| Interactive 3D Digitization, Retrieval, and Analysis of Ancient Sculptures, Using Infrared Depth Sensors for Mobile Devices | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 3-11 | |
| Angelos Barmpoutis; Eleni Bozia; Daniele Fortuna | |||
| In this paper a novel framework is presented for interactive feature-based
retrieval and visualization of human statues, using depth sensors for mobile
devices. A skeletal model is fitted to the depth image of a statue or human
body in general and is used as a feature vector that captures the pose
variations in a given collection of skeleton data. A scale- and twist-invariant
distance function is defined in the feature space and is employed in a
topology-preserving low-dimensional lattice mapping framework. The user can
interact with this self-organizing map by submitting queries in the form of a
skeleton from a statue or a human body. The proposed methods are demonstrated
in a real dataset of 3D digitized Graeco-Roman statues from Palazzo Altemps. Keywords: Depth sensors; RGB-D; Kinect; 3d object retrieval; Digital humanities;
Statues; Museum studies | |||
| Developing the COOLTURA Resources-Driven Governance Model for Building Scalable Cultural Services in the COOLTURA Platform | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 12-20 | |
| María Eugenia Beltrán; Yolanda Ursa; Silvia de los Rios; Maria Fernanda Cabrera-Umpierrez; Maria Teresa Arredondo; Maria del Mar Villafranca; Lucia María Perez; Belén Prados; Carlos Lli Torrabadella | |||
| Cultural institutions and sites currently debate on how to respond to new
trends, such as globalisation, exponential growth of digital cultural content
and Apps, and reach technological knowledgeable users. In addition,
institutions need to look for new ways of engagement, as the engagement of
citizens with their cultural heritage environment remains low. This paper
presents the preliminary results of a qualitative research performed to
evaluate new opportunities for the COOLTURA Platform (output of TAG CLOUD
project); as well as the proposal of developing the COOLTURA resource-driven
governance model to support the COOLTURA Platform up-take. Keywords: Engagement; Cultural heritage; Governance in culture; Cultural platform;
Cultural apps | |||
| The Expansion of a Scheme About ACCESSIBILITY in Tourism at the Cultural Sector | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 21-28 | |
| Eleni Chalkia; Evangelos Bekiaris; Maria Panou; Matina Loukea | |||
| Accessibility in the tourism domain is already and will be even more in the
following years a "must"! Thus, ACCESSIBILITY PASS is an evaluation and
certification scheme which has been developed with the scope of evaluating,
clustering, analyzing and certifying the accessibility level of a hotel or a
conference center taking into account its infrastructure, its offered services
and its personnel's certified skills. This paper will explore the possibility
of expanding ACCESSIBILITY PASS in the cultural domain buildings like museums,
concert centers, etc. where accessibility is very important and it already
implemented, but not widely evaluated or certified. Keywords: Accessibility; Disabilities; Tourism; Infrastructure; Evaluation;
Certification; Culture; Museums | |||
| EmoActivity -- An EEG-Based Gamified Emotion HCI for Augmented Artistic Expression: The i-Treasures Paradigm | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 29-40 | |
| Vasileios Charisis; Stelios Hadjidimitriou; Leontios Hadjileontiadis; Deniz Ugurca; Erdal Yilmaz | |||
| There are important cultural differences in emotions that can be predicted
and connected to each other in the light of cultural and artistic expressions.
The main differences reflected at the affective space are expressed through
initial response tendencies of appraisal and action readiness. Capturing and
handling the emotions during artistic activities could be used as a dominant
source of information to acquire and augment the cultural expression and
maximize the emotional impact to the audience. This paper presents a novel
EEG-based game-like application, to learn and handle affective states and
transitions towards augmented artistic expression. According to the game
scenario, the user has to reach and sustain one or more target affective states
based on the level of the game, the difficulty setting and his/her current
affective state. The game, although at its first version, has been demonstrated
to a small group of potential users and has received positive feedback. Its use
by a wider audience is anticipated within the realization of the i-Treasure FP7
EU Programme (2013-2017). Keywords: Human-computer interaction; Emotion game; Affective state detection;
Game-based learning; Contemporary music composition; Valence-arousal space;
EEG; Emotiv; Emoactivity; i-Treasures | |||
| Living Lab Concept Validation Experiment to Experience COOLTURA in the Cité Des Science et de L'Industrie | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 41-52 | |
| Silvia de los Rios; Maria Fernanda Cabrera-Umpierrez; Maria Teresa Arredondo; Miguel Paramo; Charles Tijus; Elhadi Djebbari; Federico Mussano; Roberto Santoro | |||
| Culture is everywhere; it is part of all citizens, of our past, our roots,
our present and key asset for our future. Technology is a good driver to
present and allow access to cultural heritage. Within the European FP7 project
eCultValue an open call was launched which allowed the IUL-LUTIN Living Lab to
make an experiment using COOLTURA, outcome from the also European FP7 project
TAG CLOUD, in the Citédes Sciences et de l'Industrie (CSI) of Paris
(France). This paper presents such experiment as well as the interesting
results extracted from the participants' feedback. Keywords: App; Cultural heritage; User experience; Engagement; Augmented reality;
Storytelling; Social media; COOLTURA; CSI | |||
| Evaluating Intimacy and Ludic Engagement with a Musical Interactive Art Installation that Explores Remote Abstract Communication | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 53-64 | |
| Steven Gelineck | |||
| The main contribution of the paper is a usability evaluation of an
interactive art installation where several different factors for ludic and
intimate engagement in this specific context of remote face-to-face non-verbal
communication are compared. Experiments are carried out with the following
different overall goals: (1) to understand the importance of direct eye
contact, (2) to understand the influence of using different musical outputs and
(3) to understand whether providing participants with more detailed control
supports exploration. Results indicate that direct eye contact enhances the
