doi: 10.1016/S0953-5438(09)00058-7pmid: N/A
Abstract This content is only available as a PDF. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Pardue, John Harold; Landry, Jeffery Paul; Kyper, Eric; Lievano, Rodrigo
doi: 10.1016/j.intcom.2009.05.008pmid: N/A
AbstractWebsites use shortcuts to facilitate navigation of large hierarchies of item categories. Two common types of shortcuts used for this purpose are location breadcrumbs and down-to-child/up-to-parent links; frequently both are employed simultaneously. The combined used of these shortcuts provide proximal cues which enable the user to look-ahead and look-behind in the navigational structure. In this study, the impact of shortcut usage on search performance on a known-item search task is estimated. A controlled experiment was conducted using a realistic hypertext hierarchy of item categories. The results indicate that greater use of shortcuts decreases both time on task and lostness for the user, and that the decrease is associated with increased depth in the hierarchy. These findings provide insight into possible performance trade-offs involved in website designs that include look-ahead shortcuts for navigating large item category hierarchies.
Fajardo, Inmaculada; Vigo, Markel; Salmerón, Ladislao
doi: 10.1016/j.intcom.2009.05.005pmid: N/A
Sign Languages (SL) are underrepresented in the digital world, which contributes to the digital divide for the Deaf Community. In this paper, our goal is twofold: (1) to review the implications of current SL generation technologies for two key user web tasks, information search and learning and (2) to propose a taxonomy of the technical and functional dimensions for categorizing those technologies. The review reveals that although contents can currently be portrayed in SL by means of videos of human signers or avatars, the debate about how bilingual (text and SL) versus SL-only websites affect signers’ comprehension of hypertext content emerges as an unresolved issue in need of further empirical research. The taxonomy highlights that videos of human signers are ecological but require a high-cost group of experts to perform text to SL translations, video editing and web uploading. Avatar technology, generally associated with automatic text-SL translators, reduces bandwidth requirements and human resources but it lacks reliability. The insights gained through this review may enable designers, educators or users to select the technology that best suits their goals.
Pauwels, Stefan L.; Hübscher, Christian; Leuthold, Stefan; Bargas-Avila, Javier A.; Opwis, Klaus
doi: 10.1016/j.intcom.2009.05.007pmid: N/A
AbstractIn this study, a simple but important user interface design choice is examined: when marking required-fields in online forms, should GUI designers stick with the often used asterisk that many form design guidelines cite as the de-facto web standard, or should they choose a colored background as a new design solution to visually signal which input fields are required? An experiment with 24 participants was conducted to test the hypotheses that efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction ratings of colored required-fields exceed those of asterisk-marked required-fields. Results indicate that colored required field marking leads to fewer errors, faster form fill-in in and higher user satisfaction.
Heo, Jeongyun; Ham, Dong-Han; Park, Sanghyun; Song, Chiwon; Yoon, Wan Chul
doi: 10.1016/j.intcom.2009.05.006pmid: N/A
As a mobile phone has various advanced functionalities or features, usability issues are increasingly challenging. Due to the particular characteristics of a mobile phone, typical usability evaluation methods and heuristics, most of which are relevant to a software system, might not effectively be applied to a mobile phone. Another point to consider is that usability evaluation activities should help designers find usability problems easily and produce better design solutions. To support usability practitioners of the mobile phone industry, we propose a framework for evaluating the usability of a mobile phone, based on a multi-level, hierarchical model of usability factors, in an analytic way. The model was developed on the basis of a set of collected usability problems and our previous study on a conceptual framework for identifying usability impact factors. It has multi-abstraction levels, each of which considers the usability of a mobile phone from a particular perspective. As there are goal-means relationships between adjacent levels, a range of usability issues can be interpreted in a holistic as well as diagnostic way. Another advantage is that it supports two different types of evaluation approaches: task-based and interface-based. To support both evaluation approaches, we developed four sets of checklists, each of which is concerned, respectively, with task-based evaluation and three different interface types: Logical User Interface (LUI), Physical User Interface (PUI) and Graphical User Interface (GUI). The proposed framework specifies an approach to quantifying usability so that several usability aspects are collectively measured to give a single score with the use of the checklists. A small case study was conducted in order to examine the applicability of the framework and to identify the aspects of the framework to be improved. It showed that it could be a useful tool for evaluating the usability of a mobile phone. Based on the case study, we improved the framework in order that usability practitioners can use it more easily and consistently.
