As new input devices are introduced to the technological market and an increasing part of the population are familiar with the usage of digital devices, it may seem difficult to know which input devices to aim for when developing new programs and applications that use graphical interfaces. According to a previous study in this area, the computer mouse was the most preferred and performed best when tested in speed and accuracy when compared to the keyboard and drawing tablet even though the keyboard was the device most were familiar with. This paper attempted to recreate the study with the exception of testing morethings, such as number of miss-clicks, distance travelled, directional changes and time. The keyboard was replaced by a handheld controller as well. The results were that the mouse performed best yet again, and proved to be easy to use efficiently for both new and experienced users. The handheld controller was shown not to be an optimal pointing device, mostly due to it being stuck to a fixed speed and not able to accelerate. It did well in the matter of amount off miss-clicks and directional changes, which can be tied to its slow speed. The drawing tablet was well received by the new users and experienced as more accurate than the handheld device. Its results suggest that the drawing tablet could be an efficient pointing device than proven here in the hands of an experienced user, but for new users it could not perform as well as the mouse device overall. / Eftersom nya inmatningsenheter introduceras på den tekniska marknaden och en större del av befolkningen bekantar sig med användningen av digitala enheter, kan det verka svårt att veta vilka inmatningsenheter man ska rikta sig till när man utvecklar nya program och applikationer som använder grafiskt gränssnitt. Enligt en tidigare studie var datormusen den mest föredragna enheten och fick bäst resultat inom snabbhet och noggrannhet, jämfört med tangentbordet och ritplattan inom detta område, trots att tangentbordet var den enhet som de flesta var bekanta med. Denna undersökning försökte återskapa studien med undantaget att testa flera egenskaper, såsom antal missade klickar, avstånd, byten av färdriktning och tid samt att tangentbordet ersattes av en handhållen kontroller. Resultaten var att musen presterade bäst än en gång och visade sig vara lätt att använda effektivt för både nya och erfarna användare. Den handhållna styrenheten visade sig inte vara en optimal pekdon, främst på grund av att den hade en bestämd hastighet och inte kunde accelerera. Det gick bra i fråga om mängden missade klickar och riktningsförändringar, som kan vara knutna till dess långsamma hastigheten. Ritplattan mottogsväl av de nya användarna och upplevdes som mer exakt än den handhållna enheten. Resultatet tyder på att ritplattan kan vara en effektiv pekdon i händerna på en erfaren användare än bevisat här, men för nya användare kan det inte fungera lika bra som datormusen överlag.

When using graphical user interfaces (GUIs), the main problems that frustrates users are long response times and delays. These problems create a bad impression of the GUI, as well as of the company that created it.When providing a GUI to users it is important to provide intuition, ease of use and simplicity while still delivering good performance. However, some factors that play a major role regarding the performance aspect is outside the developers’ hands, namely the client’s internet connection and hardware. Since every client has a different combination of internet connection and hardware, it can be a hassle to satisfy everyone while still providing an intuitive and responsive GUI.The aim of this study is to find a way to monitor performance of a web GUI, where performance comprises response times and render times, and in doing so, enable the improvement of response times and render times by collecting data that can be analyzed.A framework that monitors the performance of a web GUI was developed as a proof of concept. The framework collects relevant data regarding performance of the web GUI and stores the data in a database. The stored data can then be manually analyzed by developers to find weak points in the system regarding performance. This is achieved without interfering with the GUI or impacting the user experience negatively. / När man använder grafiska gränssnitt upplevs lång responstid och fördröjning som de främsta problemen. Dessa problem är frustrerande och ger användare en negativ syn på både det grafiska gränssnittet och företaget som skapat det.Det är viktigt att grafiska gränssnitt är intuitiva, lättanvända och lättfattliga samtidigt som de levererar hög prestanda. Det finns faktorer som påverkar dessa egenskaper som är utanför programmerarnas händer, t.ex. användarens internetuppkoppling och hårdvara. Eftersom varje användare har olika kombinationer av internetuppkoppling och hårdvara är det svårt att tillfredsställa alla och samtidigt tillhandahålla ett intuitivt och responsivt gränssnitt.Målet med denna studie är att hitta ett sätt att övervaka prestandan av ett grafiskt gränssnitt där begreppet prestanda omfattar responsiviteten och hastigheten av den grafiska renderingen, och genom detta möjliggöra förbättring av responstider och renderingstider.Ett ramverk som övervakar prestandan av ett grafiskt gränssnitt utvecklades. Ramverket samlar in relevant prestandamässig data om det grafiska gränssnittet och sparar datan i en databas. Datan som sparats kan sedan bli manuellt analyserad av utvecklare för att hitta svagheter i systemets prestanda. Detta uppnås utan att störa det grafiska gränssnittet och utan att ha någon negativ påverkan på användarupplevelsen.

