Recent developments in the design of human-machine interfaces have resulted in interfaces which make access to computer-based equipment more difficult for visually disabled people. The aim of this project was to explore whether it is possible to adapt such interfaces so as to make them usable by people who cannot see a screen. The approach adopted was based upon two principles: the replacement of visual interlace entities by auditory analogues and appropriately constraining the resultant interlace. Two forms of sound were used to embody the auditory interface: musical tones and synthetic speech. The 'auditory screen' so produced consists of a grid of 'auditory objects', each of which is associated with a spatial location, a tone, a name and an action. In order to test the principles a word processing program was designed and implemented to demonstrate how a visual program might be adapted to be accessed through such an interface. This program was evaluated with the assistance of a number of visually disabled testers. They were trained to use the word processor through completing a graded set of exercises. Data were obtained in a number of ways during and after the completion of the exercises. Since the auditory interface had some novel components, special evaluation methods were applied. The nature of the interaction was analyzed, using an approach based on work on keystroke models of visual interfaces. This yielded a simple model of the 'hand-ear' coordination employed, which forms a basis for prediction of user behaviour. It was also necessary to evaluate aspects of the program, such as ease-of-learning and these were investigated by interviewing the subjects. The results demonstrate that the approach is viable. The thesis also discusses a number of problems in using such an interface, most of which are related to the memory load on the user.

Lacome is a multi-user cross-platform system that supports collaboration in a shared large screen display environment. Lacome allows users to share their desktops or application windows using any standard VNC server. It supports multi-user concurrent interaction on the public shared display as well as input redirection so users can control each other's applications. La-come supports separate types of interaction through a Lacome client for window management tasks on the shared display(move, resize, iconify, de-iconify) and for application interactions through the VNC servers. The system architecture provides for Publishers that share information and Navigators that access information. A Lacome client can have either or both, and can initiate additional Publishers on other VNC servers that may not be Lacome clients. Explicit access control policies on both the server side the client side provide a flexible framework for sharing. The architecture builds on standard cross-platform components such as VNC and JRE. Interaction techniques used in the window manager ensure simple and transparent multi-user interactions for managing the shared display space. We illustrate the design and implementation of Lacome and provide insights from initial user experience with the system. / Science, Faculty of / Computer Science, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

The Semantic Web and Linked Data movements with the aim of creating, publishing and interconnecting machine readable information have gained traction in the last years. However, the majority of information still is contained in and exchanged using unstructured documents, such as Web pages, text documents, images and videos. This can also not be expected to change, since text, images and videos are the natural way in which humans interact with information. Semantic structuring of content on the other hand provides a wide range of advantages compared to unstructured information. Semantically-enriched documents facilitate information search and retrieval, presentation, integration, reusability, interoperability and personalization. Looking at the life-cycle of semantic content on the Web of Data, we see quite some progress on the backend side in storing structured content or for linking data and schemata. Nevertheless, the currently least developed aspect of the semantic content life-cycle is from our point of view the user-friendly manual and semi-automatic creation of rich semantic content. In this thesis, we propose a semantics-based user interface model, which aims to reduce the complexity of underlying technologies for semantic enrichment of content by Web users. By surveying existing tools and approaches for semantic content authoring, we extracted a set of guidelines for designing efficient and effective semantic authoring user interfaces. We applied these guidelines to devise a semantics-based user interface model called WYSIWYM (What You See Is What You Mean) which enables integrated authoring, visualization and exploration of unstructured and (semi-)structured content. To assess the applicability of our proposed WYSIWYM model, we incorporated the model into four real-world use cases comprising two general and two domain-specific applications. These use cases address four aspects of the WYSIWYM implementation: 1) Its integration into existing user interfaces, 2) Utilizing it for lightweight text analytics to incentivize users, 3) Dealing with crowdsourcing of semi-structured e-learning content, 4) Incorporating it for authoring of semantic medical prescriptions.

