User-Centered Soft Innovation in Established Business Fields | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 3-12 | |
Henning Breuer; Zeno Wolze; Elisabeth Umbach | |||
Developments in open and user-centered innovation are usually being
discussed in the context of exploration of uncontested market space rather than
exploitation of business potentials for established products. The substantial
effort to acquire and utilize valid and specific insights from potential users
keeps especially small and medium sized companies from taking sidesteps in the
shoes of their customers. This paper presents a focused user-centered soft
innovation (FUSION) framework that combines discounted user-centered innovation
methods with radical steps beyond the innovation funnel in order to
substantially and sustainably improve established business with minimal effort.
Stepping back into the past, ahead into potential futures, and integrating
perspectives from stakeholders beyond the usual suspects help to focus on
success critical potentials for soft innovation and tweaks in the offering. A
project case dealing with the optimization of entertainment offerings
demonstrates the application of the framework. Keywords: User-Centered Optimization; Soft Innovation; Exploration and Exploitation;
Design Thinking; Customer Touchpoints; Detour; Triangulation |
The Adoption of Mobile Internet: Industry and Users Experiences | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 13-22 | |
Manuel José Damásio; Inês Teixeira-Botelho; Sara Henriques; Patrícia Dias | |||
Nowadays Internet and mobile phones are blending into portable devices such
as smartphones. At the same time that mobile phones' sales are decreasing
worldwide, smartphones, and consequently mobile internet (m-internet), are
having an exponential growth. M-internet contributes to the emerging of new
practices of mobile social networking and mobile communication, as these
devices make it easier to maintain networks of relationships. Resulting from
this convergence, contemporary mobile user experience also contributes to the
blending of local and global through the permanent dynamic articulation of
communication and coordination. This paper deals with the emerging adoption
drivers of m-internet and the use patterns that characterize it, highlighting
the importance of mobility for online activities and confronting the industry's
and users' perspectives on the adoption of this technology, its patterns of
use, motivating factors and type of activities performed online. Within a
theoretical framework that articulates Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory and
the theory of uses and gratification, this paper explores the connection
between the nature of social interactions allowed by m-internet and the
satisfaction of needs as key adoption drivers. In addition, the paper explores
a gap in the expectations of the industry and users regarding m-internet
adoption, pointing to social activities as an integrative and relevant part of
m-internet service. Keywords: m-internet; mobile phone; mobile user experience; m-activities;
m-communication |
Branding "for All": Toward the Definition of Inclusive Toolkits of Analysis and Visual Communication for Brand Identities | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 23-29 | |
Giuseppe Di Bucchianico; Stefania Camplone; Stefano Picciani | |||
The construction of brand identities today can not be reduced to a simple
set of attributes that consumers/users just accept consenting and as a closed
box. It is rather a system that, in a society inclusion-oriented, increasingly
appears as the result of an ideal alchemy between social and product values,
emotional and rational contents, collective and corporate cultures. the
brand/visual designer needs to have conceptual and methodological tools useful
to identify, manage, and validate objectively the complex system of the design
requirements for a brand identity and a visual identity that are really
"inclusive". The paper presents a reflection on the issues of brand identity
and brand design related to the Design for All approach. Keywords: Brand identity; Visual brand design; Design for All |
Studies on the Design Marketing Strategies in the Experiential Economy through the Case Study of 'the Starbucks Company' | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 30-36 | |
Yung Joo Jang; Eui Chul Jung | |||
The purpose of the paper is to study the strategies of the experience
marketing needed in the experiential economy by analyzing the Starbucks
Company. In order to support the purpose of the research, the marketing mix of
the Starbucks Company was developed based on previous models of the traditional
marketing strategies combined with researches about the experience marketing
theories. As the result, the success of Starbucks came from the different
strategies that create experiences for the customers. Keywords: Experiential Marketing; Experiential Economy; the Starbucks Company;
Experience Marketing Strategies; Coffee shop Marketing |
A Dependency-Sharing Tool for Global Software Engineering | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 37-46 | |
Douglas Lee; Allen E. Milewski; Daniela Rosca | |||
This project explores the design of a tool to facilitate a common task that
software engineers find difficult -- the identification and management of
dependencies between the many heterogeneous entities created in the course of a
software development project. The focus of this tool is the value it might have
during the maintenance phase. Maintenance engineers learn and understand the
project differently from the original authors of the artifacts. Typically, they
come to understand the project by investigating dependencies between entities
-- a task that can be very difficult and time-consuming. To deal with these
differences, the Global Software Traceability (GST) Tool was designed and
prototyped to explore improvements in the usability of maintaining dependency
links after the project has been deployed. The GST Tool is a proof-of-concept
design prototype used to investigate how to make such a tool both useful and
usable. The tool was successful in creating an environment whose overhead was
low enough to make it likely that it would be used despite the severe time
constraints found in software maintenance. Keywords: dependencies; traceability; maintenance |
Management of Individual and Organizational Design Knowledge | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 47-56 | |
Tz-Ying Lin; Ding-Bang Luh | |||
Before starting to formulate design concepts, designers usually gather
relevant information to explore design problems and facilitate concept
development. The information search behavior is a comprehensive consideration,
which differs from the specific search of design methods. The research analyzes
the factors that influence design information search behavior and constructs a
general information search behavior structure. Through in-depth interviews with
designers with various levels of experience and with the code analysis method
in Grounded Theory and the Interpretive Structural Modeling approach, a
behavior model of design information search is established. The research
results can provide design information managers with the reference for
information search planning and allow staff who develop design information
database to better understand the factors and aspects involved in design
information search behavior. This study the knowledge management in design
companies' model are designed based on the designer's search behavior
structure, and chooses NOVA Design as the case of the research. Deeply
investigating the knowledge required during the design process, methods used by
the designer to obtain the relevant information, including design knowledge and
storage methods made by designer during the designing process. Keywords: Design Management; Knowledge Management; Design Information; Search
Behavior; Grounded Theory |
Ultrabooks™ and Windows 8: A touchy UX Story | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 57-66 | |
Daria Loi | |||
This paper demonstrates how a multi-region ethnographically informed study
has influenced Intel's Ultrabook™ strategy. In 2011 Intel Corporation
launched a $300M fund focused on the next generation of notebooks, called
Ultrabook™ (Merritt, 2011a) and at Computex the same year announced the
Ultrabook™ concept: a thin (less than 0.8 inches thick) notebook that
utilizes Intel processors and can incorporate tablet features such as a touch
screen and long battery life (Burt, 2011) that would be priced below $1000. A
few months later four Taiwan ODMs (Original Design Manufacturers) showcased
prototype Ultrabook™ devices with Intel's 3rd Generation Core™
Processors at Intel Developers Forum (Merritt, 2011b). Within this context, the
imminent arrival of Windows 8, Microsoft's Operating System centered around a
"touch first" philosophy, opens up a range of questions on whether touchscreens
should or should not be part of the clamshell Ultrabook™ experience. In
mid-2011 the conventional wisdom in the industry was that touch on vertical
screens is a mistake. This existing belief had been strengthened in 2010 when
the late Steve Jobs explained during a keynote that "touch surfaces don't want
to be vertical. It gives great demo, but after a short period of time you start
to fatigue, and after an extended period of time, your arm wants to fall off"
(Carmody, 2010). The industry even coined a specific term to describe this
issue: Gorilla Arm.During that time, I decided to explore this territory
further as I didn't fully buy into the conventional wisdom or negative
statements by industry representatives about this usage. In particular, I
decided that the best approach to learn about this heated topic was to learn
through direct observation of what everyday users really like, think and
ultimately do. The qualitative case study at the center of this paper was
consequently initiated, ultimately documenting and demonstrating user behavior
that is drastically different from what was expected based on industry wisdom.
Indeed, not only did people reach for the screen a lot during the study -- they
loved doing so. The study, a qualitative user experience investigation focused
on the use of touch in clamshell devices, was conducted in 2011 in the US,
Italy, PRC and Brazil. The research's key insights, recommendations, strategic
impact and influence are discussed in this paper through a number of examples,
narrated through users' voices. This paper is divided into five sections. The
first section offers a background on Ultrabooks™ and the rationale for
the case study. The second section overviews the UX approach and philosophy
which underpins the case study. The third section focuses on the actual case
study: timelines, aims, methodology, insights and key recommendations. A number
of specific user examples are used to illustrate key learning. The fourth part
of this paper is dedicated to the impact that this research has generated, with
specific emphasis on best known methods for influencing product development and
marketing strategy through user experience research and design. The final
section offers a number of conclusive remarks and recommendations, with focus
on ethno-design methods that assist product development. Keywords: Anthropology and ethnography in DUXU; Design philosophy of HCI and UX;
Design/evaluation for cross-cultural users; Future trends in DUXU; Mobile
products and services |
The Innovation Machine: Mobile UX Design Combining Information and Persuasion Design to Change Behavior | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 67-76 | |
Aaron Marcus; Megan Chiou; Chirag Narula; Allan Yu | |||
Stimulating and managing innovation in product/service development is a 21st
century global challenge that applies to executives and staff in business
operations, engineering, marketing, and design in the US, as well as in Europe,
India, and China. The Innovation Machine project of 2012 developed effective
ways to foster a shift to individuals, using information and persuasion design
to change people's behavior in the short- and in the long-term. This paper
explains the development of its user interface. Keywords: culture; dashboard; design; development; incentives; information;
innovation; mobile; persuasion; social networks; user interface; user
experience |
Web-Portal Solution for Supporting In-Country Reviews | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 77-83 | |
Michael Oettli; Tasos Panagis | |||
As a leading language service provider to the Healthcare industry for many
years, nlg GmbH has observed the needs and identified problems of Healthcare
clients in regards to the mandatory and regulated in-country review of
translated content.
