Thesis (Ph.D.)--Aberdeen University, 2009. / Title from web page (viewed on Feb. 23, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-08-15Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:51:34Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 fernandes_fr_me_bauru.pdf: 3180377 bytes, checksum: baae930104a3428ca76090957b5de780 (MD5) / Atualmente, as interfaces digitais fazem parte do cotidiano de muitas pessoas, seja nos celulares, computadores, sistemas de banco, entre outros. Com o aumento da população idosa. Esses também estão cada vez mais envolvidos neste ambiente digital e interativo. O design ergonômico trabalha com o objetivo de minimizar os problemas entre usuários e interface tecnológica, que é algo necessário à adaptação dessa gama de população às novas interfaces, inseridas muitas vezes em seu cotidiano sem o consentimento, tornando-os algumas vezes reféns das tecnologias. Esta dissertação apresenta uma pesquisa de caráter experimental, que avaliou a experiência do usuário mais velho (older user) ao interagir com websites de compras online. Procedimentos metodológicos já empregados por Fernandes e Paschoarelli (2013) foram utilizados nesta dissertação. Uma parte da pesquisa foi realizada através de um protocolo online disponível em um endereço eletrônico na Internet e outra parte com o grupo da terceira idade da Universidade Aberta da Terceira Idade (UATI) da Universidade do Sagrado Coração (USC) de Bauru, nas dependências desta instituição. A metodologia é composta por quatro etapas: (1) avaliação heurística das interfaces por meio de check-list; (2) questionário de identificação e experiência de uso da internet; (3) teste de experiência do usuário e usabilidade - ensaio de interação; (4) questionário de satisfação. Dois websites de compra online foram avaliados e conclui-se que os websites atuais não são adequados, particularmente, aos usuários acima de 50 anos e que estes encontram dificuldade ao interagir com essas interfaces / Currently digital interfaces are part of everyday life for many people, whether in mobile phones, computers, database systems, among others. With the increasing elderly population, these are also increasingly involved in digital and interactive environment. The ergonomic design works with the objective of minimizing the problems between user and interface technology, which is a necessary adaptation of this population range to new interfaces, often embedded in their daily lives without consent, making them sometimes hastages of these technologies. This paper presents an experimental research study, which evaluated the older user experience to interact with online shopping websites. Methodological procedures (Fernandes and Paschoarelli, 2013) were used. A part of the research was performed using a protocol available online in an electronic address on the Internet and another and with the third age group at the Open University of the Third Age (UATI) of Sacred Heart University (USC), Bauru, on this institution premisses. The methodology consists of four steps: (1) heuristic evaluation of interfaces through a check-list, (2) identification questionnaire and experience using the Internet, (3) test the user experience and usability - test of interaction; (4) satisfaction questionnaire. Two online shopping websites have been evaluated and it is concluded that the current websites are not suitable for users over 50 years old and they find it difficult to interact with these interfaces

Orientador: Maria Cecília Calani Baranauskas / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T05:15:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Hayashi_ElaineCristinaSaito_M.pdf: 2919944 bytes, checksum: 796b5657fcad5f05fdf5bdea0a6364ed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Com o desafio de projetar interfaces de usuários que contribuam com a promoção de uma cultura digital entre os cidadãos brasileiros, uma Rede Social Inclusiva (RSI) está sendo desenvolvida no âmbito do Projeto e-Cidadania2. Seu intuito é o de viabilizar o acesso ao conhecimento para maior número de pessoas, independentemente da sua familiaridade com as Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) ou do seu grau de letramento - entre outras habilidades. Os sistemas de apoio e as pesquisas conduzidas sobre os mesmos apresentam pouca preocupação com a questão da inclusão e acessibilidade, principalmente quando relacionados a redes sociais. Neste contexto, esta dissertação propõe um mecanismo de meta-comunicação cujo objetivo é apoiar os participantes de RSI na sua comunicação com o sistema no que diz respeito ao modelo conceitual das funcionalidades. A pesquisa foi realizada com base nos princípios do Design