The research described in this thesis examines indigenous language usage in a digital library environment that has been accessed via the Internet. By examining discretionary use of the Māori Niupepa and Hawaiian Nūpepa digital libraries this research investigates how indigenous languages were used in these electronic environments in 2005. The results provide encouragement and optimism to people who are striving to retain, revitalise and develop the use of indigenous languages in information technologies. The Transaction Log Analysis (TLA) methods used in this research serve as an example of how web logs can be used to provide significant information about language usage in a bilingual online information system. Combining the TLA with user feedback has provided insights into how and why clients use indigenous languages in their information retrieval activities. These insights in turn, show good practice that is relevant not only to those working with indigenous languages, indigenous peoples or multilingual environments, but to all information technology designers who strive for universal usability. This thesis begins by describing the importance of using indigenous languages in electronic environments and suggests that digital libraries can provide an environment to support and encourage the use of such languages. TLA is explained in the context of this study and is then used to analyse aspects of te reo Māori usage in the Niupepa digital library environment in 2005. TLA also indicates that te reo Māori was used by international clients and this usage differed to te reo Māori usage by national (Aotearoa) clients. Findings further reveal that the default language setting of the Niupepa digital library had a considerable impact on te reo Māori usage. When the default language was set to te reo Māori not only were there more requests in te reo Māori but there was also a higher usage of te reo Māori in the information retrieval activities. TLA of the Hawaiian Nūpepa digital library indicated that the Hawaiian language was also used in a digital library. These results confirm that indigenous languages were used in digital library environments. Feedback from clients suggests reasons why indigenous languages were used in this environment. These reasons include the indigenous language content of the digital library, the indigenous language default language setting of the digital library and a stated desire by the clients to use the indigenous language. The key findings raise some interface design issues and support the claim that digital libraries can provide an environment to support the use of indigenous languages.

A acomodação da diversidade de perfil de usuários no projeto de interface de sistemas é um problema freqüente nas atividades do projetista da interação homem-computador. Conseqüentemente, o usuário encontra barreiras ao utilizar interfaces que não foram produzidas para o seu perfil. Este trabalho apresenta uma solução, destinada aos projetistas de famílias de sistemas interativos, para a acomodação e expressão da diversidade por meio da criação e uso de padrões de interface em camadas de personas - as PICAPs. Neste conceito, os padrões de interface apóiam o projetista no direcionamento de soluções, pois representam um problema recorrente e uma solução abstrata para o problema, de tal modo que esta solução pode ser aplicada em várias instâncias diferentes do mesmo problema. As personas apóiam a caracterização dos perfis dos usuários que são foco do projeto de interface, possibilitando que o projetista aplique soluções de interface de acordo com o usuário. O conceito foi aplicado no contexto de governo eletrônico, pois tais sistemas devem ser usáveis por todos, em distinção de qualquer natureza, sendo assim um exemplo da necessidade de se considerar a diversidade. Uma pesquisa com 25 projetistas foi feita para avaliação da aplicabilidade do conceito. / Accommodating users\' profile diversity in systems interface projects is a frequent problem for the human computer interface designer. Therefore, his/her user is faced with barriers in the use of interfaces which were not designed for his/her profile. This work presents a solution for expressing and accommodating users\' diversity, which is useful for the HCI designer, especially for those who design families of products. PICAPS are interface design patterns with layers indexed by personas. The interface design patterns support the designer in employing proven solutions, for they represent a recurrent problem and its abstract solution in such a way that this solution can be applied to different instantiations of the same problem. PICAPs are structured in multiple layers to make possible the users\' diversity accommodation. The layers are indexed by personas as user\'s characterization resource. This concept has been applied to electronic government services, because such systems should be usable by any citizen and therefore are a good example of the user diversity problem. A field research with 25 designers has been performed to check the concept´s applicability.

A acomodação da diversidade de perfil de usuários no projeto de interface de sistemas é um problema freqüente nas atividades do projetista da interação homem-computador. Conseqüentemente, o usuário encontra barreiras ao utilizar interfaces que não foram produzidas para o seu perfil. Este trabalho apresenta uma solução, destinada aos projetistas de famílias de sistemas interativos, para a acomodação e expressão da diversidade por meio da criação e uso de padrões de interface em camadas de personas - as PICAPs. Neste conceito, os padrões de interface apóiam o projetista no direcionamento de soluções, pois representam um problema recorrente e uma solução abstrata para o problema, de tal modo que esta solução pode ser aplicada em várias instâncias diferentes do mesmo problema. As personas apóiam a caracterização dos perfis dos usuários que são foco do projeto de interface, possibilitando que o projetista aplique soluções de interface de acordo com o usuário. O conceito foi aplicado no contexto de governo eletrônico, pois tais sistemas devem ser usáveis por todos, em distinção de qualquer natureza, sendo assim um exemplo da necessidade de se considerar a diversidade. Uma pesquisa com 25 projetistas foi feita para avaliação da aplicabilidade do conceito. / Accommodating users\' profile diversity in systems interface projects is a frequent problem for the human computer interface designer. Therefore, his/her user is faced with barriers in the use of interfaces which were not designed for his/her profile. This work presents a solution for expressing and accommodating users\' diversity, which is useful for the HCI designer, especially for those who design families of products. PICAPS are interface design patterns with layers indexed by personas. The interface design patterns support the designer in employing proven solutions, for they represent a recurrent problem and its abstract solution in such a way that this solution can be applied to different instantiations of the same problem. PICAPs are structured in multiple layers to make possible the users\' diversity accommodation. The layers are indexed by personas as user\'s characterization resource. This concept has been applied to electronic government services, because such systems should be usable by any citizen and therefore are a good example of the user diversity problem. A field research with 25 designers has been performed to check the concept´s applicability.