intimate connection, that opera sounds are more effective than synthetic sounds
in terms of intimacy, control, musical expressivity and exploration, and that
participants engaged in more exploration with limited control. Keywords: Mediated intimacy; Ludic engagement; Evaluation; Usability; Interactive art
installations; Musical exploration; Video conferencing; Emotional communication | |||
| Entangled Sensorium: Subtle Apparatuses for Nonlocal Affectiveness | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 65-73 | |
| Clarissa Ribeiro | |||
| This paper aim in waving reflections around the sovereignty of interaction
in communicational processes focusing on Human-Computer Interaction subtleties
related to informational processes in a quantum level to present and discuss
the author series 'Performing Quantum Entanglement: Subtle Apparatuses for
Nonlocal Affectiveness'. The approach involves conceptualizing what the author
defines as Complex Affective Systems (CAFFS), referring to multidimensional
systems of interactions that lead to manifestations and incorporations of the
self and the emergence of consciousness. The works selected to conduct the
present conversation have been produced for the author's solo show at the
Art|Sci Gallery, CNSI/UCLA, in Los Angeles (2014), and recently for the
inaugural solo show she designed for the Roy Ascott Studio Gallery in Shanghai
(2015). Keywords: Information; Quantum physics; Interaction; Complex affective systems; Media
art; Art and science | |||
| Immersive Interaction Paradigms for Controlling Virtual Worlds by Customer Devices Exemplified in a Virtual Planetarium | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 74-86 | |
| Andreas Schaller; Tim Biedenkapp; Jens Keil; Dieter W. Fellner; Arjan Kuijper | |||
| This work provides an insight into the basics of 3D applications in
conjunction with various customer devices. In this case, the application is a
3D planetarium of our solar system for a museum. The aim is to create a concept
for intuitive and immersive navigation through the virtual planetarium using
inexpensive Customer Devices. Visitors should be able to move freely and easily
in the solar system. Here, the visitor should be able to focus on the
simulation and not quickly lose interest in the complex control application.
For this similar approaches and previous research are examined and a new
approach is described. As low-cost customer devices, the controller of the
Nintendo Wii (Wiimote) and current smartphones are considered in this work. A
detailed analysis of these devices is an integral part of this work. Based on
the selected devices, there are various possibilities for interaction and
resulting interaction concepts. For each device, a concept will be developed to
meet the identified needs. Keywords: Visualization; Immersive environments; Virtual worlds; Interaction devices | |||
| Disorientation Factors that Affect the Situation Awareness of the Visually Impaired Individuals in Unfamiliar Indoor Environments | | BIBA | Full-Text | 89-100 | |
| Abdulrhman Alkhanifer; Stephanie Ludi | |||
| Developing situational awareness for individuals with visual impairments can be a challenging process, as designers need to understand the environmental aspects as well as the users' needs. In unfamiliar indoor open spaces, individuals with visual impairments need to work around multiple disorientation factors that can affect their orientation and situation awareness levels. In this work, we report our experience and results of longitudinal user studies that were designed to facilitate cues that help raise the situation awareness level of individuals with visual impairments when exploring unfamiliar indoor open spaces. Through our results, we explain in detail users' disorientation factors in such environments. | |||
| Informational Geography: Re-writing and Re-reading Maps | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 101-107 | |
| Carlos Alberto Barbosa; Luisa Paraguai | |||
| The text is concerned with how mapping information visualization differs
from traditional cartography once the content flows, superposed on physical
space, change the way human perceptions deal with space and time. From this
point onwards, the text discusses the articulation between spatiality and modes
of moving within the city through data representations. Using the Watch_Dogs
WeareData Project as an example of how this is done, users can follow distinct
syntactic and semantic narratives arranged over individual and public data
information made available in Paris, London and Berlin. Each of the three towns
is recreated on a 3D map, allowing the users to discover in real time not only
the way data organizes and runs cities, but also constructs spatialities. Keywords: Informational and physical cartography; Data representations and narratives;
Hybrid spatialities | |||
| Effect of Road Conditions on Gaze-Control Interface in an Automotive Environment | | BIBA | Full-Text | 108-116 | |
| Pradipta Biswas; Varun Dutt | |||
| This paper proposes an eye gaze based dashboard control interface for automotive environment so that drivers need not to take their hands off from steering wheel and control the dashboard only by looking at it. With the help of our smoothing and target prediction technology, we found that first time users could operate a dashboard using their eye gaze in approximately 2.5s for each on-screen item selection in different road conditions. As part of the study we also found that average amplitude of saccadic intrusion is a good indicator of drivers' perceived cognitive load. | |||
| Usability Evaluation of a Mobile Navigation Application for Blind Users | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 117-128 | |
| Márcia de Borba Campos; Jaime Sánchez; Juliana Damasio; Tasmay Inácio | |||
| This paper presents a usability evaluation of a mobile gaming application
(mAbES) for blind users. mAbES was evaluated with the participation of HCI
specialists and experts in video gaming (Group 1) and mAbES end-users who are
blind (Group 2). The instruments used by Group 1 were the audio feedback
questionnaire and the usability evaluation questionnaire. It also included
questions based on video games and game mechanics. For Group 2, both the audio
evaluation and the O&M, tactile feedback and ease of use questionnaires
were applied. Semi-structured interviews were also carried out. User
perceptions and interaction behaviors identified during study and data analysis
allowed to refine the methodology used for evaluating the usability of mAbES
and proposed suggestions for improvements in the use of this application, as
well as to make recommendations for developing video games for blind users for
