The relationship between visual interface aesthetics, task performance, and preference

The purpose of this thesis was to develop a conceptual framework that shows the relationship between aesthetics, performance, and preference in computer interface design. To investigate this relationship, the thesis focused on investigating the effect of layout aesthetics on visual search performance and preference. This thesis begins with a literature review of related work followed by the rationale for conducting this research, in particular, defining what it meant by visual aesthetics in the context of interface design. Chapter 4 focused on investigating the effect of layout aesthetics on performance and preference. The results show that response time performance and preference increased with increasing aesthetic level. Preference and performance were found to be highly correlated. Chapter 5 focused on investigating users’ layout preference when they were not involved with a performance-based task. The results showed, surprisingly, that preference was highest with a “moderate” level of layout aesthetics and lowest with “high” and “low” levels of aesthetics. Chapter 6 focused on investigating visual effort by measuring eye movement pattern during task performance. The results showed that visual effort increased with a decreasing level of aesthetics. Chapter 7 extended the experiment in Chapter 4 using more “ecologically valid” stimuli. The results essentially replicated the results produced in Chapter 4. Chapter 8 focused on investigating the relationship between so-called “classical” aesthetics and background “expressive” aesthetics. The results showed that task performance using classical aesthetics was highest with high and low levels of aesthetics and worst with medium levels of aesthetics. Performance with expressive aesthetics increased with decreasing aesthetic levels. This thesis concludes with a conceptual framework for aesthetic design to help interface designers design interfaces that look aesthetically pleasing while at the same time supporting good task performance

The relationship between students' learning preferences and multimedia presentation preference

As our country is moving into a knowledge-based economy, the challenge today for educators is how to create and utilize computer-mediated technologies for enhanced learning process. However, there is still little evidence that supports computer-mediated technologies in Malaysian education. Thus, this study intended to examine the relationship between students’ learning preferences and the use of multimedia presentation graphics in the classroom atmosphere. There are number of studies that have been carried out on the use of multimedia elements in teaching but only a few studies have explored the link between students’ learning preferences and computer-mediate technology. The study was done based on Students Learning Preferences (VAK Inventory/Visual-Auditory-Kinetics Inventory) and Multimedia Presentation Graphics Scale (MPG). The participants of this study were students from two major courses namely Fundamental Multimedia taken by students majoring in multimedia and e-commerce, and World Wide Web (WWW) Technology courses taken as a minor subject for finance students. These participants consist of 286 students from 1st year students to 4th year students. The findings show that in some cases, that our participants indeed enjoyed the use of computer-mediated graphics in their class, whereas in other cases found that it was the use of computer-mediated graphics in business courses taught with computers, draws little participation from the students. In conclusion, the existing computer-mediated presentation graphic has inadvertently created an innovative way to learning, as well as enhancing students’ understanding on the subject being taught. Thus, this study aimed to provide the basic understanding of harmonizing computer-mediated graphic into business courses in general

The challenges of e-commerce application among SMEs in West Coast of Sabah: A preliminary study

This article investigates the challenges related to social, technological, and investment issues of e-commerce application among small-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in west coast of Sabah. The result of these study stressed that the application of e-commerce are very important and need to be implemented widely especially in Sabah to make it more competitive and creative in order to compete in global market

Predicting aesthetic preferences: does the Big-Five matters?

User experience is imperative for the success of interactive products. User experience is notably affected by user preferences; the higher the preference, the better the user experience. The way users develop their preferences are closely related to personality traits. However, there is a void in understanding the association between personality traits and aesthetic dimensions that may potentially explain how users develop their preferences. This paper examines the relationship between the Big-Five personality traits (Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism) and the two dimensions of aesthetics (classical aesthetics, expressive aesthetics). Two hundred twenty participants completed the Big-Five questionnaire and rated their preference for each of the ten images of web pages on a 7- point Likert scale. Results show Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism were not significantly correlated with aesthetic dimensions. Only Agreeableness showed a significant correlation (although weakly) with both classical and expressive aesthetics. The finding conforms to literature that personality traits have influence on the preference of individual design features in lieu of aesthetic dimensions. In other words, personality traits are inapt predictor of aesthetic dimension. Therefore, more studies are needed to explore other factors that potentially help to predict aesthetic dimensions