para Todos, utilizando-se dos artefatos da Semiótica Organizacional e de técnicas adaptadas do Design Participativo. As contribuições do trabalho incluem: a identificação de requisitos para ferramentas de comunicação e expressão buscando atenderàs necessidades dos cidadãos brasileiros, na sua maior extensão possível; a proposta de um mecanismo de meta-comunicação para redes sociais inclusivas e uma avaliação preliminar de tal mecanismo / Abstract: In order to face the challenge of designing user interfaces that contribute to the promotion of a digital culture among Brazilian citizens, an Inclusive Social Network (ISN) is being conceived in the e-Cidadania Project3. It aims at making possible for people to access knowledge, regardless of their familiarity with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) or their literacy skill - among other abilities. The support systems and the research lead on such systems present few concerns with the question of the inclusion and accessibility, mainly when related the social nets. In this scenario, this work proposes a mechanism for meta-communication to support participants of this ISN in all communication that are related with the conceptual model of the system's functionalities. The investigation was carried out based on the principles of the Design for All, using artifacts from Organizational Semiotics and techniques that were adapted from the Participatory Design. The work contributions include: the identification of requirements for communication and expression tools aiming at the fulfillment of Brazilian citizens' needs, in the vastest extension possible; the proposal of a meta-communication mechanism for inclusive social nets; and a preliminary evaluation of the considered mechanism / Mestrado / Interação Humano-Computador / Mestre em Ciência da Computação

I denna studie har författaren undersökt hur ett medelstort företag gick tillväga vid framtagan-det av ett produktionssystem och jämfört processen med de teorier och riktlinjer som finns för användarcentrerad systemdesign. Studien har genomförts baserat på litteraturstudier och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Intervjuobjekten har utsetts tillsammans med handledaren, tillika linjechef för utvecklings-gruppen, på företaget för att redovisa olika perspektiv på utvecklingsarbetet. I resultatavsnittet presenteras utvecklingsprocessen med en modell av flödet tillsammans med en beskrivande text. Genom interna instruktioner för utveckling av datoriserade system anslu-ter företaget bl.a. till olika teorier inom användarcentrerad systemdesign. I det studerade ut-vecklingsprojektet var olika användare inledningsvis med informellt och allteftersom systemet växte så fick de vara med och göra acceptanstester och utvärderingar innan nya uppdateringar skulle släppas. Slutsatsen av studien är att flera inslag av användarcentrerad systemdesign applicerats i ut-vecklingsarbetet i företaget vilket sammantaget gör att användarnas synpunkter tagits tillvara. Dock följer företaget inte någon speciell metod inom området vilket sannolikt skulle förbättra utvecklingsprocessen i framtida projekt.

Vid utveckling av elektroniska läromedel är användbarhet en viktig faktor. Vad som är användbart är beroende av användarens behov och förutsättningar och läromedel har ofta en heterogen målgrupp. Målet med den här undersökningen har varit att besvara frågan hur e-läromedel kan användbarhetsanpassas för olika lärstilar. Undersökningen har genomförts med hjälp av litteraturstudier samt intervjuer med läromedelsförlag. Delar av Dunn &amp; Dunns lärstilsmodell, specifikt sinnespreferens och informations­bearbetning, har relaterats till aktuella riktlinjer för användbarhet i e-läromedel. Undersökningen har visat att anpassningsbara läromedel gynnar användbarheten samt att studier som anpassas till individuell lärstil ger bättre resultat. Den visar också att beteende och lärstil förändras med åldern. E-läromedel kan individanpassas genom att innehålla flera olika vägar till lärandemålen och tillåta användarna att välja och strukturera sin egen lärmiljö utifrån dem. Läromedelsutvecklare behöver ta hänsyn till både teknisk användbarhet (hantera plattformen) och pedagogisk användbarhet (lära sig innehållet). Genom att införliva metoder som passar för såväl visuell, auditiv, kinestetisk och taktil sinnespreferens som för analytisk respektive holistisk informations­bearbetning kan läromedel ge ett mer heltäckande stöd för användar­gruppens inlärning. Samtidigt behövs balans och restriktion för att inte överbelasta användarna med inställningsmöjligheter. Gränssnittet bör vara intuitivt och konsekvent, för att inte ta fokus från innehållet, materialet bör delas