Software Solution for New Vehicle Operating Cost Models

Estimating vehicle operating costs (VOC) allows individuals and organizations to make informed decisions about vehicle usage. As a wide variety of cars and roadway conditions exist, a relatively large amount of input must be provided to any VOC model. Developed as part of a civil engineering research project funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, five VOC models were run initially in Microsoft Excel. While this early solution was practical and operational, to improve usability, including the efficiency of data input, the flexibility of running the models, and presentation of results, an alternative solution, a web-based application, was also designed and implemented. The VOC models that can be run on both Excel and the Web-based application are fuel economy, oil consumption, tire wear, mileage-related vehicle depreciation, and repair and maintenance. This thesis presents the web-based implementation of the vehicle operating costs models. It starts with an introduction to the use of automobiles, fuel costs, and the popularity of web applications. Then it covers background on the vehicle operating costs research, moving on to explain interactive systems and user experience design. After looking at some of the related works, it elaborates on the software engineering aspects and related procedures performed as part of the web-based application’s design and implementation. Next, it presents various scenarios of use, going through all the pages of the VOC web application. The thesis also describes the user study performed to compare the web application with the MS Excel interface for efficiency and effectiveness. Several dependent variables were measured and analyzed, including task completion time and number of incorrect data entries. The results obtained showed that the web-based solution consistently outperformed the Excel-based solution, although the latter received some positive feedback as well. Several directions of possible future work are also outlined in the thesis

Arquitetura de Business Intelligence para Location Based Services

Tendo-se verificado que segundo Kargin os Location Based Services (LBS) ainda não têm o grau de aceitação desejado e que segundo Roto e Kaasinen é necessário melhorar a experiência de utilização dos mesmos pretende-se nesta dissertação dar um contributo nesse sentido (Kargin et al., 2007), (Roto & Kaasinen, 2008). Pretende-se contribuir para a melhoria da experiência de utilização dos LBS estudando a hipótese de que a arquitetura de referência de Business Intelligence (BI) possa não servir as atuais necessidades dos LBS. Faz-se nesta dissertação uma análise da adequabilidade da arquitetura de referência de BI aos LBS partindo das necessidades dos mesmos, sintetizando-as e fazendo posteriormente uma análise ponto a ponto. Tendo sido feita a análise e sido encontrados aspetos em que a arquitetura de referência de BI precisa de ser alterada para que melhor responda às necessidades dos LBS faz-se uma proposta de arquitetura de BI que dê um contributo no sentido de melhor responder às necessidades dos mesmos. A elaboração da proposta de arquitetura, parte dos aspetos identificados na análise em que a arquitetura de referência falha na resposta aos requisitos dos LBS e estabelece como meta a solução dessas falhas. No decorrer desta dissertação pôde concluir-se que a arquitetura de referência de BI tem dois aspetos em que falha na resposta às necessidades dos LBS, são eles, a gestão contextual do utilizador em tempo real e a resposta, também em tempo real, aos pedidos do utilizador dados os desafios que advêm da utilização em mobilidade deste tipo de serviço e da necessidade que surge de processar os dados de posicionamento em tempo real. Com a proposta de arquitetura desenvolvida nesta dissertação dá-se, numa solução de compromisso, através de alterações na arquitetura de referência de BI, um contributo no sentido de melhor responder às necessidades dos LBS.Having been found that, in accordance with Kargin, the Location Based Services (LBS) haven’t yet the desired degree of acceptance and that according to Roto and Kaasinen it is necessary to improve the user experience of the LBS, this dissertation aims to make a contribution in this way (Kargin et al., 2007) (Roto & Kaasinen, 2008). This dissertation intends to contribute on improving the user experience of the LBS by studing the hypothesis that the Business Intelligence (BI) reference architecture may not serve the current needs of LBS. It is made in this dissertation an analysis of the adequacy of the BI reference architecture to LBS starting from the needs of the LBS, synthesizing them and making a further analysis point by point. Having been done the analysis and having been found points in which the BI reference architecture needs to be changed to best meet the needs of LBS it is made a proposal for a BI architecture that gives a contribution to better meet the needs thereof. The elaboration of the proposed architecture, begins with the aspects identified in the analysis in which the reference architecture fails to respond to the requirements of the LBS and establishes as a goal the resolution of these flaws. Throughout this dissertation could be concluded that the BI reference architecture has two aspects in which fails to respond to the needs of LBS, are they managing contextual user in real time and respond, also in real time, to user requests given the challenges arising from the use of this type of service on the move and the need that emerges of processing posítioning information in real time. With the proposal of architecture developed in this dissertation it is intended, on a compromise solution, through changes in the BI reference architecture, to make a contribution so as to better meet the needs of LBS