Interação homem-máquina, também difundida com o nome de Interface com o Usuário (ou simplesmente interface), é uma área de pesquisa relativamente recente e evidentemente multidisciplinar. Um importante critério para projeto de interfaces é a separação de um programa interativo em seu componente computacional (aplicação) e seu componente de diálogo (que implementa a interface) • Esta separação, denominada independência de diálogo, . cr1a o papel do projetista de interfaces separado do programador da aplicação e a necessidade de novas comunicações entre os componentes do programa e o usuário. O componente de diálogo é usualmente construído usando-se alguma Ferramenta para Desenvolvimento de Interfaces com o Usuário (abreviadas FIUs) para definição e manipulação de interfaces. As FIUs comercialmente disponíveis atualmente (na sua maioria "toolboxes" como MicroSoft Windows e Macintosh Toolbox, entre outras), no entanto, não são tão facilmente utilizáveis, contendo literalmente centenas de rotinas e confundindo freqüentemente os papéis do projetista de interfaces e do programador da aplicação. Isto acarreta prejuízos à almejada independência de diálogo .Além disto, devido às idiossincrasias de cada FIU, o p r ograma interativo é desenvolvido direcionado para o uso de uma FIU específica, necessitando de uma série de reformulações em caso de mudanças de FIU. O objetivo da dissertação é a proposta de uma FIU Canônica que permite: a) uma definição de interface de maneira mais adequada aos usuários projetistas, programador da aplicação; e mais notadamente ao b) a portabilidade de programas interativos entre diferentes FIUs. O componente principal da FIU Canônica é o seu modelo representacional orientado a objetos, o Canonicus, que contém as abstrações necessárias para o uso adequado dos usuários projetistas. A portabilidade vem do fato da FIU Canônica ser, na verdade, uma camada intermediária entre a aplicação e uma FIU. Sua implementação consiste na tradução de seus objetos e operações para objetos e operações de alguma FIU subjacente. Nesta dissertação sao apresentados a arquitetura da FIU Canônica e o seu modelo representacional Canonicus assim como a sua implementação sobre duas FIUs tipo "toolbox" comerciais, o MicroSoft Windows e o Macintosh Toolbox. / Human-computer interactionf interface f lS a mul tidisciplinary and research issue. also named use r relatively recent An important criteria to user interface design is the separation of interactive program in two components: computational component (application) and dialogue component (which implements the user interface). This separationf interface named dialogue independencef independent creates the user designer role of application programmer role and new components-user communications. The dialogue component is usually constructed by using some User Interface Development Tool (abreviated FIU) to both user interface definition and manipulation. The comercial FIUs available (most of them are toolboxes like MicroSoft Windows and Macintosh Toolbox) f howeverf are often not so easily usable, since they contain literally hundreds of procedures and they confuse the interface designer and application programmer roles. Thus the desirable dialogue independence is prejudiced. Furthermore, an one interactive program is developed directed to use only one specific FIU, since each FIU has its idiosycrasies. In case o f FIU change, several reformulations are needed. The dissertation goal is the purpose of the Canonical FIU. The Canonical FIU allows: a) an user interface definition in more adequate way to its designer-users, more notably the application programmer; and b) interactive programs portability between diferent FIUs. The Canonical FIU main component is its objectoriented representational model, the Canonicus, which contains the needed abstractions to user interface designers. Portability is obtained slnce the Canonical FIU lS an intermediate level between the application and a FIU. The Canonical FIU lS implemented by a translation mechanism, mapping its objects and operations to some subjacent FIU's objects and operations. In this dissertation, the Canonical FIU architecture, its representational model Canonicus and its implementations over two FIUs (MicroSoft Windows and Macintosh Toolbox) are presented.

