Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2012
Rating interfaces are widely used on the Internet to elicit people"s opinions. Little is known, h... more Rating interfaces are widely used on the Internet to elicit people"s opinions. Little is known, however, about the effectiveness of these interfaces and their design space is relatively unexplored. We provide a taxonomy for the design space by identifying two axes: Measurement Scale for absolute rating vs. relative ranking, and Recall Support for the amount of information provided about previously recorded opinions. We present an exploration of the design space through iterative prototyping of three alternative interfaces and their evaluation. Among many findings, the study showed that users do take advantage of recall support in interfaces, preferring those that provide it. Moreover, we found that designing ranking systems is challenging; there may be a mismatch between a ranking interface that forces people to specify a total ordering for a set of items, and their mental model that some items are not directly comparable to each other.
Tablet PCs are gaining popularity, but many individuals still struggle with pen-based interaction... more Tablet PCs are gaining popularity, but many individuals still struggle with pen-based interaction. In a previous baseline study, we examined the types of difficulties younger and older adults encounter when using pen-based input. The research reported in this article seeks to address one of these errors, namely, missing just below. This error occurs in a menu selection task when a user’s selection pattern is downwardly shifted, such that the top edge of the menu item below the target is selected relatively often, while the corresponding top edge of the target itself is seldom selected. We developed two approaches for addressing missing just below errors: reassigning selections along the top edge and deactivating them. In a laboratory evaluation, only the deactivated edge approach showed promise overall. Further analysis of our data revealed that individual differences played a large role in our results and identified a new source of selection difficulty. Specifically, we observed tw...
First Joint Eurohaptics Conference and Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems
This work addresses the use of vibrotactile haptic feedback to transmit background information wi... more This work addresses the use of vibrotactile haptic feedback to transmit background information with variable intrusiveness, when recipients are engrossed in a primary visual and/or auditory task. We describe two studies designed to (a) perceptually optimize a set of vibrotactile "icons" and (b) evaluate users' ability to identify them in the presence of varying degrees of workload. Seven icons learned in approximately 3 minutes were each typically identified within 2.5 s and at 95% accuracy in the absence of workload.
Of key importance to avoiding significant health problems such as cardiac disease and stroke is e... more Of key importance to avoiding significant health problems such as cardiac disease and stroke is eating nutritious foods and leading an active lifestyle. However, leading a healthy lifestyle remains elusive and obesity continues to increase in North America. We investigate how online social networks (OSN) can change health behaviour by blending theories from health behaviour and participation in OSNs. We designed, prototyped and evaluated an OSN, called VivoSpace, using factors derived from the blend of theoretical models with the intention to change health behaviour. Our results from field studies with 35 participants from two clinical and one non-clinical social network groups revealed that designing these factors into the online social network lead to positive health behaviour change, namely, improved diet for the clinical group. The use of theoretical models in the evaluation provided a means to understand how the design can be improved to see further health behaviour change.
We present a predictive model of human behaviour when tracing paths through a node-link graph, a ... more We present a predictive model of human behaviour when tracing paths through a node-link graph, a low-level abstract task that feeds into many other visual data analysis tasks that require understanding topological structure. We introduce the idea of a search set, namely the paths that users are most likely to search, as a useful intermediate level for analysis that lies between the global level of the full graph and very local level of the shortest path between two nodes. We present potential practical applications of a predicted search set in the design of visual encoding and interaction techniques for graphs. Our predictive model is based on extensive qualitative analysis from an observational study, resulting in a detailed characterization of common path-tracing behaviours. These include the conditions under which people stop following paths, the likely directions for the first hop people follow, the tendency to revisit previously followed paths, and the tendency to mistakenly follow apparent paths in addition to true topological paths. We verified the prominence of a previously proposed tendency that people follow the closest-to-geodesic branch between a node and the goal, but found complex interactions between this tendency and others we 2 observed, including the impact of path continuity on behaviour. The algorithmic implementation of our predictive model is robust to a broad range of parameter settings. We provide a preliminary validation of the model through a hierarchical multiple regression analysis comparing graph readability factors computed on the predicted search set to factors computed globally and for the shortest-path solution. The tested factors included edge-edge crossings, node-edge crossings, path continuity, and path length. Our approach provides modest improvements for predictions of response time and error using search-set factors. We also found key differences in the relative weighting of the importance of the factors that affect response time versus error.
