User interface usability in social commerce is an important theme today because many businesses are evolving with use of social media in order to easily reach larger markets.  The study was based on the fact that online shoppers and their purchase success depend to the great extent  they can interact with the interface(usability). Therefore, it is important for companies to attend to the users' online consumer purchase behavior. The purpose of the study is to discuss which interface design requirements can enhance usability that can improve consumer behavior in social commerce. The methodology of social constructionist paradigm, a deductive research approach with investigation from multiple exploratory cases was used. For extension of knowledge about the topic both secondary and primary data with interviews was followed. The findings show that the social commerce companies are still facing some challenges because they still lack some of the suggested requirements which hinders the usability of their interfaces. Moreover, they believe that some requirements are not be as important as others. The companies can use these findings to apply and harmonize this frame of requirements into their user interfaces in order to achieve usability that promotes consumer behaviors since they can now realize that the few requirement they never attend to limits the usability of their websites.

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is being revolutionized by computational design and artificial intelligence. As the diversity of user interfaces shifts from personal desktops to mobile and wearable devices, yesterday’s tools and interfaces are insufficient to meet the demands of tomorrow’s devices. This dissertation describes my research on leveraging different physical channels (e.g., vibration, light, capacitance) to enable novel interaction opportunities. We first introduce FontCode, an information embedding technique for text documents. Given a text document with specific fonts, our method can embed user-specified information (e.g., URLs, meta data, etc) in the text by perturbing the glyphs of text characters while preserving the text content. The embedded information can later be retrieved using a smartphone in real time. Then, we present Vidgets, a family of mechanical widgets, specifically push buttons and rotary knobs that augment mobile devices with tangible user interfaces. When these widgets are attached to a mobile device and a user interacts with them, the nonlinear mechanical response of the widgets shifts the device slightly and quickly. Subsequently, this subtle motion can be detected by the Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), which is commonly installed on mobile devices. Next, we propose BackTrack, a trackpad placed on the back of a smartphone to track finegrained finger motions. Our system has a small form factor, with all the circuits encapsulated in a thin layer attached to a phone case. It can be used with any off-the-shelf smartphone, requiring no power supply or modification of the operating systems. BackTrack simply extends the finger tracking area of the front screen, without interrupting the use of the front screen. Lastly, we demonstrate MoiréBoard, a new camera tracking method that leverages a seemingly irrelevant visual phenomenon, the moiré effect. Based on a systematic analysis of the moiré effect under camera projection, MoiréBoard requires no power nor camera calibration. It can easily be made at a low cost (e.g., through 3D printing) and ready to use with any stock mobile device with a camera. Its tracking algorithm is computationally efficient and can run at a high frame rate. It is not only simple to implement, but also tracks devices at a high accuracy, comparable to the state-of-the-art commercial VR tracking systems.

Human computer interaction is a topic which is quickly progressing forwards, with users looking for new ways to interact with digital content. Graphical user interfaces are all around us, featured in smartphones, tablets, and personal computers. The next step from a graphical user interface, a distributed user interface is becoming increasingly popular, and is offered by many applications, such as Spotify for example. This bachelor's thesis carried out at the University of Linköping at the institution for computer science discusses the history of human computer interaction, user interaction and interfaces, and how to manage the layout of a disturbed user interface system. A framework for managing the layout is developed and tested in a prototype.

In contrast to a traditional setting where users express queries against the database schema, we assert that the semantics of data can often be understood by viewing the data in the context of the user interface (UI) of the software tool used to enter the data. That is, we believe that users will understand the data in a database by seeing the labels, dropdown menus, tool tips, help text, control contents, and juxtaposition or arrangement of controls that are built in to the user interface. Our goal is to allow domain experts with little technical skill to understand and query data. In this dissertation, we present our GUi As View (Guava) framework and describe how we use forms-based UIs to generate a conceptual model that represents the information in the user interface. We then describe how we generate a query interface from the conceptual model. We characterize the resulting query language using a subset of relational algebra. Since most application developers want to craft a physical database to meet desired performance needs independent of the schema used by the user interface, we subsequently present a general-purpose schema mapping tool called a channel that can be configured by instantiating a sequence of discrete transformations. Each transformation is an encapsulation of a physical design decision or business logic process. The channel, once configured, automatically transforms queries from our query interface into queries that address the underlying physical database, similar to a view. The channel also transforms data updates, schema updates, and constraint definitions posed against the channel’s input schema into equivalent forms against the physical schema. We present formal definitions of each transformation and properties that must be true of transformations, and prove that our definitions respect the properties.