When discussing games and the experience of gamers those with disabilities are often overlooked. This has left a gap in our understanding of the experience of players with disabilities in virtual game worlds. However there are examples of players with disabilities being very successful in the virtual world video game World of Warcraft, suggesting that there is an opportunity to study the game for usability insight in creating other virtual world environments. This study surveyed World of Warcraft players with disabilities online for insight into how they used interface addons to manage their experience and identity performance in the game. A rubric was also created to study a selection of addons for evidence of the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The study found that World of Warcraft players with disabilities do not use addons more than able-bodied players, but some of the most popular addons do exhibit many or most of the principles of UDL. UDL principles appear to have emerged organically from addon iterations over time. The study concludes by suggesting that the same approach to user-generated content for the game interface taken by the creators of World of Warcraft, as well as high user investment in the environment, can lead to more accessible virtual world learning environments in the future.

Due to a current lack of principle-driven multimodal user interface design guidelines, designers may encounter difficulties when choosing the most appropriate display modality for given users or specific tasks (e.g., verbal versus spatial tasks). The development of multimodal display guidelines from both a user and task domain perspective is thus critical to the achievement of successful human-system interaction. Specifically, there is a need to determine how to design task information presentation (e.g., via which modalities) to capitalize on an individual operator's information processing capabilities and the inherent efficiencies associated with redundant sensory information, thereby alleviating information overload. The present effort addresses this issue by proposing a theoretical framework (Architecture for Multi-Modal Optimization, AMMO) from which multimodal display design guidelines and adaptive automation strategies may be derived. The foundation of the proposed framework is based on extending, at a functional working memory (WM) level, existing information processing theories and models with the latest findings in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and other allied sciences. The utility of AMMO lies in its ability to provide designers with strategies for directing system design, as well as dynamic adaptation strategies (i.e., multimodal mitigation strategies) in support of real-time operations. In an effort to validate specific components of AMMO, a subset of AMMO-derived multimodal design guidelines was evaluated with a simulated weapons control system multitasking environment. The results of this study demonstrated significant performance improvements in user response time and accuracy when multimodal display cues were used (i.e., auditory and tactile, individually and in combination) to augment the visual display of information, thereby distributing human information processing resources across multiple sensory and WM resources. These results provide initial empirical support for validation of the overall AMMO model and a sub-set of the principle-driven multimodal design guidelines derived from it. The empirically-validated multimodal design guidelines may be applicable to a wide range of information-intensive computer-based multitasking environments.

Desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and the Kinect, oh my! With so many devices available to the average consumer, the limitations and pitfalls of each interface are becoming more apparent. Swimming in devices, users often have to stop and think about how to interact with each device to accomplish the current tasks at hand. The goal of this thesis is to minimize user cognitive effort in handling multiple devices by creating a context aware hybrid interface. The context aware system will be explored through the hybridization of gesture and touch interfaces using a multi-touch coffee table and the next-generation Microsoft Kinect. Coupling gesture and touch interfaces creates a novel multimodal interface that can leverage the benefits of both gestures and touch. The hybrid interface is able to utilize the more intuitive and dynamic use of gestures, while maintaining the precision of a tactile touch interface. Joining these two interfaces in an intuitive and context aware way will open up a new avenue for design and innovation.