CHI '06 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2006
The lack of research into cognitive technologies cannot be explained by an insufficient number of... more The lack of research into cognitive technologies cannot be explained by an insufficient number of potential Copyright is held by the author/owner(s).
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2012
Interruptions in the home pose a threat to the validity of self-administered computerised cogniti... more Interruptions in the home pose a threat to the validity of self-administered computerised cognitive testing. We report the findings of a laboratory experiment investigating the effects of increased interruption workload demand on older adults' computerised cognitive test performance. Related work has reported interruptions having a range of inhibitory and facilitatory effects on primary task performance. Cognitive ageing literature suggests that increased interruption workload demand should have greater detrimental effects on older adults' performance, when compared to younger adults. With 36 participants from 3 age groups (20-54, 55-69, 70+), we found divergent effects of increased interruption demand on two primary tasks. Results suggest that older and younger adults experience interruptions differently, but at no age is test performance compromised by demanding interruptions. This finding is reassuring with respect to the success of a self-administered computerised cognitive assessment test, and is likely to be useful for other applications used by older adults.
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2007
This research examines a design guideline that aims to increase the positive perception of interr... more This research examines a design guideline that aims to increase the positive perception of interruptions. The guideline advocates matching the amount of attention attracted by an interruption's notification method (attentional draw) to the utility of the interruption content. Our first experiment examined a set of 10 visual notification signals in terms of their detection times and established a set of three significantly different signals along the spectrum of attentional draw. Our second experiment investigated matching these different signals to interruption content with different levels of utility. Results indicate that the matching strategy decreases annoyance and increases perception of benefit compared to a strategy that uses the same signal regardless of interruption utility, with no significant impact on workload or performance. Design implications arising from the second experiment as well as recommendations for future work are discussed.
This paper reports findings of an observational field study conducted with 111 children aged 3 to... more This paper reports findings of an observational field study conducted with 111 children aged 3 to 12 in a science center for exploring how age-specific and usable dialog boxes can be designed to facilitate children's interaction with a computer. We identified challenges faced by the children when they interacted with dialog boxes: causality, purpose, hindrance, communication, consequence, and patience. We then propose design solutions for addressing these challenges.
Proceedings of the 2009 Conference of the Center for Advanced Studies on Collaborative Research - CASCON '09, 2009
Knowledge workers are living in an ever-connected world with information technology supporting ma... more Knowledge workers are living in an ever-connected world with information technology supporting many kinds of collaboration. This enables substantial flexibility-working with others is no longer restricted to taking place in offices, but happens in geographically distributed locations (such as Asia and North America) and in all sorts of locales from the home, to the coffee shop, to the commuter train, and even while on the go walking down the street. Collaboration not only happens across space (at a distance as well as locally), but also across time (both synchronously and asynchronously). With the power and flexibility comes a downside, however; namely, constant notifications, which often result in interruptions. One research study estimated that unnecessary interruptions consume 28 percent of a knowledge worker's day (Spira and Feintuch, 2005). Another study showed that interrupting users with many non-critical events lowers productivity and cause stress and frustration (Mark et al., 2008). Notifications come in many forms, including email messages, instant messages, phone calls (some of which can be delivered in multiple different ways across the personal computer), various forms of mobile devices and even simply a phone call on a traditional land line.
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2006
We present a study that evaluates conventional Pan and Zoom Navigation and Rubber Sheet Navigatio... more We present a study that evaluates conventional Pan and Zoom Navigation and Rubber Sheet Navigation, a rectilinear Focus+Context technique. Each of the two navigation techniques was evaluated both with and without an overview. All interfaces guaranteed that regions of interest would remain visible, at least as a compressed landmark, independent of navigation actions. Interfaces implementing these techniques were used by 40 subjects to perform a task that involved navigating a large hierarchical tree dataset and making topological comparisons between nodes in the tree. Our results show that Pan and Zoom Navigation was significantly faster and required less mental effort than Rubber Sheet Navigation, independent of the presence or absence of an overview. Also, overviews did not appear to improve performance, but were still perceived as beneficial by users. We discuss the implications of our task and guaranteed visibility on the results and the limitations of our study, and we propose preliminary design guidelines and recommendations for future work.
