Fit and appropriation model for training:an action research study to advance mobile technology training in police forces

As police forces are information intensive organisations, the use of advanced Information Systems in policing has led to the transformation of the social and the organisational life in forces. Nevertheless, the results of a pilot study conducted after four years of the roll out of mobile Kelvin devices in a medium-sized Constabulary in the UK have revealed officers’ resistance to using the full range of functionalities offered by these devices. The Kelvin devices’ initial training did not accommodate for differences in officers’ IT skills, experiences, roles, work contexts and police culture (ensuring the existence of a good-fit between all these factors). Hence, officers were unable to efficiently appropriate the Kelvin devices’ functionalities in different contexts and to various tasks. Therefore, guided by the data collected from the pilot study, a Fit and Appropriation Model for training (FAMT) is posited. FAMT aims to rectify the causes of officers’ resistance by not only creating a learning environment that bridges the gap in technical knowledge and skills but also enables learners to use their work experiences to link technology features to various tasks and contexts. The impact of using FAMT on the learning process sheds light on the key deteriminants of delivering effective technology training in organisations. The findings of the study delineate fundamental super-user’ characteristics and police culture aspects that can influence the learning process during training. Furthermore, the study highlights the significant role of providing IT support during technology training. This role should not be underestimated by mangers as it impacts profoundly on the effectiveness of female learners’ technology sense-making. Besides, incorporating collaborative training methods into FAMT have enhanced learners’ ability to extend the use of features to different contexts. Therefore, using FAMT has been perceived by officers as an effective training method that facilitates a personalised technology training and extends their knowledge about useful features in their Kelvin devices

Designing Chatbots for Crises: A Case Study Contrasting Potential and Reality

Chatbots are becoming ubiquitous technologies, and their popularity and adoption are rapidly spreading. The potential of chatbots in engaging people with digital services is fully recognised. However, the reputation of this technology with regards to usefulness and real impact remains rather questionable. Studies that evaluate how people perceive and utilise chatbots are generally lacking. During the last Kenyan elections, we deployed a chatbot on Facebook Messenger to help people submit reports of violence and misconduct experienced in the polling stations. Even though the chatbot was visited by more than 3,000 times, there was a clear mismatch between the users’ perception of the technology and its design. In this paper, we analyse the user interactions and content generated through this application and discuss the challenges and directions for designing more effective chatbots

User Review Analysis of Mobile English Vocabulary Learning

More and more language learners today rely on mobile assisted vocabulary learning to expand their grasp of words. Against this background, reviews left by target users are impactful in a language learning app market because online reviews play roles as a decision-making tool used by prospects before committing to any service provider and as a channel through which a mobile app developer understand users’ current expectations and their using and learning experience in depth. The aim of this study is to explore the issues users concern the most in app-based vocabulary learning and provide suggestions to mobile app developers, hoping they leverage the advice to perfect apps’ performance and gain a competitive edge in a booming app market

The Effect of Device When Using Smartphones and Computers to Answer Multiple-Choice and Open-Response Questions in Distance Education

Traditionally in higher education, online courses have been designed for computer users. However, the advent of mobile learning (m-learning) and the proliferation of smartphones have created two challenges for online students and instructional designers. First, instruction designed for a larger computer screen often loses its effectiveness when displayed on a smaller smartphone screen. Second, requiring students to write remains a hallmark of higher education, but miniature keyboards might restrict how thoroughly smartphone users respond to open- response test questions. The present study addressed both challenges by featuring m-learning’s greatest strength (multimedia) and by investigating its greatest weakness (text input). The purpose of the current study was to extend previous research associated with m- learning. The first goal was to determine the effect of device (computer vs. smartphone) on performance when answering multiple-choice and open-response questions. The second goal was to determine whether computers and smartphones would receive significantly different usability ratings when used by participants to answer multiple-choice and open-response questions. The construct of usability was defined as a composite score based on ratings of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. This comparative study used a between-subjects, posttest, experimental design. The study randomly assigned 70 adults to either the computer treatment group or the smartphone treatment group. Both treatment groups received the same narrated multimedia lesson on how a solar cell works. Participants accessed the lesson using either their personal computers (computer treatment group) or their personal smartphones (smartphone treatment group) at the time and location of their choice. After viewing the multimedia lesson, all participants answered the same multiple-choice and open-response posttest questions. In the current study, computer users and smartphone users had no significant difference in their scores on multiple-choice recall questions. On open-response questions, smartphone users performed better than predicted, which resulted in no significant difference between scores of the two treatment groups. Regarding usability, participants gave computers and smartphones high usability ratings when answering multiple-choice items. However, for answering open-response items, smartphones received significantly lower usability ratings than computers

Multimodal access to social media services

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto, Microsoft Language Development Center. 201

Assessing user preferences for eReaders and tablets

Journal ArticleLibrarians purchased twelve ereaders and six tablets to provide patrons the opportunity to experiment with the latest mobile technologies. After several train the trainer sessions, librarians shared device information with the broader health sciences community. Devices were cataloged and made available for two-week checkout. A limited number of books and apps were pre-loaded for all the devices and patrons were allowed to download their own content. Each tablet has Google Books, iBooks, Kindle, and Nook apps available to allow choice in reading ebooks. Upon return, patrons were asked to complete a ten question survey to determine preferences for device use

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

The functions of visual management

Visual Management has been evolving and effectively employed in some manufacturing and service organisations for a long time. In order to facilitate a cross-industrial learning process and to advance in detailed research the understanding of how the Visual Management concept may serve in an organisation is necessary. The aim of this paper is to identify Visual Management functions and the theoretical base for the construction industry. A detailed literature review and an analysis of the findings were performed accordingly. The necessity of a holistic approach in order to make more use of the Visual Management process and some research opportunities were identified