User-Oriented Authorization in Collaborative Environments

Access rights for collaborative systems tend to be rather complex, leading to difficulties in the presentation and manipulation of access policies at the user interface level. We confront a theoretical access rights model with the results of a field study which investigates how users specify access policies. Our findings suggest that our theoretical model addresses most of the issues raised by the field study, when the required functionality can be presented in an appropriate user interface

An End-User Development Perspective on State-of-the-Art Web Development Tools

We reviewed and analyzed nine commercially available web development tools from the perspective of suitability for end-user development to compare and contrast alternative and best-of-breed approaches for particular problem areas within web application development (Getting Started, Workflow, Level of Abstraction, Layout, Database, Application Logic, Testing and Debugging, Learning and Scaling, Security, Collaboration, and Deployment). End-user development involves the creation of dynamic websites with support for features like authentication, conditional display, and searching/sorting by casual web developers who have some experience creating static websites but little or no programming knowledge. We found that current tools do not lack functionality, but rather have a variety of problems in ease of use for end users who are nonprogrammers. In particular, while many tools offer wizards and other features designed to facilitate specific aspects of end-user development, none of the tools that we reviewed supports a holistic approach to web application development. We discuss the implications of these problems and conclude with recommendations for the design of improved web development tools that would lower the entry barrier into web programming

How to Make Software Softer -- Designing Tailorable Applications

The design of tailorable systems is an important issue for fields of application which are characterized by differentiation and dynamics. We show how tailorability can be combined with approaches of evolutionary and participative software-engineering and discuss some conceptual problems arising from this approach. Moreover, we present two case studies on how to design tailorable functionality in a groupware development project

Study and proposal of a framework for designing tailorable user interfaces

Orientador: Maria Cecilia Calani BaranauskasTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de ComputaçãoResumo: A socialização dos sistemas computacionais trouxe um desafio a mais para os pesquisadores de Interação Humano-Computador: como prover interfaces que propiciem acesso ao maior número possível de usuários independentemente de suas capacidades sensoriais, físicas, cognitivas e emocionais? Um dos caminhos que se apresenta é desenvolver sistemas flexíveis, i.e. que permitam modificações em seu comportamento durante a interação, oferecendo ao usuário a possibilidade de ajustar a interface de acordo com as suas preferências, necessidades e situações de uso. O design de interfaces flexíveis, que façam sentido e sejam acessíveis a mais pessoas, demanda abordagens que permitam conhecer e formalizar os diferentes requisitos de interação, definir funcionalidades e determinar o comportamento ajustável do sistema. Soluções encontradas na literatura relacionadas ao tema interfaces ajustáveis, (ou tailoring em inglês) enfatizam questões relacionadas à infra-estrutura necessária para o ajuste, não tendo sido encontrados trabalhos que apoiassem os designers de forma prática durante o processo de concepção dessas interfaces. Esta tese propõe e apresenta um framework para o design de interfaces de usuário ajustáveis, denominado PLuRaL. O termo framework é utilizado aqui no seu sentido mais amplo como uma estrutura composta por diretrizes, mecanismos, artefatos e sistemas usados no planejamento e na tomada de decisões de design. O PLuRaL adota uma perspectiva sócio-técnica para a concepção das interfaces ajustáveis e uma visão abrangente dos requisitos de interação, incluindo aqueles que são controversos ou minoritários e advindos não somente de usuários, mas também de diferentes dispositivos e ambientes de interação. Aspectos semânticos, pragmáticos e o impacto social da interação também são considerados. Por fim, o comportamento ajustável do sistema é modelado utilizando-se o conceito de normas. O referencial teórico-metodológico adotado para o trabalho de pesquisa envolveu as disciplinas de Interação Humano-Computador e Semiótica Organizacional. A construção do framework foi pautada por 2 estudos de caso envolvendo populações de usuário heterogêneas em contextos de sistemas de governo eletrônico e de rede social inclusiva. A validação do framework foi realizada com 17 designers e os resultados sugerem uma avaliação positiva considerando a utilidade, flexibilidade para apoiar mudanças, liberdade de criação e satisfação com as propostas de design resultantesAbstract: The socialization of computer systems has brought a new challenge to Human-Computer Interaction researchers: how to design interfaces that provide access to as many users as possible regardless of their sensory, physical, cognitive and emotional characteristics? One approach to answer this question is to develop flexible systems, i.e. those that allow changes in their behavior during the interaction, offering users the possibility to tailor the interface according to their preferences, needs and situations of use. The design of flexible interfaces, which make sense and are accessible to more people, demands approaches to understand and formalize the different interaction requirements, define functionalities and determine the system tailorable behavior. Solutions found in the literature about tailorable interfaces have focused on the infrastructure needed to offer flexibility and works to support designers in a practical way during the conception of such interfaces were not found. This thesis proposes and presents a framework for the design of tailorable user interfaces, named PLuRaL. The term framework is used here in its broadest sense as a structure consisting of guidelines, mechanisms, artifacts and systems used in design planning and decision-making. PLuRaL adopts a socio-technical approach to design tailorable interfaces and a comprehensive view for interaction requirements, including those that are controversial or from minority, and arising not only from users, but also from different devices and interaction environments. The semantic, pragmatic and social impacts of the interaction are also considered. Finally, the behavior of the tailorable system is modeled using the concept of norms. The theoretical and methodological references adopted in this work involved the disciplines of Human-Computer Interaction and Organizational Semiotics. The framework's construction was guided by 2 case studies with heterogeneous populations, in the context of electronic government and inclusive social network system. The framework's validation was performed with 17 designers and the results suggest a positive evaluation considering the usefulness and flexibility to support changes, freedom to create and satisfaction with the final design proposalsDoutoradoMetodologia e Tecnicas da ComputaçãoDoutor em Ciência da Computaçã

Design, Appropriation, and Unanticipated Users: A Series of Studies to Address the Design, Implementation, and Use of Collaboration Technologies in Workplace Settings.

As information technology proliferates all aspects of life, “user experience” and human-centered design approaches become more important. The design process requires the specification of users, their needs, and how technology will support them. Yet, there is evidence that once IT has been released, that there is no control over how it can be used. This research uses the lens of appropriation, a term invoked to describe unexpected or evolving technology use resulting from user adaptation. Literature in the fields of HCI and IS focus mainly on appropriation as an outcome or as a kind of work to be supported, but always within the scope of target users. I argue that the users we specify may not reflect actual end-users. This dissertation investigates the issue surrounding unanticipated users of IT and what they can mean for theories of design, information systems, and computer-supported cooperative work. This work investigates the problem of unanticipated users through a series of studies that investigate how staff members at the University of Michigan have adopted a course management system called CTools and thereafter adapted it to their work practices. A survey study and a user log study examine why and how they generally used the toolkit, often referring from data about faculty and students for comparison. Overall, these two studies ways in which staff differed from faculty and students in terms of what they value the system for and in how they use its tools. The final study uses interview to inform why and how staff appropriated Project Sites into their work lives at a time when there was a large shift in the sociotechnical ecosystem of the university. Findings showed that staff depended on a single narrative of use, when others were possible, highlighting the importance of knowledge and leadership in the process of appropriating IT into practice. I use these findings to show that understanding unanticipated users can help to improve design and can also add value to theory.PHDInformationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102354/1/pabloq_1.pd