In Europe, Directives such as the Medical Device Directive (MDD) 93/42/EEC describe the localization requirements for Instructions for Use as well as Safety and Warning information for Medical Devices. Each device must be accompanied by the information needed to use it safely and to identify the manufacturer, taking account of the training and knowledge of the potential users. If documentation is translated into the required language of the importing country, the manufacturer should have procedures to ensure the accuracy of translated content in connection with the source language. This requirement is usually met through an in-country review process. It is a necessary quality assurance step before final product approval in a foreign country. Keywords: Verification; In-Country Review; Localization Automation; Customized
Technology; Health Care |
User Experience Transformation in Telco Companies: Turkcell Case | | BIBA | Full-Text | 84-93 | |
Seda Alpkaya; Cem Sakarya | |||
Turkcell is a telecommunications company in Turkey that places the customer
at the center of its organization. Customers physically interact with Turkcell
through physical touch points; like Call Center, Turkcell shops, Turkcell web
site (www.turkcell.com.tr), mobile devices or applications like Turkcell TV,
Turkcell music etc.
Through a real commitment to the customer; Turkcell business units align themselves with the customer and emphasize long term relationships in order to satisfy customer needs. Value is created both for the customer and the company; by going well beyond selling products but providing comprehensive solutions. Competitive advantage is not based on Turkcell's products and services itself; but also in understanding the behaviours of the customer. Even the organizational structure was re-aligned, based on the needs of the customer. This study will evaluate the transformation of Turkcell from product centricity to user centricity. It will also demonstrate how the company emphasizes an outside in approach in order to look from customers' perspective. All the business units were re-aligned cross-functionally to improve processes and to focus on customer-articulated needs. For this purpose, user experience (UX) methods that are used within the company, studies conducted to increase awareness about UX, tools used to create solid UX outputs and a UX driven project where customer involvement was secured at all stages will be elaborated. The findings will reveal that when a simple and consistent UX is delivered, it is possible to develop a UX strategy that will deliver a ROI, increase competitiveness, drive customer loyalty and innovation within a company. By keeping the market updated on the recent success stories and innovations within global companies, it is also possible to show the benefits of UX, make it tangible and easier to communicate. |
Human-Centered Communication Planning: A Conceptual Approach | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 94-102 | |
Tim Schneidermeier; Florian Maier; Johannes Schricker | |||
This paper presents an interdisciplinary approach to transfer knowledge of
human-centered design and usability engineering to the field of communication
planning. Communication planning is a systematic process to identify target
groups for specific marketing goals and when and how to reach them. We believe
that by transferring methods and an overall iterative design process
effectiveness and efficiency of the communication planning process as well as
the overall success could be improved. Keywords: human-centered design; communication planning |
Online Advertising as a New Story: Effects of User-Driven Photo Advertisement in Social Media | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 103-112 | |
Min Shin; Da Young Ju | |||
Mobile devices have infiltrated into our lives. The constant connectivity
via wireless technology led to a growth of social media. It is different from
traditional media in that it provides interactive communication without
restriction of time and place. Marketing industry is struggling to increase its
presence by advertising in this new media environment. This paper presents a
new advertising model based on user-generated content. This model was
theoretically approached by the psychological mechanisms. We show its
effectiveness using our experiments that measure users' attention levels and
advertisement recall rates. The proposed model can be potentially applied to
online advertisements in diverse platforms and devices. Keywords: Social media; online advertising; self-referential effect; mobile
advertising; interaction design |
An Applied Ergonomics Study on IT User Interaction in a Large Hydroelectric Company in the Northeast of Brazil | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 113-120 | |
Marcelo Márcio Soares; Fabio Campos; Walter Correia; André Neves; Joao Corte; Saul Mendonca | |||
The aim of this study was to develop an ergonomic methodology to verify the
compliance and usability of software, in line with, ISO 9241, which may assist
software developers, maintainers and assessors in a power distribution utility
in northeastern Brazil to improve the quality of Human-Computer Interactions.
It also set out to develop and implement a software tool that might incorporate
the methodology developed, thus enabling IT professionals to conduct a
compliance review with a view to increasing productivity and reducing failures
of the services managed or implemented by using this software which had
undergone ergonomic verification. Keywords: Ergonomic methodology; ergonomic analysis software; usability testing |
Design and Usability: A Case Study on Selecting Exhibitors for the National Fair of Craftwork -- FENEARTE -- Recife, PE, Brazil | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 121-129 | |
Tibério Tabosa; Virginia Cavalcanti; Ana Andrade; Erimar Cordeiro; Germannya D'Garcia | |||
The article describes how virtual tools and processes were constructed to
develop and manage the processes of registering and selecting craft workers
from Pernambuco for the XI and XII National Fair of Craftwork Business --
FENEARTE. The processes and tools were developed by O Imaginário Design
Laboratory, Federal University of Pernambuco, from the perspective of adhering
to the 10 heuristics described by Nielsen [1]. The main results indicate to the
individual FENEARTE exhibitors qualification of portfolio and a knowledge base
built about craftwork activities. These were actions that guaranteed more
effective, efficient and transparent results besides reinforcing the importance
of the contribution of research and university outreach activities towards
social transformations. Keywords: Design; usability; craftwork; virtual tools; heuristics |
How to Design Experiences: Macro UX versus Micro UX Approach | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 130-139 | |
Constantin von Saucken; Ioanna Michailidou; Udo Lindemann | |||
User Experience (UX) can be achieved by a user-related product's purpose
(Macro UX) as well as by pleasant embodiment design in detail concerning
material, usability and interface (Micro UX). Existing approaches mostly
represent the Macro UX approach and therefore demand influencing the whole
development process, in particular the early stage of goal setting.
Furthermore, they are often psychology-driven. For that reason they are hardly
implemented in industrial practice. We observe that most development projects
are not triggered by user considerations but by market or technology
influences. We show how to achieve an impact on the product's emotional quality
and UX by supporting the design phase of those projects incrementally (Micro
UX). Based on psychological foundation this approach provides pragmatic
short-term support to designers in an adequate language to be applicable. Keywords: Enterprise user-experience structure and process; management of DUXU
processes; patterns of DUXU practice |
A User Centred Approach to Determining the Impact of Faster Broadband on Small and Medium Sized Enterprises | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 140-149 | |
Doug Williams; Andy Gower; Joshan Meenowa; Jon Wakeling | |||
This paper explores, through interviews with a small number of users, the
potential impact of faster broadband speeds on UK based small and medium sized
enterprises. The paper describes the actions taken to ameliorate the risk of
drawing conclusions from such a small sample of users. The research suggests
that all business sectors will benefit from increased broadband speeds with
retail, finance, and manufacturing sectors benefitting the most. The business
functions benefitting the most are sales and marketing and product development.
These insights, which are useful for capacity planners and for marketers, have
been reflectively considered using a model for user experience. Keywords: Broadband; SME; human centred design; user experience; framework |
A User Centred Approach to Evaluating the Future Demand for Bandwidth from Consumers | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 150-159 | |
Doug Williams; Andy Gower; Joshan Meenowa; Jon Wakeling | |||
This paper estimates bandwidth demand for consumers using a user-centred
model including an extension of the persona concept to describe complete
households. Peak demand is calculated by describing when different applications
and services are used within each household during the day and by summing the
concurrent demands for bandwidth from each concurrent application or service.
The value of the peak demand calculation to capacity planning is discussed. Keywords: Broadband; consumer |
Examining User Experience of Cruise Online Search Funnel | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 163-172 | |
Asta Adukaite; Alessandro Inversini; Lorenzo Cantoni | |||
While the cruising industry is enjoying significant and stable growth rates,
its online communication has not been extensively researched. This may be due
to the fact that cruises are still being sold mainly offline. Nonetheless, both
cruisers and the industry itself are changing, and the role played by online
communication is getting more and more importance. By adopting a user testing
approach, this paper presents results of an analysis done on the online search
funnel of the four main cruising companies. Such analysis is useful not only to
compare the usability of the selected websites, but also to better define
critical aspects of the search funnel within cruise websites from the viewpoint
of user experience. Keywords: Usability; e-Tourism; cruise websites |
A User Experience Study of Airline Websites | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 173-182 | |
Mahmut Eksioglu; Esin Kiris; Tugba Çakir; Merve Güvendik; Efsane D. Koyutürk; Merve Yilmaz | |||
The aim of this study was to identify and compare user experience issues and
provide recommendations for the three airline websites. The websites were
evaluated through heuristic evaluation and usability testing methods. Based on
the heuristic evaluation findings, two relatively difficult task scenarios were
generated for usability testing: A total of 168 student users participated in
the study. The participants' performances for user testing were evaluated in
terms of task completion time, success rate, and number of page views by a
remote usability testing tool, Loop11. Additionally, a post-test questionnaire
was administered online. Statistical analysis results indicated a significant
'website-design' effect on task completion times. Overall, the task completion
time significantly varied among the three airlines. Notably, 'gender',
'education level' and 'internet use frequency' had no significant effect on
task completion times for both tasks. Re-design recommendations are provided
for a sample of cases. Keywords: Heuristic Evaluation; Usability and User Experience; Web Usability; Airline
Companies |
Exploring Offline Browsing Patterns to Enhance the Online Environment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 183-192 | |
Xiaopeng Guo; Jie Gao; Yujing Zeng; Zhenghua Zhang | |||
In the early stage of e-commerce website design, the products for sale were
displayed in lists or tables. As the number of products has increased, multiple
tools have been introduced to help buyers find their targets, including
sorting, searching, tags, and colour collections. However, this type of design
does not provide much help for users without clear targets. In this study, we
obtained insights from traditional shopping experiences by tracking real
customers' in-store behaviour. Based on these observational results, we tested
whether in-store behaviour can be adapted to the online-shopping experience. Keywords: In-store Behaviour; Shelf Display; Web Design; E-Commerce |
Usability of County Election Websites | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 193-202 | |
Cyd Harrell; Andrea Fineman; Ethan Newby; Dana Chisnell; Whitney Quesenbery | |||
How well do counties answer voters' questions about upcoming elections?
