Conservation of Limited Resources: Design Principles for Security and Usability on Mobile Devices

Mobile devices have evolved from an accessory to the primary computing device for an increasing portion of the general population. Not only is mobile the primary device, consumers on average have multiple Internet-connected devices. The trend towards mobile has resulted in a shift to “mobile-first” strategies for delivering information and services in business organizations, universities, and government agencies. Though principles for good security design exist, those principles were formulated based upon the traditional workstation configuration instead of the mobile platform. Security design needs to follow the shift to a “mobile-first” emphasis to ensure the usability of the security interface. The mobile platform has constraints on resources that can adversely impact the usability of security. This research sought to identify design principles for usable security for mobile devices that address the constraints of the mobile platform. Security and usability have been seen as mutually exclusive. To accurately identify design principles, the relationship between principles for good security design and usability design must be understood. The constraints for the mobile environment must also be identified, and then evaluated for their impact on the interaction of a consumer with a security interface. To understand how the application of the proposed mobile security design principles is perceived by users, an artifact was built to instantiate the principles. Through a series of guided interactions, the importance of proposed design principles was measured in a simulation, in human-computer interaction, and in user perception. The measures showed a resounding difference between the usability of the same security design delivered on mobile vs. workstation platform. It also reveals that acknowledging the constraints of an environment and compensating for the constraints yields mobile security that is both usable and secure. Finally, the hidden cost of security design choices that distract the user from the surrounding environment were examined from both the security perspective and public safety perspective

Assistive technology design and development for acceptable robotics companions for ageing years

© 2013 Farshid Amirabdollahian et al., licensee Versita Sp. z o. o. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license, which means that the text may be used for non-commercial purposes, provided credit is given to the author.A new stream of research and development responds to changes in life expectancy across the world. It includes technologies which enhance well-being of individuals, specifically for older people. The ACCOMPANY project focuses on home companion technologies and issues surrounding technology development for assistive purposes. The project responds to some overlooked aspects of technology design, divided into multiple areas such as empathic and social human-robot interaction, robot learning and memory visualisation, and monitoring persons’ activities at home. To bring these aspects together, a dedicated task is identified to ensure technological integration of these multiple approaches on an existing robotic platform, Care-O-Bot®3 in the context of a smart-home environment utilising a multitude of sensor arrays. Formative and summative evaluation cycles are then used to assess the emerging prototype towards identifying acceptable behaviours and roles for the robot, for example role as a butler or a trainer, while also comparing user requirements to achieved progress. In a novel approach, the project considers ethical concerns and by highlighting principles such as autonomy, independence, enablement, safety and privacy, it embarks on providing a discussion medium where user views on these principles and the existing tension between some of these principles, for example tension between privacy and autonomy over safety, can be captured and considered in design cycles and throughout project developmentsPeer reviewe

Computational Modeling and Experimental Research on Touchscreen Gestures, Audio/Speech Interaction, and Driving

As humans are exposed to rapidly evolving complex systems, there are growing needs for humans and systems to use multiple communication modalities such as auditory, vocal (or speech), gesture, or visual channels; thus, it is important to evaluate multimodal human-machine interactions in multitasking conditions so as to improve human performance and safety. However, traditional methods of evaluating human performance and safety rely on experimental settings using human subjects which require costly and time-consuming efforts to conduct. To minimize the limitations from the use of traditional usability tests, digital human models are often developed and used, and they also help us better understand underlying human mental processes to effectively improve safety and avoid mental overload. In this regard, I have combined computational cognitive modeling and experimental methods to study mental processes and identify differences in human performance/workload in various conditions, through this dissertation research. The computational cognitive models were implemented by extending the Queuing Network-Model Human Processor (QN-MHP) Architecture that enables simulation of human multi-task behaviors and multimodal interactions in human-machine systems. Three experiments were conducted to investigate human behaviors in multimodal and multitasking scenarios, combining the following three specific research aims that are to understand: (1) how humans use their finger movements to input information on touchscreen devices (i.e., touchscreen gestures), (2) how humans use auditory/vocal signals to interact with the machines (i.e., audio/speech interaction), and (3) how humans drive vehicles (i.e., driving controls). Future research applications of computational modeling and experimental research are also discussed. Scientifically, the results of this dissertation research make significant contributions to our better understanding of the nature of touchscreen gestures, audio/speech interaction, and driving controls in human-machine systems and whether they benefit or jeopardize human performance and safety in the multimodal and concurrent task environments. Moreover, in contrast to the previous models for multitasking scenarios mainly focusing on the visual processes, this study develops quantitative models of the combined effects of auditory, tactile, and visual factors on multitasking performance. From the practical impact perspective, the modeling work conducted in this research may help multimodal interface designers minimize the limitations of traditional usability tests and make quick design comparisons, less constrained by other time-consuming factors, such as developing prototypes and running human subjects. Furthermore, the research conducted in this dissertation may help identify which elements in the multimodal and multitasking scenarios increase workload and completion time, which can be used to reduce the number of accidents and injuries caused by distraction.PHDIndustrial & Operations EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143903/1/heejinj_1.pd