upp, för att minska den kognitiva belastningen och användarna behöver känna kontroll över lärmiljön, för att stärka motivationen. Läromedelsförlagen har redan idag goda erfarenheter av att satsa på mångsidighet och lärstilsmodeller kan bidra med struktur och balans för att se till att ingen aspekt missas. / When developing electronic learning applications, usability is an important factor. What is useful depends on the user's needs and abilities. Learning applications often have a heterogeneous target group. The aim of this thesis was to answer the question of how e-learning applications can adapt usability for different learning styles. The survey was conducted by means of literature studies and interviews with educational publishers. Parts of the learning style model by Dunn &amp; Dunn, specifically perceptual preference and information processing, have been related to the current guidelines for usability of e-learning applications. The survey has shown that customized learning applications favor usefulness and that studies tailored to individual learning style have better results. It also shows that the behaviors and learning styles change with age. E-learning applications can be individually adjusted by containing several different paths to learning outcomes and allowing users to select and structure their own learning environment. Developers of e-learning applications need to consider both the technical usability (managing the platform) and pedagogical usability (learning the content). By incorporating methods that are suitable for both visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile preference and for analytic and global information processing, the educational application can provide a more complete support for the user-group's learning process. Meanwhile, balance and restriction is needed in order to not overwhelm users with options. The interface should be intuitive and consistent, so as not to detract from the content. The material should be divided, in order to reduce the cognitive load. Users need to feel in control of the learning environment, to strengthen motivation. The study shows that educational publishers already have good experience from prioritizing versatility. Adapting learning style models can help with structure and balance to ensure that no aspect is overlooked. / <p>Godkännandedatum: 2014-06-24</p>

Orientador: Luís Carlos Paschoarelli / Banca: José Carlos Plácido da Silva / Banca: João Guilherme da Silva Santa Rosa / Resumo: Atualmente, as interfaces digitais fazem parte do cotidiano de muitas pessoas, seja nos celulares, computadores, sistemas de banco, entre outros. Com o aumento da população idosa. Esses também estão cada vez mais envolvidos neste ambiente digital e interativo. O design ergonômico trabalha com o objetivo de minimizar os problemas entre usuários e interface tecnológica, que é algo necessário à adaptação dessa gama de população às novas interfaces, inseridas muitas vezes em seu cotidiano sem o consentimento, tornando-os algumas vezes reféns das tecnologias. Esta dissertação apresenta uma pesquisa de caráter experimental, que avaliou a experiência do usuário "mais velho" (older user) ao interagir com websites de compras online. Procedimentos metodológicos já empregados por Fernandes e Paschoarelli (2013) foram utilizados nesta dissertação. Uma parte da pesquisa foi realizada através de um protocolo online disponível em um endereço eletrônico na Internet e outra parte com o grupo da terceira idade da Universidade Aberta da Terceira Idade (UATI) da Universidade do Sagrado Coração (USC) de Bauru, nas dependências desta instituição. A metodologia é composta por quatro etapas: (1) avaliação heurística das interfaces por meio de check-list; (2) questionário de identificação e experiência de uso da internet; (3) teste de experiência do usuário e usabilidade - ensaio de interação; (4) questionário de satisfação. Dois websites de compra online foram avaliados e conclui-se que os websites atuais não são adequados, particularmente, aos usuários acima de 50 anos e que estes encontram dificuldade ao interagir com essas interfaces / Abstract: Currently digital interfaces are part of everyday life for many people, whether in mobile phones, computers, database systems, among others. With the increasing elderly population, these are also increasingly involved in digital and interactive environment. The ergonomic design works with the objective of minimizing the problems between user and interface technology, which is a necessary adaptation of this population range to new interfaces, often embedded in their daily lives without consent, making them sometimes hastages of these technologies. This paper