Thesis (M. S. in Systems Technology (Command, Control and Communications)) Naval Postgraduate School, June 1997. / Thesis advisors, Gary R. Porter and Tim L. Phillips. Includes bibliographical references (p. 27). Also available online.

This thesis investigates the use of static, adaptive, adaptable and mixed-initiative approaches to the personalisation of content and graphical user interfaces (GUIs). This empirical study consisted of three experimental phases. The first examined the use of static, adaptive, adaptable and mixed-initiative approaches to web content. More specifically, it measured the usability (efficiency, frequency of error occurrence, effectiveness and satisfaction) of an e-commerce website. The experiment was conducted with 60 subjects and was tested empirically by four independent groups (15 subjects each). The second experiment examined the use of adaptive, adaptable and mixed-initiative approaches to GUIs. More specifically, it measured the usability (efficiency, frequency of error occurrence, effectiveness and satisfaction) in GUI control structures (menus). In addition, it investigated empirically the effects of content size on five different personalised menu types. In order to carry out this comparative investigation, two independent experiments were conducted, on small menus (17 items) and large ones (29 items) respectively. The experiment was conducted with 60 subjects and was tested empirically by four independent groups (15 subjects each). The third experiment was conducted with 40 subjects and was tested empirically by four dependent groups (5 subjects each). The aim of the third experiment was to mitigate the drawbacks of the adaptive, adaptable and mixedinitiative approaches, to improve their performance and to increase their usability by using multimodal auditory solutions (speech, earcons and auditory icons). The results indicate that the size of content affects the usability of personalised approaches. In other words, as the size of content increases, so does the need of the adaptive and mixed-initiative approaches, whereas that of the adaptable approach decreases. A set of empirically derived guidelines were also produced to assist designers with the use of adaptive, adaptable and mixed-initiative approaches to web content and GUI control structure.

This dissertation describes research in the application and evaluation of a Kohonen Self-Organizing Map (SOM) to the problem of classification of Electronic Brainstorming output. Electronic Brainstorming is one of the most productive tools in the Electronic Meeting System called GroupSystems. A major step in group problem solving involves the classification of Electronic Brainstorming output into a manageable list of concepts, topics, or issues that can be further evaluated by the group. This step is problematic due to the information overload and cognitive load of the large quantity of data. This research builds upon previous work in automating the classification process using a Hopfield Neural Network. Evaluation of the Kohonen output in comparison with the Hopfield and human expert output over the same set of data found that the Kohonen SOM performed as well as a human expert in the recollection of associated term pairs and outperformed the Hopfield Neural Network algorithm. Using information retrieval measures, recall of concepts using the Kohonen algorithm was equivalent to the human expert. However, precision was poor. The graphical representation of textual data produced by the Kohonen SOM suggests many opportunities for improving information management of textual electronic information. Increasing uses of electronic mail, computer-based bulletin board systems, and world-wide web textual data suggest an overwhelming amount of textual information to manage. This research suggests that the Kohonen SOM may be used to automatically create "a picture that can represent a thousand (or more) words."

This thesis tackles a series of problems related to the evolution of completesoftware systems both in terms of the underlying Genetic Programmingsystem and the application of that system. A new representation is presented that addresses some of the issues withother Genetic Program representations while keeping their advantages. Thiscombines the easy reproduction of the linear representation with the inheritablecharacteristics of the tree representation by using fixed-length blocks ofgenes representing single program statements. This means that each block ofgenes will always map to the same statement in the parent and child unless itis mutated, irrespective of changes to the surrounding blocks. This methodis compared to the variable length gene blocks used by other representationswith a clear improvement in the similarity between parent and child. Traditionally, fitness functions have either been created as a selection ofsample inputs with known outputs or as hand-crafted evaluation functions. Anew method of creating fitness evaluation functions is introduced that takesthe formal specification of the desired function as its basis. This approachensures that the fitness function is complete and concise. The fitness functionscreated from formal specifications are compared to simple input/outputpairs and the results show that the functions created from formal specificationsperform significantly better. A set of list evaluation and manipulation functions was evolved as anapplication of the new Genetic Program components. These functions havethe common feature that they all need to be 100% correct to be useful. Traditional Genetic Programming problems have mainly been optimizationor approximation problems. The list results are good but do highlight theproblem of scalability in that more complex functions lead to a dramaticincrease in the required evolution time. Finally, the evolution of graphical user interfaces is addressed. The representationfor the user interfaces is based on the new representation forprograms. In this case each gene block represents a component of the userinterface. The fitness of the interface is determined by comparing it to a seriesof constraints, which specify the layout, style and functionality requirements. A selection of web-based and desktop-based user interfaces were evolved. With these new approaches to Genetic Programming, the evolution ofcomplete software systems is now a realistic goal.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / This work adds new functionality to an existing visual programming environment. It applies software maintenance techniques for use with the Java Language in a Microsoft Windows operating system environment. The previously undocumented application is intended to support programming with executable diagrams. This application has the potential to expand programming access to non-programmers, provide better software documentation and improve software maintainability. It is currently capable of supporting meta-programming tasks such as parsing and compiler building. The 11,184 legacy lines of code(LOC) were corrected, extended and documented to support future maintenance using an additional 957 LOC and changes to 45 LOC. / Major, United States Marine Corps