Mobile computing devices, such as smart phones, offer benefits that may be especially valuable to... more Mobile computing devices, such as smart phones, offer benefits that may be especially valuable to older adults (age 65+). Yet, older adults have been shown to have difficulty learning to use these devices. In the research presented in this article, we sought to better understand how older adults learn to use mobile devices, their preferences and barriers, in order to find new ways to support them in their learning process. We conducted two complementary studies: a survey study with 131 respondents from three age groups (20--49, 50--64, 65+) and an in-depth field study with 6 older adults aged 50+. The results showed, among other things, that the preference for trial-and-error decreases with age, and while over half of older respondents and participants preferred using the instruction manual, many reported difficulties using it. We discuss implications for design and illustrate these implications with an example help system, Help Kiosk, designed to support older adults’ learning to u...
Proceedings of the 2004 conference on Human factors in computing systems - CHI '04, 2004
Aphasia is a cognitive disorder that impairs speech and language. From interviews with aphasic in... more Aphasia is a cognitive disorder that impairs speech and language. From interviews with aphasic individuals, their caregivers, and speech-language pathologists, the need was identified for a daily planner that allows aphasic users to independently manage their appointments. We used a participatory design approach to develop ESI Planner (the Enhanced with Sound and Images Planner) for use on a PDA and subsequently evaluated it in a lab study. This methodology was used in order to achieve both usable and adoptable technology. In addition to describing our experience in designing ESI Planner, two main contributions are provided: general guidelines for working with special populations in the development of technology, and design guidelines for accessible handheld technology.
Teams engaging in assistive technology research should include expertise in the domain of disabil... more Teams engaging in assistive technology research should include expertise in the domain of disability itself, in addition to other areas of expertise that are more typical in human-computer interaction (HCI) research, such as computer science and psychology. However, unexpected problems can arise when HCI researchers do not adequately plan the involvement of domain experts in a research project. Although many research teams have included domain experts when designing assistive technologies, there has been little work published on how to best involve these experts in the research process. This paper is a first step towards filling that void. Based on the authors' own experiences involving domain experts in research, as well as those documented in the literature, five types of domain experts and three broad roles that domain experts can play are identified, and five guidelines for their involvement are presented. This analysis will be useful to anyone in the assistive technology and universal accessibility communities, especially those who are in the early stages of conducting research in this area. It is intended to lay the foundation of best practices for involving domain experts in assistive technology research.
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 2008
This paper describes research exploring the use of haptics to support users collaborating remotel... more This paper describes research exploring the use of haptics to support users collaborating remotely in a single-user shared application. Mediation of turn-taking during remote collaboration provides a context to explore haptic affordances for background communication as well as control negotiation in remote collaboration: existing turn-taking protocols are rudimentary, lacking many communication cues available in face-to-face collaboration. We therefore designed a custom turn-taking protocol that allows users to express different levels of urgency in their request for control from a collaborator; state of control and requests are communicated by touch, with the intent of offloading visual attention. To support it, we developed a set of haptic icons, tangible stimuli to which specific meanings have been assigned. Because we required an icon set which could be utilized with specified, varying levels of intrusiveness in real attentionally challenged situations, we used a perceptually guided procedure that consisted of four steps: initial icon set design, perceptual refinement, validation of learnability and effectiveness under workload, and deployment in an application simulation. We found that our haptic icons could be learned to a high degree of accuracy in under 3 min and remained identifiable even under significant cognitive workload. In an exploratory observational study comparing haptic, visual, and combined haptic and visual support for our protocol, participants overall preferred the combined multi-modal support, and in particular preferred the haptic support for control changes and the visual support for displaying state. In their control negotiation, users clearly utilized the option of requesting with graded urgency. The three major contributions in this paper are: (1) the introduction and first case study using a systematic process for refining and evaluating haptic icons for background communication in a primarily visual application; (2) the usability observed for a particular set of icons designed with that process; and (3) the introduction of an urgency-based turn-taking protocol and a comparison of haptic, visual and multi-modal support of our implementation of that protocol.