navigation purposes. Keywords: Users who are blind; Mental map; Orientation and mobility; Navigation;
Mobile application; Usability evaluation | |||
| Feature Detection Applied to Context-Aware Blind Guidance Support | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 129-138 | |
| Hugo Fernandes; André Sousa; Hugo Paredes; Vitor Filipe; João Barroso | |||
| Human beings have developed a number of evolutionary mechanisms that allows
the distinction between different objects and the triggering of events based on
their perception of reality. Visual impairment has a significant impact on
individuals' quality of life, including their ability to work and to develop
personal relationships as they often feel cut off people and things around
them, due to their impairment. The need for assistive technologies has long
been a constant in the daily lives of people with visual impairments, and will
remain a constant in future years. Cognitive mapping is of extreme importance
for individuals in terms of creating a conceptual model of the surrounding
space and objects around them, thereby supporting their interaction with the
physical environment. This work describes the use of computer vision
techniques, namely feature detectors and descriptors, to detect objects in the
scene and help contextualize the user within the surrounding space, enhancing
their mobility, navigation and cognitive mapping of a new environment. Keywords: Computer vision; Feature detection; Blind; Navigation; Orientation | |||
| Creating Inclusive HMI Concepts for Future Cars Using Visual Scenario Storyboards Through Design Ethnography | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 139-149 | |
| Merih Kunur; Patrick Langdon; Michael Bradley; Jo-Anne Bichard; Emilie Glazer; Fionnuala Doran; P. John Clarkson; Jean Jacques Loeillet | |||
| His paper illustrates the use of scenario writing and storyboard
visualisation methods based on ethnographic study of diverse personas,
narratives, and user experience to guide automotive engineers and designers for
creating innovative ideas and developing inclusive Human Machine Interface
(iHMI) concepts for future cars in 2025 and beyond. This paper documents the
importance of continuing visual research process based on anthropological case
studies that looked into diverse persona, cultural and geographical attributes.
These methods are used to visually analyse situational car use, thereby leading
to scenario-based HMI tasks that can be applied to generate innovative user
oriented future car designs. Storyboard visualisation of narratives is a method
that derives from ethnographic interviews with strategically chosen car users
from around the world. This is a powerful tool for analyzing situations,
describing feelings, and evaluating the usability of functions within the car.
With this visual process, future scenarios can be drawn in order to create new
and inclusive HMI ideas and design concepts embedded within the storyboards to
help engineers and designers' to understand users' different needs, exploring
their expectations, emotions and motivations. The realistic details on the
character illustrations of each persona are essential for better understanding
of the users' including older people, the visually impaired and wheelchair
users, child and parent, technophobic or technophile persons. Each HMI concept
can be sketched as required in task sequences, with detail and scaled paper
model produced for detailed step-by-step design. The required interactions can
be observed, photographed and captured on video for in-depth design thinking
workshops. A series of HMI working design concepts for future cars will emerge
from this pipeline for prototyping and engineering. Keywords: Human machine interface; Inclusive design; Visual narrative; Scenario
storyboards; Concept visualization; Design thinking; User research;
User-Centred design; Design ethnography | |||
| Wide-Range Auditory Orientation Training System for Blind O&M | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 150-159 | |
| Yoshikazu Seki | |||
| Authors started to develop a training method that combined "sound
localization" and "obstacle perception" by using acoustic virtual reality
technologies for the orientation and mobility training for the blind people in
2003, and we finally developed an auditory orientation training system (AOTS)
in 2005. As a modified version of AOTS, the first WR-AOTS was released April
2013 for the blind rehabilitation and/or education facilities. By January 2015,
about 70 requests for use of it were received from the blind rehabilitation
and/or education facilities. We will keep providing update on the facilities'
demands in future. Keywords: Orientation and mobility (O&M); Visual impairment; Virtual reality; 3-D
sound; Head-related transfer function (HRTF) | |||
| A Spot Navigation System for the Visually Impaired by Use of SIFT-Based Image Matching | | BIBA | Full-Text | 160-167 | |
| Hotaka Takizawa; Kazunori Orita; Mayumi Aoyagi; Nobuo Ezaki; Shinji Mizuno | |||
| In this report, we propose a spot navigation system to assist visually impaired individuals in recalling memories related to spots that they often visit. This system registers scene images and voice memos that are recorded in advance by a visually impaired individual or his/her sighted supporter at various spots. When the individual visits one of the spots, the system determines the current spot from the results of image matching between the registered images and a query image taken by the individual at the spot, then plays a voice memo which corresponds to the spot. The system is applied to actual indoor and outdoor scenes, and experimental results are shown. | |||
| Toward Private and Independent Accessible Write-In Voting: A Multimodal Prediction Approach | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 171-181 | |
| Shanee Dawkins; Wanda Eugene; Tamirat Abegaz; Juan E. Gilbert | |||
| The overall objective of this research is to design a multimodal system to
write-in a candidate's name that addresses the issues of time, privacy, and
accessibility. In order to determine if these issues were met, the design is
analyzed and compared against alternate methods of writing-in a candidate's
name. An experiment was performed to assess two aspects of the multimodal
system: speech interaction and switch interaction. The research intends to
capture and analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of writing-in a
candidate's name anonymously through multimodal interactions. Though the
essence of this research embodies universal of design for everyone everywhere,
the design and experiments put forth in this paper will focus on the U.S.
