Interplay between User Experience (UX) evaluation and system development

User Experience (UX) is a maturing research area pertaining to as well as extending beyond the traditional usability. Issues in the realm of usability may be amplified in UX because of its larger scope. Four key non-orthogonal issues are definition, modeling, method selection, and interplay between evaluation and development. Leveraging the legacy of a series of related research activities, this Special Issue (SI) aims to develop a deeper understanding of how evaluation feedback shapes software development, especially when experiential qualities such as fun, trust, esthetic values are concerned. Three articles addressing this specific topic from different perspectives and with different approaches are included in this SI.Law, EL.; Abrahao Gonzales, SM. (2014). Interplay between User Experience (UX) evaluation and system development. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies. 72(6):523-525. doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2014.03.003S52352572

The usefulness of Usability and User Experience evaluation methods on an e-Learning platform development from a developer's perspective: A case study

The development of a web platform is a complex and interdisciplinary task, where people with different roles such as project manager, designer or developer participate. Different usability and User Experience evaluation methods can be used in each stage of the development life cycle, but not all of them have the same influence in the software development and in the final product or system. This article presents the study of the impact of these methods applied in the context of an e-Learning platform development. The results show that the impact has been strong from a developer's perspective. Developer team members considered that usability and User Experience evaluation allowed them mainly to identify design mistakes, improve the platform's usability and understand the end users and their needs in a better way. Interviews with potential users, clickmaps and scrollmaps were rated as the most useful methods. Finally, these methods were considered unanimously very useful in the context of the entire software development, only comparable to SCRUM meetings and overcoming the rest of involved factors

Evaluation of Web Applications based on UX Parameters

The objective of evaluating User Experience (UX) in this era of technology is to enhance the user satisfaction. Earlier applications were built with the aim of reducing the work of users. But with the evolution of the technology, the emergence of new gadgets and new trends in the information technology, the applications had to be more user-centric. The primary objective of this research is to evaluate the user experience of web applications based on different UX parameters using different techniques and given a rating. Each of these ratings are combined to determine the overall rating of UX for the web application. Also, the secondary objective of this research is to provide suggestions or recommendations based on the ratings to improve the UX of the web applications. An experimental study was conducted and the results show a significant improvement. Areas of further enhancements have also been identified and presented

User Experience for Model-Driven Engineering : Challenges and Future Directions

Since its infancy, Model Driven Engineering (MDE) research has primarily focused on technical issues. Although it is becoming increasingly common for MDE research papers to evaluate their theoretical and practical solutions, extensive usability studies are still uncommon. We observe a scarcity of User eXperience (UX)-related research in the MDE community, and posit that many existing tools and languages have room for improvement with respect to UX [26], [44], [37], where UX is a key focus area in the software development industry. We consider this gap a fundamental problem that needs to be addressed by the community if MDE is to gain widespread use. In this vision paper, we explore how and where UX fits into MDE by considering motivating use cases that revolve around different dimensions of integration: model integration, tool integration, and integration between process and tool support. Based on the literature and our collective experience in research and industrial collaborations, we propose future directions for addressing these challenges

Understanding software developers’ awareness and knowledge about user experience and usability

This study aimed to understand software developers’ awareness and level of knowledge about user experience and usability. The study also examined software developers’ opinions regarding integrating usability activities into software development processes. Fifty-nine software developers participated to the study. In the first part of the study, data were collected through questionnaire. In the second part of the study, in-depth interviews were conducted with a group of volunteer participants and detailed information was obtained about the topic. Results of the study revealed that majority of the software developers did not have any training related to user experience, usability or human-computer interaction. The majority of the participants consider themselves as the least experienced and uninformed members of a software development project about user experience and usability. The results also revealed that software developers in the study have incomplete and misinformation about user experience and usability.</span

REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA DA LITERATURA SOBRE ABORDAGENS METODOLÓGICAS DA EXPERIÊNCIA DOS USUÁRIOS CEGOS APLICADAS NAS INTERAÇÕES WEB EM DISPOSITIVOS MÓVEIS

