The Future of Graphic User Interfaces: Personal Role Managers | | BIBAK | 3-8 | |
Ben Shneiderman; Catherine Plaisant | |||
Personal computer users typically manage hundreds of directories and
thousands of files with hierarchically structured file managers, plus archaic
cluttered-desktop window managers, and iconic representations of applications.
These users must deal with the annoying overhead of window housekeeping and the
greater burden of mapping their organizational roles onto the unnecessarily
rigid hierarchy. An alternate approach is presented, Personal Role Manager
(PRM), to structure the screen layout and the interface tools to better match
the multiple roles that individuals have in an organization. Each role has a
vision statement, schedule, hierarchy of tasks, set of people, and collection
of documents. Keywords: Personal role manager, Desktop metaphor, Graphic user interface,
Coordination, Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) |
Beyond the Workstation: Mediaspaces and Augmented Reality | | BIBAK | 9-18 | |
Michel Beaudouin-Lafon | |||
The embodiment of computers in desktop workstations has had a tremendous
impact on the field of HCI. Now that mice and graphics displays are
everywhere, the workstation defines the frontier between the computer world and
the real world. We spend a lot of time and energy transferring information
between those two worlds. This could be reduced by better integrating the real
world with the computer world. This article describes two approaches to this
integration: Mediaspaces, which allow people to communicate through an audio,
video and computer environment, and Augmented Reality, which adds computational
power to real world objects. The argument is made that the success of these
approaches lies in their ability to build on fundamental human skills, namely
the ability to communicate with other people and the ability to interact with
objects in the real world. Keywords: Mediaspace, Augmented reality, Multimedia, Video, Virtual reality, Paper
interface, Gesture input, Metaphor paradigm |
Transferring HCI Modelling and Design Techniques to Practitioners: A Framework and Empirical Work | | BIBAK | 21-36 | |
Simon Buckingham Shum; Nick Hammond | |||
The human-computer interaction (HCI) community is generating a large number
of analytic approaches such as models of user cognition and user-centred design
representations. However, their successful uptake by practitioners depends on
how easily they can be understood, and how usable and useful they are. We
present a framework which identifies four different 'gulfs' between HCI
modelling and design techniques and their intended users. These gulfs are
potential opportunities to support designers if techniques can be encapsulated
in appropriate forms. Use of the gulfs framework is illustrated in relation to
three very different strands of work: Keywords: Theory-based design, Evaluation, Design rationale, Cognitive modelling,
Formal specification |
The Use of Visual Indexing as an Interview Support Technique | | BIBAK | 37-51 | |
David Fulton | |||
Systems analysts have a number of techniques at their disposal when
capturing or generating the requirements for a system. One of the most
commonly used is the interview. Interviewing users and other members of the
client organisation is often fraught with difficulty: social and
communicational barriers may prove difficult to overcome, especially if the
level of contact between developers and users is kept to a minimum. Poor
interview technique, ignorance of incorrect implicit/unspoken assumptions and
the misinterpretation of interview data can lead to incorrect requirements or
incomplete specifications. This paper describes a technique for developing a
collaborative visual representation of information gathered during the
interview process which enhances understanding between participants and
enriches the information gathered. The method combines the manipulation of
graphical objects and informal discussions which are collected via cassette or
video recording. Graphical representation objects -- representing the groups,
procedures, tools and products that exist in the interviewee's experience --
provide a standard, structured means of visual expression. Recording of
walkthroughs and discussions of the results keeps note-making to a minimum and
helps to reduce the social distance between the participants. A description of
the four main stages of the technique is presented, along with supporting
material outlining reasons why the technique was developed and describing how
it has been used on organisational case studies. The paper concludes with an
assessment of the effectiveness of the technique and suggests how it could be
tailored to support requirements capture for system design. Keywords: Problems in communication, Interviews, Visual thinking, Visual description,
System design |
A Domain Analysis of Air Traffic Management Work can be Used to Rationalise Interface Design Issues | | BIBAK | 53-65 | |
John Dowell; Ian Salter; Solaleh Zekrullahi | |||
The demand for a more effective Air Traffic Management system, and the
central role of the controller in that system, has focused attention on the
design of the controller's interface. This paper presents an analysis of the
task domain of Air Traffic Management. It demonstrates with a simulated system
how the domain analysis can be used to model the controller's performance in
the traffic management task. The use of this model in rationalising interface
design issues is then illustrated. The analysis supports the general case for
explicitly capturing the task domain in interface design. Keywords: Task domain, Domain analysis, Air traffic management, Task quality,
Interface design |
Manuals as Structured Programs | | BIBAK | 67-79 | |
Mark Addison; Harold Thimbleby | |||
A user manual may provide instructions that, if the user follows them,
achieve any of certain objectives as determined by the manual designers. A
manual may therefore be viewed rather like a computer program, as pre-planned
instructions. Accordingly, software engineering and its methods may be applied
mutatis mutandis to the manual and its design process.