The presented research summarizes (1) the development of a rapid prototyping framework, (2) the application of advance meshing algorithms, data structures, programming languages and libraries toward the field of numerical surface-water modeling (NSWM), (3) the application of (2) in (1), and (4) a real world application. The result of the research was the development of a prototype grid generator tool, the Mesh Generation and Refinement Tool (MGRT). MGRT supports a customizable interface and plug-and-play functionality through the use of plug-ins and incorporates a plug-in based topology/geometry system. A detailed explanation of the data structures, algorithms, and tools used to construct the MGRT are presented. Additionally, the construction of a mesh of Mobile Bay is presented. This represents a real world application of the MGRT. This tool provides many benefits over current tools in NSWM, which include faster meshing and the ability the use any grid generator that can be plugged-in.

Different possible interactions with computers is an ever-evolving topic and the usage of computers are more ubiquitous than ever. To design with the user in mind is not an easy task with regular use cases and interactions at hand. Designing for users in a military context can be even more difficult as the working environment of said users is demanding. This thesis sets out to investigate how a redesign of an existing GUI can reduce the impact of the contextual challenging environment of operating a software in terrain vehicles and in outdoor weather. For the redesign of the GUI a user-centered design process was performed. The process was initiated by using the method of contextual interviews and affinity diagram for data gathering and analysis, which gave a deeper understanding of the user’s issues and needs. After defining the different key elements for the redesign, a prototype was developed. The first prototype was evaluated by experienced users of the software out of military context. With the feedback from the users another developed version of the software was created and evaluated by current users of the software with an interview in military context. The evaluation showed that the users believed that the redesign of the GUI would help mitigate problems caused by the challenging context the software is used in, as well as improve quality of work. / Olika möjligheter för interaktion med datorer är ett område i ständig utveckling och användandet av datorer idag är mer omfattande än någonsin. Även för vanliga användningsområden och interaktioner så är det svårt att designa något där användarens behov står i centrum. Att designa något för en militär kontext kan göra processen ännu svårare då arbetsmiljön för användarna är mycket påfrestande. Denna studie undersöker hur en ny design av ett grafiskt användargränssnitt kan reducera de negativa effekterna som uppstår i den kontextuella miljön. Den miljö som datorprogrammet används i är i terrängfordon i rörelse och i alla väderförhållanden utomhus i fält. För att skapa en ny design av gränssnittet utfördes en användarcentrerad designprocess. Processen initierades med att utföra kontextuella intervjuer och skapa ett affinitetsdiagram för att sammanställa och analysera data, med detta erhölls en djupare insikt av användarbehoven och krav för designen. Efter att de mest betydande huvuddragen för designen var fastställda utvecklades en prototyp av designen. Första prototypen utvärderades av användare med erfarenhet av mjukvaran utanför den militära kontexten. Av responsen från dessa användare utvecklades en ny version av designen som sedan utvärderades under en intervju med nuvarande användare av mjukvaran i militär kontext. Utvärderingen visade att användarna trodde att den nya designen av användargränssnittet skulle hjälpa att minska problemen som uppstod i deras arbetsmiljö och kontext samt förbättra deras arbetskvalitet.