The purpose of this work was to find what User Interface adjustments are most suitable for elderly users from the age of 60. The adjustments looked upon in this research were regarding three areas: navigation, progress bar and element design. Each area consisted of two characteristics that were compared against each other. Navigation had a slide-out sidebar and top navigation bar as characteristics. While the progress bar and element design had the characteristics of with and without a progress bar as well as icons and detailed images respectively. The research method was to put these characteristics in two prototypes. Then five elderly tested these prototypes as if they were two different prototypes of an application rather than a test of a specific User Interface design. The data were analysed through three aspects for each of the areas: effectiveness (number of errors), efficiency (time efficient) and user satisfaction. The conclusion of the analysis was that the top navigation bar and progress bar were the better User Interface adoptions. While regarding the element design there was not an as clear answer. What was significant was what the image or icon represents is clear, though the elderly user seems to prefer images / Syftet med detta arbete var att hitta de användargränssnittsjusteringar som är lämpligast för äldre användare från 60 års ålder. De inkluderade justeringarna i denna forskning var dessa tre områden: navigering, förloppsindikator och elementdesign. Varje område bestod av två egenskaper som jämfördes jämt emot varandra. Navigation hade ett utdragbar sidofält och övre navigeringsfält som egenskaper. Medan förloppsindikatorn och elementdesignen hade egenskaperna med och utan förloppsindikator respektive ikoner och detaljerade bilder. Forskningsmetoden var att sätta dessa egenskaper i två olika prototyper. Dessa testades sedan av fem äldre som att de vore applikationsprototyper snarare än ett test av ett specifik användargränssnitt. Data analyserades utifrån tre aspekter för var och ett av områdena: effektivitet (antal användningsfel) och verkan (tids effektivitet) och tillfredsställelse. Analysen kom fram till att det översta navigeringsfältet och förloppsfältet var de bättre anpassningarna. Gällande elementdesignen var svaret inte lika klart. Det betydelsefulla där var att det bilden eller ikonen representerar är tydligt för användaren, däremot verkar de äldre användarna föredra bilder över ikoner.

I denna studie utvärderades skolplattformen Daisy, som används av studenter och anställda vid Stockholms universitet, institutionen för data- och systemvetenskap. Syftet med studien var att identifiera de allvarligaste användbarhetsproblem som studenterna upplevde samt hitta eventuella lösningar till problemen. Frågeställningen som studien besvarade var: Vilka användbarhetsproblem på funktioner i en skolplattform kan upptäckas genom en fallstudie? Hur kan dessa användbarhetsproblem åtgärdas i en iterativ prototyputveckling?. Problemen undersöktes genom att 36 studenter besvarade en undersökningsenkät. Resultatet visade att studenterna upplevde svårigheter med att boka grupprum. Användargränssnittet ansågs även vara gammalt och omodernt. Forskningsstrategin som användes i studien var fallstudier. Fallstudier bidrog till att identifiera huvudproblemet på djupet i Daisy. Arbetet skedde iterativt med fokus på ett huvudproblem: att boka grupprum. De aktiva deltagarna utformade undersökningen baserat på deras krav och behov. Deltagarnas designlösningar applicerades på en prototyp som utvärderades. I studien deltog fyra studenter som indelades i två grupper: nya och vana användare. Dessa studenter genomförde ett användbarhetstest på prototypen, besvarade en SUS-enkät och en utvärderande enkät. Resultatet visade att användargränssnittet på prototypen var lättnavigerat och viktig information fanns lättillgängligt. Vidare ansåg studenterna att det var betydligt enklare att boka grupprum på prototypen. / In this study, the school platform Daisy, was evaluated. Daisy is used by students and staff at Stockholm University, department of Computer and System Sciences. The aim of the study was to identify the most significant usability issues experienced by students and to find possible solutions to the problems. The research question addressed in the study is: What usability problems regarding features in a school platform can be discovered through a case study? How can these usability problems be addressed in an iterative prototype development? The problems were investigated through a survey questionnaire answered by 36 students. The results revealed that students encountered difficulties in booking group rooms. The user interface was also considered old and outdated. The research strategy used in the study was case study. Case studies contributed to identifying the main problem in depth in Daisy. The work was conducted iteratively, with a focus on the main problem: booking group rooms. The participant's design solutions were applied to a prototype that was evaluated. The study involved four students divided into two groups: novice and experienced users. These students conducted a usability test on the prototype, answered a System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire, and completed an evaluative survey. The results showed that the user interface of the prototype was easy to navigate, and important information was easily accessible. Furthermore, the students found it significantly easier to book group rooms on the prototype.

