A Load of Cobbler’s Children: Beyond the Model Designing Processor

HCI has developed rich understandings of people at work and at play with technology: most people that is, except designers, who remain locked in the information processing paradigm of first wave HCI. Design methods are validated as if they were computer programs, expected to produce the same results on a range of architectures and hardware. Unfortunately, designers are people, and thus interfere substantially (generally to good effects) with the ‘code’ of design methods. We need to rethink the evaluation and design of design and evaluation methods in HCI. A logocentric proposal based on resource function vocabularies is presented

A model-based framework for classifying and diagnosing usability problems

A great deal of study has been devoted to the problem of how to identify and categorize usability problems; however, there is still a lack of studies dealing with the problem of how to diagnose the causes of usability problems and how to feed them back into design process. The value of classifying usability problems can be enhanced when they are interpreted in connection with design process and activities. Thus, it is necessary to develop a systematic way of diagnosing usability problems in terms of design aspects and applying diagnosis results to improve design process and activities. With this issue in mind, this paper proposes a conceptual framework that supports a systematic classification and diagnosis of usability problems. This paper firstly reviews seven approaches to classifying usability problems. Then, we point out the needs of adopting a model-based approach to classifying and diagnosing usability problems and of developing a comprehensive framework guiding the use of model-based approaches. We then propose a conceptual framework that specifies how a model-based classification and diagnosis of usability problems should be conducted and suggests the combined use of three different types of models, each of which addresses context of use, design knowledge and design activities. Last, we explain how a sound classification scheme of usability problems can be systematically developed, and how the classification of usability problems can be connected to design process and activities on the basis of the framework

Xplain: an Editor for building Self-Explanatory User Interfaces by Model-Driven Engineering

International audienceModern User Interfaces (UI) must deal with the increasing complexity of applications in terms of functionality as well as new properties as plasticity. The plasticity of a UI denotes its capacity of adaptation to the context of use while preserving its quality. The efforts in plasticity have focused on the (meta) modeling of the UI, but the quality remains uncovered. This paper describes an on-going research that studies a method to develop Self-Explanatory User Interfaces as well as an editor that implements this method. Self-explanation makes reference to the capacity of a UI to provide the end-user with information about its rationale (which is the purpose of the UI), its design rationale (why is the UI structured into this set of workspaces?, what's the purpose of this button?), its current state (why is the menu disabled?) as well as the evolution of the state (how can I enable this feature?). Explanations are provided by embedded models

An analytical inspection framework for evaluating the search tactics and user profiles supported by information seeking interfaces

Searching is something we do everyday both in digital and physical environments. Whether we are searching for books in a library or information on the web, search is becoming increasingly important. For many years, however, the standard for search in software has been to provide a keyword search box that has, over time, been embellished with query suggestions, Boolean operators, and interactive feedback. More recent research has focused on designing search interfaces that better support exploration and learning. Consequently, the aim of this research has been to develop a framework that can reveal to designers how well their search interfaces support different styles of searching behaviour.The primary contribution of this research has been to develop a usability evaluation method, in the form of a lightweight analytical inspection framework, that can assess both search designs and fully implemented systems. The framework, called Sii, provides three types of analyses: 1) an analysis of the amount of support the different features of a design provide; 2) an analysis of the amount of support provided for 32 known search tactics; and 3) an analysis of the amount of support provided for 16 different searcher profiles, such as those who are finding, browsing, exploring, and learning. The design of the framework was validated by six independent judges, and the results were positively correlated against the results of empirical user studies. Further, early investigations showed that Sii has a learning curve that begins at around one and a half hours, and, when using identical analysis results, different evaluators produce similar design revisions.For Search experts, building interfaces for their systems, Sii provides a Human-Computer Interaction evaluation method that addresses searcher needs rather than system optimisation. For Human-Computer Interaction experts, designing novel interfaces that provide search functions, Sii provides the opportunity to assess designs using the knowledge and theories generated by the Information Seeking community. While the research reported here is under controlled environments, future work is planned that will investigate the use of Sii by independent practitioners on their own projects

Hybrid books for interactive digital storytelling : connecting story entities and emotions to smart environments

