Evaluation of Digital Collections’ User Interfaces

Digital information resources play a very important role in today’s world. They eliminate or reduce prior constraints of distance, fragility of resources, or limited physical access to resources premises a freedom and flexibility in information access unprecedented in human history (Bates, 2002). Their existence would be impossible without information systems that enable their functioning. The life cycle of an information system consists of the standard sequence of development phases. This sequence of development phases includes the process of evaluation or assessment of the information system. Only thorough and frequent evaluation of the information system and its components will ensure its flawless functioning. During the process of evaluation, special attention is given to user interfaces, access points to the content of online information resources. The process of evaluation can be carried out by application of several different methods. This paper puts focus on selected methods for evaluation of information systems and their user interfaces that can be also applied to digital collections (and their user interfaces) available on the Internet. It also presents results from the research of the Croatian national heritage digital collections available on the Internet and common characteristics of their user interfaces

Toward the adaptation of component-based architectures by model transformation: behind smart user interfaces

Graphical user interfaces are not always developed for remaining static. There are GUIs with the need of implementing some variability mechanisms. Component-based GUIs are an ideal target for incorporating this kind of operations, because they can adapt their functionality at run-time when their structure is updated by adding or removing components or by modifying the relationships between them. Mashup user interfaces are a good example of this type of GUI, and they allow to combine services through the assembly of graphical components. We intend to adapt component based user interfaces for obtaining smart user interfaces. With this goal, our proposal attempts to adapt abstract component-based architectures by using model transformation. Our aim is to generate at run-time a dynamic model transformation, because the rules describing their behavior are not pre set but are selected from a repository depending on the context. The proposal describes an adaptation schema based on model transformation providing a solution to this dynamic transformation. Context information is processed to select at run-time a rule subset from a repository. Selected rules are used to generate, through a higher-order transformation, the dynamic model transformation. This approach has been tested through a case study which applies different repositories to the same architecture and context. Moreover, a web tool has been developed for validation and demonstration of its applicability. The novelty of our proposal arises from the adaptation schema that creates a non pre-set transformation, which enables the dynamic adaptation of component-based architectures

Toward the adaptation of component-based architectures by model transformation: behind smart user interfaces

Graphical user interfaces are not always developed for remaining static. There are GUIs with the need of implementing some variability mechanisms. Component-based GUIs are an ideal target for incorporating this kind of operations, because they can adapt their functionality at run-time when their structure is updated by adding or removing components or by modifying the relationships between them. Mashup user interfaces are a good example of this type of GUI, and they allow to combine services through the assembly of graphical components. We intend to adapt component based user interfaces for obtaining smart user interfaces. With this goal, our proposal attempts to adapt abstract component-based architectures by using model transformation. Our aim is to generate at run-time a dynamic model transformation, because the rules describing their behavior are not pre set but are selected from a repository depending on the context. The proposal describes an adaptation schema based on model transformation providing a solution to this dynamic transformation. Context information is processed to select at run-time a rule subset from a repository. Selected rules are used to generate, through a higher-order transformation, the dynamic model transformation. This approach has been tested through a case study which applies different repositories to the same architecture and context. Moreover, a web tool has been developed for validation and demonstration of its applicability. The novelty of our proposal arises from the adaptation schema that creates a non pre-set transformation, which enables the dynamic adaptation of component-based architectures