Computer Hardware Asset Management System for UUM Computer Centre

Computer hardware asset management system is essential for every organization. However, there still a situation where the computer hardware asset is not well manages. This circumstances cause the computer assets are not fully optimized by the orgamzation. The aim of this project is to develop a prototype system which able to manage the computer hardware assets, so that the assets are well distributed, well manage, and fully utilized and optimized by the organization. This project developed using the Object Modeling Technique (OMT) methodology by Rumbaugh et al. (1991). OMT consists of five (5) main phases; analysis phase, object design, system design, implementation, and testing. The system was developed using the PowerDynamo programming language together with Sybase Adaptive Anywhere (ASA) as it database. The benefits of this system can be seen in term of administrative site and user site (department). For the administrator, this system assists them to manage, access, and updating data such as requisition, acquisition, inventory, distribution, maintenance, and computer disposal. In term of user, they can deal with the administrator through online, for example the can make requisition through online, sending information on the current user and location of the computer in the department also through online. Shortly, this system is able to manage the computer asset more effective

Preference ranking of screen layout principles

This paper presents the results of a study on the preference ranking of six layout principles (Cohesion, Economy, Regularity, Sequence, Symmetry, and Unity). Preference judgments were conducted using a forced-choice paired comparisons method. The findings of the present study indicate that, contrary to suggestions in previous literature, an interface was most preferred when it found that the layout principles of Symmetry and Cohesion were more influential than the other layout principles. Further research is needed to identify other aesthetics factors which might influence preferences, and establish appropriate design guideline

Exploring Important Factors in Predicting Heart Disease Based on Ensemble- Extra Feature Selection Approach

Heart disease is a significant and impactful health condition that ranks as the leading cause of death in many countries. In order to aid physicians in diagnosing cardiovascular diseases, clinical datasets are available for reference. However, with the rise of big data and medical datasets, it has become increasingly challenging for medical practitioners to accurately predict heart disease due to the abundance of unrelated and redundant features that hinder computational complexity and accuracy. As such, this study aims to identify the most discriminative features within high-dimensional datasets while minimizing complexity and improving accuracy through an Extra Tree feature selection based technique. The work study assesses the efficacy of several classification algorithms on four reputable datasets, using both the full features set and the reduced features subset selected through the proposed method. The results show that the feature selection technique achieves outstanding classification accuracy, precision, and recall, with an impressive 97% accuracy when used with the Extra Tree classifier algorithm. The research reveals the promising potential of the feature selection method for improving classifier accuracy by focusing on the most informative features and simultaneously decreasing computational burden

Learn programming framework for Malaysian preschoolers

Learning computer programming is a good way to develop Computational Thinking, but many students assumed that computer programming is a complicated subject, which leads toward their disinterest in computer science. We believe that this assumption can be overcome if the students were introduced to the concept of programming earlier during preschool years. The best programming method for children to learn programming is the tangible programming method but current Malaysian preschool syllabus does not contain a framework for preschoolers to learn tangible programming. This paper introduces the developmentally-appropriate Learn Programming Framework (LPF) for preschoolers to learn programming concepts. The structured syllabus in LPF involves a series of controlled-play activities to be used with the novel tangible board game. Once the framework has been successfully implemented, extensive evaluation of LPF will be done to test its effectiveness in teaching children about programmin

MEDIA STIMULI OF EMOTION RECOGNITION: A STATE-OF-THE-ART REVIEW OF CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGY

Emotion identification has received a lot of interest in recent years, with applications in mental health, education, and marketing. This systematic literature review aimed to provide an up-to-date overview of trends and technological advancements in the use of media stimuli for emotion recognition. A comprehensive search yielded 720 relevant studies from 2018 to 2023, which employed various media stimuli to induce and measure emotional responses. The main findings indicate that audios and videos are the most used media stimuli for emotion recognition. However, there is a growing trend toward exploring other forms of media, such as physiological signals and wearables. This review highlights the varying ecological validity of different stimulus types and emphasizes the potential of virtual reality for more objective emotion recognition. These findings offer valuable insights for future research and practical applications in the field by synthesizing knowledge to inform advancements in media stimuli for emotion recognition. [JJCIT 2023; 9(4.000): 294-307