No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2000. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-149).

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to evaluate an early stage survey skill developed for the social robot Furhat, and look into how the user experience (UX) and voice user interface (VUI) of that skill can be improved. Several qualitative methods have been used: expert evaluations using heuristics for human-robot interaction (HRI), user evaluations including observations and interviews, as well as a quantitative questionnaire (RoSAS – Robot Social Attribution Scale). The empirical findings have been classified into the USUS Evaluation Framework for Human-Robot Interaction. The user evaluations were performed in two modes, one group of informants talked and interacted with Furhat with the support of a graphical user interface (GUI), and the other group without the GUI. A positive user experience was identified in both modes, showing that the informants found interacting with Furhat a fun, engaging and interesting experience. The mode with the supportive GUI could be suitable in noisy environments, and for longer surveys with many response alternatives to choose from, whereas the other mode could work better for less noisy environments and for shorter surveys. General improvements that can contribute to a better user experience in both modes were found; such as having the robot adopt a more human-like character when it comes to the dialogue and the facial expressions and movements, along with addressing a number of technical and usability issues. / Syftet med den här kvalitativa fallstudien är att utvärdera en enkätskill för den sociala roboten Furhat. Förutom utvärderingen av denna skill, som är i ett tidigt skede av utvecklingen, är syftet även att undersöka hur användarupplevelsen (UX) och röstgränssnittet (VUI) kan förbättras. Olika kvalitativa metoder har använts: expertutvärderingar med heuristik för MRI (människa-robot-interaktion), användarutvärderingar bestående av observationer och intervjuer, samt ett kvantitativt frågeformulär (RoSAS – Robot Social Attribution Scale). Resultaten från dessa har placerats in i ramverket USUS Evaluation Framework for Human- Robot Interaction. Användarutvärderingarna utfördes i två olika grupper: en grupp pratade och interagerade med Furhat med stöd av ett grafiskt användargränssnitt (GUI), den andra hade inget GUI. En positiv användarupplevelse konstaterades i båda grupperna: informanterna tyckte att det var roligt, engagerande och intressant att interagera med Furhat. Att ha ett GUI som stöd kan passa bättre för bullriga miljöer och för längre enkäter med många svarsalternativ att välja bland, medan ett GUI inte behövs för lugnare miljöer och kortare enkäter. Generella förbättringar som kan bidra till att höja användarupplevelsen hittades i båda grupperna; till exempel att roboten bör agera mer människolikt när det kommer till dialogen och ansiktsuttryck och rörelser, samt att åtgärda ett antal tekniska problem och användbarhetsproblem.

abstract: The International Standards Organization (ISO) documentation utilizes Fitts’ law to determine the usability of traditional input devices like mouse and touchscreens for one- or two-dimensional operations. To test the hypothesis that Fitts’ Law can be applied to hand/air gesture based computing inputs, Fitts’ multi-directional target acquisition task is applied to three gesture based input devices that utilize different technologies and two baseline devices, mouse and touchscreen. Three target distances and three target sizes were tested six times in a randomized order with a randomized order of the five input technologies. A total of 81 participants’ data were collected for the within subjects design study. Participants were instructed to perform the task as quickly and accurately as possible according to traditional Fitts’ testing procedures. Movement time, error rate, and throughput for each input technology were calculated. Additionally, no standards exist for equating user experience with Fitts’ measures such as movement time, throughput, and error count. To test the hypothesis that a user’s experience can be predicted using Fitts’ measures of movement time, throughput and error count, an ease of use rating using a 5-point scale for each input type was collected from each participant. The calculated Mean Opinion Scores (MOS) were regressed on Fitts’ measures of movement time, throughput, and error count to understand the extent to which they can predict a user’s subjective rating. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Applied Psychology 2015