presents an experimental research study, which evaluated the older user experience to interact with online shopping websites. Methodological procedures (Fernandes and Paschoarelli, 2013) were used. A part of the research was performed using a protocol available online in an electronic address on the Internet and another and with the third age group at the Open University of the Third Age (UATI) of Sacred Heart University (USC), Bauru, on this institution premisses. The methodology consists of four steps: (1) heuristic evaluation of interfaces through a check-list, (2) identification questionnaire and experience using the Internet, (3) test the user experience and usability - test of interaction; (4) satisfaction questionnaire. Two online shopping websites have been evaluated and it is concluded that the current websites are not suitable for users over 50 years old and they find it difficult to interact with these interfaces / Mestre

Malaria is both a preventable and curable disease if treated early and appropriately. However, it is estimated that every 30 seconds a child dies of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. The use of innovative eHealth/mHealth tools for malaria that seamlessly integrate into the workflow of healthcare workers could potentially ameliorate this problem. Successful design and development of these tools require an overarching understanding of the socio-technical context for the problems and opportunities in the application domain. A series of studies involving malaria management in the Millennium Village Project (MVP) cluster in rural Ghana were performed. A new method introduced by the author was applied to prioritize health information needs of stakeholders that have the potential to have a higher impact in solving health related problems. The result of applying this method was a group of impactful interventions for the MVP malaria program in Ghana. Findings from this study were validated with the MVP Ghana eHealth team, and after mutual agreement, an eHealth/mHealth intervention around malaria supply chain management was selected for further study. User-Centered Design (UCD) methods were adapted for use in a resource poor setting. Functional and non-functional requirements were identified. A low fidelity prototype was created and early usability inputs were collected. A high fidelity prototype was created to provide decision support to health workers through visualizations of stock levels and recommendations of quantities to order. Results from evaluation studies of the high fidelity prototype with end users suggest that they perceive the prototype as both easy to use and useful, with a potential for adoption and with a low risk of implementation. Usability problems found during the course of the study should be addressed to increase the potential of adoption. To obtain a more complete list of usability issues, both users’ and experts’ evaluations are recommended as well as the use of native and foreign test facilitators.

Communication between deaf individuals and hearing individuals can be very difficult. For people who are born deaf, English is often a second language with the first language being American Sign Language (ASL). Very few hearing people in the United States sign or are aware of Deafness, Deaf culture, or how to appropriately communicate with people with hearing loss. In this thesis, I concentrate on the role that mobile technologies can play in ameliorating some of these issues. In formative work with Deaf teenagers in the metro-Atlanta area, I investigate the role that communication technologies play in the lives of many Deaf individuals and examine how these devices have effected their communication patterns and social circles. Specifically, the teens identified problems communicating with hearing individuals such as close friends and family in face-to-face situations. Having identified sign language use at home as one of the earliest interventions for Deaf children, I investigated the use of mobile phones for learning survival-level ASL. I created a prototype software application which presented short ASL lessons via either a mobile phone or desktop web-browser. The software presented the lessons via one of two different scheduling methods designed to take advantage of the spacing effect during learning. I designed and conducted a study of forty individuals with no prior ASL knowledge which compared the effects of both scheduling algorithm and platform. My results show that individuals who used a mobile phone platform and received a group of lessons at one time performed better on post-test receptive and generative ASL metrics than did participants in the three other conditions.