voting population. Keywords: Accessibility; Universally usable interfaces; Electronic voting systems;
Multimodal interaction; Text prediction | |||
| Virtual Fingerprint -- Image-Based Authentication Increases Privacy for Users of Mouse-Replacement Interfaces | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 182-191 | |
| Viktoria Grindle; Syed Kamran Haider; John Magee; Marten van Dijk | |||
| Current secondary user authentication methods are imperfect. They either
rely heavily on a user's ability to remember key preferences and phrases or
they involve providing authentication on multiple devices. However, malicious
attacks that compromise a user's device or discover personal information about
the user are becoming more sophisticated and increasing in number. Users who
rely on mouse-replacement interfaces face additional privacy concerns when
monitored or assisted by caregivers. Our authentication method proposes a way
of quantifying a user's personality traits by observing his selection of
images. This method would not be as vulnerable to malicious attacks as current
methods are because the method is based on psychological observations that can
not be replicated by anyone other than the correct user. As a preliminary
evaluation, we created a survey consisting of slides of images and asked
participants to click through them. The results indicated our proposed
authentication method has clear potential to address these issues. Keywords: Human-Computer Interaction; Mouse-replacement interfaces; Security; Privacy;
Behavioral biometric; Authentication; Camera Mouse; Virtual Fingerprint | |||
| Joystick Interaction Strategies of Individuals with Dexterity Impairments: Observations from the Smart Voting Joystick Usability Evaluation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 192-203 | |
| James E. Jackson; Jennifer Ismirle; Sarah J. Swierenga; Stephen R. Blosser; Graham L. Pierce | |||
| In order to develop a joystick as a universal access device for accessible
voting machines, it is necessary to observe and understand the strategies of
users with disabilities when operating joysticks in this context. For this
study, researchers analyzed video and audio recordings as well as written notes
and user feedback from the usability evaluation of the Smart Voting Joystick to
identify, document, and understand the interaction strategies individuals with
motor or dexterity related disabilities employ when using a joystick to
interact with a mock voting system. Keywords: Assistive technology; Accessible voting; Joystick; Interaction strategies;
Usability | |||
| A Universal Ballot to Enable Voting for All | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 204-214 | |
| Seunghyun "Tina" Lee; Yilin Elaine Liu; Ljilja Ruzic Kascak; Jon A. Sanford | |||
| Voting is a glocalized event across countries, states and municipalities in
which individuals of all abilities want to participate. To enable people with
disabilities to participate accessible voting is typically implemented by
adding assistive technologies to electronic voting machines to accommodate
people with physical and visual disabilities. To overcome the complexities and
inequities in this practice, two interfaces, EZ Ballot, which uses a linear
yes/no input system for all selections, and QUICK Ballot, which provides random
access voting through direct selection, were designed with multi-modal inputs
and outputs to provide one system for all voters. This paper reports on the
results of Phase I usability testing of EZ Ballot with 21 adults with visual,
dexterity and cognitive limitations, which indicated the need for the second
interface and describes the Phase II efficacy testing of both interfaces that
is currently ongoing. Participants performed a standard set of voting tasks
including: voting for one and two candidates, using the write-in function,
voting on a referendum and changing their vote. Task performance was recorded
by video. Post-trial interviews solicited feedback about ease of use and
preferences. Overall, the study demonstrated that people with different
limitations could perform voting tasks on a single system, although their
preferred input and output methods varied, suggesting that providing
flexibility through multi-modal inputs is important to ensure participation of
all individuals in the voting process. Keywords: Accessible voting; Ballot design; User interface; Multi-modal; Interactions | |||
| Universal Design (UD) Guidelines for Interactive Mobile Voting Interfaces for Older Adults | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 215-225 | |
| Ljilja Ruzic Kascak; Seunghyun "Tina" Lee; Elaine Yilin Liu; Jon A. Sanford | |||
| Current mobile interfaces have numerous usability problems, especially when
used by older adults, population of users diverse in ranges and combinations of
dis(abilities). However, user interfaces need to be usable by all users,
including older adults and disabled people. Universal design (UD), Design for
Aging (DfA), and Universal Usability (UU) consider designing systems and
interfaces usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible. Set of more
inclusive UD guidelines emerged from this integration of the three approaches
with mobile design guidelines in order to address usability of user interfaces
by diverse population of older adults. An example of an application of the
inclusive UD guidelines was universally designed interactive voting interface,
EZ Ballot, designed to improve usability of voting systems for older adults.