Denna uppsats berör ämnet användarmedverkan som i den här uppsatsen definieras som “Användare är med och för fram krav, åsikter och information kring vad som ska finnas i ett befintligt system i syfte att det ska passa deras verksamhet.”. Det uppsatsen utforskar är om det går att göra generaliseringar från ett tidigare arbete från Rosenquist och Curovac (2017) som hade problem med just detta. Frågeställningen i studien är “Vad har användarmedverkan för positiv och negativ påverkan på kravinsamling?”. Datainsamlingen från praktiken sker med hjälp av kvalitativ metod och kvalitativa intervjuer där en deduktiv tematisk analys används för att sedan analysera innehållet. Det som inte utforskas är de andra delarna av systemutveckling och vad användarmedverkan kan ha för påverkan i dessa, som exempelvis design. Studien utforskar heller inte användarperspektivet utan endast leverantörens perspektiv. Den tidigare studien utforskar olika teman om vad användarmedverkan har för positiva och negativa effekter på kravinsamling för standardiserade system. Dessa teman utforskar hur empiri jämfört med praktiken definierar och ser på saker inom användarmedverkan. De teman som utforskas är Definitioner (av Användare, Användarmedverkan och Krav), vad det finns för Möjligheter med användarmedverkan vid kravinsamling (Exakta och precisa krav, Uppnå användarnas förväntningar), Problem med användarmedverkan (Bristfällig kunskap hos användaren, Tid/Kostnad, Orimliga krav och Motvilliga användare), möjligheten att Förutse påverkan med användarmedverkan vid kravinsamling, Hitta rätt användare och vad Användarnas roll är i kravinsamlingsprocessen. Det som kommer fram i uppsatsen som resultat är att det med hjälp av denna studie samt den tidigare studien som gjordes av Rosenquist och Curovac (2017) går det att dra generaliseringar på en del teman och dessa teman var Definitioner, Möjligheter med användarmedverkan vid kravinsamling och Problem med användarmedverkan. Det gick däremot inte att dra generaliseringar från de andra tre teman. / This thesis is diving into the subject of user participation that is defined as “Users are participating and comes up with requirements, opinion and information regarding what should be in a already existing system in purpose of getting the system to fit their organization”. What the thesis explores is if it is possible to do generalizations from an earlier work that was done by Rosenquist and Curovac (2017) which they had problems with. The framing of the question is “What positive and negative impact does user participation have on gathering of requirements?”. The data that was collected from the practice was done with the qualitative method and qualitative interviews, to analyze the gathered data a deductive thematic analysis was done. This thesis does not take in consideration what impact user participation can have on other parts of system development for example design. This thesis does not explore any other perspective than the supplier, therefore it does not explore the user perspective of the matter.  The earlier thesis explores different themes that regards what positive and negative impact user participation has on gathering of requirements for standardized systems. These themes explore how the empiricism and the practice look at Definition (of Users, User Participation and Requirements), what Opportunities user participation has on gathering of requirements (Exact and precise requirements, Achieve the users expectations), Problems with user participation (Inadequate knowledge from the user, Time/Cost, Unreasonable requirements and Reluctant users), the possibility to Forsee the effect that user participation has on gathering of requirements, Find the correct users and what The users role is in the process of gathering requirements. This thesis presents a result with the help of the earlier study that was done by Rosenquist and Curovac (2017) that it is possible to do generalizations on some of the themes that was presented, and these themes were Definitions, Opportunities user participation has on gathering of requirements, Problems with user participation. It was not possible to do generalizations on the other three themes due to that too much data that contradicts each other.

Thesis (MTech (Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. / This research is based on how an understanding of place can facilitate designing Product Service Systems (PSS) in an urban environment structured by complex social divisions. Predominantly grounded in Participatory Design (PD), the study investigates how certain methodologies within the field are appropriate, and to what level that they are effective when used in a majority-world context. PD has produced successful projects when used in minority-world contexts, however, if the basis of the field – that of co-designers and the synthesised work effort from all stakeholders – is brought into an environment that has extreme social divisions, there is a definitive abstraction of design-orientated social engagement. The project research began in Malmö, Sweden, with the first of three case studies. In this context, PSS and PD were used as a paradigm to engage businesses and people in a specific area in a project referred to as Linjen (‘The Line’). The main purpose of the project was to stimulate the public’s interest in the area and to investigate the potential for connecting local businesses in an effort to propagate constructive communication. This section serves as a baseline framework for minority-world PD projects. The second study of the project was conducted in Cape Town, South Africa, and from the resultant implications a revised approach emerged. This reappraised angle proved far more interesting and relevant: it now aimed to take the PD methodologies of a minority-world project and explore what challenges were encountered when PD approaches were implemented across a socially complex environment. The third and final case study involved prototyping a waste collection trolley as a participatory aid for engaging stakeholders as codesigners. The case studies are presented here to describe the dichotomy of PD practice between contexts or place. A recurring theme of this research area is that of ‘perceived’ distance and roles between co-designers, and specifically that of the researcher and the stakeholders. This thesis concludes by presenting a lens – an amalgamation of experiences, prototypes and research outcomes – through which designers could work when involved in PD projects. The conclusion includes the following research tools: planning casual encounters, valuebased interactions, design ownership and human proxy. These tools present useful and insightful ways in which designers can minimise the perceived distance between themselves and their co-designers, ultimately developing a reflective and mindful design practitioner and engaged participants.