With the advancement of technological resources and access to information by means of different devices, there is a gap in the investigations of the user experience (UX) in mobile devices, more specifically in the blind user’s experience with respect to usability attributes aligned to the characteristics of accessibility. Thus, this work proposes a systematic review of the literature, identifying the main methods of blind users’ experience applied in interactions through mobile devices. In this way, 805 scientific papers were identified, and 34 were selected for the systematic review of the literature, which addressed subjects on usability, blind users’ experience and mobile devices. Through result extraction, sixteen different applied methods were identified in the blind users’ experience on mobile devices interaction. The applicability of methods supported by expert reviewers, the observation techniques, trial studies, validation and conformity verification with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are highlighted.Com o avanço dos recursos tecnológicos e o acesso às informações por diferentes dispositivos, há uma lacuna nas investigações sobre a experiência do usuário (UX) em dispositivos móveis, mais especificamente, na experiência do usuário cego em relação aos atributos de usabilidade alinhados às características de acessibilidade. Assim, este trabalho propõe uma revisão sistemática da literatura, identificando os principais métodos da experiência do usuário cego aplicados nas interações por meio de dispositivos móveis. Dessa forma, foram identificados 805 artigos científicos, sendo selecionados 34 para a revisão sistemática da literatura, os quais endereçavam assuntos relacionados à usabilidade, à experiência do usuário cego e a dispositivos móveis. Por meio da extração dos resultados, identificou-se dezesseis diferentes métodos aplicados na experiência de usuários cegos. Destacam-se a aplicabilidade dos métodos apoiados por revisores especialistas, as técnicas de observações, estudos experimentais, validação e verificação de conformidade com as Diretrizes de Acessibilidade do Conteúdo na Web (WCAG)

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF VISUALLY-IMPAIRED AND BLIND USER EXPERIENCE OF WEB TRENDS

For visually impaired people, interaction with the Web can be a challenging task; this is due to poor accessibility, usability, and User eXperience (UX) of websites. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a thorough investigation on the UX of websites, especially considering new trends on the Web. In this study, we identified, classified, and analyzed 34 906 scientific papers published in the last eight years to show the originality and relevance of investigating the UX of visually impaired and blind users. We considered new Web trends, focusing on Flat Design and Responsive Web Design. We performed a systematic review and selected 1 015 scientific papers that addressed the importance of UX or other issues relevant to UX. In this literature, we found only five articles addressing issues faced by blind or visually impaired users. None of the studies compared the experiences of users who are blind or visually impaired with those of sighted users. Considering the lack of scientific studies that address the impact of new web trends on UX and studies that examine the importance of UX, we concluded that it is original and relevant to investigate the UX of visually impaired, blind, and sighted users on the Web. From our research, it was possible to identify recurrent subjects of research relevant to UX; among them were UX methods applied to mobile, Approach to Agile UX, Usability techniques UX, and Centered Design to User

Identifying and explicating knowledge on method transfer: a sectoral system of innovation approach

Post-print (lokagerð höfundar)With the advances in information technology and its increasing impact on humans and society, there has been an expanding need to spread knowledge from domain to domain. This need is not least in the area of human–computer interaction, which includes a rich culture of carrying out usability evaluations in many different domains and technology platforms. This paper aims to show how transfer of methods takes place, by explicating and formalizing the process. It will contribute to the quest for knowledge on the constituents of the process of transferring methodological knowledge and their relationships. A sectoral system of innovation approach is used to analyse the constituents of a selected sector, crisis management, where training is essential and which is rapidly adopting technology for operations and training. Two case studies are described where heuristics evaluation and user testing were applied on simulation software that allows training for crisis management. The analysis results in a process model, describing the transfer of methodological knowledge within the sectoral system of innovation framework.The research leading to these results has received funding from COST Action IC0904, Twintide, and the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement No. [FP7-242474], CRISIPeer Reviewe