Other studies have reviewed state election department websites [1, 2], but
voters vote at the county or town level. How do they get their questions
answered? Assuming that one source of election information might be local --
the website for the county clerk or registrar -- we cataloged 147 county
websites, and then conducted a large-scale, distributed usability test with 41
voters from across the U.S. using their own county's website. We sought to
learn about what local election jurisdictions were offering for content, what
terminology they used to describe it, and how useful and usable that content
was to voters -- just in time for the 2012 U.S. Presidential election. Keywords: Usability methods and tools; voting; elections; websites |
Analysis of Query Entries of a Job Search Engine | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 203-211 | |
Yeolib Kim | |||
The amount of interest in analyzing log files is growing with the expanding
volume of information on the Web. The primary mode for information retrieval
without a doubt has been search engines which can help users filter their
information needs. While the population is used to general-purpose search
engines, domain-specific search engines exist to segment a certain market and
cater to underserved minority interests. Job search engines are widely used by
job seekers ranging from new college graduates to those that are attempting to
change their jobs. As part of this research, we investigate job search engine,
indeed.com. We accumulated the query entries of 10 participants and analyzed
the trends. We specifically examine their input queries and how they deal with
output search results. Results indicate that the participants, on average,
enter 1.66 queries into the main search box. The main query type for a job
search engine is entering a job title. Participants rarely look beyond the
first page for output search results. Instead of checking the content past the
first page, they would refine their search terms and focus again on the first
page. Overall, interesting patterns emerge from this research on a job search
engine, but more studies are required. Keywords: Job search engine; query length; query type; location; result page |
The Effect of Feedback within Social Media in Tourism Experiences | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 212-220 | |
Jeongmi (Jamie) Kim; Daniel R. Fesenmaier; Steven L. Johnson | |||
Recent research indicates that travellers are actively using social media in
soliciting feedback from their friends and others before, during and after
their trip. However, the impact of this feedback is not clear in terms of how
the use of social media mediates the touristic experience. As such, the goal of
this study is to identify how social media enable tourists to access their
social networks and the mechanisms in which the use of social media shapes
tourist's perceptions and emotions during their trip. Using a web-based
experiment, this study confirmed that social media such as Facebook has the
potential to significantly affect tourists' emotions and thus, improve the
tourism experience. Keywords: Tourism experience; social media; travel; Facebook |
Fulfilled and Missed Requirements for Online Reservation Systems: An Empirical Investigation of Austrian and Swiss Hotels | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 221-230 | |
Gerhard F. Knolmayer; Viola Sini; Polina Chelnokova | |||
Temporal data are a core element of a reservation. In this paper we
formulate 10 requirements and 14 sub-requirements for handling temporal data in
online hotel reservation systems (OHRS) from a usability viewpoint. We test the
fulfillment of these requirements for city and resort hotels in Austria and
Switzerland. Some of the requirements are widely met; however, many
requirements are fulfilled only by a surprisingly small number of hotels. In
particular, numerous systems offer options for selecting data which lead to
error messages in the next step. A few screenshots illustrate flaws of the
systems. We also draw conclusions on the state of applying software engineering
principles in the development of Web pages. Keywords: Usability; Requirements Engineering; Reservation Systems; Travel; B2C
Systems; Temporal Data; Tests |
Geospatial Web Interfaces, Why Are They So "Complicated"? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 231-237 | |
Erick López-Ornelas; Rocío Abascal-Mena; J. Sergio Zepeda-Hernández | |||
The usability evaluation is an important element of human computer
interaction. The usability which translates to ease of use is the feature that
all user interfaces should have. The geospatial interfaces should then follow
the basic rules of usability. In this paper, we conducted a series of usability
tests for some geospatial interfaces. These interfaces were designed for local
users, for example INEGI or Guía Roji in the Mexican context. The
results reveal the lack of usability guidelines user testing to be performed in
the cases for this type of interfaces. Keywords: geospatial interfaces; usability evaluation; GeoWeb applications |
Behind Livia's Villa: A Case Study for the Devolution of Large Scale Interactive "in-site" to "on-line" Application | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 238-247 | |
Guido Lucci Baldassari; Emanuel Demetrescu; Sofia Pescarin; Joakim Eriksson; Holger Graf | |||
This work presents a methodology for designing online web presentations
reusing a large scale, interactive and immersive VR installation by mapping
assets as well as interactions to a low capability environment. With the
emergence of WebGL plugin-free interactive 3D graphics inside limited
information processing environments, e.g. browser technologies, becomes
reality. However, macro VR worlds typically use large or even out-of-core data
sets in order to produce and communicate scientifically relevant content. The
major challenge still remains on how we can redesign and optimize applications
that have been planned for macro VR worlds and map those to adequate concepts
of micro scale worlds. We showcase this in the area of virtual archaeology for
the online virtual museum of "Villa Di Livia", part of the bigger project
"Flaminia Reloaded", in which several limitations could become crucial. The
elaborated workflow could easily be adopted by other VMs and assist in future
migrations. Keywords: Browser Technology; Virtual Museums (VM); Desktop VR; X3D |
Evaluating a Web-Based Tool for Crowdsourced Navigation Stress Tests | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 248-256 | |
Florian Meier; Alexander Bazo; Manuel Burghardt; Christian Wolff | |||
We present a web-based tool for evaluating the information architecture of a
website. The tool allows the use of crowdsourcing platforms like Amazon's MTurk
as a means for recruiting test persons, and to conduct asynchronous remote
navigation stress tests (cf. Instone 2000). We also report on an evaluation
study which compares our tool-based crowdsourced approach to a more traditional
laboratory test setting. Results of this comparison indicate that although
there are interesting differences between the two testing approaches, both lead
to similar test results. Keywords: remote usability testing; crowdsourcing; MTurk; information architecture;
navigation stress test |
Ergonomic Evaluation of Websites Focusing on the Human-Computer Interface so as to Improve Access to the Web Especially by People with Visual Disabilities | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 257-264 | |
André R. Melo; Marcelo Márcio Soares; Fabio Campos; Walter Correia | |||
This study sets out to contribute to making web pages more accessible
especially with reference to people with visual impairments. Ways of evaluating
of the interfaces of web sites and systems were investigated resulting in new,
interim proposals which make use of W3C and Electronic Government tools
combined with heuristics and. Thus, an assessment with greater emphasis on
ergonomic criteria in terms of the human-computer interface is provided. A case
study was used to evaluate three interfaces using the W3C validation tools
HTML/ CSS validator and DaSilva. Thereafter, Jakob Nielsen's heuristcs were
applied using a screen reader. The outcome was comparative charts and tables
that illustrate the possibility of outside experts applying the methods
together to achieve a substantially higher level of detailed information on
errors. This would provide improvements in correcting errors on interfaces with
a view to minimizing ergonomic problems and usability. These are problems that
hinder the visually impaired from having full access to websites and systems. Keywords: Human-computer interface; accessibility; usability; universal design; visual
impairment; ergonomic evaluation |
Evaluating Interaction with Websites: Case Study of a Government Website of the Brazilian Ministry of Labor and Employment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 265-273 | |
Fabiane R. Fernandes; Luis Carlos Paschoarelli; José Carlos P. da Silva | |||
This paper presents a usability evaluation of the MTE (Ministry of Labor e
Employment) website in order to measure the effectiveness, efficiency and user
satisfaction regarding the website. The participants were 12 users (07 users
were female and 05 male). The results indicate that although the education
level of all participants and computing experience, many of them have had
difficulty in finding information and do not recommend the site. Keywords: Government websites; ergonomic design; usability; ministry of labor and
employment |
From the Ground-Up: Role of Usability and Aesthetics Evaluation in Creating a Knowledge-Based Website for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 274-283 | |
Dennis B. Propst; Sarah J. Swierenga; Graham L. Pierce; Eunseong Jeong; Constantinos K. Coursaris | |||
Government agency websites are places where both tacit and implicit
organizational knowledge is managed. To maximize benefits to the organization,
these websites must be tailored not only to meet immediate employee needs, but
they should also be aesthetically pleasing enough to keep workers engaged and
interested in exploring and sharing information. Usability testing allows users
to interact with websites and give vital feedback. Knowledge acquired during
the usability testing process can be used to improve the information
architecture of the website and its content. Preferences for aesthetic features
can be gauged simultaneously. This study included usability and aesthetics
tests with federal employees who interact with the Natural Resources Management
Gateway, a complex information-rich website, on a regular basis. The study
clarified the relative importance of both usability and aesthetic features on
employee satisfaction and identified the most preferred home page design.