User Evaluation of Mobile Browser Features Related to Information Retrieval

Technological advancements in mobile technologies, improved network coverage, and cheaper data plans have led to an increase in internet browsing via mobile phone. Improvements such as bigger screen sizes, higher resolutions, and touchscreens have led to a better browsing experience compared with when mobile browsing first emerged. Most of the research concerning mobile browsing seems to focus on website design for smaller screen displays, with very limited research done on the design and functionality of mobile web browsers themselves. Due to the physical constraints and small display screens, the user interface needs to be designed so that users can perform tasks easily and information can be accessed quickly. This thesis evaluates different features from six of the most popularly used mobile browsers (Chrome, Dolphin, Internet Explorer, Opera Mini, Safari, and the UC Browser) in order to determine which features help to improve the mobile browsing experience. Ten participants were asked to perform several tasks on two mobile browsers and evaluate the browsers based on task difficulty. After all the tasks were completed, participants were asked to evaluate the overall usability of the browser. The results showed that participants found most tasks easy to perform on all browsers. However, during the test sessions, it was observed that several participants found the tasks of adding a bookmark and locating saved bookmarks slightly difficult. This was due to each browser implementing different designs and using different icons for the bookmarking functionality. Based on interviews concerning their everyday browsing behavior, participants acknowledge that the most used feature is the combined address bar/search bar. Other features, such as bookmarking or customized on-screen keyboards, are either ignored or go unnoticed in favor of faster and more immediate interaction with their browser

Teknologiasta käytäntöihin : käytäntöteoreettinen malli hyvinvointiteknologian hyväksyttävyyden arviointiin