Current interface design guidelines encompass only a subset of the relevant human-factors data, a... more Current interface design guidelines encompass only a subset of the relevant human-factors data, and seem to have evolved more from intuition than systematic empirical research. In order to close the young-old digital gap, we advocate the development of guidelines that are more firmly anchored in a comprehensive understanding of adult lifespan developments in cognition, learning style as well as personality and attitude, supported by research on their validity and reliability. Human-computer interaction, computer accessibility, usability research, cognitive aging, declining perceptual-motor skills, assistive technologies, attitudes toward computers, fear of failure.
Adaptive graphical user interfaces have the potential to improve the user's experience by persona... more Adaptive graphical user interfaces have the potential to improve the user's experience by personalizing the interface to better suit his or her needs. However, evaluations have yielded conflicting results: some studies show that adaptive menus and toolbars are faster or preferred in comparison to static counterparts [6,8], while others show the opposite [3,10,11]. We propose an evaluation approach that should allow for more comprehensive comparison of adaptive interfaces by: (1) reporting on and isolating factors such as accuracy, stability and predictability that may contribute to the user's experience, and (2) measuring the user's awareness of advanced features, in addition to performance and user satisfaction.
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2012
Rating interfaces are widely used on the Internet to elicit people"s opinions. Little is known, h... more Rating interfaces are widely used on the Internet to elicit people"s opinions. Little is known, however, about the effectiveness of these interfaces and their design space is relatively unexplored. We provide a taxonomy for the design space by identifying two axes: Measurement Scale for absolute rating vs. relative ranking, and Recall Support for the amount of information provided about previously recorded opinions. We present an exploration of the design space through iterative prototyping of three alternative interfaces and their evaluation. Among many findings, the study showed that users do take advantage of recall support in interfaces, preferring those that provide it. Moreover, we found that designing ranking systems is challenging; there may be a mismatch between a ranking interface that forces people to specify a total ordering for a set of items, and their mental model that some items are not directly comparable to each other.
Tablet PCs are gaining popularity, but many individuals still struggle with pen-based interaction... more Tablet PCs are gaining popularity, but many individuals still struggle with pen-based interaction. In a previous baseline study, we examined the types of difficulties younger and older adults encounter when using pen-based input. The research reported in this article seeks to address one of these errors, namely, missing just below. This error occurs in a menu selection task when a user’s selection pattern is downwardly shifted, such that the top edge of the menu item below the target is selected relatively often, while the corresponding top edge of the target itself is seldom selected. We developed two approaches for addressing missing just below errors: reassigning selections along the top edge and deactivating them. In a laboratory evaluation, only the deactivated edge approach showed promise overall. Further analysis of our data revealed that individual differences played a large role in our results and identified a new source of selection difficulty. Specifically, we observed tw...
First Joint Eurohaptics Conference and Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems
This work addresses the use of vibrotactile haptic feedback to transmit background information wi... more This work addresses the use of vibrotactile haptic feedback to transmit background information with variable intrusiveness, when recipients are engrossed in a primary visual and/or auditory task. We describe two studies designed to (a) perceptually optimize a set of vibrotactile "icons" and (b) evaluate users' ability to identify them in the presence of varying degrees of workload. Seven icons learned in approximately 3 minutes were each typically identified within 2.5 s and at 95% accuracy in the absence of workload.
Of key importance to avoiding significant health problems such as cardiac disease and stroke is e... more Of key importance to avoiding significant health problems such as cardiac disease and stroke is eating nutritious foods and leading an active lifestyle. However, leading a healthy lifestyle remains elusive and obesity continues to increase in North America. We investigate how online social networks (OSN) can change health behaviour by blending theories from health behaviour and participation in OSNs. We designed, prototyped and evaluated an OSN, called VivoSpace, using factors derived from the blend of theoretical models with the intention to change health behaviour. Our results from field studies with 35 participants from two clinical and one non-clinical social network groups revealed that designing these factors into the online social network lead to positive health behaviour change, namely, improved diet for the clinical group. The use of theoretical models in the evaluation provided a means to understand how the design can be improved to see further health behaviour change.