Evaluation of formal IDEs for human-machine interface design and analysis: the case of CIRCUS and PVSio-web

Critical human-machine interfaces are present in many systems including avionics systems and medical devices. Use error is a concern in these systems both in terms of hardware panels and input devices, and the software that drives the interfaces. Guaranteeing safe usability, in terms of buttons, knobs and displays is now a key element in the overall safety of the system. New integrated development environments (IDEs) based on formal methods technologies have been developed by the research community to support the design and analysis of high-confidence human-machine interfaces. To date, little work has focused on the comparison of these particular types of formal IDEs. This paper compares and evaluates two state-of-the-art toolkits: CIRCUS, a model-based development and analysis tool based on Petri net extensions, and PVSio-web, a prototyping toolkit based on the PVS theorem proving system.This work is partially supported by: Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000016, financed by the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, and through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) PhD scholarship

Dependable System Design for Assistance Systems for Electrically Powered Wheelchairs

In this paper a system design approach is proposed, which is based on a user needs assessment and a flexible and adaptable architecture for dependable system integration. The feasibility of the approach is shown on the example of an assistance system for electrically powered wheelchairs. The system requirements correspond to the cognitive and motor abilities of the wheelchair users. For the wheelchair system built up based on a commercial powered wheelchair several behaviors have been realized such as collision avoidance, local navigation and path planning well known from robotic systems, which are enhanced by human-interfacing components. Furthermore, the system design will be high lighted which is based on robotic systems engineering. Due to the fundamental properties of the system architecture the resulting assistance system is inherently dependable, flexible, and adaptable. Corresponding to the current situation and the users’ abilities the system changes the level of assistance during real-time operation. The resulting system behavior is evaluated using system performance and usability tests

CHARACTER-LEVEL INTERACTIONS IN MULTIMODAL COMPUTER-ASSISTED TRANSCRIPTION OF TEXT IMAGES

HTR systems don't achieve acceptable results in unconstrained applications. Therefore, it is convenient to use a system that allows the user to cooperate in the most confortable way with the system to generate a correct transcription. In this paper, multimodal interaction at character-level is studied.Martín-Albo Simón, D. (2011). CHARACTER-LEVEL INTERACTIONS IN MULTIMODAL COMPUTER-ASSISTED TRANSCRIPTION OF TEXT IMAGES. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/11313Archivo delegad

Mobile assistive technologies for the visually impaired

There are around 285 million visually impaired people worldwide, and around 370,000 people are registered as blind or partially sighted in the UK. Ongoing advances in information technology (IT) are increasing the scope for IT-based mobile assistive technologies to facilitate the independence, safety, and improved quality of life of the visually impaired. Research is being directed at making mobile phones and other handheld devices accessible via our haptic (touch) and audio sensory channels. We review research and innovation within the field of mobile assistive technology for the visually impaired and, in so doing, highlight the need for successful collaboration between clinical expertise, computer science, and domain users to realize fully the potential benefits of such technologies. We initially reflect on research that has been conducted to make mobile phones more accessible to people with vision loss. We then discuss innovative assistive applications designed for the visually impaired that are either delivered via mainstream devices and can be used while in motion (e.g., mobile phones) or are embedded within an environment that may be in motion (e.g., public transport) or within which the user may be in motion (e.g., smart homes)

A user experience‐based toolset for automotive human‐machine interface technology development