This paper presents the results of the usability testing of the voting system
with young and older adults, and reports equal usability of the ballot for both
age groups. Keywords: Design for ageing; User interface adaptation for universal access; Design
guidelines; Older adults; Universal design; Usability | |||
| "Biometric Dental Rosette" -- Introduction into New Method of Dental Identification | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 226-236 | |
| Michal Rychlik; Agnieszka Przystanska; Dorota Lorkiewicz-Muszynska; Mariusz Glapinski | |||
| The hypothesis of the study was that human dentition is unique. This study
was performed to analyze whether biometric methods using measurements and
proportions are suitable for dental identification. The use of 3D models with
specialized systems for computer aided engineering (CAE) and Reverse
Engineering (RE) allowed for a number of point surface and volume comparative
analyses. "Mapping" was carried out next on the dentition models. This
procedure results in a set of curves and points depicting the characteristic
features of the teeth and their edges respectively. Based on the "mapping" the
so-called "biometric dental rosette" was created for the dentition models. The
"biometric dental rosette" was created for maxillary and mandibular dentition
models. Every rosette was individual thus unique. The method allowed for
positive identification of all the volunteers. The presented studies are of
preliminary character, and the continuation is necessary. Keywords: Bitemarks; Biometrics; Forensic odontology; 3D modeling; Reverse
Engineering; CAME -- Computer Aided Medical Engineering | |||
| Polling Place Support Tool; User Interface to Plan and Run Polling Places | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 237-247 | |
| Ted Selker; Shama Hoque | |||
| We describe a scenario and enabling system to provide assistance to election
officers in several ways. The new user interface approach supports polling
place design, training, operations, problem solving, and auditing. It presents
a spatial/graphical user interface for interacting with representations of
voting space, furniture, and equipment layout, to assist election officers in
better fulfilling polling place administrative activities before, during, and
after the election. The application, Polling Place Support Tool, is designed to
improve on the current paper-based checklists an election officer uses to
remember the different activities he or she has to perform. The RAV Polling
Place Support Tool is a simulation that allows poll workers and officials to
explore the possibilities for optimizing the design of an accessible and
compliant polling place, auditing its use and intervening in to solve problems
as they arise. Keywords: Voting; Process; User interface; Web service | |||
| The Impact of Literacy on Usable and Accessible Electronic Voting | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 248-257 | |
| Kathryn Summers; Jonathan Langford | |||
| Electronic voting interfaces present particular challenges for voters with
low literacy. Research has found that individuals with low literacy typically
encounter problems in electronic interfaces related to their tendencies to read
every word, act on every word, interpret words literally, skip text, become
distracted, and stop reading too soon. Based on a growing body of research
about the experiences of low-literacy voters in electronic interfaces, this
paper presents eleven principles to address these challenges. It also
translates those principles into specific best practice recommendations related
to language, navigation, visual design, and interaction in electronic voting
interfaces. Keywords: Low literacy; Electronic interfaces; Interaction design; Voting; Ballot
design; Plain language; Plain interaction; Usability | |||
| Flexibility as an Instrument of Social Stabilization of Residential Environment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 261-269 | |
| Wojciech Bonenberg | |||
| This paper presents the results of research conducted at the Faculty of
Architecture PUT, regarding flexibility and human factors in the design of
housing environment. It points to the need of flexible approach at the initial
design stage of decision-making; public opinion has to be considered and
emphatic analysis needs to be undertaken to establish the required scope of
flexibility. The paper presents the main features of flexibility in the design
of flats/houses as opposed to the design of other facilities, such as offices,
industrial and commercial areas. The results of research reveal significant
differences in the demands regarding the interior of flats/houses and those
regarding the residential area. Flexibility turns out to be a crucial factor in
the creation of residential areas that stabilize social relationships and
include human factors. Keywords: Flexibility; Housing environment; Social stabilization | |||
| Risk Analysis in the Process a New Workplace | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 270-279 | |
| Hanna Golas | |||
| In this paper the author presents the use of selected risk analysis tools in
the process of authorising a new workstation. The company selected for the
study belongs to the automotive industry, where customer requirements are high
in terms of quality and performance as well as in terms of safety of work,
employees and the process. Keywords: Workstation; Employee safety; Labour standards; Risk | |||
| Ergonomics of the Urban Villa's Form as an Element of Sustainable Architectural and Urban Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 280-290 | |
| Pawel Horn | |||
| Article is a presentation and discussion of the complex of multi-family
buildings which were built in Wroclaw in an interesting and challenging
historical urban context. Discussion of the complex serves to define
characteristic parameters that allow to consider the buildings as example of
urban villa and to illustrate the process of reaching the optimum of these
parameters in the context of urban environment. Ergonomics of the object's
dependency from its surroundings will be analysed and considered as an aspect
of sustainable design in a conscious decision-making process in an integrated
interdisciplinary and computer-aided design environment. Discussed design
process due to its flexibility and value is to show the urban villa's
advantages as an answer to the needs of contemporary inhabitants of a big city.
At the same time the author intends to highlight the influence of sustainable
design on ergonomics of an architectural object nowadays, taking into account
the degree to which it is possible to use and create computer tools for
ergonomic and sustainable design. Keywords: Ergonomics in sustainable design of residential architecture; Ergonomics of
urban villa; Computer-aided design environment for housing designers | |||
| The Effect of Technological Progress on the Quality and Aesthetics of Modern Sanitary Facilities | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 291-302 | |
| Anna Jaglarz; Jerzy Charytonowicz | |||
| Taking into account the possibilities of modern technology and its
application in the area of hygiene and sanitation, we can observe a significant
change in the quality of the bathroom resulting from the transformation of
individual bathroom systems and devices that do not avoid rapid technological
development, adapting them to the requirements of modern times.
Although the latest technology achievements in the field of bathroom facilities often surprise with their complexity, the amount of features and capabilities of the technique, by which apparently may seem complicated, however, degree of comfort which they offer is convincing about the proper actions of designers and manufacturers. Actions which primary purpose is the convenience, safety and functionality of the use of technologically and aesthetically advanced devices. Also, their hygiene, mobility and ease of use and the ability to easily keep clean are necessary. The solutions used in modern bathrooms are designed to simplify and reduce the cost of their construction. Saving of water and energy is also an important issue. The possibility to use any innovations provides much greater freedom in shaping and arranging, the opportunity to implement the original design ideas, and thereby the ability to create individual, unique hygienic-sanitary objects. All these actions result from the requirements of the present times and emerging needs of the modern user and are based on numerous studies and analyzes concerning the possibility of shaping the bathroom. Keywords: Sanitary facilities; Technological progress; Modern bathroom design trends;
Modern technology in the bathroom; Sustainable bathroom; Ergonomics | |||
| Development of the Ecological Bathroom Ideas | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 303-310 | |
| Anna Jaglarz | |||
| Shaping the ecological bathroom includes various activities allowing optimal
usable, health and aesthetic conditions to reside and perform specific actions
by users with minimum interference in the environment and low use of natural
resources. The main objective of these activities is to create a harmonious
compounds in the system: user -- bathroom -- the environment. The basic
features of ecological bathrooms and its ecological equipment include
efficiency and savings of water, energy and materials. Equally important is the
friendly treatment of the environment and the maintenance of healthy and
hygienic conditions of use of the bathroom.