Studien avsåg att undersöka vilken påverkan användare har på ett systems innovation i ett systemutvecklingsprojekt. Då användarinvolvering till stor del sker dagligen genom (bl.a.) användartester var det intressant att undersöka hur användares feedback och idéer påverkar innovationen i ett systemutvecklingsprojekt. Det som kan ses som ett problem är att användare inte alltid är redo för en förändring som innovation medför. Företag står då inför utmaningen att få användaren att tro på den förändring som görs i ett system. För att undersöka hur användare påverkar innovationen i ett systemutvecklingsprojekt har intervjuer genomförts med personer som har kunskap och erfarenheter av användarinvolvering. Modellen Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) kommer att användas för att belysa de element som påverkar användares attityder vid förändringar. Det material som har samlats in har sedan analyserats och diskuterats för att kunna besvara problemformuleringen. Användare påverkar ett systems innovation genom att uttrycka negativitet eller skepticism mot förändringar. Anledningen kan vara att användare inte är redo för den förändring som ett företag vill genomföra. Detta kan leda till att innovationen hämmas i ett systemutvecklingsprojekt. En viktig aspekt att ta med är företagets domänexpertis. Anser företaget att förändringen bör genomföras för att vara innovativa gäller det att kommunicera med användarna och få dem förstå varför förändringen sker. En enskild användare kan påverka ett systems innovation om företaget tillåter det, medan ett flertal användare kan påverka i större utsträckning om de upplever samma problem med en innovativ förändring. / The study was intended to investigate the impact users have on system innovation in a system development project. As user involvement is done daily through (among others) user tests, it was interesting to investigate how user’s feedback and ideas affect innovation in a system development project. Companies today face great challenges of getting the user to believe in the change that is made in a system. What can be seen as a problem is that users aren’t always ready for the change that innovation entails. To investigate how users affect innovation in a system development projects, interviews have been conducted with people who have knowledge and experience of user involvement. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model will be used to highlight the elements that affect users’ attitudes towards changes. The material that has been collected has been analyzed and discussed in order to answer the problem. Users affect system innovation by expressing negativity or skepticism against changes. The reason may be that users aren’t ready for the change that a company wants to implement. This can lead to the impediment of innovation in a system development project. An important aspect to include is the company’s domain expertise. If the company believes that the change should be implemented to be innovative, it’s important to communicate with the users and make them understand why the change occurs. An individual user can influence a system’s innovation if the company allows it, while a number of users can affect to a greater extent if they experience the same problem with an innovative change.

Usability is seen as an important aspect for the quality of an M-learning application. Yet very little research has been conducted in this area – particularly in South Africa. Even though the trials of M-learning projects have been witnessed in the country during the last five years, very little is known about the systems that were implemented as regards their usability. Additionally, metrics and measures used in evaluating usability have not been reported. A need exists for relevant metrics to M-learning usability. The primary objective of this work was to propose metrics and measures – for the purpose of evaluating the User-Interfacedesign usability of M-learning application. The research included a literature review of M-learning, as well as the development of metrics and measures based on the Goal Question Metric (GQM) Model. This model has helped provide a reference model and measurements for evaluating the User-InterfaceUsability. A case study was used as a research strategy. An application called Kontax was selected for evaluation by users and expert reviewers. Data-collection methods consisted of User Testing and Heuristics evaluations. Data-gathering instruments included the use of surveys and user- satisfaction questionnaires based on the proposed metrics, task scenarios and expert-reviewed questionnaires based on the proposed metrics; all these instruments were developed. It was found that, although the users thought the system was very interesting, and they wished to hear more about it in the future, the system nevertheless had usability flaws which made it difficult to use. All the users failed to register so that they could use the system; additionally, the system-error messages did not help the users recognize, and recover from an error – leaving the user to simply log out. Help was not adequate, thus making it difficult for first-time users to know what to do when they needed support. The system was also said to have a lot of information presented on its home page, which caused the user to be disoriented. The Kontax application has usability flaws which should be III attended to, in order to improve its usability. The proposed metrics proved to be very useful in evaluating the usability of the tool.

New ways of interaction between users and their computing devices has revealed that users are not only interested in sharing their data, but their user interfaces as well. This calls for an extension of the traditional notion of user interfaces, to a notion where user interfaces span over multiple devices: Distributed User Interfaces (DUIs). The purpose of this thesis is to identify challenges in developing Web based DUIs, and the result is a JavaScript library that aids the development of these types of interfaces. The development has been driven in an explorative fashion, to discover techniques that is appropriate to use, when moving ideas from existing DUI frameworks for the desktop, to the Web. Soundness of the implementation has been evaluated by measuring properties of the library source code that indicates maintainability and extensibility. The conclusion is that the library has the potential of answering the needs for future DUI development targeting the Web.

A User Interface Management System (UIMS) called the Harness has been developed to support the front-ending of existing software systems. In the Harness, a set of core Abstract Interaction Objects (AIOs) was provided for knowledge-based modules to interact with the user. It is not realistic to expect the Harness to be a closed and fixed system. On the other hand, help capabilities are today considered essential components of well designed software and on-line help systems have come to be a standard feature of most new software systems.