We consider structured programming methods, and show that some difficulties with user interfaces may be attributed to manuals being 'unstructured'. Since there are many programming metrics, and very many styles of manuals for user interfaces, this paper is concerned with justifying the approach and showing how insightful it is. Keywords: Manuals, Hypertext, Multimedia, Finite state machines, Flowgraphs |
Improving Education through Computer-Based Alternative Assessment Methods | | BIBAK | 81-90 | |
Jody Paul | |||
Assessment contributes to the educational process of students but only a
small fraction of the full potential is typically realized. The primary
impediment to realizing greater benefit is the infeasibility of implementing
more effective alternatives in the resource-limited settings typical of modern
educational environments. We are developing a system architecture that
exploits hypermedia technology to overcome serious limitations of traditional
assessment methods. The architecture addresses the design of cost-effective
confidence-measuring and performance-testing assessment vehicles using
hypermedia-based student-system interaction. In this paper we describe the
conceptual foundation, its embodiment in prototypes, and preliminary results
from classroom tests. Keywords: Educational Assessment, Hypermedia, Computer-assisted education |
Visual Programming in a Visual Domain: A Case Study of Cognitive Dimensions | | BIBAK | 91-108 | |
Francesmary Modugno; T. R. G. Green; Brad A. Myers | |||
We present a new visual programming language and environment that serves as
a form of feedback and representation in a Programming by Demonstration system.
The language differs from existing visual languages because it explicitly
represents data objects and implicitly represents operations by changes in data
objects. The system was designed to provide non-programmers with programming
support for common, repetitive tasks and incorporates some principles of
cognition to assist these users in learning to use it. With this in mind, we
analyzed the language and its editor along cognitive dimensions. The
assessment provided insight into both strengths and weaknesses of the system,
prompting a number of design changes. This demonstrates how useful such an
analysis can be. Keywords: Cognitive dimensions, End-user programming, Programming by demonstration,
Visual language, Visual shell, Pursuit |
Evaluating Evaluation Methods | | BIBAK | 109-121 | |
A. Dutt; H. Johnson; P. Johnson | |||
In HCI the aim of evaluation is to gather information about the usability or
potential usability of a system. This paper is principally concerned with
evaluating the effectiveness of two discount user inspection evaluation methods
in identifying usability problems in a commercial recruitment database system
with complex interface and system functionality. The two specific inspection
methods investigated are heuristic evaluation and cognitive walkthrough.
Several comparisons are made between the number, nature and severity of
usability problems highlighted, the time needed to employ the methods and the
ability to generate requirements for re-design. The results indicate that the
methods are best considered as complementary and both should be employed in,
but perhaps at different stages of, the design process. Keywords: Evaluation, Usability inspection methods |
A Comparison of Placement Strategies for Effective Visual Design | | BIBAK | 125-143 | |
Jean Vanderdonckt; Missiri Ouedraogo; Banta Ygueitengar | |||
The development of graphical user interfaces for interactive applications is
subject to a series of well-known problems which could be relevant of the
domain of visual design. This typically includes the problem of placing
aesthetically interaction objects (IO) according to principles applied in
placement strategies. This paper first reviews the problem of IO placement and
shows the rationale for the most significant placement strategies found today.