Wolters, Maria; Georgila, Kallirroi; Moore, Johanna D.; Logie, Robert H.; MacPherson, Sarah E.; Watson, Matthew
doi: 10.1016/j.intcom.2009.05.009pmid: N/A
AbstractWe evaluated two strategies for alleviating working memory load for users of voice interfaces: presenting fewer options per turn and providing confirmations. Forty-eight users booked appointments using nine different dialogue systems, which varied in the number of options presented and the confirmation strategy used. Participants also performed four cognitive tests and rated the usability of each dialogue system on a standardised questionnaire. When systems presented more options per turn and avoided explicit confirmation subdialogues, both older and younger users booked appointments more quickly without compromising task success. Users with lower information processing speed were less likely to remember all relevant aspects of the appointment. Working memory span did not affect appointment recall. Older users were slightly less satisfied with the dialogue systems than younger users. We conclude that the number of options is less important than an accurate assessment of the actual cognitive demands of the task at hand.
Ghiani, Giuseppe; Paternò, Fabio; Santoro, Carmen; Spano, Lucio Davide
doi: 10.1016/j.intcom.2009.06.001pmid: N/A
AbstractIn this paper, we propose UbiCicero, a multi-device, location-aware museum guide able to opportunistically exploit large screens when users are nearby. Various types of games are included in addition to the museum and artwork descriptions. The mobile guide is equipped with an RFID reader, which detects nearby tagged artworks. By taking into account context-dependent information, including the current user position and behaviour history, as well as the type of device available, more personalised and relevant information is provided to the user, enabling a richer overall experience. We also present example applications of this solution and then discuss the results of first empirical tests performed to evaluate the usefulness and usability of the enhanced multi-device guide.
Montabert, Cyril; Scott McCrickard, D.; Winchester, Woodrow W.; Pérez-Quiñones, Manuel A.
doi: 10.1016/j.intcom.2009.06.003pmid: N/A
Many software systems fail to address their intended purpose because of a lack of user involvement and requirements deficiencies. This paper discusses the elaboration of a requirements-analysis process that integrates a critical-parameter-based approach to task modeling within a user-centric design framework. On one hand, adapting task models to capture requirements bridges the gap between scenarios and critical parameters which benefits design from the standpoint of user involvement and accurate requirements. On the other hand, using task models as a reusable component leverages requirements reuse which benefits design by increasing quality while simultaneously reducing development costs and time-to-market. First, we present the establishment of both a user-centric and reuse-centric requirements process along with its implementation within an integrated design tool suite. Secondly, we report the design, procedures, and findings of two user studies aimed at assessing the feasibility for novice designers to conduct the process as well as evaluating the resulting benefits upon requirements-analysis deliverables, requirements quality, and requirements reuse.
doi: 10.1016/j.intcom.2009.06.002pmid: N/A
AbstractThe use of technology to access personal information in public places is increasingly common, but can these interactions induce stress? Sixty-eight participants were led to believe that extremely sensitive personal information would be displayed via either a public or personal handheld device in isolated or crowded (in the presence of strangers) conditions. Stress responses were taken in terms of heart rate, galvanic skin response and subjective ratings. As anticipated, participants showed stronger stress reactions in the crowded rather than the isolated conditions and also experienced greater stress when the information was presented on a public screen in comparison to a personal handheld device. Implications for the design of public/private information systems are discussed.
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