The mixing desk metaphor found in Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) is built upon a specialised and technical knowledge of signal flow and audio engineering. However, since their inception the DAW has gained a far wider and less technically specialised user-base. Furthermore, the limited screen space of laptop and tablet computers, combined with potentially limitless tracks in current DAWs has resulted in the need for complex interface navigation during mixing which may inhibit a fluid and intuitive approach to mixing. The research outlined in this thesis explores novel designs for Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for mixing, which acknowledge the changing role of the user, the limited space of tablet and mobile computers screens and the limitations of human perception during cross modal activities (aural and visual). The author designs and conducts several experiments using non-expert participants drawn from several music technology courses, to assess and quantify the extent to which current DAW designs might influence mixing workflow, aiming our research especially at beginner and non-expert users. The results of our studies suggest that GUIs which load visual working memory, or force the user to mentally integrate visual information across the interface, can reduce the ability to hear subtle simultaneous changes to the audio. We use the analysis of these experiments to propose novel GUI designs that are better suited to human cross-modal perceptual limitations and which take into account the specific challenges and opportunities afforded by screen-based audio mixers. By so doing, we aim to support the user in achieving a more fluid and focused interaction while mixing, where the visual feedback supports and enhances the primary goal of attending to and modifying the audio content of the mix. In turn, it is hoped this will facilitate the artistic and creative approaches required by music computer users.

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia. 2010

The primary objective of this research is to use the benefits offered by computerized three dimensional graphics and apply those to the field of human computer interaction. Focussing primarily on the interactive content of the 3D world, this research describes a range of innovative new interface elements demonstrating specific new 3Dinterfaces/components designed to provide a new interactive 3D method for handling a range of particular common real-world tasks (ranging from simple value setting tasks up to larger scale systems for browsing structured sets of hierarchical data). These systems incorporate new design concepts such as active 3D interfaces that present their data to the user rather than statically waiting for the user to interact with them (these systems prove particularly useful in the presentation of large sets of data). Overall this set of components introduces a range of new interface styles that prove very effective in many mainstream real world tasks.In addition to the development of these systems, this project demonstrates a new high level 3D interface development tool designed to simplify the challenge of constructing interactive 3D user interfaces and in doing so make 3D interface development available to a wider developer base. By constructing the components mentioned above in a structured generic form, this combination of a new development tool and a range of re-usable components provide a strong development platform, from which more complex interactive 3D interfaces can be constructed.In essence the core idea that underlies this research is making the construction of interactive and functional 3D interfaces simpler to undertake (by developing effective re-usable components to handle mainstream tasks) while at the same time generating resulting 3D interfaces that are more effective and more capable of providing users with an enjoyable and functional 3D working environment.

The major challenge for multimedia designers is to create user experiences that enrich the reception of content, designer�s traditional reliance on intuition not ensuring audience�s interest or understanding. The developing philosophy of user-centred design argues that designers should begin from an appreciation of their audience. In design there are various positions on how to achieve this, ranging from traditional market research through psychological, ethnographic, anthropological and sociological research to the direct involvement of users in the design process. This study draws on established knowledge about the cognitive processes, psychological motivations and preferences of user groups to advance a model for better-targeted and more effective design. In particular, it uses Howard Gardener�s multiple intelligences theory to extend design thinking. Where a specific audience is apparent multiple intelligences theory implies that (1) the interface should match user�s perceptual tools, cognitive styles and responses and (2) there is far greater scope than presently recognized to vary the design of the graphical user interface. The research explores how interactive multimedia can harness the �language of vision� (Johannes Itten) for certain audiences, in this case Taiwanese drawing students aiming to enter tertiary art and design programs where high academic drawing skills are an important selection criterion. The high �visual intelligence� of the target audience indicates their heightened capacity to process visual concepts and elements. The application of Gardner�s ideas is a speculative one, based on hypothesis and the formulation of an experimental graphical user interface environment built around predominantly visual cues. The designed outcome incorporates knowledge and understanding that is widely applicable to GUI design, challenging designers to develop multimedia products with innovative, imaginative design approaches that cater for the different needs and interests of users where the audience is a specific and identifiable one.

Graduation date: 2004