It then tries to compare six such strategies along several dimensions and
mathematical relationships with respect to three points of view: the designer's
point of view, the human factors expert's point of view, and the user's point
of view. Keywords: Arrangement, Dimensioning, Interaction object, Localization, Interaction
object placement, Placement strategy, Visual design |
Evaluation of Alternative Operations for Browsing Hypertext | | BIBAK | 145-162 | |
Maria da Graca Campos Pimentel | |||
The aim of the Previewing Information Operation (PIO) approach is to tackle
some overhead factors imposed on the user-hypertext interaction. The purpose
is to diminish cognitive overhead and disorientation problems by reducing some
of their causes.
This paper describes an experiment carried out to evaluate the usability of the operations based on the PIO approach. Results from between-groups studies show that subjects' evaluation of the ease of use of the system and feeling of general orientation were affected by the presence of PIO operations. A further study has revealed that the PIO operations were predicted by standard navigational operations. Keywords: Hypertext, Link selection, Previewing information, Evaluation |
On the Problem of Selecting Interaction Objects | | BIBAK | 163-178 | |
Francois Bodart; Jean Vanderdonckt | |||
This paper surveys and critically examines the literature dealing with
selection rules for interaction objects. This analysis permits the definition
of: object-oriented data model; object-oriented model; and Keywords: Interaction tools and techniques, Interaction object, Design process,
Model-based interface tools, Selection, Object-oriented programming, User
interface management systems |
Minimising Conceptual Baggage: Making Choices about Metaphor | | BIBAK | 179-194 | |
Ben Anderson; Michael Smyth; Roger P. Knott; Marius Bergan; Julie Bergan; James L. Alty | |||
This paper introduces a pragmatic model of the use of metaphor in
human-centred system design. It identifies a number of issues implied by the
model and describes an experimental investigation of a subset of these issues.
Three interfaces were developed in order to compare the effect on perceived and
actual user understanding of different metaphors for a common underlying
functionality. The investigation demonstrates that it is not only important to
ensure a close coupling between metaphor and system, but that it is equally
important to consider the likelihood that users will make incorrect inferences
from the metaphor. The paper concludes that the pragmatic model provides a
technique that can be of use to interface designers in addressing this problem. Keywords: Metaphor, Telecommunications, Multimedia |
Keeping an Eye on your Interface: The Potential for Eye-Based Control of Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's) | | BIBAK | 195-209 | |
Howell O. Istance; Peter A. Howarth | |||
This paper examines the issues surrounding the use of an eyetracker,
providing eye-movement data, as a general purpose input device for graphical
user interfaces. Interacting with computers via eye-movements is not in itself
new, however previous work in the area has been directed towards interaction
with purpose-built software which can take into account device limitations such
as accuracy. This work investigates how one can interact with unmodified
graphical interface software which normally requires mouse and/or keyboard
input. The results of three experiments are discussed which have compared
performance between the eyetracker and the mouse, and between different ways of
emulating mouse button presses using the eyetracker data. The experiments as a
whole consider a range of tasks from simple button presses to the more complex
and demanding operations of selecting text, and they indicate the feasibility
of using the eyes to control computers. Keywords: Physically-challenged, Eye-control, Input device |
A Linguistic Approach to Sign Language Synthesis | | BIBAK | 211-222 | |
Alan Conway; Tony Veale | |||
This paper describes a linguistically motivated approach to synthesising
animated sign language. Our approach emphasises the importance of the
internal, phonological structure of signs. Representing this level of
structure results in greatly reduced lexicon size and more realistic signed
output, a claim which is justified by reference to sign linguistics and by
examples of sign language structure. We outline a representation scheme for
phonological structure and a synthesis system which uses it to address these
concerns. Keywords: Deaf sign language, Phonological structure, Human animation |
Generalisation and the Adaptive Interface | | BIBAK | 223-238 | |
Jonathan Hassell; Michael Harrison | |||
Automated macro systems which apply re-use to a user's input are a possible
solution to the problems of customising an interactive system to the needs of
the user. More useful than simple re-use would be a system that makes use of
general patterns in users' behaviour and encapsulates this knowledge for
application in similar, yet unfamiliar, circumstances. This process we term
generalisation. This paper outlines some issues involved in controlling
generalisation and the presentation and interaction with these macros, and
specifies applicable heuristics. Finally the architecture for building an