The focus of this dissertation is on creating Adaptive Intelligent User Interfaces to facilitate enhanced natural communication during the Human-Computer Interaction by recognizing users' affective states (i.e., emotions experienced by the users) and responding to those emotions by adapting to the current situation via an affective user model created for each user. Controlled experiments were designed and conducted in a laboratory environment and in a Virtual Reality environment to collect physiological data signals from participants experiencing specific emotions. Algorithms (k-Nearest Neighbor [KNN], Discriminant Function Analysis [DFA], Marquardt-Backpropagation [MBP], and Resilient Backpropagation [RBP]) were implemented to analyze the collected data signals and to find unique physiological patterns of emotions. Emotion Elicitation with Movie Clips Experiment was conducted to elicit Sadness, Anger, Surprise, Fear, Frustration, and Amusement from participants. Overall, the three algorithms: KNN, DFA, and MBP, could recognize emotions with 72.3%, 75.0%, and 84.1% accuracy, respectively. Driving Simulator experiment was conducted to elicit driving-related emotions and states (panic/fear, frustration/anger, and boredom/sleepiness). The KNN, MBP and RBP Algorithms were used to classify the physiological signals by corresponding emotions. Overall, KNN could classify these three emotions with 66.3%, MBP could classify them with 76.7% and RBP could classify them with 91.9% accuracy. Adaptation of the interface was designed to provide multi-modal feedback to the users about their current affective state and to respond to users' negative emotional states in order to decrease the possible negative impacts of those emotions. Bayesian Belief Networks formalization was employed to develop the User Model to enable the intelligent system to appropriately adapt to the current context and situation by considering user-dependent factors, such as: personality traits and preferences.

Full-body controlled games offer the opportunity for not only entertainment, but education and exercise as well. Refined gameplay mechanics and content can boost intrinsic motivation and keep people playing over a long period of time, which is desirable for individuals who struggle with maintaining a regular exercise program. Within this gameplay genre, dance rhythm games have proven to be popular with game console owners. Yet, while other types of games utilize story mechanics that keep players engaged for dozens of hours, motion-controlled dance games are just beginning to incorporate these elements. In addition, this control scheme is still young, only becoming commercially available in the last few years. Instructional displays and clear real-time feedback remain difficult challenges. This thesis investigates the potential for full-body dance games to be used as tools for entertainment, education, and fitness. We built several game prototypes to investigate visual, aural, and tactile methods for instruction and feedback. We also evaluated the fitness potential of the game Dance Central 2 both by itself and with extra game content which unlocked based on performance. Significant contributions include a framework for running a longitudinal video game study, results indicating high engagement with some fitness potential, and informed discussion of how dance games could make exertion a more enjoyable experience.

We present an exploration into realistic locomotion interfaces in video games using spatially convenient input hardware. In particular, we use Nintendo Wii Remotes to create natural mappings between user actions and their representation in a video game. Targeting American Football video games, we used the role of the quarterback as an exemplar since the game player needs to maneuver effectively in a small area, run down the field, and perform evasive gestures such as spinning, jumping, or the "juke". In our study, we developed three locomotion techniques. The first technique used a single Wii Remote, placed anywhere on the user's body, using only the acceleration data. The second technique just used the Wii Remote's infrared sensor and had to be placed on the user's head. The third technique combined a Wii Remote's acceleration and infrared data using a Kalman filter. The Wii Motion Plus was also integrated to add the orientation of the user into the video game. To evaluate the different techniques, we compared them with a cost effective six degree of freedom (6DOF) optical tracker and two Wii Remotes placed on the user's feet. Experiments were performed comparing each to this technique. Finally, a user study was performed to determine if a preference existed among these techniques. The results showed that the second and third technique had the same location accuracy as the cost effective 6DOF tracker, but the first was too inaccurate for video game players. Furthermore, the range of the Wii remote infrared and Motion Plus exceeded the optical tracker of the comparison technique. Finally, the user study showed that video game players preferred the third method over the second, but were split on the use of the Motion Plus when the tasks did not require it.

Ansible brings select-to-edit functionality to physical widgets. When programming sets of physical widgets, it can be bothersome for a programmer to remember the name of the software object that corresponds to a specific widget. Click-to-edit functionality in GUI programming provides a physical action--moving the mouse to a widget and clicking a button on the mouse--to select a virtual widget. In a similar vein, when programming physical widgets, it is natural to point at a widget and think, "I want to program that one." Ansible allows physical user interface programmers to "click" on a physical widget by making a physical action: shining a light, waving a magnet, or pressing a button on the widget. This brings up the widget's code for editing on a laptop or workstation. The Ansible system is intended to help physical user interface programmers prototype distributed systems built from physical widgets. We conducted a user study with twelve programmers using Ansible; the study showed that shining a light eliminates the need for a programmer to remember the mapping between physical widgets and their names. We also built three example systems to illustrate some of the kinds of systems that can be implemented using Ansible.