Involvement of employees in early design stages of knowledge management systems
is strongly advised. Keywords: Usability; aesthetics; knowledge management; public website; outdoor
recreation website; home page design |
Selection and Implementation of Navigation and Information Search Strategies in Bank Web Sites: Turkish Case | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 284-293 | |
Özgürol Öztürk; Kerem Rizvanoglu | |||
One of the major issues in banking is "consumer loan". Most of the banks
allow customers to apply for a "personal" or "generic" loan online. This
procedure requires filling out forms with some "familiar data" and calculating
the rates and fees for the total cost. Although online banking is a supported
feature of banking in general, every system offers a different path for the
same experience. This pilot study, which is the first step of a long-term
study, focuses on three different bank web sites in Turkey and investigates the
"find and search" strategies that users employ in order to apply for a specific
amount of loan. For this purpose a qualitative usability test, based on a
multi-method approach, was carried out with a sample of 11 Turkish senior year
university students who were experienced Internet users and potential new
customers. The participants were observed during the task executions and
additional data was collected by the "think aloud" procedure, eye-tracking and
video recording of the participants. Complementary data on user experience was
collected by a final debriefing interview. The findings revealed significant
usability problems caused specifically by the user interface features and
information architecture of each system and enable to propose guidelines to
improve user experience in form design and/or check-out process. Keywords: Usability; Bank Website; Online Banking; Form Design |
Content as Conversation in Government Websites | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 294-303 | |
Janice (Ginny) Redish | |||
Thinking of content as conversation is a very powerful way to plan,
organize, write, and test websites. Early government websites seemed to be
built as if they were virtual file cabinets -- offering people access to paper
documents. Today, that metaphor is dead. A better metaphor is to think of
websites as replacing the telephone. Using a case study of transforming a
government website, I show how thinking of content as conversation and planning
for customer-focused purposes, customer personas, and customers' questions can
help government writers give people what they need in words they understand. I
also show how walking personas through their conversations is a powerful review
technique and how content as conversation helps in planning for usability
testing. Keywords: content; content as conversation; content strategy; government; personas;
websites; web content; writing for the web; usability |
Re-thinking Bookmark Management -- Less Choice Is More Efficient | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 304-312 | |
Siu-Tsen Shen; Stephen D. Prior | |||
This research investigates the role of a Controlled Vocabulary (CV) in next
generation bookmark management systems. The search for a more efficient
graphical user interface solution to deal with the massive information overload
situation faced by most computer users today is a pressing problem. CVs allow
categorization of title words and phrases into the appropriate location
recognized by the user, so as to facilitate easier information storage and
retrieval. The results of this user study involving 152 individuals indicated
that there is potential for a well-defined two-tier controlled vocabulary
system to assist user categorization, information storage and retrieval in
personal information management systems. Keywords: Bookmark management; web browser; controlled vocabulary; filing system;
information storage and retrieval |
User-Centered Evaluation of a Discovery Layer System with Google Scholar | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 313-322 | |
Tao Zhang | |||
Discovery layer systems allow library users to obtain search results from
multiple library resources and view results in a consistent format. The
implementation of a discovery layer is expected to simplify users' workflow of
searching for scholarly information. Previous studies on discovery layer
systems focused on functionality and content, but not quality of search results
from the user's perspective. The objective of this study was to obtain users'
assessment of search results of a discovery layer system (Ex Libris Primo®)
and compare that with a widely used scholarly search tool (Google Scholar).
Results showed that Primo's search results relevancy is comparable to Google
Scholar, but it received significantly lower usability and preference ratings.
A number of usability issues of Primo were also identified from the study.
Results of the study are used to improve the interface of Primo and adjust
relevancy ranking options. The empirical method of search results assessment
and feedback collection used in this study can be extended to similar
user-centered system implementation and evaluation efforts. Keywords: Discovery layer; Google Scholar; search results; relevance; user-centered
evaluation |
Modeling Consumer Sensitivity for Product Design and Perceived Usability | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 325-333 | |
Tareq Ahram; Waldemar Karwowski; Nabin Sapkota | |||
The primary objective of this research paper is to investigate the
relationship between the perceived qualities of home appliances with respect to
various design features. Consumers may define their fondness of the particular
system or model over other model(s) by using different sensibility words such
as robust, sleek, luxurious, reliable, sturdy, comfortable etc. It is the
objective of this study to determine the principal sensibility word(s)
consumers use to define their perceived feelings about the particular model and
investigate if these words are related to the design elements of the system and
if such relationship exits, then the objective is to determine the optimal
design criteria(s) so as to attain the maximum possible perceived quality of
the system for which the consumer may have upon interacting with other
comparable systems. This research is based on statistical regression and
correlation analysis with multiple linear objective programming (MLOP) for
thirteen selected sensibility words and twelve product models with respect to
forty nine design elements (37 unique design elements broken down to 49
independent variables). Results provided significance using statistical
modeling arrived at fuzzy set logic and MLOP. Keywords: Consumer Sensitivity; Product Design; Perceived Usability |
Developing ISO 9241-151 Product Certification Process: Challenges | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 334-341 | |
Kürsat Çagiltay; Ozge Alacam; Nihan Ocak; Feride Erdal | |||
ISO 9241 Ergonomics of Human-System Interaction Standard, which is also
called as Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals,
is a standard containing many parts about ergonomics of human computer
interaction. In this paper, we aim to elaborate the challenges evoked during
ISO 9241-151 Product Certification Process handled at the Middle East Technical
University (METU), Human Computer Interaction Research and Application
Laboratory (METU-HCI-LAB), which is the first and only accredited laboratory of
Turkish Standards Institute-TSE within the scope of "TS EN ISO/IEC 9241-151". Keywords: ISO 9241-151 Guidance on World Wide Web User Interface; Usability guidelines |
Application of Virtual Reality Technologies in Consumer Product Usability | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 342-351 | |
Christianne Soares Falcão; Marcelo Márcio Soares | |||
Users of consumer products have benefited from companies' growing interest
in seeking technological innovation to improve their competitiveness and
business performance. In this context, interface design represents an essential
task in the product process development to directly influence customer
satisfaction and, consequently, the success of the product in the market.
Usability is about the product ease of use so it is necessary first and
foremost to know who are the user / consumer and what their levels of
requirements to serve them efficiently, this research has come to play an
important role in interface design. Virtual reality (VR) technologies provide
novel and enhanced modes for human computer interaction that can be used as a
potential tool to provide product user experience and usability evaluation are
more efficient, even in the early stages of the product design. This paper
presents a conceptual approach to virtual reality technologies application in
the evaluation of usability in consumer product design. Keywords: Product design; product development process; usability testing |
User Experience on Product Display Page: At Tmall.com | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 352-358 | |
Jie Gao; Yujing Zeng; Xiaopeng Guo; Zhenghua Zhang | |||
This research focused on how buyers browse and make purchases on Tmall.com.
Specifically, we explored how female buyers process information on the product
description pages and how their behaviors are consequently affected. The study
was composed of two sessions: an information sorting task and an online test.
The purpose of the information sorting task was to explore how buyers prefer to
see information presented on the product description page. We hypothesized that
if the presentation of information on the product page was consistent with
buyers' expectations, then they would process the page faster which would
facilitate their purchasing decisions. The purpose of the online test was to
examine our hypothesis by measuring buyers' purchasing tendencies. The online
test results revealed that the modified pages improved sales. Keywords: e-commerce; online shopping; product display; discrepancy attribution;
fluency |
Evaluation of a New Cockpit Color Concept under Mesopic Lighting for Urban Driving | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 359-366 | |
Martin Götze; Antonia S. Conti; Andreas Keinath; Tarek Said; Klaus Bengler | |||
This paper compares two different cockpit color concepts in mid-range cars
under mesopic lighting. The analysis tries to confirm that new concepts with
white illumination are no worse than the red concepts presently in use. Thirty
participants took part in two experiments to determine whether they yielded the
same results in terms of interpretability, readability, and differentiability
of information. A modified PSSUQ was used to evaluate those factors. The
subjective results show that there is no meaningful difference between a white
and red color cockpit concept. Keywords: Illumination; cockpit; color; readability; differentiability; mesopic;
scotopic; vision; urban; driving; car; occlusion; PSSUQ; night-time; subjective |
Proactive Home Furnishings: Inspiring from Interactive Art for Designing Functional Aesthetics in a Space | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 367-375 | |
Scottie Chih-Chieh Huang | |||
This paper presents our vision of the futuristic product. Proactive Home
Furnishings allows user to realize (useful) information embedded of physical
objects and/or on the top of architectural surfaces. Proactive Home Furnishings
also display as interactive art form through the used of interactive techniques
and computer graphics in an augmented physical object. The goal of Proactive
Home Furnishings is to create the combination between both the digital
aesthetics and the functional information, as well as seamless with living
environment in a soothing way. This paper describes five interactive artworks
used biomimetic perspective to develop the interaction feature -- MSOrgm,
Lbskeletons, Portrait of Dandelion, Artificial Phototropism, River Space. We
treat them as pioneers to investigate the ongoing relation between the user and
the home furnishings in a future living. Keywords: Design philosophy of HCI and UX; biologically-inspired computing; responsive
environment; digital art; interactive installation |
Design and Evaluation of a Predictive Model for Smartphone Selection | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 376-384 | |
Yerika Jimenez; Patricia Morreale | |||
Selecting a mobile phone is a very subjective process; consumers often base
their decisions on advertising and their personal expectations for the device.
