Mobile application for utility domains

This research, a collaboration between MIT and ABB/Ventyx, is focused on the development of a mobile interface for field workers in power repair settings and field service delivery. A Human Systems Engineering (HSE) approach of Plan, Analyze, and Design was utilized to develop the interface, which included a Hybrid Cognitive Task Analysis (hCTA) that identified requirements for the envisioned interface. This paper overviews the results of the HSE process and presents a preliminary design for the mobile interface that emerged during initial display prototyping.CPS Energy (Firm)DTE Energy CompanyComcast Corporatio

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A SOCIAL NETWORKING SYSTEM FOR STUDENTS INTERACTION

Socialization in the society without doubt aids in boosting the effectiveness of communication. It has indeed strengthened ties between persons. This fact has led to the idea of social network, which has been used to strengthen relationships between members of social systems. It is observed in some higher institutions that dissemination of information between students is usually restricted to the use of mobile communication devices and emails. There may be need to improve the information dissemination strategies in the department which will in turn enhance the flow of communication using additional platforms. This study presents a web-based social networking system for universities, which would support the effectiveness of communication between students within academic department. In developing the system, PHP, HTML and JAVA Script were used to create the web pages dynamically. MySQL database was used as the backend. The web server used was Apache. The system was evaluated using cognitive walkthrough strategy. This system delivers a platform for students to interact, share ideas, transmit important departmental announcements and develop ties and relationships. Activities to boost these include status update, mailing, photo uploads, instant messaging and voice chat. The full deployment of the application in the department would yield desired communication feedback and could even be adapted in different departments of the institution in the nearest future

Aplicação de um cognitive walkthrough: estudo de caso

Esta comunicação é uma tentativa de sistematizar a aplicação de um método de análise de usabilidade: o cognitive walkthrough. Pode então ser utilizada como um tutorial, apresentando um exemplo da aplicação do método a uma situação prática

Auditing the accessibility of MOOCs: a four-component approach

This paper reports the design of a four-component audit to evaluate the accessibility of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The MOOC accessibility audit was designed as part of a research programme at The Open University (UK) that aimed to assess the current state of accessibility of MOOC platforms and resources, to uncover accessibility barriers, and to derive recommendations on how the barriers could be addressed. The audit is composed of four evaluation components: technical accessibility, user experience (UX), quality and learning design. The audit consists of four processes supported by checklists corresponding to each of the four components implemented via a heuristic evaluation approach, an evaluation technique from Human-Computer Interaction literatur

Adapted Cloudlet for Mobile Distance Learning: Design, Prototype and Evaluation

The Open and Distance Learning (ODL) currently operated by some institutions in Nigeria has problems of accessibility from remote locations due to bandwidth and latency issues. To address accessibility problem caused by network delays, cloudlet computing is introduced. With cloudlet technology, distant mobile learners are able to connect to the nearby cloudlet and access the learning content. Instead of relying on a distant cloud with latency issues during access, a nearby cloudlet with rich resources could go a long way to address the resource poverty of a mobile device. This paper presents an architectural design and a prototype implementation of an adapted cloudlet for mobile distance learning. The paper proposes a feature in which the learning content in the cloud or cloudlet platform is adapted to a nearby mobile learner depending on the availability of platform with minimum delays in terms of bandwidth and latency

Cognitive walkthroughs in the evaluation of user interfaces for children

This paper describes a case-study, dealing with the application of the cognitive walkthrough as a method of evaluating an interface built for children. We performed the walkthrough and tested the interface with children aged between 5 and 7 years old. Given our goals and the scope of this study, the cognitive walkthrough proved as a reliable source of indications about usability problems on an interface aimed at children

MOTIVATING EFFECTIVE ICT USERS’ SUPPORT THROUGH AUTOMATED MOBILE EDU-HELPDESK SYSTEM

An automated helpdesk system is meant to eradicate some of the barriers of reaching the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) technical staff to carry out repairs of ICT products and services in an educational institution. The problems faced with the existing ICT user support system include time wasting, difficulty in communication, and slow response to fix ICT related faults. The objective of this study is to develop an Automated Mobile Edu-Helpdesk System (AMES) for effective information dissemination, efficient management of operations and to resolve ICT challenges in higher education. The research methods adopted include unified modelling diagrams for design, Java and XML (Extended Mark-up Language) for Android application development as front end, while Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) was used as the server side programming tool. MySQL database was used as backend. Findings: The findings from the usability survey shows a good usability based on total rating of 4.09 out of 5 point scale. The benefits of the system include creation of a medium for non teaching and teaching staff to pass their complaints or messages to the technical department for speedy attention; and provision of better and faster operational processes which will reduce time spent on documentation. The automated Edu-Helpdesk system is more reliable, effective and convenient than the manual method in reporting cases of faulty ICT product and services within the university community

Digi-Care: Exploring the Impacts of Digitization on Nursing Work in Switzerland

In this paper we present first findings of the Digi-Care project, a multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder research project investigating the impacts of digitization on nursing work practices and in particular the transmission of patient care information within and beyond nursing work practices. We completed the initial data collection of the funded 3-year research project and report on a plethora of significant and critical IT-related events. Some of them can be attributed to usability issues

Rationalising decision-making about risk: a normative approach.

Techniques for determining and applying security decisions typically follow risk-based analytical approaches where alternative options are put forward and weighed in accordance to risk severity metrics based on goals and context. The reasoning or validity behind decision making can, however, prove difficult to determine in conditions characterised by uncertainty stemming from environments with insufficient or incoherent information. This paper approaches the problem by proposing a conceptual model that provides security decision making traceability through auditing decision makers' rationalisation of risk. Additionally, the model highlights the role metacognition plays in identifying and understanding information affordances used for decision making

Construction of a Benchmark for the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ)

Questionnaires are a cheap and highly efficient tool for achieving a quantitative measure of a product’s user experience (UX). However, it is not always easy to decide, if a questionnaire result can really show whether a product satisfies this quality aspect. So a benchmark is useful. It allows comparing the results of one product to a large set of other products. In this paper we describe a benchmark for the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ), a widely used evaluation tool for interactive products. We also describe how the benchmark can be applied to the quality assurance process for concrete projects