Survey of Aviation Technical Manuals, Phase 2 Report: User Evaluation of Maintenance Documents

This report contains the results from Phase 2 of a 3-phase research effort. Phase 1 (Human Factors Survey of Aviation Technical Manuals Phase 1 Report: Manual Development Procedures) of this research effort surveyed the procedures used by five manufacturers to develop maintenance documentation. Several potential human factors issues were identified in the development processes employed by these manufacturers. They included the reactive rather than proactive use of user evaluations, the limited use of user input and procedure validation, no systematic attempts to track error, and the lack of standards for measuring document quality. In Phase 2, a written survey was used to solicit information about user perception of errors in current manuals, manual usage rates, and general manual quality. On-site interviews of technicians were also conducted to gather feedback about the types of problems encountered with manuals, the associated impact, and suggestions for improving manuals. Feedback was obtained from technicians responsible for maintenance on a wide variety of Federal Aviation Regulations, Part 25 aircraft. Survey results revealed that, although user evaluations of the accuracy and quality of technical manuals are generally good, they rate manuals as having poor usability. Comparing the results of Phase 1 to the Phase 2 results supports the need for a higher level of user involvement during the document development process

Gaming and Buying on the Go: Purchasing Behavior in Mobile Gaming

Most mobile games are free-to-play (F2P) which means that the game is free to acquire and that the player has access to the main features of the game. F2P games typically generate revenue with microtransactions, a purchase within a game to get features, virtual goods, functions, or other in-game content (Lin & Sun, 2011). Mobile games may use dark patterns, or design mechanics that can cause negative experiences to encourage players to spend money in games (Zagal, Bjork, & Lewis, 2013). This research seeks to gain a greater understanding of purchasing behavior of mobile video game players. Participants played a mobile game over a two-week period and completed daily diaries about their experience as well as purchases within the game. Qualitative feedback from participants indicated that initial impressions of the game were positive. Participants that purchased within the game they played tended to buy characters or in-game items that made characters stronger. All participants mentioned the games they played having “grinding” or completing repetitive tasks to extend the game’s duration. Outcomes of this research contribute to a greater understanding of the user experience of mobile games and how game design mechanics affect player experience and purchasing behavior. References: Lin, H., & Sun, C. T. (2011). Cash trade in free-to-play online games. Games and Culture, 6(3), 270-287. Zagal, J. P., Björk, S., & Lewis, C. (2013). Dark patterns in the design of games. In Foundations of Digital Games 2013

Using Sunflower Plots and Classification Trees to Study Typeface Legibility

This article describes the application of sunflower plots and classification trees to the study of onscreen typeface legibility. The two methods are useful for describing high-dimensional data in an intuitive manner, which is crucial for interacting with both the typographers who design the typefaces and the practitioners who must make decisions about which typeface to use for specific applications. Furthermore, classification trees help us make specific recommendations for how much of a character attribute is “enough” to make it legible. We present examples of sunflower plots and classification trees using data from a recent typeface legibility experiment, and we present R code for replicating our analyses. Some familiarity with classification trees and logistic regression will be helpful to the reader

Developing a Peer Mentorship Program in Human Factors Academia

Peer mentorship programs that pair more experienced students (i.e., mentors) with less experienced students (i.e., mentees) can have an effective, positive impact on university students’ personal, academic, and professional outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process and lessons learned in the creation of a peer mentorship program in a Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) academic department. Through a combination of peer networking opportunities and skill development workshops, the mentorship program outlined in this paper aims to promote students’ academic and professional growth. Take-aways that can be utilized by other HF/E academia departments interested in starting or revamping their own peer mentorship programs are included

The Challenges of Evaluating the Usability of Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented reality (AR) is a new and emerging technology that could benefit from evaluating its usability to better the user’s experience with the device or application. This is often done through usability testing and heuristic evaluations. However, AR technology presents some challenges when completing these usability evaluations. Practitioners need to keep in mind the hardware limitations of AR devices that may not be present with other computerized technology, consistency of the users’ environment plays a larger role in the AR experience, recognize that a novelty effect may occur and affect subjective scores, and choose heuristic sets that will best evaluate AR applications. Practitioners need to be aware of these challenges and overcome them to accurately assess the usability of these products to gain insights about what should be changed to make the overall experience with the product better