Interação homem-máquina, também difundida com o nome de Interface com o Usuário (ou simplesmente interface), é uma área de pesquisa relativamente recente e evidentemente multidisciplinar. Um importante critério para projeto de interfaces é a separação de um programa interativo em seu componente computacional (aplicação) e seu componente de diálogo (que implementa a interface) • Esta separação, denominada independência de diálogo, . cr1a o papel do projetista de interfaces separado do programador da aplicação e a necessidade de novas comunicações entre os componentes do programa e o usuário. O componente de diálogo é usualmente construído usando-se alguma Ferramenta para Desenvolvimento de Interfaces com o Usuário (abreviadas FIUs) para definição e manipulação de interfaces. As FIUs comercialmente disponíveis atualmente (na sua maioria "toolboxes" como MicroSoft Windows e Macintosh Toolbox, entre outras), no entanto, não são tão facilmente utilizáveis, contendo literalmente centenas de rotinas e confundindo freqüentemente os papéis do projetista de interfaces e do programador da aplicação. Isto acarreta prejuízos à almejada independência de diálogo .Além disto, devido às idiossincrasias de cada FIU, o p r ograma interativo é desenvolvido direcionado para o uso de uma FIU específica, necessitando de uma série de reformulações em caso de mudanças de FIU. O objetivo da dissertação é a proposta de uma FIU Canônica que permite: a) uma definição de interface de maneira mais adequada aos usuários projetistas, programador da aplicação; e mais notadamente ao b) a portabilidade de programas interativos entre diferentes FIUs. O componente principal da FIU Canônica é o seu modelo representacional orientado a objetos, o Canonicus, que contém as abstrações necessárias para o uso adequado dos usuários projetistas. A portabilidade vem do fato da FIU Canônica ser, na verdade, uma camada intermediária entre a aplicação e uma FIU. Sua implementação consiste na tradução de seus objetos e operações para objetos e operações de alguma FIU subjacente. Nesta dissertação sao apresentados a arquitetura da FIU Canônica e o seu modelo representacional Canonicus assim como a sua implementação sobre duas FIUs tipo "toolbox" comerciais, o MicroSoft Windows e o Macintosh Toolbox. / Human-computer interactionf interface f lS a mul tidisciplinary and research issue. also named use r relatively recent An important criteria to user interface design is the separation of interactive program in two components: computational component (application) and dialogue component (which implements the user interface). This separationf interface named dialogue independencef independent creates the user designer role of application programmer role and new components-user communications. The dialogue component is usually constructed by using some User Interface Development Tool (abreviated FIU) to both user interface definition and manipulation. The comercial FIUs available (most of them are toolboxes like MicroSoft Windows and Macintosh Toolbox) f howeverf are often not so easily usable, since they contain literally hundreds of procedures and they confuse the interface designer and application programmer roles. Thus the desirable dialogue independence is prejudiced. Furthermore, an one interactive program is developed directed to use only one specific FIU, since each FIU has its idiosycrasies. In case o f FIU change, several reformulations are needed. The dissertation goal is the purpose of the Canonical FIU. The Canonical FIU allows: a) an user interface definition in more adequate way to its designer-users, more notably the application programmer; and b) interactive programs portability between diferent FIUs. The Canonical FIU main component is its objectoriented representational model, the Canonicus, which contains the needed abstractions to user interface designers. Portability is obtained slnce the Canonical FIU lS an intermediate level between the application and a FIU. The Canonical FIU lS implemented by a translation mechanism, mapping its objects and operations to some subjacent FIU's objects and operations. In this dissertation, the Canonical FIU architecture, its representational model Canonicus and its implementations over two FIUs (MicroSoft Windows and Macintosh Toolbox) are presented.