In order to provide consumers with simpler and more objective information, a
predictive model for smartphone selection has been developed. Four of the most
popular mobile devices were used for the development of this model: Apple's
iPhone, Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows and Research In Motion's
BlackBerry. Everyday tasks, common to smartphone users, were identified and
modeled, using the Keystroke Level Model. Fitts' Law was used to provide
additional objective data based on the dimensions and layout of the mobile
phone screen. These objective measures were integrated with user preferences,
to identify which smartphone would provide superior operation and performance
for the features most desired by the smartphone consumer. Research outcomes
from this project include the identification of the mobile devices that
performed common tasks with efficiency and a user-task model predicting user
smartphone selection based on individual utility and task frequency. Keywords: Keystroke Level Model (KLM); Fitts Law; Human Factors; Mobile Devices; And
Human Computer Interaction Factors |
TRIGGER: Maximizing Functional Effect of Using Products | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 385-391 | |
Kyung-Bo Min; Eui-Chul Jung | |||
At the merchandise development phase, product vendors make their own
strategy in the market. Few of them use existing technology and function, but
others make their own technology and function to develop novel product. Despite
they have invested vast amount of money, time, and effort, unfortunately most
of them don't fall short of their expectations. Then they might decide budget
reduction, and it would destroy a virtuous circle in the long run. It means
companies which can afford to set the budget will be able to step further, but
the others will not afford to do that. Functions and technologies are loaded on
devices, and it interacts with user. Therefore, interaction between user and
device is important to mitigate the problem above. This paper focuses on
notions of 'Nudge' and 'Affordance' in the interaction. 'Affordance' is
inherent in device to show how user can use it without instructions, and
'Nudge' can make person who made device possible to induce users' conduct. It
makes an element named TRIGGER defined to lead users' behavior and vitalize
using device. Furthermore, if its characteristics are found in detail, TRIGGER
will be able to apply on device. Keywords: Affordance; Nudge; Interaction; Function; Digital device; Product vendor;
Design; Behavioral economics; Recognition; Coercion; Perception; Instruction;
Galaxy note; iPhone; iPod; iPad; e-book |
An Experimental Study for Applying Generative Design to Electronic Consumer Products | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 392-401 | |
Ming-Huang Lin; Lin-Chien Lee | |||
This study discusses the advantages of generative design tools, real-time
calculation, and easy to modify and quick to review design details, to explore
the feasibility of developing new modeling methods. The discussed method uses
the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air as a typical type of minimal shape to test the
possibility of product refinement, users' response and the need of bridging
software interfaces to a stable structure and rational limitations. Keywords: Usability methods and tools; Generative Design; Design Process; Grasshopper |
dJOE: design Jigsaw On sitE | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 402-407 | |
Chia-Hui Nico Lo; Ih-Cheng Lai; Teng-Wen Chang | |||
Design is similar to figure out of displacing jigsaw. Designer often
inspires from figures of site. Mobile facility is convenient in nowadays,
design is not an activity beside desk anymore. In this paper, We attempt to
develop a mobile application to assist designer to understand the underlying
structure of assembling ideas in the early design productive process. Designer
can use this tool for displacing ideas as playing jigsaw in time. Keywords: jigsaw; displacing; puzzle making; mobile; design on site |
A Proposal of Design Method of Obtaining the Construction Items of Mental Models in Product Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 408-413 | |
Naoya Okazawa; Toshiki Yamaoka | |||
The purpose of this paper is to propose a method of obtaining a user's
mental model and using it for design. It is necessary to consider a mental
model in designing user-friendly products. However, little study has been done
to use a mental model in the design process. A mental model can be defined as a
system image and operation image which people have about the appliances. It
indicated that people operate the appliances according to their mental models.
In addition, mental models can be classified into two points of view of a
functional model and a structural model. The proposed method uses a protocol
analysis. In this study, we conducted a test about two products to verify the
effectiveness of the method. The target products of the test are a digital
camera and an electronic dictionary. As the results, the effectiveness of the
proposed method was verified. According to the construction items of mental
models in product design, Designers can feedback them the product design.
Moreover, the proposed method can be applied to GUI design. Keywords: Design; Mental Model; Applied Cognitive Psychology; Product Design;
Graphical User Interface Design |
Design of Experience: Measuring the Co-production with the Consumer Engagement during the Product Development Process | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 414-423 | |
Sabrina Oliveira; Virgínia Kistmann; Adriano Heemann; Maria Lúcia L. R. Okimoto | |||
The literature discusses about the coproduction of value, emphasizing the
involvement of consumers in Product Development Processes (PDP). This concept
is associated with the interaction of consumers in creating value for the PDP.
Thus, this paper discusses the measurement of user experience as an important
factor for the coproduction of value through mechanisms that measure the
usability of products. Thus, the User Experience can be treated as a core
competency in design management within organizations. This study was conducted
through literature review of the principles of Design and Management, User
Centered Design, User Experience and about the function of the design
department market research through mechanisms of consumer involvement. Shows
the correlation of these approaches and issues for further research aimed at
Measuring the User Experience with results that can enable feedback into the
process of developing new products or incremental and radical innovation. Keywords: Experience; User; Design Management |
Open Design: Non-professional User-Designers Creating Products for Citizen Science: A Case Study of Beekeepers | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 424-431 | |
Robert Phillips; Yelena Ford; Karl Sadler; Sarah Silve; Sharon Baurley | |||
Affiliated technologies have opened up opportunities for people, no matter
what their design competency or expertise, to engage in the design of the
products they use. The notion of "Open Design" or the open sharing of
information relating to the design and manufacture of products, services or
objects, can be seen as part of a much more encompassing phenomenon whereby
users are the innovators and fabricators of their own products. Digital
fabrication can enable the remote fabrication of objects tailoring artefacts to
specific users or environmental needs. Open fabrication makes manufacturing
processes accessible and can respond to niche needs with bespoke production.