Käsillä oleva työ on yhteenveto vuosien 2003–2011 aikana konstruktiivisella tutkimusotteella toteutetuista tutkimushankkeista. Näissä kaikissa hankkeissa on ollut pragmaattisen tutkimusintressin kohteena hyvinvointiteknologian hyväksyttävyys. Työn empiirinen aineisto koostuu seitsemästä artikkelista, joissa raportoidaan teknologian hyväksyttävyyteen vaikuttavia tekijöitä eri konteksteissa. Tuloksina esitän havaintoja ihmisen ja teknologiaympäristön vuorovaikutussuhdetta ja hyväksyttävyyttä käsittelevästä kirjallisuudesta sekä havaintoja hyväksyttävyyteen vaikuttavista tekijöistä, jotka ovat peräisin artikkeleiden johtopäätöksistä. Näihin johtopäätöksiin nojautuen konstruoin käytäntöteoreettisen hyväksyttävyyden arviointimallin. Ensimmäisenä tuloksena tiivistän hyväksyttävyyden arvioinnin näkökulmasta ihmisen ja teknologiaympäristön vuorovaikutussuhdetta ja hyväksyttävyyttä käsittelevästä kirjallisuudesta seuraavat viisi väittämää: 1) funktionaalinen tarve tai helppokäyttöisyys ei yksin riitä teknologian hyväksymiseen, 2) hyvinvointiteknologian erityispiirteet on huomioitava, 3) yhteisön ja identiteetin merkitystä ei voi ohittaa teknologian hyväksyttävyyden arvioinnissa, 4) hyväksyttävyyden kriteerit ovat aikaan ja paikkaan sidottuja, ja ne muuntuvat käyttöympäristön ja käytettävän teknologian mukaisesti, 5) ihmisen toimintaympäristö koostuu monentasoisista toisiinsa vaikuttavista ympäristöistä, joten toiminnan ja käytäntöjen selittäminen edellyttää tämän kokonaisuuden ymmärtämistä. Toisena tuloksena esitän artikkeleiden tuloksiin nojautuen, että hyvinvointiteknologian hyväksyttävyyden arvioinnissa on huomioitava: 1) merkitykset ja yhteisö, 2) toimintaympäristön ja kontekstin moniulotteisuus, 3) teknologiaominaisuudet ja toimijoiden roolit ja 4) käytäntöjen vaikutus hyväksyttävyyteen. Kolmanneksi tutkimuksen päätuloksena esitän käytäntöteoreettisen teknologian hyväksyttävyyden arviointimallin. Mallissa korostuvat kontekstin monikerroksisuus ja se, että hyväksyttävyyttä tarkastellaan suhteessa teknologian mahdollistamiin uusiin käytäntöihin ja olemassa oleviin käytäntöihin. Kehitetyllä mallilla on hyödyntämismahdollisuuksia esimerkiksi markkinoinnin ja tuotekehityksen operatiivisella tasolla sekä jatkotutkimuksessa. Malli tuo käytännön käsitteen hyväksyttävyyden teoreettisen keskusteluun. Koko työn keskeinen viesti voidaan tiivistää väitteeseen: Uusien hyvinvointiteknologioiden ja -palveluiden arvioinnin on keskityttävä teknologian mahdollistamien dynaamisten käytäntöjen ja tapahtumien tunnistamiseen ja niiden hyväksyttävyyden arviointiinmoniulotteisessa viitekehyksessä.This study is a summary of research projects conducted between 2003 and 2011 and carried out through a constructive approach. The pragmatic research interest of the projects has focused on the acceptability of technology. The empirical material consists of seven articles on factors affecting the acceptability of technology in various contexts. The results presented herein are observations on literature dealing with interaction between humans and technology and the acceptability of the human-technology environment, conclusions on the factors affecting acceptability based on the articles, and, on the basis of these conclusions, a model of assessing acceptability from the perspective of practice theory. As the first result, I sum up from the viewpoint of acceptability assessment the following five arguments on literature dealing with interaction between humans and technology and the acceptability of the human-technology environment: 1) a functional need or usability do not suffice as such for the acceptance of technology, 2) the special characteristics of well-being technology must be observed, 3) the significance of community and identity cannot be overlooked in assessing the acceptability of technology, 4) the criteria for acceptability are bound to time and space and they vary according to the operating environment and the technology used, and 5) the human operating environment consists of interrelated, multilevel environments, and therefore analyzing the operations and practices requires an understanding of the whole system. As the second result, based on the articles I argue that in assessing the acceptability of well-being technology one must observe the following: 1) the meanings and the community, 2) the multidimensionality of the operating environment and context, 3) the technological features and the roles of the actors, and 4) the practices enabled by technology. Third, and as the main result of the study, I construct a practice theory-based model of assessing the acceptability of technology. The model emphasizes the multilayered nature of context and the examination of acceptability through practices enabled by technology and in relation to existing practices. The new model can be utilized for example in marketing and product development at the operative level and in further research. At the operative level, the model elucidates the meaning of micro contexts, action, and habits in the acceptability of technology. The model also introduces the concept of practice into the theoretical discourse on acceptability. The essence of the entire study can be summarized as follows: The assessment of new well-being technologies and services needs to focus on recognizing the dynamic practices and events enabled by technology and assessing their acceptability in a multidimensional frame of reference

A framework for evaluating the user experience of digital moderation systems in the South African secondary school environment

The continued emphasis on education quality amidst the accelerating pace of technological developments, which create new opportunities, expectations, and challenges in the teaching and learning environment, requires evidence-based, robust, regulatory frameworks for monitoring standards. Innovative and dynamic approaches are required to quality assure assessment processes (moderation). The reviewed literature provided scant evidence of theorization on the concept of digital moderation (eModeration) and little empirical evidence on systems used in secondary schools. This deficiency in the literature in terms of digital moderation is problematic since it leaves educators, managers, and researchers without evidence-based guidance on how eModeration systems should be designed or evaluated. This deficit provides the rationale for an investigation into the components of a framework to evaluate the user experience of an eModeration system. This study draws on the extant eModeration literature and theories of technology acceptance, Information Systems success (IS) models, and constructs from the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to create a theoretical framework that integrates constructs identified from the different literature streams to evaluate an eModeration system's user experience. A Design Science Research (DSR) approach guided the design, development, and evaluation of an eModeration evaluation framework. A Participatory Action Design Research (PADRE) approach was used to position the user within the iterative DSR cycles as a means of knowledge acquisition. Participatory Design (PD) was positioned as a data collection strategy during requirements gathering and the generation of design ideas for an eModeration prototype system. Qualitative and quantitative data collection was used to record perceptions of individuals interacting with the prototype. The theoretical contribution is the literature-based framework underpinning this study. This theoretical framework was used as input in determining the components of an eModeration evaluation framework, which is the main contribution of this study. This research has practical value in guiding the design of evaluation criteria for the user experience of an eModeration system for implementation in secondary schools.School of ComputingD. Phil. (Information Systems

