A comparative study of state-of-the-art linked data visualization tools

Data visualization tools are of great importance for the exploration and the analysis of Linked Data (LD) datasets. Such tools allow users to get an overview, understand content, and discover interesting insights of a dataset. Visualization approaches vary according to the domain, the type of data, the task that the user is trying to perform, as well as the skills of the user. Thus, the study of the capabilities that each approach offers is crucial in supporting users to select the proper tool/technique based on their need. In this paper we present a comparative study of the state-of-the-art LD visualization tools over a list of fundamental use cases. First, we define 16 use cases that are representative in the setting of LD visual exploration, examining several tool's aspects; e.g., functionality capabilities, feature richness. Then, we evaluate these use cases over 10 LD visualization tools, examining: (1) if the tools have the required functionality for the tasks; and (2) if they allow the successful completion of the tasks over the DBpedia dataset. Finally, we discuss the insights derived from the evaluation, and we point out possible future directions

BESDUI: A Benchmark for End-User Structured Data User Interfaces

The Semantic Web Community has invested significant research efforts in developing systems for Semantic Web search and exploration. But while it has been easy to assess the systems’ computational efficiency, it has been much harder to assess how well different semantic systems’ user interfaces help their users. In this article, we propose and demonstrate the use of a benchmark for evaluating such user interfaces, similar to the TREC benchmark for evaluating traditional search engines. Our benchmark includes a set of typical user tasks and a well-defined procedure for assigning a measure of performance on those tasks to a semantic system. We demonstrate its application to two such system, Virtuoso and Rhizomer. We intend for this work to initiate a community conversation that will lead to a generally accepted framework for comparing systems and for measuring, and thus encouraging, progress towards better semantic search and exploration tools

La evaluación de la usabilidad de un sistema de memoria de traducción

L'ús d'eines de traducció assistida per ordinador en les classes de traducció s'ha convertit en una pràctica comuna des de fa poc més d'una dècada. Amb tot, per als estudiants actuals, els anomenats ?nadius digitals?, l'experiència d'aprenentatge amb aquesta mena de programari està lluny de ser senzilla. Això ens va portar a preguntar-nos per les actituds reals dels estudiants respecte a la usabilitat d'aquesta mena de programari. Aquest treball presenta una avaluació de la usabilitat des del punt de vista de l'usuari final d'una memòria de traducció líder en el mercat. Més concretament, l'objectiu de l'estudi era avaluar la percepció d'usabilitat dels estudiants. Per a això, al final de dos cursos acadèmics, 95 estudiants d'últim curs van emplenar el qüestionari Programari Usability Measurement Inventory, que es considera un mètode de referència per a avaluar la usabilitat d'un producte de programari. Mesura cinc escales, això és, Eficiència, Afecte, Utilitat, Control i Aprenentatge. L'anàlisi dels resultats obtinguts mostra que l'opinió dels estudiants sobre la usabilitat global de l'eina avaluada està dins de la mitjana, però no tant respecte a l'escala Aprenentatge, que és la pitjor valorada. L'única escala per damunt de la mitjana va ser Afecte. Aquests resultats mostren que es necessita fer major èmfasi en el disseny de l'eina avaluada perquè s'adapte a les necessitats reals dels seus usuaris i millorar, d'aquesta manera, el coneixement tecnològic dels nostres estudiants de traducció

Using SWET-QUM to Compare the Quality in Use of Semantic Web Exploration Tools

In order to make Semantic Web tools more appealing to lay-users, a key factor is their Quality in Use, the quality of the user experience when interacting with them. To assess and motivate the improvement of the quality in use, it is necessary to have a quality model that guides its evaluation and facilitates comparability. The proposal is based on the international standard ISO/IEC 25010:2011 and focuses on Semantic Web exploration tools, those that make it possible for lay-users to browse and visualise it. The model is applied to compare the three main Semantic Web exploration tools that feature facets and the pivoting operation. The analysis assesses that the work being carried out with one of them, as part of a User-Centred Development process with iterative user evaluations, outperforms the other two tools