Citizen science uses non-professionals to conduct research in their own
environment or location, extending the impact of research. This process of
"amateur scientist" and community monitoring has positive and negative aspects
that design can help to address. The workshop conducted as part of this
research involved 15 amateur beekeepers and led to a probe study involving 150
participants in the UK, testing a new approach to co-collaboration yielding
positive outcomes. The bee population is currently under threat from
environmental change, pollution, disease and they are users with a specific
interest, bespoke needs and a knowledge base outside of their profession. The
decline in bees is a scientific issue as they are seen as a barometer for the
health of the environment. Through analysis of observations and insights gained
through active design-led workshops, this paper examines the potential
barriers, opportunities, benefits and pitfalls of user-designers engaging with
citizen science using open design and open fabrication tools. Workshop results
included: methods, motivations, designer and manufacturer opportunities and
insights into repeatable processes forming the start of a citizen science
toolkit. The objective was to ascertain the possible pitfalls of a group of
user-designers creating their own citizen science tools enabled by
technologists and designers. Keywords: User centred design; user-designers; open design; open fabrication; citizen
science; beekeeping |
Design Guidelines for Coffee Vending Machines | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 432-440 | |
Tim Schneidermeier; Manuel Burghardt; Christian Wolff | |||
Walk-up-and-use-systems such as vending and self-service machines request
special attention concerning an easy to use and self-explanatory user
interface. In this paper we present a set of design guidelines for coffee
vending machines based on the results of an expert-based usability evaluation
of thirteen different models. Keywords: usability; user experience; vending machine; public space; case study;
walk-up-and-use-system |
Beyond Comprehension: A Usability Study on User Instruction Manual for Stove with Steam Function | | BIBA | Full-Text | 441-449 | |
Carla Galvão Spinillo; Kelli C. A. S. Smythe | |||
This paper presents a study on the redesign of a user manual and pocket guide of a stove with steam function produced in Brazil. The redesigned material was validated through heuristics evaluation, usability and readability tests. The results in graphic presentation were satisfactory. However, the instructions provided were not sufficient to a successful use of some functions, due to ergonomic drawbacks in the product design and in its digital touch panel. This may led to users' cognitive overload in task performance, which could not be prevented, but only minimized by the manual. The possible contributions to the field and the need of a user-centered approach to the design of instructional material by product manufacturers are highlighted. |
The Relationship between Preference and Stare Duration on Bicycle | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 450-456 | |
Jin-Han Tseng; Ding-Bang Luh; Zhi-Hong Liang | |||
Take bicycle industry as an example, the purpose of this research is to
investigate the preference of consumer. With the using of eye-tracker, we
expect to discover the relationship between preference of product form and the
focus region of eye sight. With the help of eye-track technique and
questionnaire research, this research aims to investigate the key design factor
in bicycle design that influences customers' preference the most. According to
the physical data of eye-tracker in this research, designers could make a
better inference when doing redesign. Instead of starting all over again,
changing the little part of an object may have a better chance to enhance
overall preference. Hence, the time spent in production and redesign will be
reduced. The result shows that there is a high correlation between preference
and stare duration, in addition, frame of bicycle is the part that customer
consider the most when they were asked to make decision. This result advice
that if designers just want to change little part of bicycle but reach a higher
return, they can focus on the frame especially the top tube and the down tube. Keywords: bicycle; eye tracking; eye movement |
Exploring Prior Experience and the Effects of Age on Product Interaction and Learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 457-466 | |
Christopher R. Wilkinson; Patrick Langdon; P. John Clarkson | |||
The purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which prior
technological experience of products is related to age, and if this has
implications for the success of subsequent product interaction. The
contribution of this work is to provide the design community with new knowledge
and a greater awareness of the diversity of user needs, and particularly the
needs and skills of older people. The focus of this paper is to present how
individual's mental models of products and interaction were developed through
experiential learning; what new knowledge was acquired, and how this
contributed to the development of mental models and product understanding. Keywords: Inclusive Design; Prior Experience; Product Interaction; Learning; Mental
Models; User Engagement; User Experience; Ageing; HCI |
Visualizing Information Associated with Architectural Design Variations and Simulations | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 469-477 | |
David Aurelio | |||
As cloud computing becomes more ubiquitous, it produces many advantages for
users in the architectural domains, but also some challenges. These advantages
include multiple building design variations, energy simulations, structural
options, and generations of design options. A literature review was conducted
to review information visualizations and the problems that occur with them. The
findings from the literature review were comprehensive and provide
visualization guidelines for those in architectural domains, as well as for
those in numerous other domains. Keywords: visualization; information; design; variation; simulation; architecture;
presentation; navigation; data |
Texture and Relative Movement in Moving Image | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 478-485 | |
Yen-Ting Cho | |||
This paper discusses a practice-led research project, Cubic Film, which
considers how digital processes distort and disrupt both recorded time and
spatial relationships, and secondly, how the processes make the visible become
visible in new aesthetic and interesting ways. I will first introduce my core
project question and discuss the significance of scanning; second, explain
several key stages of my research projects to date and the new aesthetic in the
visual outputs; and, third, reflect on my process to assess how the new methods
bridge the gap between craft and technology. Keywords: cubic film; craft and technology; texture; scanning; distortion; time and
space; relative movement |
Graphical Displays in Eco-Feedback: A Cognitive Approach | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 486-495 | |
Rebecca Ford; Beth Karlin | |||
Psychological research indicates that the provision of feedback is a key
element in reinforcing and/or changing behavior, and whilst results from
empirical studies on eco-feedback are positive, variation in findings suggests
that its effectiveness may depend on both what information is provided and how
it is presented. The design of graphical displays is an important component,
but past display research has been primarily qualitative and exploratory. This
paper introduces and tests a cognitive model of visual information processing
applied to eco-feedback to evaluate differences in interpretation and
preference between images. Participants were shown images that varied by number
of data points as well as display features and were asked to interpret the
images and report on image usability. Findings support the cognitive model,
suggesting that eco-feedback displays appear to be more successful when they:
(1) contain fewer data points; (2) employ data chunking; and/or (3) include
pictures. Keywords: Eco-feedback; Graphical Display; Information Overload; Psychology; User
Interface |
Dot, Line, Network: Helping Individuals Make Sense of "New Data" | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 496-505 | |
Emilie W. Gould | |||
Ubiquitous computing has led to an ever-increasing cascade of information
about us, our friends, our societies, and the planet. Lima and others view this
"new data" as an opportunity for individuals to develop network thinking; once
people understand the whole, they can better control their contribution to
global social issues like climate change. However, at present, such data is
difficult to interpret by anyone, let alone by non-specialist users.
I believe that a variety of issues stand in the way of individuals understanding complex data sets. I will begin by discussing cognitive style (deductive and inductive logic). Then, after considering existing graphic principles for dealing with "visual complexity," I suggest interfaces need to provide indications of place, date, validity, probability, and privacy. Finally, I briefly discuss some of the boundaries that exist between my networks of data and yours due to the hidden algorithms of search engines and the challenge of creating common ground when visualizations are increasingly personalized. Keywords: ubiquitous computing; visual complexity; network thinking; cognitive
patterns; graphics |
Developing a Concept Interface Design of ATM Systems Based on Human-Centred Design Processes | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 506-514 | |
Satoru Inoue; Hajime Hirako; Toshiya Sasaki; Hisae Aoyama; Yutaka Fukuda; Kazuhiko Yamazaki | |||
To accomplish our mission smoothly, we need to have good cooperation between
human partners and artefacts in complex systems. In particular, it is a
critical factor to establish good relationships between human partners and
artefact systems. This type of system is also the work of Air Traffic
Management (ATM). This research aims to make an interface design concept of the
future ATM systems based on a Human-Centred Design approach. First, we discuss
the method of design process to develop user interfaces of human consciousness.
And then, we attempt to suggest methods of good understanding of Air traffic
controllers' knowledge and behaviour based on the perspective of users. After
that, we examine to make a prototype interface design concept of the future ATM
systems which derived from the results of the task analysis. Keywords: Design Method; Air Traffic Management; Human-Machine Interface Design |
A Study of the Satisfaction Level of User Experience in Digital Media Space Accordance with Differences in Flow Characteristic | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 515-524 | |
Youngtae Kim; Eui-Chul Jung | |||
Today, appearances of new media, digital media, have changed human's
perception, communication method and space. And now a day we can easily find
digital media space in near personal life. In that kind of digital media space
need new design concept. The flow was rise most important fact for digital
media space design. In this study, among the digital media space, by taking
advantage of the screen golf club. The subjects are both in the experience
group and non-experience group, all were equally involved. If the case of
non-experiential group, during the flow characteristics of tactile, 'visual',
'auditory', and 'tactile' imposes limitations on the golf simulators. In that
case, I want to find out a connection with the flow characteristics and the
space satisfaction. Keywords: Flow; characteristic; space; experience; digital media; screen golf |
Trial of Diagnostic to Find Preferable Job Using the Visual Image Information Interaction: Prototype Development and Evaluation in Global Human Resources Matching Site | | BIBA | Full-Text | 525-532 | |
Akira Kondo; Naoko Kondo | |||
This century globalization has progressed, so many Japanese companies willingness to hire global staffs. However, the style of the existing recruiting system is still adopted Japanese domestic schools and one-time new graduate students in spring so it is hard to say that this style is not suitable to hire a wide range of global human resources. IRS as "International Recruit Support" try to improve this situation then providing infrastructure to promote matching of students and graduates of multinational global companies. In this paper, for multinational job seekers, who want to discover a more desirable workplace in the IRS web site, we propose a diagnostic tool, which provides advices from selecting job related visuals. Moreover we evaluate current cooperate information website from viewpoint of foreign student by Evaluation Grid Method (EGM). Then a part of appropriate design of cooperate website for is revealed. |
Scaffolding Computer Supported Argumentation Processes through Mini Map Based Interaction Techniques | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 533-542 | |
Nguyen-Thinh Le; Sabine Niebuhr; David Drexler; Niels Pinkwart | |||
Recent prior studies with argumentation systems have shown that,
unfortunately, with larger learner groups using argumentation software over
longer periods of time, argument maps inevitably increase greatly in size and
complexity, often leading to learner confusion. To help users understand and
navigate within large and complex argument maps, we implemented an initial
version of mini maps within an existing tested argumentation system. This is an
implementation of the general usability pattern "overview + detail". In
addition, in order to facilitate the interaction with larger argument maps, the
"anchor principle" has been implemented to define an anchor area in a
workspace. Evaluation studies showed that, using mini-maps and anchors, the
orientation of students could be improved. Keywords: usability patterns; argumentation systems; mini-maps |
Designing Discovery Experience for Big Data Interaction: A Case of Web-Based Knowledge Mining and Interactive Visualization Platform | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 543-552 | |
Qing Liu; Mihaela Vorvoreanu; Krishna P. C. Madhavan; Ann F. McKenna | |||
The exponentially growing data in every aspect of human lives is offering
both opportunities to gain unprecedented insights and challenges for designing
efficient discovery experiences. To respond to the challenge of dealing with
big data, our work is designing a web-based, knowledge mining and interactive
visualization platform that allows users to interactively synthesize, mine, and
visualize large-scale data. In this paper, we extend the classic information
retrieval concept of information seeking to more general insight discovery
behavior. Our approach is to focus on user's insight discovery workflow rather
than data per se. User interviews were conducted to extract workflows and
specific requirements to inform and direct design decisions. Keywords: User experience; user study; user-centered design; big data; data discovery |
Interactive Visualization of Evolving Force-Directed Graphs | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 553-559 | |
Walter M. Rafelsberger | |||
This paper explores the possibilities of optimizing layout and design of
evolving force-directed graphs. The presented approach combines graph layout
techniques and animated transitions to reduce temporal visual clutter
introduced by displaying the consecutive steps of force-directed graph layout
algorithms. A web based prototype using tagged bookmarks as the data source
gets introduced to demonstrate the discussed techniques. Keywords: Force-Directed Graph; Information Visualization; Animated Transitions |
CHARM Pad: Ontology-Based Tool for Learning Systematic Knowledge about Nursing | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 560-567 | |
Munehiko Sasajima; Satoshi Nishimura; Yoshinobu Kitamura; Akemi Hirao; Kanetoshi Hattori; Akemi Nakamura; Hiroe Takahashi; Yoshiyuki Takaoka; Riichiro Mizoguchi | |||
Japan is no exception among developed countries facing healthcare system
problems due to aging and low birthrate as the number of patient increases and
health care worker numbers shrink. The introduction of high tech medicine has
increased the amount of knowledge to be learned by novice nurses. Although vast
amounts of implicit knowledge have accumulated among nursing practitioners,
this knowledge needs to be communicated when hospitals train younger
generations of nurses. In this paper, the authors have proposed an activity
model called CHARM (the Convincing Human Action Rationalized Model) and CHARM
Pad, tablet PC with browsing software for CHARM models. CHARM explicates
multidimensional purpose-oriented procedure relations often existing as
implicit knowledge. For this reason, CHARM supports the training and education
of novice nurses. We developed CHARM models according to nursing guidelines of
hospitals and applied them to training of the nurses in two hospitals. CHARM
and CHARM Pad are being evaluated at these hospitals and positive responses are
coming from nurses. Keywords: CHARM; CHARM Pad; nursing process; knowledge representation; activity model |
SysML-Based Approach for Automation Software Development -- Explorative Usability Evaluation of the Provided Notation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 568-574 | |
Daniel Schütz; Martin Obermeier; Birgit Vogel-Heuser | |||
The rising complexity of production automation systems and especially their
automation software require new engineering concepts to support their
development. Model-based concepts for the interdisciplinary development of
production systems have been proposed in many research projects. In previous
works of the authors an approach to enable interdisciplinary development of
automation software, based on the Systems Modeling Language (SysML), has been
developed and evaluated. One of the most important notations for the developed
modeling approach is the SysML Parametric Diagram (PD). This paper briefly
introduces the newly adapted modeling notation of the PD and presents the
evaluation results from empirical usability experiments with human subjects. Keywords: Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC); Systems Modeling Language (SysML);
Usability; Programming languages |
Usability Design and Testing of an Interface for Search and Retrieval of Social Web Data | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 575-580 | |
Dimitris Spiliotopoulos; Ruben Bouwmeester; Georgios Kouroupetroglou; Pepi Stavropoulou; Dimitrios Tsonos | |||
The vast amount of data on the web has been extensively harvested for many
years for the purpose of digital archiving. In the recent years, however, the
social networks contain the sources of most of the debating between the people.