adaptive agent to perform the whole process is presented, with an example
prototype operating on UNIX command-line interaction. Keywords: Adaptive interfaces, Interface customisation, Interface transformation,
Command reuse, Agent modelling, Initiative |
Agent-Based Interaction | | BIBAK | 239-245 | |
Russell Beale; Andrew Wood | |||
Agents are becoming widespread in a variety of computer systems and domains,
but often appear to have little in common with each other. In this paper we
look at different agent systems and identify what a generic agent should be
composed of. We also identify the characteristics of a task that make it
worthy of an agent-based approach. We then discuss the implications for the
interaction of using agents, that is, the notion of a balanced interface, and
briefly look at how an agent-based approach assists in two very different
application domains. Keywords: Agents, Intelligent interfaces, Groupwork, Computer-supported cooperative
work (CSCW) |
Multi-Perspective Modelling of Interface Design Issues: Undo in a Collaborative Editor | | BIBAK | 249-260 | |
Richard M. Young; Gregory D. Abowd | |||
Successful interface design respects constraints stemming from a number of
diverse domains analysed by different disciplines. Modelling techniques exist
within the individual disciplines, but there is a need for ways to weave
together different techniques to provide an integrated analysis of interface
design issues from multiple perspectives. We illustrate the relations and
interplay between six different modelling techniques -- two for system
modelling, two for user modelling, one for interaction modelling, and one for
design modelling -- applied to a shared design scenario concerning the
provision of an Undo facility for a collaborative editor. The resulting
multi-perspective analysis provides a depth of understanding and a breadth of
scope beyond what can be achieved by any one technique alone. Keywords: User modelling, System modelling, Design rationale, Interaction analysis,
Multi-disciplinary analysis, Scenario analysis, Undo, Multi-user, Editing |
Qualitative Models of User Interfaces | | BIBAK | 261-272 | |
Mark Treglown | |||
Analogy is an important factor in learning unfamiliar computer systems and
problem solving when using those systems. Designers of computer systems can
aid novice users by exploiting analogies and explicitly representing a model
world with which the users are familiar as part of the user interface. Objects
in the model world, and some operations that may be performed on them, are
often analogous to those in the real world. We consider the qualitative
reasoning approach to modelling people's knowledge of the real world and
attempt to build qualitative models of objects and operations in the model
world of a user interface. These models reveal features of existing systems
that cannot be explained in terms of users' knowledge of the real world and
suggest limits to direct engagement with on-screen objects. Keywords: Analogy, Qualitative reasoning, Direct engagement |
Modelling Interaction using Template Abstractions | | BIBAK | 273-284 | |
Chris Roast | |||
The use of formal system models in interface development is often criticised
for failing to recognise the 'human' nature of interaction. This paper
describes an abstract system model of interaction, termed the template model,
which is designed to address this criticism (Roast, 1993). The template model
relies upon the identification of template abstractions which are system
components that have particular user significance. By employing template
abstractions system properties can be linked closely to user requirements.
Using this framework we describe two categories of system constraint that
express general usability requirements output correctness and structural
consistency.
The appropriateness of the perspective offered by the template model and the requirements expressed using it are illustrated in the analysis of an electronic mail system. Keywords: Formal methods, System modelling, Interaction models, Email |
The Formal Analysis of Human-Computer Interaction During Accident Investigations | | BIBAK | 285-297 | |
Chris Johnson | |||
Many safety-critical applications rely upon complex interaction between
computer systems and their users. When accidents occur, regulatory bodies are
called upon to investigate the causes of user 'error' and system 'failure'.
Reports are drawn up so that the designers and operators of future systems will
not repeat previous 'mistakes'. These documents present the work of
specialists who are drawn from many different technical disciplines: human
factors; forensic investigation; engineering reconstruction; computer
simulation; etc. The findings of these different experts are often separated
into different sections. This creates a number of problems. Important
evidence can be hidden within numerous appendices. The interaction between
systems and users can be obscured by tortuous cross referencing schemes. There
are occasional temporal ambiguities and inconsistencies between the different
analyses. This paper presents ways in which formal methods can be exploited to
address these problems. Mathematical notations provide means of representing
and reasoning about the circumstances that lead to accidents in human machine
systems. Executable logics can also be used to simulate event sequences.