STAR: A Computerized Tutorial in General Psychology

This study investigated the use of a computerized tutorial--Self-Test and Review (STAR)--in a computer-managed general psychology course. STAR consists of four major modules which provide the student with a variety of learning exercises, including practice quizzes, practice final exams, performance reviews, and structured study questions. The purpose of the study was to determine whether students would choose STAR as a study tool, the effect of lecture versus self-paced settings on the use of STAR, whether students who used STAR would perform better than those who did not, and the effect of the timing of feedback in STAR on performance. Students were enrolled in either a lecture or self-paced setting. Students in lecture sections met in the classroom for a traditional lecture, discussion, and classroom activities. Students in self-paced sections met in a computer-managed testing center. Analyses of data on course performance and STAR usage indicate that: (1) 49% of the 1,136 subjects used STAR; (2) lecture versus self-paced settings did not affect the use of STAR; (3) the timing of feedback did not have an impact on performance; and (4) students who used the STAR tutorial performed well in the course and, as a whole, better than those students who did not use the tutorial. It is concluded that, while the results were generally positive, the findings of the study create other research questions concerning the impact of modification of lecture settings, the impact of STAR tutorials in other course formats, and the ways in which STAR influences student comprehension

Perception of fonts: Perceived personality traits and uses

Often credited with creating first impressions, fonts are typically classified according to unique typographical features (serif, sans serif, etc) and overall appearance. The combination of appearance and typographical features often lead graphic artists and typographers to describe typefaces using personality traits (.less cuddly, more assertive, Berry, 2004). In a BBC audio program (Peacock, 2005), fonts were depicted as feminine and masculine, among other traits. Feminine fonts were described as fine, serifed, sleek, and elegant; masculine fonts were characterized as being blocky and bold. This study sought to determine if certain personalities and uses are associated with various fonts. Using an online survey, participants rated the personality of 20 fonts using 15 adjective pairs. In addition, participants viewed the same 20 fonts and selected which uses were most appropriate. Results suggested that personality traits are indeed attributed to fonts based on their design family (Serif, Sans-Serif, Modern, Monospace, Script/Funny) and are associated with appropriate uses. Implications of these results to the design of online materials and websites are discussed

Up in the Air: A Human Factors Approach to Enhancing eVTOL Passenger Experience

Although electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles are an emerging mode of transportation, current research indicates that the general public may be unwilling to ride in them due to unfamiliarity and uncertainty about their trust in the technology. This research aimed to better understand potential passenger concerns as well as the factors related to eVTOL design and ride journey that contribute to people’s willingness to ride in them. Understanding these human factors considerations are crucial for addressing issues surrounding the end-to-end passenger experience. Passenger safety, comfort, and acceptance were identified as important areas that influence users’ experience. These areas informed the development of our low-fidelity conceptual designs of physical (e.g., electrochromic windows, ultraviolet light self-cleaning cabin, etc.) and digital (e.g., user-facing mobile app, in-vehicle displays, etc.) solutions. To gauge people’s opinions on these solutions, Embry-Riddle students were asked to participate in questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and user testing. Findings from data analysis informed a second iteration of our designs. This research highlights the importance of considering human factors in the design of eVTOLs to enhance passenger safety, comfort, and acceptance, ultimately facilitating the widespread adoption of this new mode of transportation

Gameplay in Mixed Reality: How It Differs from Mobile Gameplay

With the growing demand for the use and applications of modern extended reality (XR) technology, recent studies have investigated the user experience of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for gaming purposes. Despite AR’s and VR’s pervasiveness in the video game industry, research studies into the effects of mixed reality (MR) on video game experience are scarce. Consequently, this study examines the impact of MR on video game satisfaction. Participants will play the same strategy video game across two gaming platforms, including an MR head-mounted display, the Magic Leap 1, and a mobile device. A short version of the psychometrically validated Game User Experience Satisfaction Scale (GUESS-18), which consists of nine constructs, and the Enjoyment Scale (ENJOY) will be used to measure video game satisfaction and enjoyment, respectively. Furthermore, we will then analyze the correlation between satisfaction, enjoyment, and performance in each platform. Results will demonstrate the impact of MR for gameplay on user satisfaction and performance when compared to mobile gameplay. Additionally, the potential of future video games in mixed reality environments will be discussed