The venerable desktop metaphor is beginning to show signs of strain in supporting modern knowledge work. Traditional desktop systems were not designed to support the sheer number of simultaneous windows, information resources, and collaborative contexts that have become commonplace in contemporary knowledge work. Even though the desktop has been slow to evolve, knowledge workers still consistently manage multiple tasks, collaborate effectively among colleagues or clients, and manipulate information most relevant to their current task by leveraging the spatial organization of their work area. The potential exists for desktop workspaces to better support these knowledge work practices by leveraging the unifying construct of activity. Semantically-meaningful activities, conceptualized as a collection of tools (applications, documents, and other resources) within a social and organizational context, offer an alternative orientation for the desktop experience that more closely corresponds to knowledge workers' objectives and goals. In this research, I unpack some of the foundational assumptions of desktop interface design and propose an activity-centered model for organizing the desktop interface based on empirical observations of real-world knowledge work practice, theoretical understandings of cognition and activity, and my own experiences in developing two prototype systems for extending the desktop to support knowledge work. I formalize this analysis in a series of key challenges for the research and development of activity-based systems. In response to these challenges, I present the design and implementation of a third research prototype, the Giornata system, that emphasizes activity as a primary organizing principle in GUI-based interaction, information organization, and collaboration. I conclude with two evaluations of the system. First, I present findings from a longitudinal deployment of the system among a small group of representative knowledge workers; this deployment constitutes one of the first studies of how activity-based systems are adopted and appropriated in a real-world context. Second, I provide an assessment of the technologies that enable and those that pose barriers to the development of activity-based computing systems.

Thesis (MScEng) Stellenbosch University, 2014 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Teleoperation as a field has seen much change since its inception in the early 1940s with Dr. Raymond Goertz producing the first teleoperation system for manipulating radioactive materials. With advances in core and supporting technologies, the systems have grown in complexity and capability, allowing users to perform tasks anywhere in the world irrespective of physical distance. The feasibility of such systems has increased as the drive for use of telepresence robots, exploration robots as in space exploration, search and rescue robots and military systems such as UAVs and UGVs gain popularity. This prompted the development of a proof of concept modular, user centred telerobotic system. The current project is the second iteration in the development process. Teleoperation and more specifically telerobotic systems pose a challenge for many system developers. This may be a result of complexity or the wide assortment of knowledge areas that developers must master in order to deliver the final system. Developers have to balance system usability, user requirements, technical design and performance requirements. Several developmental process models are considered in context of Engineering Management (EM). A larger Systems Engineering developmental process is used, with focus on the primary and supportive EM components. The author used a hybrid developmental model that is user focussed in its approach, the User-Centred Systems Design (UCSD) methodology was adopted as the primary model for application within the two distinct developmental categories. The first category hardware and system integration utilised the UCSD model as is. The second - Software development - relied on the use of agile models, rapid application development (RAD) and extreme programming (XP) were discussed with XP being chosen as it could easily incorporate UCSD principles in its development process. Hardware systems development consisted of mechanical design of end-effectors, configuration management and design, as well as haptic and visual feedback systems design for the overall physical system. Also included is the physical interface design of the input (master) cell. Further software development was broken into, three sections, the first and most important was the graphical user interface, haptic control system with kinematic model and video feedback control. The force following and matching characteristics of the system were tested and were found to show an improvement over the previous implementation. The force magnitude error at steady state was reduced by 10%. While there was a dramatic improvement in system