonomous interactive intermediaries : social intelligence for mobile communication agents

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-167).Today's cellphones are passive communication portals. They are neither aware of our conversational settings, nor of the relationship between caller and callee, and often interrupt us at inappropriate times. This thesis is about adding elements of human style social intelligence to our mobile communication devices in order to make them more socially acceptable to both user and local others. I suggest the concept of an Autonomous Interactive Intermediary that assumes the role of an actively mediating party between caller, callee, and co-located people. In order to behave in a socially appropriate way, the Intermediary interrupts with non-verbal cues and attempts to harvest 'residual social intelligence' from the calling party, the called person, the people close by, and its current location. For example, the Intermediary obtains the user's conversational status from a decentralized network of autonomous body-worn sensor nodes. These nodes detect conversational groupings in real time, and provide the Intermediary with the user's conversation size and talk-to-listen ratio. The Intermediary can 'poll' all participants of a face-to-face conversation about the appropriateness of a possible interruption by slightly vibrating their wirelessly actuated finger rings.(cont.) Although the alerted people do not know if it is their own cellphone that is about to interrupt, each of them can veto the interruption anonymously by touching his/her ring. If no one vetoes, the Intermediary may interrupt. A user study showed significantly more vetoes during a collaborative group-focused setting than during a less group oriented setting. The Intermediary is implemented as a both a conversational agent and an animatronic device. The animatronics is a small wireless robotic stuffed animal in the form of a squirrel, bunny, or parrot. The purpose of the embodiment is to employ intuitive non-verbal cues such as gaze and gestures to attract attention, instead of ringing or vibration. Evidence suggests that such subtle yet public alerting by animatronics evokes significantly different reactions than ordinary telephones and are seen as less invasive by others present when we receive phone calls. The Intermediary is also a dual conversational agent that can whisper and listen to the user, and converse with a caller, mediating between them in real time.(cont.) The Intermediary modifies its conversational script depending on caller identity, caller and user choices, and the conversational status of the user. It interrupts and communicates with the user when it is socially appropriate, and may break down a synchronous phone call into chunks of voice instant messages.by Stefan Johannes Walter Marti.Ph.D

Designing visual notification cues for mobile devices

This paper discusses field-testing of visual notification cues on a mobile handheld device. Each cue consisted of three multicolored lights preceded by a tactile signal (vibration). After being customized, the cues were sent periodically to the device over a wireless network as users went about their normal activities. User personalization seemed to enhance learning and usefulness of the cues, while the additional tactile signal aided arrival awareness