The development of new automotive Human-Machine Interface (HMI) technologies must consider the competing and often conflicting demands of commercial value, User Experience (UX) and safety. Technology innovation offers manufacturers the opportunity to gain commercial advantage in a competitive and crowded marketplace, leading to an increase in the features and functionality available to the driver. User response to technology influences the perception of the brand as a whole, so it is important that in-vehicle systems provide a high-quality user experience. However, introducing new technologies into the car can also increase accident risk. The demands of usability and UX must therefore be balanced against the requirement for driver safety. Adopting a technology-focused business strategy carries a degree of risk, as most innovations fail before they reach the market. Obtaining clear and relevant information on the UX and safety of new technologies early in their development can help to inform and support robust product development (PD) decision making, improving product outcomes. In order to achieve this, manufacturers need processes and tools to evaluate new technologies, providing customer-focused data to drive development. This work details the development of an Evaluation Toolset for automotive HMI technologies encompassing safety-related functional metrics and UX measures. The Toolset consists of four elements: an evaluation protocol, based on methods identified from the Human Factors, UX and Sensory Science literature; a fixed-base driving simulator providing a context-rich, configurable evaluation environment, supporting both hardware and software-based technologies; a standardised simulation scenario providing a repeatable basis for technology evaluations, allowing comparisons across multiple technologies and studies; and a technology scorecard that collates and presents evaluation data to support PD decision making processes

Progress towards Automated Human Factors Evaluation

Cao, S. (2015). Progress towards Automated Human Factors Evaluation. 6th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE 2015) and the Affiliated Conferences, AHFE 2015, 3, 4266–4272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2015.07.414 This work is made available through a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. The licensor is not represented as endorsing the use made of this work. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Human factors tests are important components of systems design. Designers need to evaluate users’ performance and workload while using a system and compare different design options to determine the optimal design choice. Currently, human factors evaluation and tests mainly rely on empirical user studies, which add a heavy cost to the design process. In addition, it is difficult to conduct comprehensive user tests at early design stages when no physical interfaces have been implemented. To address these issues, I develop computational human performance modeling techniques that can simulate users’ interaction with machine systems. This method uses a general cognitive architecture to computationally represent human cognitive capabilities and constraints. Task-specific models can be built with the specifications of user knowledge, user strategies, and user group differences. The simulation results include performance measures such as task completion time and error rate as well as workload measures. Completed studies have modeled multitasking scenarios in a wide range of domains, including transportation, healthcare, and human-computer interaction. The success of these studies demonstrated the modeling capabilities of this method. Cognitive-architecture-based models are useful, but building a cognitive model itself can be difficult to learn and master. It usually requires at least medium-level programming skills to understand and use the language and syntaxes that specify the task. For example, to build a model that simulates a driving task, a modeler needs to build a driving simulation environment so that the model can interact with the simulated vehicle. In order to simply this process, I have conducted preliminary programming work that directly connects the mental model to existing task environment simulation programs. The model will be able to directly obtain perceptual information from the task program and send control commands to the task program. With cognitive model-based tools, designers will be able to see the model performing the tasks in real-time and obtain a report of the evaluation. Automated human factors evaluation methods have tremendous value to support systems design and evaluatio

Interactive molecular dynamics in virtual reality from quantum chemistry to drug binding: An open-source multi-person framework

© 2019 Author(s). As molecular scientists have made progress in their ability to engineer nanoscale molecular structure, we face new challenges in our ability to engineer molecular dynamics (MD) and flexibility. Dynamics at the molecular scale differs from the familiar mechanics of everyday objects because it involves a complicated, highly correlated, and three-dimensional many-body dynamical choreography which is often nonintuitive even for highly trained researchers. We recently described how interactive molecular dynamics in virtual reality (iMD-VR) can help to meet this challenge, enabling researchers to manipulate real-time MD simulations of flexible structures in 3D. In this article, we outline various efforts to extend immersive technologies to the molecular sciences, and we introduce "Narupa," a flexible, open-source, multiperson iMD-VR software framework which enables groups of researchers to simultaneously cohabit real-time simulation environments to interactively visualize and manipulate the dynamics of molecular structures with atomic-level precision. We outline several application domains where iMD-VR is facilitating research, communication, and creative approaches within the molecular sciences, including training machines to learn potential energy functions, biomolecular conformational sampling, protein-ligand binding, reaction discovery using "on-the-fly" quantum chemistry, and transport dynamics in materials. We touch on iMD-VR's various cognitive and perceptual affordances and outline how these provide research insight for molecular systems. By synergistically combining human spatial reasoning and design insight with computational automation, technologies such as iMD-VR have the potential to improve our ability to understand, engineer, and communicate microscopic dynamical behavior, offering the potential to usher in a new paradigm for engineering molecules and nano-architectures