Bathroom industry, taking care of the environment, is offering more and more products that prevent waste of natural resources and control their consumption. As a result of work on ever new, sometimes surprising, possibilities of their optimal use, numerous projects appear in response to needs for solutions that are economical in operation and at the same time comfortable to use. Keywords: Ecological bathroom; Eco friendly bathroom; Sustainable bathroom; Modern
bathroom design trends; Hygienic and sanitary facilities; Technological
development; Modern technology; Ergonomics | |||
| Does a Computer Have Control Over an Architect? Reflections on the Example of Sports Arenas | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 311-321 | |
| Nina Juzwa; Adam Gil; Katarzyna Ujma-Wasowicz | |||
| Considerations on the subject were carried out by a comparative analysis of
modern architecture of large volume sport objects that originated i.a. in
Poland at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries with references to earlier
objects and trends in worldwide architecture. Case studies are an effective
tool that allows to observe changes and on this basis to draw conclusions for
the directions of development. It is a chance to comment on the relationship
between computer tools and the form and method of solving selected problems of
architectural designing. Analysis of selected examples leads to the conclusion
that modern architecture of sports arenas probably not have been built without
participation of computer programs. Keywords: Large-scale objects for sports and entertainment; Architecture of sports
arenas and stadiums; Computer programs in architectural design | |||
| The Impact of Solar Radiation on the Quality of Buildings: Research Methods | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 322-331 | |
| Dariusz Masly; Michal Sitek; Klaudiusz Fross | |||
| Daylight analyses presented in this paper are fragments of a wider research
project. The daylight simulation study focused on the influence of various
facade solutions on lighting environment in office buildings located in the
south of Poland. The development of scientific principles lying behind
correctly daylit workspaces in offices was the main project's aim. The another,
equally crucial purpose was the development of design guidelines for office
buildings in the southern Poland. Selected architectural solutions were
compared in this study. They included facade solutions (window placements and
shapes, glazing-to-wall (GWR) ratios), solar radiation reflectors (light
shelves) and deflectors (venetian blinds). Moreover two types of daylight
performance metrics were explored, static and dynamic. The objective of this
document is to promote the use of the most advanced and sophisticated computer
simulation methods, techniques and tools for sustainable building design
regarding quality of daylit indoor environment. Keywords: Daylight analysis; Indoor environment quality; Natural lighting design
strategies; Sustainable office buildings | |||
| The Human Factor in the Revitalization of the Historic Polish Cities | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 332-339 | |
| Robert Masztalski | |||
| There are cities in Poland, which suffered as a result of World War 2, and
after 66 years is still not rebuilt. This is particularly true of historic
towns with historical pedigree. The monument conservators trying to keep full
control over the reconstruction of these city centers and are blocking
investment processes. Revitalization of these areas needs to be redefined in
terms of procedures of conservation of cultural heritage in the context of
modern ergonomic requirements. Case study is the city of Strzelin in the
south-west Poland. Keywords: Modern ergonomic requirements; Revitalization; Historic cities in Poland | |||
| Designing Kitchens for Small Domestic Spaces | | BIBA | Full-Text | 340-351 | |
| Przemyslaw Nowakowski | |||
| The role of kitchen area in the house environment has been changing over the
course of history. The changes concerned the share of kitchen space in
apartment functional structure, as well as the course of everyday chores.
Currently, as well as in the past, kitchen areas remain placed either in
separate rooms, or they constitute a part of a bigger space (usually the living
room). At present, two characteristic domestic kitchen models are preferred:
"laboratory" and multifunctional (with a dining room). The space limitations,
especially in multi-family housing, favored the "laboratory" kitchen model, or
so-called partial kitchens in living rooms. Technical progress enabled creating
various types of small kitchen areas, which are adjusted to diverse needs of
users, according to their lifestyle.
Kitchen areas are crucial places for completing various household chores. Among everyday duties performed in the kitchen there are: preparing meals, doing the washing up and cleaning up. Those chores frequently are technologically complicated activities. In order to perform them more efficiently, household members use various devices and home appliances. Conducting of chores, storing the appliances and food products etc., requires a vast share of the apartment structure. Providing sufficiently big maneuver and storage spaces is particularly difficult in small kitchens. Shortages in available space may have a negative influence on, among others, the correct layout of working space or ease of movement in small kitchens. The following paper concentrates on the evolution and examples of types of small kitchens, as well as selected rules concerning the improvement of conditions of their arrangements. | |||
| Human-Computer Interactions in Contemporary Office Environment | | BIBA | Full-Text | 352-359 | |
| Elzbieta Dagny Rynska; Ferdynand óski | |||
| The article is a voice in the discussion on ergonomics and efficiency in the
operation of ITC devices in the context of the office environment and its
ongoing changes. Increased mobility which followed technological advances is
redefining office work. With the restraint of having to create designated
workstations lifted, the possibilities of work-related interaction became more
diverse, creating new chances but at the same time also design challenges.
Which aspects of the workspace have proven to be effective in creating a good work environment? Proper temperature and humidity, daylighting, aesthetics, greenery and an interesting view outside are the top of the list; but is there really a single answer to that question? Even within one industry, requirements regarding the optimal workspace may differ, depending on the task at hand. This should be a hint that maybe flexibility and diversity of spaces made available to the employee is the best solution to that problem. In the first part of the article we explain how the office environment has evolved into what it is today, showing the most important factors influencing that change. The second stage of the analysis centers around the tools employed in working mobile, focusing on displaying their current limitation and usability in the work-related context. | |||
| Shaping of the Architectural Detail in View of Energy Saving | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 360-369 | |
| Andrzej Skowronski; Maciej Skowronski | |||
| Global warming observed has provoked the tendencies to reduce the emission
of CO2. In January 2014 Poland also introduced much stricter building-law
regulations referring to how buildings should be designed in respect of heat
insulation and a permissible value of EP coefficient (defining a yearly demand
for primary energy). The changes introduced result from the general strategy
included in the European EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) which
imposes (up to 2020) the reduction of greenhouse gases at least by 20%. In
December 2014 the European Union took up another obligation -- to reduce
greenhouse gases by 30% by the end of 2030.