These simulations might be shown to other analysts. They can be used to
encourage agreement on the course of events prior to more detailed
investigations. Keywords: Safety-critical systems, Temporal logics, Formal methods, Simulation |
XUAN: Enhancing UAN to Capture Temporal Relationships among Actions | | BIBAK | 301-312 | |
Phil Gray; David England; Steve McGowan | |||
Time is one of the most vital properties of an interface from a user's point
of view, and the TAU project aims to explore how temporal properties of user
interfaces affect their usability. This paper describes the XUAN notation of
the specification of temporal behaviour. This notation also provides the basis
for a software tool allowing not only specification but also rapid
instantiation and modification of (small) user interfaces with defined temporal
behaviour. This in turn will support rapid experimentation on users that
varies temporal aspects on interfaces. In this paper we describe the features
we have added to the UAN in creating XUAN in order to express temporal
properties of tasks. Keywords: Task description language, Response time, Specification |
Structured Notations to Support Human Factors Specification of Interactive Systems | | BIBAK | 313-326 | |
Kee Yong Lim; John Long | |||
The paper illustrates the use of structured notations to support the
specification of various aspects of a system design; such as organisational
hierarchies, conceptual level tasks, domain semantics, human-computer
interactions, etc. In contrast with formal or algebraic notations, graphical
structured notations are communicated to users more easily. Thus, user
feedback elicitation and design validation would be supported better throughout
system development. It is expected that the structured notations illustrated
in the paper, could be used more widely for two reasons; namely they support
more specific task specifications, and have now been incorporated into a
structured human factors method. In addition, off-the-shelf computer-based
support for the notation is emerging, e.g. PDF. Keywords: Graphical structured notations, Human factors specification, Structured
human factors method |
Discount Dialogue Modelling with Action Simulator | | BIBAK | 327-338 | |
Andrew F. Monk; Martin B. Curry | |||
A description of the high level structure of a user interface is an
important part of any system specification. Currently the most common way of
thinking about and recording this part of the design is through story boards
and verbal descriptions, these may be imprecise and are difficult to evaluate.
Action Simulator allows a designer to build simple models of the high level
behaviour of the user interface. The models are easy to read and can be
executed to give a dynamic view of the design. This makes it possible to 'run
through' the actions needed to complete the users' work. A procedure for
characterising the users' work that is suitable for this purpose is also
sketched out in the paper. Action Simulator consists of an Excel spreadsheet
and associated macros and is publicly available. Keywords: Dialogue model, Task model, Work objective, Decomposition, Scenario, System
behaviour, Specification, Spreadsheet |
Executable Task Analysis: Integration Issues | | BIBAK | 339-352 | |
Conn V. Copas; Ernest A. Edmonds | |||
Executable task models are considered to hold promise for increasing the
impact of task analysis upon software engineering. However, this approach
generates a number of integration issues when user interface management systems
(UIMS) are employed at run-time. A number of models of integration are
proposed and critiqued, employing a task scenario which involves the
customisation of a geographic information system. Some current UIMS are shown
to militate against this integration on account of the dominance which is
accorded to the application. Some current task representations are shown to
pose integration problems on account of both their procedural nature, and
neglect of the application. One organising theme of the paper is that of
executable task models being considered as particular cases of knowledge-based
systems. Keywords: Task analysis, User interface management systems, Knowledge-based systems,
Geographic information systems, Rapid prototyping, Knowledge representation,
Formal methods, User modelling |
Beyond Data Models for Automated User Interface Generation | | BIBAK | 353-366 | |
Angel R. Puerta; Henrik Eriksson; John H. Gennari; Mark A. Musen | |||
Researchers in the area of automated design of user interfaces have shown
that the layout of an interface can, in many cases, be generated from the
application's data model using an intelligent program that applies design
rules. The specification of interface behavior, however, has not been
automated in the same manner, and is mostly a programmatic task. Mecano is a
model-based user-interface development environment that extends the notion of
automating interface design from data models. Mecano uses a domain model -- a
high-level knowledge representation that augments significantly the
expressiveness of a data model -- to generate automatically both the static
layout and the dynamic behavior of an interface. Mecano has been applied
successfully to completely generate the layout and the dynamic behavior of
relatively large and complex, domain-specific, form- and graph-based interfaces
for medical applications and several other domains. Keywords: Model-based interface development, Automated interface design, Interface
models, Domain models, Data models |
Designing a User Interface for Folding Editors to Support Collaborative Work | | BIBAK | 369-381 | |
Richard J. King; Ying K. Leung | |||
Software engineering requires the production of hierarchically organised
text-based documents, such as specifications, source codes, and manuals.