This paper is based on Amouzad Mahdiraji’s research about an agent-based ambulance dispatchment simulator. A simulator which is currently not focused on visual user interfaces and usability. In this study, we implemented design science to structure our research for creating a user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) prototype for an ambulance dispatchment system. We used theories concerning usability and human cognition to support the development of the prototype which was later evaluated through interviews. Cognitive overload or confusion concerning a GUI can cause stress and problems which results in various errors and costs, affecting businesses and users in multiple ways. Our study resulted in a second version of the prototype in which interview analysis and theories, mainly the Gestalt principles and heuristics, were applied. Design decisions for the second version were made to improve the usability and minimize risks of confusion. Usability in a graphical user interface can be achieved in different approaches, this study shows one of them. However, to create a suitable interface for an ambulance dispatchment system, more research is required.

This study investigates different design choices for graphical user interfaces meant to improve depth perception in remote crane operation through measuring efficiency and user experience. To achieve this, three different graphical user interface designs were created and implemented into a cargo port simulator within the game engine Unity. These GUIs consists of a top-down shadow overlay, a guideline overlay and one overlay that would display held containers as see-through, called X-ray overlay. The three GUIs were then tested in a user study along a blank interface which had no overlay, in order to compare task efficiency, accuracy and usability among the four interfaces. In total, 15 participants took part in the user study in which none had any previous experience in using heavy machinery such as cargo cranes. These 15 participants were of various ages between 22-59 and of various genders. The results from the user study shows that the shadow overlay and the guideline overlay were more favoured among the participants who took part in the experiment, as well as more usable in comparison towards the X-ray overlay and having no overlay. The participants were also more accurate and efficient in placing containers while using the shadow overlay and the guideline overlay.

Gardening has been proven to have multiple health benefits, both mentally and physically. It is a common activity and it’s estimated that almost 78% of home-owners in the USA do it on a regular basis. Cities are growing and have created the challenge to make room for new green spaces to preserve the current biodiversity. This makes preserving or creating garden diversity more important than ever. This study investigates if a user interface could potentially impact and create incentive in gardening for users, with the help of personalized garden information. A prototype was developed and tested in collaboration with Husqvarna Group. The prototype was tested on 5 participants over a 10 day period combined with a qualitative interview to find out if it generated incentive for gardening. The study was done as a conceptual proof of concept and the results were evaluated using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The result implied that the conceptual solution would be perceived useful and accepted on the condition that it provides a personalized user experience. Future research is suggested to look into how to achieve a personalized user experience for user interfaces for gardening. / Trädgårdsarbete har visat sig ha flera hälsofördelar, både mentalt och fysiskt. Det är en vanligt förekommande aktivitet och det uppskattas att nästan 78% av att alla husägare i USA gör det regelbundet. Moderna städers tillväxt har resulterat i en utmaning att skapa nya grönområde för att bevara den nuvarande biologiska mångfalden. Den tillväxten gör det viktigare än någonsin att bevara eller skapa ny biologisk mångfald i trädgårdarna. Denna studie undersöker om mobila gränssnittet potentiellt kan påverka och skapa incitament i trädgårdsarbete för användare med hjälp av personlig information om trädgården. En prototyp utvecklades och testades i samarbete med Husqvarna Group. Prototypen testades på 5 deltagare under en 10-dagarsperiod i kombination med en kvalitativ intervju. Detta för att ta reda på om det genererade incitament för trädgårdsarbete. Studien gjordes som ett konceptet-test och resultaten utvärderades med efter: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Resultatet visade att den konceptuella lösningen skulle upplevas användbar och accepterad, under förutsättning att den ger en personlig användarupplevelse. Framtida forskning föreslås att undersöka hur man kan uppnå en personlig användarupplevelse med gränssnittet för trädgårdsarbete.