Recent approaches include social web information to the archived content for
various reasons. This work reports on the usability design and evaluation of a
search and retrieval user interface that was designed to retrieve web objects
along with semantic information analyzed for the social web. The main task of
the interface was to combine the social information with the standard archived
content in meaningful and usable ways. Keywords: Search and retrieval user interfaces; social network information; usability |
Looking beyond the Single Pane of Glass: Visualization and Perspective in Enterprise Network | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 581-590 | |
Maria C. Velez-Rojas; Serge Mankovskii; Michael Roberts; Steven Greenspan; Esin Kiriss | |||
Managers and operators of modern Enterprise IT environments deal with
massive amounts of information in a very stressful environment. They routinely
manage hundreds of thousands of interconnected elements while collaborating
with multiple business stakeholders under strict time constraints. This paper
proposes a visualization method to simplify managing large amounts of
information called the LSF view method. The LSF view method simplifies
visualization by generating overviews of the network emphasizing the
connections that are most salient to the user. This method also provides users
with three key capabilities: manipulating of layer semantics, selecting
instances of relevant concepts, and focusing on relevant information. Keywords: Information/knowledge visualization; Visualization; Network Abstraction; IT
Enterprise Management; User Centered Design |
Investigating the Effect of Visualization on User Performance of Information Systems | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 591-600 | |
Xiaojun Yuan | |||
This research investigated if and how users using an information
visualization system perform differently from those using a traditional
information retrieval system. A between-subjects experiment was conducted
involving 32 subjects. One group of subjects engaged the visually oriented
CiteSpace system; the remaining subjects searched the textual-based Web of
Science system. The results indicated that subjects using the CiteSpace system
spent significantly less time, felt significantly more satisfied, and performed
significantly fewer mouse clicks than those using the Web of Science system.
These results indicate that it would be helpful to consider different
visualization methods to represent and organize information in the design of
information retrieval systems. Keywords: Searching; information visualization; user performance |
Effects of Domain Knowledge on User Performance and Perception in a Knowledge Domain Visualization System | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 601-610 | |
Xiaojun Yuan; Chaomei Chen; Xiangmin Zhang; Josh Avery; Tao Xu | |||
This study investigated how the level of a user's domain knowledge affected
the user's performance and perception of a knowledge domain visualization
system called CiteSpace. Sixteen graduate and sixteen undergraduate students
participated in a within-subjects user-centered experiment in a US university.
Each of them conducted eight searching tasks in CiteSpace. Results demonstrated
that there was an impact of level of domain knowledge on users' behavior,
performance and perception with CiteSpace. Statistical significance was shown
that users with higher level of domain knowledge (HD group) spent significantly
more time completing tasks and felt significantly more satisfied with the
results than users with lower level of domain knowledge (LD group). Statistical
significance was also shown that the HD group perceived the system more usable
than those of the LD group. The HD group claimed that they learned more new
knowledge on the topics than those of the LD group. Keywords: Information visualization; domain knowledge; knowledge domain visualization |
Exploring Information-Triage: Speculative Interface Tools to Help College Students Conduct Online Research | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 611-620 | |
Liese Zahabi | |||
In many ways, the promise of the Internet has been overshadowed by a sense
of overload and anxiety for many users. The concept of information-triage may
help mitigate this issue. Information-triage is the process of sorting,
grouping, categorizing, prioritizing, storing and retrieving information in
order to make sense and use of it. This study examines the role of design in
the online search process, connects it to the nature of human attention and the
limitations of working memory, and suggests ways to support users with an
information triage system. The study centers on a set of three speculative
online search interfaces and user-testing sessions conducted with college
students to explore the possibilities for information-triage. Keywords: Information-triage; interface; interaction; search; user-testing;
visualization; metaphor |
M-Commerce Usability: An Explorative Study on Turkish Private Shopping Apps and Mobile Sites | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 623-630 | |
Özgürol Öztürk; Kerem Rizvanoglu | |||
There's a growing interest towards mobile commerce in recent years. This
pilot study, which is the first step of an extensive long-term research,
investigated mobile usability in mobile "private shopping" applications.
Focusing on three different private shopping applications / mobile sites in
Turkey, a qualitative mobile usability test, based on a multi-method approach,
was carried out with a sample of 11 Turkish senior year university students,
who were experienced mobile Internet users and potential customers of private
shopping platforms. The participants were observed during the task executions
and additional data was collected by the "think aloud" procedure, eye-tracking
and video recording of the participants. A short debriefing interview was also
made to gain a detailed insight into the user experience. The findings revealed
significant mobile usability problems and enabled to propose guidelines to
improve user experience in mobile private shopping. Keywords: Usability; Mobile; Private Shopping |
Smart Metering with Smartphones: User-Centered Design of a Mobile Application in the Context of Energy Efficiency | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 631-640 | |
Stephan Böhm; Lee Szwec | |||
The energy sector is currently confronted with huge challenges and
undergoing massive transformation due to the integration of renewable energy
sources such as solar and wind energy. Two way communication and computer
processing technology can now be integrated into electricity distribution
systems creating smart grids. These smart grids can be connected to households
by smart meters and smart home infrastructures. Customers can use this
infrastructure to identify how much energy they consume at any time and to
optimize their consumption patterns. This paper analyses the expectations and
preferences of digital natives on the deployment of smartphones and mobile
applications as a human-computer interface to smart meter and smart home
infrastructures. A user-centered design approach was chosen to identify
relevant features and to define a prototype for such a smart metering
application. Keywords: Digital Natives; Energy Efficiency; Mobile Applications; Smart Metering;
Smartphones; User-centered Design |
End-User Development of Mobile Mashups | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 641-650 | |
Cinzia Cappiello; Maristella Matera; Matteo Picozzi | |||
The spread of mobile devices empowers more and more end users to access
services publicly available on the Web. It also encourages users to construct
applications satisfying their situational needs, by customizing and combining
the huge amount of online resources. Mobile mashups have the potential to
accommodate this trend, providing a flexible paradigm for a service-based
development of mobile applications. This paper introduces and End User
Development (EUD) framework, based on a model-driven approach for the design
and the automatic generation of mobile mashups. The approach is characterized
by a "lightweight" composition paradigm that exploits visual notations for the
specification of data integration and service synchronization rules. Keywords: Mobile Mashups; End-User Development; Model-Driven Mashup Development; Data
Integration; Data Fusion |
A New Framework for Increasing User Engagement in Mobile Applications Using Machine Learning Techniques | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 651-659 | |
Merve Gençer; Gökhan Bilgin; Özgür Zan; Tansel Voyvodaoglu | |||
In this paper, it is proposed to build a new framework which anticipates
mobile user status and behavior characteristics with the aim of increasing user
engagement and provide stickiness in mobile applications (iOS-Android) by using
machine learning techniques. Motivation of this study is based on the idea of
collecting data from users by non-survey methods because data collection from
surveys may mislead the system model according to the literature researches on
user experience. User behavior includes forecasting next usage time of the
user, user motivation type, user mastery level and current context of the user.