Folding editors are effective tools designed to support such activities
involving documents of any complexity. In a collaborative work environment,
especially in a large software development team, folding editors offer many
advantages over the conventional editing system. Surprisingly, the use of
folding editors has often been overlooked. This could partly be attributed to
the generally inadequate design of their interface and partly to the lack of
effective facilities available to support collaborative work.
This paper identifies some of the typical difficulties associated with sharing files in a software engineering teamwork environment and discusses the advantages of folding editors to overcome these problems. It then describes the rationale of a design of a user interface for folding editors to support collaborative work. Keywords: Folding editors, Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), Groupware, User
interface design, Software engineering, CASE tools, Collaborative writing |
Collaborative Use of X-Windows Applications in Observational Astronomy | | BIBAK | 383-396 | |
Darryn Lavery; Alistair Kilgour; Pete Sykes | |||
This paper describes a case study in the design and prototyping of a system
to support shared use of application programs in an X Windows environment. The
primary aim was to satisfy the requirements for remote observation at Royal
Observatory Edinburgh. The starting point for the software development was an
existing tool 'Shared-X', developed to support window-sharing in X Windows.
The paper describes the analysis of requirements for safe and efficient shared
control in the remote observing situation. Previous work in groupware and
application sharing is reviewed, and the architecture for the target system is
related to existing taxonomies. The modifications that were necessary to the
Shared X tool are described, in particular an improved and extended mechanism
for floor control, which was found to be an important factor in the
acceptability and usability of the system in the target domain. However
limitations in the underlying X Windows architecture and having no access to
the shared X source code prevented full implementation of the specification for
shared telepointers. In conclusion the work highlights the importance of key
issues in collaborative system design, including the importance of flexible and
transparent mechanisms for floor control, the effective representation of
status and control information in the user interface, the need for appropriate
support mechanisms in the underlying window system (e.g. for multiple
telepointers), and the increased complexity of evaluation with collaborative as
opposed to single-user systems. Keywords: Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), Groupware, Realtime
conferencing, Shared window servers, Shared X |
Que Sera Sera -- The Problem of the Future Perfect in Open and Cooperative Systems | | BIBAK | 397-408 | |
Alan Dix | |||
When the pace of interaction with a task is too slow, the user's
execution/evaluation loop is broken. Feedback normally says what has happened.
However, when the task is slow, nothing has happened yet -- the interest shifts
to what will have happened. This poses two problems for the user. Firstly,
recalling the appropriate context when a response eventually arrives.
Secondly, maintaining the expectation that the response will come and when, so
that appropriate action can be taken if it fails to materialise. The design
question is how to support these activities, of which the latter has received
little emphasis to date. Keywords: Cooperative work, Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), Delayed
feedback, Status/event, Response time |
Viewpoints, Actionpoints and Spatial Frames for Collaborative User Interfaces | | BIBAK | 409-423 | |
Steve Benford; Lennart E. Fahlen | |||
Synchronisation is a key issue for collaborative user interfaces. An
examination of current approaches, in particular the concept WYSIWIS and the
use of Video as a communication medium, highlights a number of issues in this
area including lack of a common spatial frame of reference, lack of appropriate
embodiment of users and inflexible and rigid communication channels between
users. The paper then proposes a new framework for designing collaborative
user interfaces which addresses these issues. This framework is based on the
notion of a common spatial frame within which embodied users are free to move
autonomously, being casually aware of each other's activities. Embodiment is
considered in terms of both individual viewpoints and actionpoints (e.g.
telepointers) within the display space. We propose that, in many cases,
synchronisation of the spatial frame is necessary but synchronisation of
viewpoints and actionpoints may actually inhibit collaboration. We finish by
describing some prototype systems which provide one (of possibly many) examples
of how our framework might be employed; in this case to create shared
cooperative virtual environments. Keywords: Synchronisation, Video, WYSIWIS, Virtual reality, Multi-user interface,
Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) |