The Internet is a vastly under-utilised resource, only used for half of the IT story. Describe the Internet in two words and many might say ‘sharing knowledge’. But sharing information is more accurate. It’s just that all the principle ways we use the Internet — the Web, email and media streaming — happen to be examples where information is in the form of knowledge. But IT — Information Technology — has another side: the realm of software programming where information means the dynamic control of how things work. The Internet is the driving force in the IT industry, so why isn’t it also known for sharing control? True, there are examples of specialised, one-off software applications interfacing with each other via the Internet, but there has yet to be any systematic and universal attempt to exploit the potential of the Internet for control-IT in the way we have seen it for knowledge-IT. Taking the strengths of the Web model as a starting point, this thesis proposes a parallel, dynamic world to the Web called The Mesh. In the same way that the Web seamlessly connects databases of the world to provide a global font of knowledge, the Mesh would connect software of the world to provide a global means of control. The Mesh would embody all the successful, empowering features of the Web. Everyone would have a say in how things work, mirroring Web 2.0’s user-generated content but for software instead of media. In being a universally integrated design approach for device control, the Mesh would encompass a number of research areas working on the control issue at the big picture level. It would address the problems of universal usability and ubiquitous computing. It would also provide solutions in agent-based systems and grid computing. But many features of the Mesh would simply be unique. They would change the way we go about software design, leading to new opportunities for users, programmers and manufacturers alike. The key to everything is design simplicity. A concept demonstrator has been developed as an integral part of this research project. It shows that the Mesh is both feasible and practical. Examples of programs run in the concept demonstrator are discussed, showing exactly how the Mesh would be built and how it would work. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 2007

Computer haben fast jeden Lebensbereich durchdrungen, was viele Vorteile - aber auch Herausforderungen - für ihre Nutzer mit sich bringt. Dies wird vor allem bei der Benutzung von Fahrkartenautomaten (FKA) oder anderer Technik im öffentlichen Raum deutlich, denn diese sollten spontan benutzbar sein, stellen gerade ältere Benutzer aber oft vor Probleme. Sind sie zu alt, um Technik zu benutzen? Diese Dissertation verfolgt zwei Ziele: Zum einen soll die Gebrauchstauglichkeit eines Fahrkartenautomaten (FKA) verbessert werden, indem zwei einander ergänzende Ansätze angewandt werden und die daraus entstehenden drei FKA-Varianten (Original, Video, Wizard) hinsichtlich der Kriterien der Gebrauchstauglichkeit Effektivität, Effizienz und Zufriedenstellung verglichen werden. Zum anderen wird der Einfluß des Alters und alterskorrelierter Benutzermerkmale auf die erfolgreiche Benutzung dieser funktional equivalenten FKA-Gestaltungsvarianten unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Merkmals Computerwissen geschätzt. In einem zweifaktoriellen quasi-experimentellen Versuchsplan mit zwei (Alter: jung, alt) mal drei (experimentelle Bedingung: Kontrolle, Video, Wizard) Faktorstufen lösten 62 ältere (M=68 Jahre) und 62 jüngere (M=25 Jahre) Versuchsteilnehmer die selben elf Aufgaben: Die Kontrollgruppe nutzte einen simulierten FKA der BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe), die Videogruppe sah ein kurzes Instruktionsvideo bevor sie den selben FKA nutzte und die Wizardgruppe nutzte statt dessen eine umgestaltete graphische Benutzungsschnittstelle. Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, daß Technik im öffentlichen Raum durch die Integration einer minimalen Videoinstruktion oder eines aufgabenorientierten Wizards mit angemessenem Aufwand universell nutzbar gestaltet werden kann und daß nicht das chronologische Alter die erfolgreiche Nutzung des FKA beeinflußt, sondern altersbezogene Nutzermerkmale, welche gemessen werden können und sollten, um eine nutzungsgerechte Gestaltung zu ermöglichen. / Computer technology has permeated almost every sphere of daily living, bringing about many advantages - and challenges - for its users. This becomes particularly apparent for older people’s use of public access systems like ticket vending machines (TVM), which should be „walk-up and use systems“ but often pose challenging problems for them. Are they too old to use IT? This thesis aims to (a) improve the usability of a ticket vending machine (TVM) following two different approaches (teach or design) and to compare the resulting three TVM designs (original, video, wizard) regarding the usability criteria effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction, and to (b) estimate the impact of age and age-correlated user characteristics on the successful use of these functionally equivalent TVM designs with a special focus on computer literacy. In a two (young, old) by three (control, video, wizard) factorial quasi experimental research design, 62 older (M=68 years) and 62 younger (M=25 years) participants solved the same eleven tasks: The control group used a simulated TVM of the BVG (public transportation in Berlin, Germany), the video group watched a brief instructional video integrated into the same TVM before using it and the wizard group used a redesigned wizard interface instead. MANOVA indicates that video and wizard substantially improved TVM usability, increasing effectiveness for the older groups from 52% to 80% and 88% respectively. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that user characteristics had a strong effect on effectiveness of BVG-TVM use, but a weaker effect in the video (36%) and wizard (5%) conditions (universal usability). Results suggest that integration of minimal video instruction or a task oriented wizard design can make public access systems truly universally usable with reasonable effort and that not chronological age itself predicts successful TVM use, but age related user characteristics, which can - and should - be measured and designed for.