This study explored how individuals categorized on handedness (being left or right hand dominant) reacted to having the vertical scroll bar of a web browser relocated to the left side of the screen. The relocation of the vertical scroll bar served as an alternative to the relocation of the prominent left aligned main navigation menu for most websites. Fifteen participants were recruited for the study. Each participant interacted with two versions of a web site in a modified browser to complete a set of ten short tasks. Participants completed tasks by interacting with a traditional and non-traditional vertical browser alignment. Left and right-handed participants were determined to be strikingly different in operation. Vertical scroll relocation produced some interesting results and responses.

The purpose of this study has been to research how to implement a graphical interface for presenting information security information to management. The major conclusion of the study is that management use this kind of information mainly for financial and strategic matters. Hence the information must be presented in a way that enhances this use of the information. The study also concludes that people act insecure mainly due to: a) Insufficient knowledge of how/why to act secure. b) The users do not want to act secure due to social and organisational factors. To fight the first factor, the management need a tool that helps them to see where to spend their resources. To fight the second factor, the organisation needs to be well educated and the company culture should allow the users to act secure. Three heuristics for the design of information security solutions for management and a design solution for the interface are also presented in the study. The three heuristics are: 1. Provide overview information very early in the program. The ordinary manager does not have the time or the knowledge to make this overview by himself/herself. 2. Do not overwhelm the user. The ordinary management man/woman is not interested in the details of the information security and/or do not have time to read this sort of information. If he or she wants to access the details, he or she is likely to find them (if they are placed in a logical place). 3. Provide information in a way that is common to the manager. Use wordings that the user understands. Provide contextual help for expressions that must be presented in a technical way.

Stroke is the major cause of permanent adult disability worldwide. Often stroke affects the motor control of the upper limb, leading to difficulties in performing activities of daily living. Many hours are spent in resource-intensive therapy to regain functionality of the upper limb. In order to decrease the burden to therapists and increase access to rehabilitation, an upper limb rehabilitation robotic device was developed. Observations from therapists and an international survey of stroke therapists were conducted to understand general requirements of an upper limb rehabilitation device. These requirements were the basis of the mechanical design portion of the prototype. The prototype was evaluated with stroke therapists in a focus group. Although more iterations of design, testing and evaluation are needed, this project is a step in developing a lower cost, portable device to increase access to upper limb stroke rehabilitation.

Stroke is the major cause of permanent adult disability worldwide. Often stroke affects the motor control of the upper limb, leading to difficulties in performing activities of daily living. Many hours are spent in resource-intensive therapy to regain functionality of the upper limb. In order to decrease the burden to therapists and increase access to rehabilitation, an upper limb rehabilitation robotic device was developed. Observations from therapists and an international survey of stroke therapists were conducted to understand general requirements of an upper limb rehabilitation device. These requirements were the basis of the mechanical design portion of the prototype. The prototype was evaluated with stroke therapists in a focus group. Although more iterations of design, testing and evaluation are needed, this project is a step in developing a lower cost, portable device to increase access to upper limb stroke rehabilitation.

Over the past several years, the press, trade publications and academic literature have reported with increasing frequency on the social concerns caused by ubiquitous computingInformation Technology (IT) embedded in artifacts, infrastructure and environments of daily life. Designers and researchers of ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) technologies have spent considerable efforts to address these concerns, which include privacy and data protection issues, information security and personal safety. Yet, designing successful ubicomp applications is still an unreliable and expensive endeavor, in part due to imperfect understanding of how technology is appropriated, the lack of effective design tools and the challenges of prototyping these applications in realistic conditions. I introduce the concept of proportionality as a principle able to guide design of ubiquitous computing applications and specifically to attack privacy and security issues. Inspired by the principle, I propose a design process framework that assists the practitioner in making reasoned and documented design choices throughout the development process. I validate the design process framework through a quantitative design experiment vis--vis other design methods. Furthermore, I present several case studies and evaluations to demonstrate the design methods effectiveness and generality. I claim that the design method helps to identify some of the obstacles to the acceptance of ubiquitous computing applications and to translate security and privacy concerns into research questions in the design process. I further discuss some of the inquiry and validation techniques that are appropriate to answer these questions.

The Agile software development model is driven by "learning by doing" and rejects Big Design Up Front (BDUF) for that reason. User-Centered Design (UCD) on the other hand requires a more holistic view to be able to create a usable user interface and in the end create a good user experience. Finding a balance between the incremental development and the need for a more comprehensive view of the user interface is therefore the key to usability in Agile software development. The objective of this master thesis was to construct a framework on how to combine UCD and Agile development in general, and specifically for the web based tool, called Alo, at the IS/IT department of Com Hem AB, Sweden. The results of this thesis was that the process of integrating User-Centered Design in Agile software development first of all needs a familiar starting point for both usability experts and developers. This can be achieved with what Desirée Sy describes as “Cycle Zero”, to let usability experts perform initial research ahead of implementation. Designing one sprint ahead should later converge to a more synchronized process where requirements and sketches of the interface are put together, with the help of developers, just in time for the implementation. This does not only prevents waste in the form of documentation and miscommunication associated with hand-offs, but also makes the implementation more purposeful and fun for developers.Secondly, build prototypes early in the process to create a holistic vision of the finished product and to test concepts in usability tests early. Thirdly, create shared understanding (within the development team as well as with outside stakeholders) of user needs by involving the entire team in usability testing. Critical to the success of all the above is that all outside stakeholders understands the Agile process and respects that the team is a self-organizing unit that solves problems within a set of given boundaries, rather than a code factory that feeds on specification documents.

Video games, as the fastest growing media, need set usability design standards. In this context, this study was motivated by the following kinds of questions: What makes a standard console game good? What makes it too frustrating to play? Each company has developed its own standards which can vary greatly. Game producers learn from experience what to do and what not to do. However, smaller companies that may have only produced a few games are left to chance. Moreover, startup game companies may fail at a game that would have otherwise succeeded if they had only had a set of standards to follow. Companies like Microsoft, Capcom and Electronic Arts rule the gaming industry mainly due to the fact that they have discovered what works. This study employs usability analysis to identify standards for assessing video game effectiveness, efficiency and player satisfaction. Experienced video game players participated in an online questionnaire. Conclusions about effective, efficient, and satisfying video games are derived from questionnaire results. Of several major findings presented in this analysis, this study reveals that the beginning of the game is an imperative experience that can determine if a player continues the game. / Department of Telecommunications

This thesis explores the design of a website to communicate international activities undertaken by or associated with the University of Victoria. The research was seeded by and undertaken in collaboration with the University of Victoria’s office of Vice-President Academics and Provost, and the Office of International Affairs. The thesis introduces and implements a product design process to create a mapping application for the university to display all of its international connections. The thesis advanced the study of how to incorporate users into the design process of an online map. User-centered design is an established practice of studying users and collecting their feedback during all stages of design. This process has begun to be used for online mapping. A challenge with online mapping is that potential users can be an unwieldy community. In this case study the users could come from anywhere within the UVic community, but also the public. With such a large and diverse group, incorporating all the potential users into the design process is not possible. A challenge therefore is to capture feedback from a meaningful representative sample of potential users. This research describes a process of user-centered design in which a sample of users were surveyed at the beginning of the process to determine their requirements and preferences for a mapping application, and then interviewed to test the usability of the product. The thesis concludes with recommendations for design and layout of an online mapping application, including identification where further study or decisions are required. / Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Raghupathy Sivakumar; Committee Member: Chuanyi Ji; Committee Member: George Riley; Committee Member: Magnus Egerstedt; Committee Member: Umakishore Ramachandran.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.28-29).