Interação homem-máquina, também difundida com o nome de Interface com o Usuário (ou simplesmente interface), é uma área de pesquisa relativamente recente e evidentemente multidisciplinar. Um importante critério para projeto de interfaces é a separação de um programa interativo em seu componente computacional (aplicação) e seu componente de diálogo (que implementa a interface) • Esta separação, denominada independência de diálogo, . cr1a o papel do projetista de interfaces separado do programador da aplicação e a necessidade de novas comunicações entre os componentes do programa e o usuário. O componente de diálogo é usualmente construído usando-se alguma Ferramenta para Desenvolvimento de Interfaces com o Usuário (abreviadas FIUs) para definição e manipulação de interfaces. As FIUs comercialmente disponíveis atualmente (na sua maioria "toolboxes" como MicroSoft Windows e Macintosh Toolbox, entre outras), no entanto, não são tão facilmente utilizáveis, contendo literalmente centenas de rotinas e confundindo freqüentemente os papéis do projetista de interfaces e do programador da aplicação. Isto acarreta prejuízos à almejada independência de diálogo .Além disto, devido às idiossincrasias de cada FIU, o p r ograma interativo é desenvolvido direcionado para o uso de uma FIU específica, necessitando de uma série de reformulações em caso de mudanças de FIU. O objetivo da dissertação é a proposta de uma FIU Canônica que permite: a) uma definição de interface de maneira mais adequada aos usuários projetistas, programador da aplicação; e mais notadamente ao b) a portabilidade de programas interativos entre diferentes FIUs. O componente principal da FIU Canônica é o seu modelo representacional orientado a objetos, o Canonicus, que contém as abstrações necessárias para o uso adequado dos usuários projetistas. A portabilidade vem do fato da FIU Canônica ser, na verdade, uma camada intermediária entre a aplicação e uma FIU. Sua implementação consiste na tradução de seus objetos e operações para objetos e operações de alguma FIU subjacente. Nesta dissertação sao apresentados a arquitetura da FIU Canônica e o seu modelo representacional Canonicus assim como a sua implementação sobre duas FIUs tipo "toolbox" comerciais, o MicroSoft Windows e o Macintosh Toolbox. / Human-computer interactionf interface f lS a mul tidisciplinary and research issue. also named use r relatively recent An important criteria to user interface design is the separation of interactive program in two components: computational component (application) and dialogue component (which implements the user interface). This separationf interface named dialogue independencef independent creates the user designer role of application programmer role and new components-user communications. The dialogue component is usually constructed by using some User Interface Development Tool (abreviated FIU) to both user interface definition and manipulation. The comercial FIUs available (most of them are toolboxes like MicroSoft Windows and Macintosh Toolbox) f howeverf are often not so easily usable, since they contain literally hundreds of procedures and they confuse the interface designer and application programmer roles. Thus the desirable dialogue independence is prejudiced. Furthermore, an one interactive program is developed directed to use only one specific FIU, since each FIU has its idiosycrasies. In case o f FIU change, several reformulations are needed. The dissertation goal is the purpose of the Canonical FIU. The Canonical FIU allows: a) an user interface definition in more adequate way to its designer-users, more notably the application programmer; and b) interactive programs portability between diferent FIUs. The Canonical FIU main component is its objectoriented representational model, the Canonicus, which contains the needed abstractions to user interface designers. Portability is obtained slnce the Canonical FIU lS an intermediate level between the application and a FIU. The Canonical FIU lS implemented by a translation mechanism, mapping its objects and operations to some subjacent FIU's objects and operations. In this dissertation, the Canonical FIU architecture, its representational model Canonicus and its implementations over two FIUs (MicroSoft Windows and Macintosh Toolbox) are presented.

ITC/USA 2010 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Sixth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 25-28, 2010 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California / This paper describes a telemetry system used in the Missouri S&T solar car, which competed in the American Solar Challenge. The system monitors parameters of a number of the on-board electronic and mechanical systems, and also the activities of the vehicle driver. This data is transmitted to a lead vehicle, where the support team analyzes the performance in real-time to optimize the vehicle's performance. In previous vehicles the data was displayed using a LabVIEW based user interface. In this work we will describe a custom software solution, which provides the team with additional flexibility to display and analyze the data.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / November 04-07, 1991 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / The Telemetry Test Station has been developed at the Digital Systems Division, ISRO Satellite Centre, to test the housekeeping telemetry packages which will be flown onboard satellites. The heart of the test procedure is the decommutation, display and processing of the telemetry output format. The decommutation has been achieved by designing a simple plug in card to an IBM PC/XT compatible computer and writing the related assembly language software. The card and the software have been extensively tested and found to work satisfactorily upto 60 Kbps PCM data rate. To make the hardware and software flexible and truly general purpose, the acquisition should be independent of the modes of operation and data formats. All the parameters which define acquisition display and processing are therefore programmable and can be changed at any time. The parameters which influence acquisition are bit rate, word rate, frame rate, length of word, length of frame and frame synchronous code. The bit rate is transparent, i.e., need not be set by the user. The word length is assumed to be 8 bits or multiples of 8 bits. The other parameters are programmable at any time during the test session. Similarly, the parameters which affect display are the display rate, and positioning of the format including highlighting, alarm signals, related information etc. This gives a user the facility to tailor the display to his liking. The storage is also flexible and independent of display. All these modes are in real time and have therefore been coded in assembly. It has been found that a large part of the software is needed for user interface alone and user requirement is far more changeable than expected. The software is therefore designed for change. The problems and solutions in achieving these features are discussed in this paper.

No description available.