The consumption of energy in the building industry is vastly influenced by the thermal insulation of buildings, as well as by such things as: thermal Bridges, air tightness of a building. When an architectural detail is not designed carefully enough or some other errors occur in the process of construction, one can observe a large energy loss which escapes through thermal bridges or other leaky places in the building. Energy loss may then reach even dozen or more per cent. The European Union has changed legal regulations for the building industry, concerning mostly energy effectiveness. Those refer not only to the insulation capacity (passive protection from the heat loss) but also impose the obligation for new buildings to use renewable energy, which is understood as an active share of alternative energy. While doing their designer's job, architects must now dedicate their time to the calculations how much heat is lost and to computer simulations of the energy balance, including the energy coming from solar panels, heat pumps, wind energy, etc. The changes and limits to energy consumption introduced gradually influence the character of architect's profession. The buildings designed as extensively segmented or glazed will become less economical than simple but carefully insulated blocks. Also, the role of an architect is about to be changed giving way to a new profession which could be dubbed as: a specialist in energy saving and the building physics. Keywords: Architecture; Saving energy; Detail | |||
| Changes in Shaping the Banking Environment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 370-377 | |
| Krystyna Strumillo | |||
| The goal of this article is to show the changes in shaping the banking
environment. The analysis of these changes caused by the technological
development aims at illustrating which banking functions have lost their
original meaning or vanished, and which functions developed from scratch. The
research method is based primarily on the selected examples from existing banks
in cities, as well as on the analysis of source materials, i.e. scientific
literature. The process of computerization and automation of banking operations
becomes an important issue. The rapid development of technologies is mirrored
in the bank and client relationship. This development affects not only the way
of shaping the interior, but also the operations performed and appearance of
banks. New technologies have fundamentally transformed both buildings design
and the whole financial services sector. Electronic banking, which definitely
has many advantages, is the most popular type of banking. It leads to wider
savings and also helps to reduce the need to open traditional branches of
banks. Now, the percentage of the financial and banking operations conducted
via electronic means is increasing and clients are also supported by ATM
machines and retail offices. Keywords: Banking environment; Banking space; Bank building | |||
| Some Paradoxical Aspects of the Use of Computers for Architectural and Structural Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 378-389 | |
| Romuald Tarczewski | |||
| The architectural form determines visual perception of the building and its
social acceptance. From it depends also fulfillment of functional and
utilitarian assumptions, adopted at the project beginning. The aim of
architectural modeling is primarily to create a geometric model of the future
facility. It has also influence on the ability of modeling of the structural
system which is a carrier of architectural form. All limitations of the
structural system translate into limitations of architectural form. As long as
only straight lines and planes were readily available, and any curves and
non-planar surfaces were extremely difficult to model -- architectural form was
characterized by preference of orthogonality. If one looks at the restrictions
in both architectural and structural modeling, resulted from the shortcomings
of the underlying theory, and the impact that introduction of modeling with use
of numerical tools had on change of that situation -- it can lead to surprising
conclusions. Keywords: Building modeling; Numerical models; Shaping of form | |||
| Interior Architecture and Humane Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 390-400 | |
| Elzbieta Trocka-Leszczynska; Joanna Jablonska | |||
| There is a distinct correlation between the interior design architecture and
ergonomic quality of space in hotel rooms. However, is an increase in standard
paired with human comfort and safety? Does a higher standard of a hotel unit
type, i.e.: Superior, Comfort or Suite, provide optimal spatial solutions? The
article presents a continuation of a study on the following elements: design
solutions, internal finishing, furnishing and appliances; investigating their
influence on the well-being and safety of people with or without any type of
disability. Research based on literature and numerous case studies was focused
mainly on the needs of independent travelers, who wish to live in a hotel space
without a need to rely on help from a third party. The scope of study includes
hotel bedrooms, sitting rooms and bathrooms. Keywords: Room standard; Appliances; Ergonomics of a hotel residential unit;
Ergonomics of a hotel room | |||
| Aiding Self-reliance of the Elderly and the Disabled -- Modular Cupboard with Mobile Internal Units | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 403-412 | |
| Agata Bonenberg | |||
| Changes in the age structure of societies, development of medical care and,
even more importantly, the drive of the elderly and the disabled towards
self-reliant and satisfactory lives make the creation of space devoid of any
barriers a fundamental goal of the architectural design. The subject of the
study presented in this paper is the design of the modular cupboard with mobile
internal units. The purpose of such a unique construction of this piece of
furniture is to make the users able to optimally use the space available in the
upper parts of the room. The paper consists of the three main elements:
description of the inventive design, analysis of the customization options for
the modular cupboard frame, and the research including the assessment of the
modular cupboard frame according to the kansei method. Keywords: Designing for the disabled and the elderly; Kansei method; Customization | |||
| Ergonomic Implications of Technological Innovations in the Development of Computer Workstations | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 413-421 | |
| Marcin Butlewski; Aleksandra Dewicka; Edwin Tytyk | |||
| Relentless technological progress creates change in the work environment,
including that of commonly used computer workstations. Determinants of change
in this respect are both the changes in information and communication
technologies as well as the more often exhibited concern for the welfare of
employees. Technological innovations derive from a multifaceted improvement of
a specified element of the technical environment (e.g., contrast, energy