Nowadays, many people use e-books, having high expectations regarding their reading experience. In the case of digital storytelling, enhanced e-books can connect story entities and emotions to real-world elements. In this paper, we present the novel concept of a Hybrid Book, a generic Interactive Digital Narrative (IDN) artifact that requires seamless collaboration between content and smart devices. To that end, we extract data from a story and broadcast these data in RDF as Linked Data. Smart devices can then receive and process these data in order to execute corresponding actions. By following open standards, a Hybrid Book can also be seen as an interoperable and sustainable IDN artifact. Furthermore, according to our user-based evaluation, a Hybrid Book makes it possible to provide human sensible feedback while flipping pages, enabling a more enjoyable reading experience. Finally, the participants positive willingness to pay makes it possible to generate more revenue for publishers

Responsive Open Learning Environments: Outcomes of Research from the ROLE Project

This book presents the outcomes of four years of educational research in the EU-supported project called ROLE (Responsive Online Learning Environments). ROLE technology is centered around the concept of self-regulated learning that creates responsible learners, who are capable of critical thinking and able to plan their own learning processes. ROLE allows learners to independently search for appropriate learning resources and then reflect on their own learning process and progress. To accomplish this, ROLE´s main objective is to support the development of open personal learning environments (PLE's). ROLE provides a framework consisting of “enabler spaces” on the one hand and tools, content, and services on the other. Utilizing this framework, learners are invited to create their own controlled and preferred learning environments to trigger and motivate self-regulated learning. Authors of this book are researchers, developers and teachers who have worked in the ROLE project and belong to the ROLE partner consortium consisting of 16 internationally renowned research institutions, including those from 6 EU countries and China. Chapters include numerous practical tutorials to guide the reader in creating innovative and useful learning widgets and present the best practices for the development of PLE's

Avaliação de um sistema com base em corpus para a pesquisa, ensino e prática da tradução sob as perspectivas da ergonomia e usabilidade

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Estudos de Tradução, Florianópolis, 2016.Este trabalho tem por objetivo principal avaliar um sistema de tradução com base em corpus, denominado COPA-TRAD, sob a perspectiva do usuário (pesquisador, tradutor, estudante ? da área de tradução), considerando características de usabilidade e ergonomia cognitiva. A intenção é compreender como se dá a interação dos usuários com o software investigado, visto o crescimento em nível de complexidade e diversidade das tecnologias de tradução com base em corpus, e a pouca atenção empregada às recomendações da área de interação humano-computador (IHC). A pesquisa foi dividida em etapas distintas: primeiramente as conversas informais com os participantes da pesquisa, e seguidas pela aplicação de um questionário de usabilidade. Ademais, foram conduzidas a avaliação heurística; a inspeção ergonômica por meio de listas de verificação; e, por último, a avaliação comparativa entre sistemas. A partir da análise dos resultados, constatou-se que apesar da preocupação com a experiência do usuário, o sistema investigado apresentou alguns problemas relacionados à usabilidade, sendo que não fez uso de métodos de usabilidade e ergonomia conhecidos, seja durante o desenvolvimento ou após a conclusão do software. Por fim, o estudo apontou direções em que um sistema de análise de corpus possa ser adaptado às necessidades do usuário, e ainda identificou alguns dos itens que requerem melhorias. Acredita-se que a contribuição metodológica venha a fomentar um melhor desenvolvimento de sistemas e/ou ferramentas para pesquisa, ensino e prática de tradução, assim como promover mais discussões sobre o tema.Abstract : This study evaluates a corpus-based translation system, called COPA-TRAD, from the user's perspective (Translation Studies researcher, translator or student), addressing usability and cognitive ergonomics characteristics. We expect to get a better understanding of the interaction between the user and the analyzed software, due to the growing complexity and diversity of corpus-based translation technologies that do not take into consideration human-computer interaction (HCI) recommendations yet. The proposed study is composed of distinct stages: first, informal conversations with the participants, second, administration of a usability questionnaire to all parties, third, a heuristic evaluation; ergonomics checklist inspection; and, finally, a comparative analysis. Data analysis has shown that despite the explicit concern on user experience, the analyzed system presented some issues related to usability, and had not made use of known ergonomics and usability methods, either during development or after software delivery. Lastly, the study points out directions on which a corpus analysis system can be adapted to user needs, and indicates some features that require improvement. We believe that the methodological contribution will foster a better development of systems and tools for research, teaching, and practice of translation, as well as, promote further discussion on the topic