Softwarearchitektur eines User Interfaces für ein digitales Filmarchiv

Neben der zuverlässigen und verlustlosen Lagerung bieten Systeme zur digitalen Aufbewahrung von Filmen vor allem Vorteile für die Reproduzierbarkeit und die Zugänglichkeit des Filmmaterials. Sämtliche Tätigkeiten, bei denen Personen auf ein digitales Filmarchiv zugreifen, werden über dessen User Interface abgewickelt. In dieser Arbeit wurde im Rahmen des EDCine-Projektes der Europäischen Union am Fraunhofer IIS eine Softwarearchitektur für das User Interface des "Digitalen Filmarchivs" entwickelt. Ziel war es, eine Architektur für ein generisches und skalierbares User Interface zu entwerfen, in dem sich bestehende Workflows und Usability-Konzepte für das User Interface des "Digitalen Filmarchivs" umsetzen lassen. Im Architekturdesign wurden verschiedene Architekturstile, -muster und Referenzarchitekturen auf mehreren Abstraktionsebenen kombiniert. Wesentliche Organisationsprinzipien ergaben sich dabei aus dem PAC-AMODEUS-Muster für interaktive Systeme, der XML-Pipeline und Plugin-Architekturen. Die Kommunikation zwischen Komponenten beruht auf WebServices und Ajax-Technologie. An zentraler Stelle steht ein XML-basiertes User-Interface-Modell, welches sich mit Hilfe von XSL-Transformationen an Ausgabemodalitäten anpassen lässt. Mit Hilfe des OpenLaszlo-Frameworks und des Adobe Flash Players wurde ein Demonstrator in Form einer webbasierten GUI für das DSpace-Archivsystem erstellt. Zusammenfassung: Neben der zuverlässigen und verlustlosen Lagerung bieten Systeme zur digitalen Aufbewahrung von Filmen vor allem Vorteile für die Reproduzierbarkeit und die Zugänglichkeit des Filmmaterials. Sämtliche Tätigkeiten, bei denen Personen auf ein digitales Filmarchiv zugreifen, werden über dessen User Interface abgewickelt. In dieser Arbeit wurde im Rahmen des EDCine-Projektes der Europäischen Union am Fraunhofer IIS eine Softwarearchitektur für das User Interface des "Digitalen Filmarchivs" entwickelt. Ziel war es, eine Architektur für ein generisches und skalierbares User Interface zu entwerfen, in dem sich bestehende Workflows und Usability-Konzepte für das User Interface des "Digitalen Filmarchivs" umsetzen lassen. Im Architekturdesign wurden verschiedene Architekturstile, -muster und Referenzarchitekturen auf mehreren Abstraktionsebenen kombiniert. Wesentliche Organisationsprinzipien ergaben sich dabei aus dem PAC-AMODEUS-Muster für interaktive Systeme, der XML-Pipeline und Plugin-Architekturen. Die Kommunikation zwischen Komponenten beruht auf WebServices und Ajax-Technologie. An zentraler Stelle steht ein XML-basiertes User-Interface-Modell, welches sich mit Hilfe von XSL-Transformationen an Ausgabemodalitäten anpassen lässt. Mit Hilfe des OpenLaszlo-Frameworks und des Adobe Flash Players wurde ein Demonstrator in Form einer webbasierten GUI für das DSpace-Archivsystem erstellt.Ilmenau, Techn. Univ., Diplomarbeit, 200

Investigation and development of a tangible technology framework for highly complex and abstract concepts

The ubiquitous integration of computer-supported learning tools within the educational domain has led educators to continuously seek effective technological platforms for teaching and learning. Overcoming the inherent limitations of traditional educational approaches, interactive and tangible computing platforms have consequently garnered increased interest in the pursuit of embedding active learning pedagogies within curricula. However, whilst Tangible User Interface (TUI) systems have been successfully developed to edutain children in various research contexts, TUI architectures have seen limited deployment towards more advanced educational pursuits. Thus, in contrast to current domain research, this study investigates the effectiveness and suitability of adopting TUI systems for enhancing the learning experience of abstract and complex computational science and technology-based concepts within higher educational institutions (HEI)s. Based on the proposal of a contextually apt TUI architecture, the research describes the design and development of eight distinct TUI frameworks embodying innovate interactive paradigms through tabletop peripherals, graphical design factors, and active tangible manipulatives. These computationally coupled design elements are evaluated through summative and formative experimental methodologies for their ability to aid in the effective teaching and learning of diverse threshold concepts experienced in computational science. In addition, through the design and adoption of a technology acceptance model for educational technology (TAM4Edu), the suitability of TUI frameworks in HEI education is empirically evaluated across a myriad of determinants for modelling students’ behavioural intention. In light of the statistically significant results obtained in both academic knowledge gain (μ = 25.8%) and student satisfaction (μ = 12.7%), the study outlines the affordances provided through TUI design for various constituents of active learning theories and modalities. Thus, based on an empirical and pedagogical analyses, a set of design guidelines is defined within this research to direct the effective development of TUI design elements for teaching and learning abstract threshold concepts in HEI adaptations

Developing Adaptable User Interfaces for Component-based Systems

Software components are becoming increasingly popular design and implementation technologies that can be plugged and played to provide user-enhanceable software. However, developing software components with user interfaces that can be adapted to diverse reuse situations is challenging. Examples of such adaptations include extending, composing and reconfiguring multiple component user interfaces, and adapting component user interfaces to particular user preferences, roles and subtasks. We describe our recent work in facilitating such adaptation via the concept of user interface aspects, which support effective component user interface design and realisation using an extended, component-based software architecture