response, the rise time was reduced by a factor 10. The system did however show a decrease in angular accuracy, which was attributed to control system limitations. Further human-factor analysis experiments were conducted to test the system in two typical use-case scenarios. The first was a planar experiment and the second a 3D placement task. The factors of interest identified were field-of-view, feedback vision mode, and input modality. Heuristic performance indicators such as time-to-completion and number of collisions for a given task were measured. System performance was only showed significant improvement when used with haptic control. This shows that the research into haptic control systems will prove to be valuable in producing usable systems. The vision factor analysis failed to yield significant results, although they were useful in the qualitative systems analysis. The feedback from post-experimentation questionnaires showed that users prefer the Point of View as a field of view and 2D viewing over 3D viewing, while the haptic input modality was preferred. The results from the technical verification process can be used in conjunction with insights gained from user preference and human-factor analysis to provide guidance for future telerobotic systems development at Stellenbosch University. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Telewerksverigting as ’n gebied het al vele veranderinge ondergaan vandat die eerste stelsels deur Dr. Raymond Goertz geimplementeer was in die vroeë 1940s vir die hantering van radioaktiewe materiale. Met vordering in kern en ondersteunende tegnologieë, het die telewerksverigtingstelsels toegeneem in kompleksiteit asook gevorder in vermoeënsvaardigheid, wat gebruikers in staat stel om take te verrig vanuit enige plek op aarde, ongeag die fisiese afstand wat die gebruiker en die werksarea skei. Die lewensvatbaarheid van hierdie stelsels het ook toegeneem weens die belangstelling in teleteenwoordigheidrobotte, ruimtevaardige-robotte, reddings-robotte en militêre-robotte soos onbemandelug- voertuie (OLV) en onbemande-grond-voertuie(OGV). As gevolg van die belangstelling in telerobotiese stelsels is die ontwikkeling van ’n modulêre, gebruikers-gesentreerde telewerksverigting stelsel onderneem. Die huidige projek is ’n tweede iterasie hiervan. Telewerksverigting, en meer spesifiek, telerobotika stelsels ontwikelling, vereis dat stelselontwikkelaars ’n verskeidenheid kennisareas bemeester. Die ontwikkelaar moet ’n belans vind tussen gebruiker vereistes, bruikbaarheid asook tegniese ontwerp en prestasie vereistes. Menigde ontwikkelingsproses modelle is oorweeg en behandel in die konteks van Ingenieursbestuur (IB). ’n Stelselsontwikkeling proses is gevolg met ’n fokus op primêre en ondersteunende IB komponente. ’n Gemengde ontwikkeling is toegepass tot die projek wat die gebruiker as ’n hoof komponent van die stelsel in ag neem. Die oorhoofse ontwikkelingsmodel is die User-centred Systems Design (UCSD) proses, wat vir beide hardeware en sagteware ontwikkeling gebruik is. Vir die hardeware ontwikkeling is die UCSD toegepas soos dit uiteengesit is in die literatuur. Die sagteware ontwikkeling is voltooi met behulp van ratse metodes, “Rapid Application Development” RAD en “Extreme Programming” (XP) was oorweeg en XP was gekies as ontwikkelingsmodel. XP was die natuurlike keuse weens die gemak waarmee UCSD metodes en prinsiepe kon geinkorporeer word in die ontwikkelings proses. Hardeware onwikkeling het bestaan uit meganiese ontwerp, manipulasiegereedskap ontwerp, konfigurasie bestuur en ontwikkeling asook haptiese en visueleterugvoer stelselsontwerp van die fisiese stelsel insluitend die fisiese koppelvlakontwerp van die meester sel. Verder is sagtewareontwerp opgedeel in ’n haptiesebeheerstel met ’n kinematiese model ontwikkeling, videoterugvoerbeheer en gebruikersintervlak ontwerp. Die vermoëe van die stelsel om krag insette na te boots was verbeter met ’n gestadigde verbetering van 10%. Die reaksietyd van die stelsel is verbeter met ’n faktor van 10. Die stelsel het ’n verswakking getoon in die algehele hoekakkuraatheid, die oorsprong van die verswakking kan aan die beheerstelsel teogeken word. Verdere menslikefaktoranalise eksperimente is voltooi om die stelsel in twee tipiese gebruikgeval scenario’s te toets. Die eerste, ’n platvlak-eksperiment en die tweede ’n 3D plasingingstaak eksperiment. Die faktore van belang is ïdentifiseer as, visie-veld, terugvoervisie modus en insette modaliteit. Heuristiese prestasie-aanwysers soos tyd-tot-voltooiing en die aantal botsings vir ’n gegewe taak is gemeet. Stelselprestasie het slegs aansienlike verbetering getoon wanneer die stelsel met die haptiesebeheer modus bedryf word. Die visiefaktor ontleding het geen noemenswaardige resultate opgelewer nie. Terugvoervorms was na elke eksperiment voltooi. Vraelyste het getoon dat gebruikers die oogpunt van ’n lae hoek en 2D video oor 3D video verkies, terwyl die haptic beheer modaliteit verkies word.