consumption for the next generation of computer screens), with the assumption
that they will bring a benefit in terms of ergonomic quality of working
conditions. Technological innovations can, however, cause a deterioration of
identified in advance or often unknown parameters of the working environment,
in particular, they can have negative consequences for ergonomic working
conditions. The analysis found that technological changes satisfactory from the
point of view of ergonomics. Keywords: Ergonomic design; Heuristic methods; Design; Ergonomics; Devices for the
elderly | |||
| A Freehand System for the Management of Orders Picking and Loading of Vehicles | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 422-431 | |
| Pedro J. S. Cardoso; João M. F. Rodrigues; Luís Carlos Sousa; Andriy Mazayev; Emanuel Ey; Tiago Corrêa; Mário Saleiro | |||
| The process of picking goods from a warehouse and loading distribution
vehicles is done in a systematic manner which in general corresponds to a
certain order. For instance in the delivery of goods, it may be important to
load the transportation vehicles in the reverse order of the customers visit,
in furtherance of better accessing the products when unloading/delivering. This
management can be troublesome if the human-computer interface requires the use
of devices, like mouses or keyboards, which are difficult to be used under
certain condition (e.g., human with dirty hands or wearing thick
gloves/clothes). In this paper it is presented a proof-of-concept in the area
of picking goods from a warehouse and the corresponding vehicle loading when
using equipments which do not allow easy use of common human-computer
interfaces. In this sense, an application using a 3D sensor was programmed to
implement the human-computer interaction based on simple swipe gestures to
navigate through the options, menu and their (de)selection. Keywords: 3D sensor; Leap Motion; Orders picking and loading; Vehicle Routing Problem | |||
| Application of Infrared Technology in Household Water Tap Design and Evaluation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 432-443 | |
| Ming-Shih Chen; Ming-Lun Li; Yu-Chia Chen | |||
| Based on previous research results, this study examined the use of water
taps and observes the experiences of different age groups when using new
product designs. The results indicated that, although new designs can meet the
demands of different generations, first-time users have a relatively low
understanding of a product from its appearance; hence, if a new design deviates
from common user cognition, even it could solve user problems, it still has low
user acceptance. Keywords: Infrared technology; Universal design; Washing behavior; Water tap; Use
evaluation | |||
| Human Factor in Sustainable Manufacturing | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 444-455 | |
| Malgorzata Jasiulewicz-Kaczmarek; Anna Saniuk | |||
| This article describes sustainable manufacturing (a part of a sustainable
development concept) and the role of human factor/ergonomics (HFE) in achieving
it. This includes consideration of relevant human factor issues in advancing
manufacturing operations and processes from the point of view of product life
cycle phases. Keywords: Human factor/ergonomics; Sustainable manufacturing; Product life-cycle | |||
| Model of OHS Management Systems in an Excellent Company | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 456-467 | |
| Anna Mazur | |||
| In the paper the model of the Occupational Health and Safety management
system (OHS management system model.) implementable in organizations striving
for continuous improvement and excellence is presented. The concepts of
excellent organizations and organizational maturity are explained. The model
presented by the author is the result of the case study based research
conducted in five manufacturing companies in the Wielkopolska region. All the
analyzed companies in a very clear way focus their attention on the issue of
improving OHS management system and are interested in are assessment of
organizational maturity in this area and meet the requirements of any health
and safety excellence model. The basic assumption of the model is application
of the continuous improvement principle at three management levels: strategic,
tactical and operational. As an extension of the model presented, the option of
the implementation of Deming's fourteen principles to the area of health and
safety management is introduced. Approach to the management of health and
safety presented points to the ever increasing interest of enterprises in these
issues, in addition it proves the fact that achieving and improving
organizational maturity is only possible with regard to issues of health and
safety. Keywords: OHS management model; Excellence model; Organizational maturity | |||
| Ergonomic Aspects of the Architectural Designing of the Stairs in the Spaces for the Great Public Gathering | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 468-479 | |
| Zdzislaw Pelczarski | |||
| Spaces designed for large public gatherings, arranged both inside buildings
and outside them, need to take into account a number of specific conditions.
Among them the most important are design issues related to stairs. In this
case, the main problems arise from the need to ensure a smooth and safe
movement of the human masses, while fulfilling the relevant conditions of
mental and physical comfort for each of the individuals, which are part of the
moving crowd. In this context, the most critical design issues relate to the
evacuation, taking into account the specific behaviours during the panic,
especially when the crowd moves down the stairs from the upper to the lower
floors. The article presents considerations, research results and conclusions
of the author, based on his own experience of many years of architectural
practice in the design of stadiums. Keywords: Ergonomic; Stairs; Architecture; Designing; Crowd movement | |||
| Typology and Ergonomics of Rooms in Contemporary Hotel | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 480-491 | |
| Elzbieta Trocka-Leszczynska; Joanna Jablonska | |||
| Depending on the hotel's standard, a variety of room types can be
distinguished: Single, Twin, Double, Apartments (Polish "Apartament"), suites:
junior, business, senator, etc. What is more, these are often found in a
variety of standards, i.e. Standard, Superior, Luxury, Deluxe, Queen, King,
Royal or Executive, just to name a few. With such a range of possibilities, and
even more diversification based on cultural and architectural customs in a
particular country, it seems that a proper typology of hotel services should be
based rather on the grounds of ergonomics and room comfort than marketing
labels. This article presents a study aiming at properly formulating tools for
standardization of contemporary hotel accommodation. Scope of the study
includes a range of European examples. Keywords: Hotel design; Hotel room typology; Hotel room ergonomics; Contemporary
hotels | |||