A context-aware model to improve usability of information presented on mobile devices

Online information access on mobile devices is increasing as a result of the growth in the use of Internet-enabled handheld (or pocket-size) devices. The combined influence of recent enabling technologies such as Web 2.0, mobile app stores and improved wireless networks have driven the increase in online applications that allow users to access various types of information on mobile devices regardless of time and location. Examples of such applications (usually shortened to app) include: social media, such as FacebookTM App and TwitterTM App, banking applications such as (Standard Bank South Africa)TM Mobile Banking App and First National Bank (FNB) BankingTM App, and news application such as news 24TM App and BBCTM News App. Online businesses involved in buying, selling and business transaction processing activities via the Internet have exploited the opportunity to extend electronic commerce (e-commerce) initiatives into mobile commerce (m-commerce). Online businesses that interact with end user customers implement business to consumer (B2C) m-commerce applications that enable customers to access and browse product catalogue information on mobile devices, anytime, anywhere. Customers accessing electronic product catalogue information on a mobile device face a number of challenges such as a long list of products presented on a small screen and a longer information download time. These challenges mainly originate from the limiting and dynamic nature of the mobile apps operating environment, for example, dynamic location, bandwidth fluctuations and, diverse and limited device features, collectively referred to as context. The goal of this research was to design and implement a context-aware model that can be incorporated into an m-commerce application in order to improve the presentation of product catalogue information on m-commerce storefronts. The motivation for selecting product catalogue is prompted by literature which indicates that improved presentation of information in m-commerce (and e-commerce) applications has a positive impact on usability of the websites. Usable m-commerce (and e-commerce) websites improve efficiency in consumer behaviour that impacts sales, profits and business growth. The context-aware model aimed at collecting context information within the user environment and utilising it to determine optimal retrieval and presentation of product catalogue in m-commerce. An integrated logical context sensor and Mathematical algorithms were implemented in the context-aware model. The integrated logical context sensor was responsible for the collection of different types of predetermined context information such as device specification or capabilities, connection bandwidth, location and time of the day as well as the user profile. The algorithms transformed the collected context information into usable formats and enabled optimal retrieval and presentation of product catalogue data on a specific mobile device. Open-source implementation tools were utilised to implement components of the model including: HTML5, PhP, JavaScript and MySQL database. The context-aware model was incorporated into an existing m-commerce application. Two user evaluation studies were conducted during the course of the research. The first evaluation was to evaluate the accuracy of information collected by the context sensor component of the model. This survey was conducted with a sample of 30 users from different countries across the world. In-between the context sensor and main evaluation surveys, a pilot study was conducted with a sample of 19 users with great experience in mobile application development and use from SAP Next Business and Technology, Africa. Finally an overall user evaluation study was conducted with a sample of 30 users from a remote area called Kgautswane in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The results obtained indicate that the context-aware model was able to determine accurate context information in real-time and effectively determine how much product information should be retrieved and how the information should be presented on a mobile device interface. Two main contributions emerged from the research, first the research contributed to the field of mobile Human Computer Interaction. During the research, techniques of evaluating and improving usability of mobile applications were demonstrated. Secondly, the research made a significant contribution to the upcoming field of context-aware computing. The research brought clarity with regard to context-aware computing which is lacking in existing, current research despite the field’s proven impact of improving usability of applications. Researchers can utilise contributions made in this research to develop further techniques and usable context-aware solutions