In order to find relevant patterns, usage data is obtained from pilot mobile
applications at first and then they are processed according to the chosen
machine learning algorithm. Keywords: Engagement; stickiness; mobile applications; machine learning; user
experience; human computer interaction; context awareness; mobile devices; push
notification |
User-Originated Innovation of Mobile Financial Services | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 660-665 | |
Päivi Heikkilä; Heli Järventie-Ahonen; Sirpa Riihiaho | |||
This paper presents a three-phased study in which new mobile financial
services were designed iteratively in close co-operation with users and experts
on finance. The studies utilized a web platform for open innovation and
evaluation of new service concepts. The first study with quite raw concepts
revealed needs and worries that were then taken into account in developing the
concepts further. The second phase of the study included parallel design
utilizing both student assignments and experts on finance. The most interesting
and promising concepts from this phase were then selected in cooperation to be
assessed by the consumers in the web platform. The different perspectives of
the participants in the studies, and the iterative approach engaging potential
users right from the beginning, helped us to enhance the quality of the new
service concepts in a cost-effective way. Keywords: User involvement; co-design; iterative design; online ideation; mobile
financial services |
A Service Design on Driving Like Living | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 666-672 | |
Hung-Pin Hsu | |||
In the development of automobile industry, sedan has already become the
major transportation for many people to travel between different cities. Not
only the function of traveling, sedan is signified the extension of house.
According to different structure, living habit and lifestyle of family members,
sedans are individualized their own features from interior to exterior.
Nowadays, house security system has already provided a mature service. Family
members could set up the protection they need through house security system.
However, as the extension of house, sedan is still fewer and need to be
discussed. For this reasons, this research tries to design a service structure
for sedan security system by applying the concept of service design to the
technology from Taiwan Automotive Research and Testing Center (TARTC). The
final service planning could combine the technology protecting family members
with the business service system. And the safety experience would also be
extended from house to its extension -- sedan. Keywords: Human-Computer Interaction; Interface Design; Usability Research; Service
Design; Contextual Inquiry; Security System; Sedan |
Feature Evaluation for Mobile Applications: A Design Science Approach Based on Evolutionary Software Prototypes | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 673-681 | |
Bodo Igler | |||
The success of mobile applications depends on the incorporation of key
features specific to their intended use. This paper proposes a light-weight
process model to facilitate the identification of key user interface features
and key application logic features.
The iterative, incremental process model is aligned with design science research and is based on software product line engineering ideas. In each iteration several prototype variants are built and evaluated by the customer. Both construction and evaluation of prototypes are based on feature models. Keywords: mobile computing; design and evaluation methods; design science research;
feature-oriented development; software product lines |
ARS Module of Contents Management System Using Cell Phones | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 682-690 | |
Toshikazu Iitaka | |||
I developed an ARS (Audience Response System) module of Xoops CMS (Contents
Management System) using cell phones. The module has already been used in some
lectures. When we analyze data of the users, we can confirm a statistically
significant effect. This paper will first explain the background of this
research. Then, the functions and use of the module are explained. Thirdly,
this paper explains, how the module is used in association with practice
module. Lastly, the effects of the modules are analyzed. Keywords: e-learning; ARS (Audience Response System); Cell Phones; CMS (Contents
Management System) |
9/11 Memorial App: A Case Study of Serious Smart Phone UX Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 691-695 | |
Tobias Komischke | |||
Most smartphone apps can be characterized as flashy, colorful, playful and
trendy. A reason for this is the target audience which is still composed of
mainly young and IT savvy persons that casually and shortly use an app in their
leisure time to stay connected with others, to access information or to play
games. Another reason is that apps are typically either inexpensive or free of
charge, so word of mouth and good ratings are critical for their success. This
case study traces the design and development of a smart phone app that was very
different from typical apps -- hence the addition of "Serious" to the paper
title. Keywords: User Experience; Design; Smartphone App; Mobile |
The Travel Machine: Mobile UX Design That Combines Information Design with Persuasion Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 696-705 | |
Aaron Marcus; Theresa Karolina Schieder; Lorenzo Cantoni | |||
Travel and tourism is a booming sector of the 21st century world economy. In
an era of increasing leisure tourism or "part-time leisure tourism" tacked on
to business trips, coming into contact with other cultures risks fading into
the background. The Travel Machine project of 2012 developed effective ways to
foster a shift from leisure to cultural tourism by changing people's travel
behavior in the short- and in the long-term. Travel Machine, conceived by the
author's firm, combines information design/visualization and persuasion design.
This paper explains the development of its user interface. Keywords: culture; dashboard; design; development; incentives; information; mobile;
persuasion; social networks; tourism; travel; user interface; user experience |
Sharing Life Experiences with Friends Based on Individual's Locality | | BIBA | Full-Text | 706-713 | |
Mohsin Ali Memon; Jiro Tanaka | |||
There are numerous events that transpire in one's life. Since, the need to make the most of these life logs is the ultimate goal of life logging; therefore, we present an approach to share one's life experiences with friends. The proposed mechanism assists one's friends who are involved in identical situations with shared life logs, provided that they check-in the same location where the logs were originally produced. A user of the system can capture and share images, audio recordings, QR-code or barcode as well as real objects via the prototype life log device. The friends in response can send feedback about the shared data to support the sharer of the log. The prototype application is developed on an Android-based smart phone that works as a life log device and employs Facebook and Dropbox API for fetching one's friends list and storing life log data in the cloud respectively. |
Usability Testing of Mobile Applications Store: Purchase, Search and Reviews | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 714-722 | |
Wilson Prata; Claudia Renata Mont' Alvão; Manuela Quaresma | |||
The objective of this research was to evaluate the process of purchase,
search and evaluation of apps in the two main mobile stores available in
Brazil, Google Play Store and iPhone App Store. It takes place in Brazil, from
September to October of 2012. Sixteen users were selected based on a
socio-demographic profile. The results helped to evaluate the overall opinion
and attitude of the Brazilian users regarding each system. The debriefing
confirmed issues in both stores, some similar between them but others quite
particular. It also helped to identify some minor's preferences regarding each
task in each store. Keywords: Smartphone; App Store; Mobile Usability Test |
Addressing Animated Transitions already in Mobile App Storyboards | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 723-732 | |
Marcus Trapp; René Yasmin | |||
Animated transitions are key elements that contribute to the user experience
(UX) of mobile Apps. Unfortunately, animated transitions are usually addressed
too late in software development. We recommend to consider animated transitions
already during user interface (UI) storyboarding. Typically, UI storyboards do
not address the kind of transition, they focus on the screens and visualize a
transition just with a simple arrow. Therefore, we investigated the leading
mobile phone operating systems iOS 5, Windows Phone 7.5 and Android 4 with
respect to their utilization of animated transitions. We developed a catalog
consisting of 21 different types of animated transitions. Based on this catalog
of 21 different types of animated transition we developed a vocabulary of 66
simple icons. These icons enhance the abilities of storyboards to the extent
that they are now able to illustrate animated transitions. Keywords: mobile apps; user interface; storyboards; animated transitions; user
experience |
Meta-design Approach for Mobile Platforms Supporting Creative Tourism Experiences | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 733-739 | |
Iis P. Tussyadiah | |||
This paper conceptualizes the application of meta-design approach in the
development of a mobile system supporting creative experiences for tourists.
Specifically, for those working in creative industries, adaptive mobile system
will facilitate effective tourists' interactions with and interpretations of
the local attributes of tourism destinations. The mobile system will integrate
the sensory stimuli, the intense contact with cultural nuances and social
network, the brand-based reputation, and the creative communities at tourism
destinations into the iterative process of perception, conception, and
expression of creative ideas among tourists. For destinations trying to
highlight their unique characteristics as their value proposition, the
development of such system may benefit them from a heightened sense of place
due to on-going value co-creation. Individuals will benefit from such system
from enhanced creative performances. Keywords: Creativity; Mobile Technology; Tourism; Meta-design; Mobility |
Determining the Effect of Menu Element Size on Usability of Mobile Applications | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 740-749 | |
Shelly Welch; Si-Jung Kim | |||
As smartphones gain more and more prominence in the life of the public and
are increasingly used for daily tasks, the usability of mobile applications
accessed through smartphones becomes a growing concern. This two-part study
looks at the usability of such applications, focusing on how the size of menu
elements affects the usability of mobile applications. In the first study,
users were asked to complete an online questionnaire regarding their
preferences in relation to smartphone use and mobile applications. In the
second study, a non-parametric t-test was used to identify how the size of menu
elements affects the usability of mobile applications. Users were asked to
complete a specific task navigating two different prototype mobile applications
by clicking specific menu options and answering questionnaires to document
their experiences. The results of this study found increased element size does
increase user preference and overall usability. Keywords: Fitts's law; usability; navigation; smartphones; design; human factors;
performance |