Information and interaction requirements for software tools supporting analogical design

AbstractOne mode of creative design is for designers to draw analogies that connect the design domain (e.g., a mechanical device) to some other domain from which inspiration is drawn (e.g., a biological system). The identification and application of analogies can be supported by software tools that store, structure, present, or propose source domain stimuli from which such analogies might be constructed. For these tools to be effective and not impact the design process in negative ways, they must fit well with the information and interaction needs of their users. However, the user requirements for these tools are seldom explicitly discussed. Furthermore, the literature that supports the identification of such requirements is distributed across a number of different domains, including those that address analogical design (especially biomimetics), creativity support tools, and human–computer interaction. The requirements that these literatures propose can be divided into those that relate to the information content that the tools provide (e.g., level of abstraction or mode of representation) and those that relate to the interaction qualities that the tools support (e.g., accessibility or shareability). Examining the relationships between these requirements suggests that tool developers should focus on satisfying the key requirements of open-endedness and accessibility while managing the conflicts between the other requirements. Attention to these requirements and the relationships between them promises to yield analogical design support tools that better permit designers to identify and apply source information in their creative work.Dr Gülşen Töre Yargın' s work was supported by the International Post Doctoral Research Fellowship Programme [BİDEB-2219] from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). Dr Nathan Crilly' s work was supported by an Early Career Fellowship [EP/K008196/1] from the UK s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).This is the accepted manuscript. It will be embargoed until 27/10/2015. The final version is available from CUP at http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9673077&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S089006041500007

Remote UX Research in Unpredictable Times: Takeaways from Early Pandemic Practices

Copyright © 2023–2024, User Experience Professionals Association and the authors The recent global pandemic had shocking impacts on societies and economies worldwide by bringing complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty for extended periods. UX researchers, faced with numerous challenges, were compelled to adapt to emergent conditions through remote research methods. Investigating how some members of the UX research community adapted to the emergency offers valuable insights into how they responded to uncertainty and showed resilience. Therefore, we studied the early practices of UX managers and researchers in Turkey during the first 6 months of the global pandemic under lockdown conditions. Our goal was to understand how UX research and design teams responded to uncertainty by customizing their methods. We focused on seven firms as different cases to conduct semi-structured interviews with seven managers and 13 UX researchers. The results demonstrate that the adaptable nature of UX research allowed them to quickly respond to these emerging conditions. In the early period of the pandemic, our study participants—UX managers, designers, and researchers—experienced the advantages and challenges of remote UX research necessitated by the lockdown. These included issues related to participant recruitment, work performance, readiness, and methodological concerns. Based on our findings, we make recommendations for UX researchers to conduct moderated and unmoderated remote research while maintaining inclusiveness and rigor.TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey). Grant number: 120K215

Information and interaction requirements for software tools supporting analogical design

One mode of creative design is for designers to draw analogies that connect the design domain (e.g., a mechanical device) to some other domain from which inspiration is drawn (e.g., a biological system). The identification and application of analogies can be supported by software tools that store, structure, present, or propose source domain stimuli from which such analogies might be constructed. For these tools to be effective and not impact the design process in negative ways, they must fit well with the information and interaction needs of their users. However, the user requirements for these tools are seldom explicitly discussed. Furthermore, the literature that supports the identification of such requirements is distributed across a number of different domains, including those that address analogical design (especially biomimetics), creativity support tools, and human-computer interaction. The requirements that these literatures propose can be divided into those that relate to the information content that the tools provide (e.g., level of abstraction or mode of representation) and those that relate to the interaction qualities that the tools support (e.g., accessibility or shareability). Examining the relationships between these requirements suggests that tool developers should focus on satisfying the key requirements of open-endedness and accessibility while managing the conflicts between the other requirements. Attention to these requirements and the relationships between them promises to yield analogical design support tools that better permit designers to identify and apply source information in their creative work

Elderly’s Perceptions of a Meaningful Interaction with Voice-Based Conversational Agents: Integrate into daily routines, Support relatedness, But do not hamper autonomy

Voice, as one of the most natural means of communication for the elderly given their declining physical and cognitive abilities, has the potential to reduce interaction barriers with newly emerging technologies. In parallel to this, studies focusing on the elderly as a user group have escalated in academia due to events such as the increasing ageing population and global epidemics like COVID-19. However, the focus has been mostly on their declining mental and physical abilities. This paper aims to investigate the hedonic aspects of Voice-based Conversational Agents (VCAs) for the elderly. In this respect, we conducted in-depth interviews with 13 participants, 9 of whom were elderly over the age of 75, and 4 of whom were caregivers, to examine the daily life practices and values of the elderly together with possibilities of VCAs to create positive experiences in their lives. This paper presents the perspectives of the elderly on VCAs by taking into consideration their perspectives on life and technology. In the end, the paper makes suggestions on which design decisions can support the positive hedonic aspects in the lives of the elderly. Our main finding shows that VCAs can provide a positive experience for the elderly beyond a pragmatic approach if they can be integrated into their daily routines and increase their relatedness with people without harming the areas where they feel competence and autonomy

Acute and chronic stress alter behavioral laterality in dogs

Data availability: Since Turkish Government Working Dogs were tested in this study, data are available from the authors upon reasonable request and with the permission of the Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Trade.:Copyright © The Author(s) 2023. Dogs are one of the key animal species in investigating the biological mechanisms of behavioral laterality. Cerebral asymmetries are assumed to be influenced by stress, but this subject has not yet been studied in dogs. This study aims to investigate the effect of stress on laterality in dogs by using two different motor laterality tests: the Kong™ Test and a Food-Reaching Test (FRT). Motor laterality of chronically stressed (n = 28) and emotionally/physically healthy dogs (n = 32) were determined in two different environments, i.e., a home environment and a stressful open field test (OFT) environment. Physiological parameters including salivary cortisol, respiratory rate, and heart rate were measured for each dog, under both conditions. Cortisol results showed that acute stress induction by OFT was successful. A shift towards ambilaterality was detected in dogs after acute stress. Results also showed a significantly lower absolute laterality index in the chronically stressed dogs. Moreover, the direction of the first paw used in FRT was a good predictor of the general paw preference of an animal. Overall, these results provide evidence that both acute and chronic stress exposure can change behavioral asymmetries in dogs.The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) 1001 grant (no: 118O445); Open Access Publication Funds of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum; The Council of Higher Education 100/2000 Scholarship in Human Brain and Neuroscience subdivision; Japan Society for Promortion of Science (JSPS) a KAKENHI grant (JP21J00063)