We present a predictive model of human behaviour when tracing paths through a node-link graph, a ... more We present a predictive model of human behaviour when tracing paths through a node-link graph, a low-level abstract task that feeds into many other visual data analysis tasks that require understanding topological structure. We introduce the idea of a search set, namely the paths that users are most likely to search, as a useful intermediate level for analysis that lies between the global level of the full graph and very local level of the shortest path between two nodes. We present potential practical applications of a predicted search set in the design of visual encoding and interaction techniques for graphs. Our predictive model is based on extensive qualitative analysis from an observational study, resulting in a detailed characterization of common path-tracing behaviours. These include the conditions under which people stop following paths, the likely directions for the first hop people follow, the tendency to revisit previously followed paths, and the tendency to mistakenly follow apparent paths in addition to true topological paths. We verified the prominence of a previously proposed tendency that people follow the closest-to-geodesic branch between a node and the goal, but found complex interactions between this tendency and others we 2 observed, including the impact of path continuity on behaviour. The algorithmic implementation of our predictive model is robust to a broad range of parameter settings. We provide a preliminary validation of the model through a hierarchical multiple regression analysis comparing graph readability factors computed on the predicted search set to factors computed globally and for the shortest-path solution. The tested factors included edge-edge crossings, node-edge crossings, path continuity, and path length. Our approach provides modest improvements for predictions of response time and error using search-set factors. We also found key differences in the relative weighting of the importance of the factors that affect response time versus error.
CHI '06 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2006
The lack of research into cognitive technologies cannot be explained by an insufficient number of... more The lack of research into cognitive technologies cannot be explained by an insufficient number of potential Copyright is held by the author/owner(s).
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2012
Interruptions in the home pose a threat to the validity of self-administered computerised cogniti... more Interruptions in the home pose a threat to the validity of self-administered computerised cognitive testing. We report the findings of a laboratory experiment investigating the effects of increased interruption workload demand on older adults' computerised cognitive test performance. Related work has reported interruptions having a range of inhibitory and facilitatory effects on primary task performance. Cognitive ageing literature suggests that increased interruption workload demand should have greater detrimental effects on older adults' performance, when compared to younger adults. With 36 participants from 3 age groups (20-54, 55-69, 70+), we found divergent effects of increased interruption demand on two primary tasks. Results suggest that older and younger adults experience interruptions differently, but at no age is test performance compromised by demanding interruptions. This finding is reassuring with respect to the success of a self-administered computerised cognitive assessment test, and is likely to be useful for other applications used by older adults.
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2007
This research examines a design guideline that aims to increase the positive perception of interr... more This research examines a design guideline that aims to increase the positive perception of interruptions. The guideline advocates matching the amount of attention attracted by an interruption's notification method (attentional draw) to the utility of the interruption content. Our first experiment examined a set of 10 visual notification signals in terms of their detection times and established a set of three significantly different signals along the spectrum of attentional draw. Our second experiment investigated matching these different signals to interruption content with different levels of utility. Results indicate that the matching strategy decreases annoyance and increases perception of benefit compared to a strategy that uses the same signal regardless of interruption utility, with no significant impact on workload or performance. Design implications arising from the second experiment as well as recommendations for future work are discussed.
This paper reports findings of an observational field study conducted with 111 children aged 3 to... more This paper reports findings of an observational field study conducted with 111 children aged 3 to 12 in a science center for exploring how age-specific and usable dialog boxes can be designed to facilitate children's interaction with a computer. We identified challenges faced by the children when they interacted with dialog boxes: causality, purpose, hindrance, communication, consequence, and patience. We then propose design solutions for addressing these challenges.
Proceedings of the 2009 Conference of the Center for Advanced Studies on Collaborative Research - CASCON '09, 2009
Knowledge workers are living in an ever-connected world with information technology supporting ma... more Knowledge workers are living in an ever-connected world with information technology supporting many kinds of collaboration. This enables substantial flexibility-working with others is no longer restricted to taking place in offices, but happens in geographically distributed locations (such as Asia and North America) and in all sorts of locales from the home, to the coffee shop, to the commuter train, and even while on the go walking down the street. Collaboration not only happens across space (at a distance as well as locally), but also across time (both synchronously and asynchronously). With the power and flexibility comes a downside, however; namely, constant notifications, which often result in interruptions. One research study estimated that unnecessary interruptions consume 28 percent of a knowledge worker's day (Spira and Feintuch, 2005). Another study showed that interrupting users with many non-critical events lowers productivity and cause stress and frustration (Mark et al., 2008). Notifications come in many forms, including email messages, instant messages, phone calls (some of which can be delivered in multiple different ways across the personal computer), various forms of mobile devices and even simply a phone call on a traditional land line.
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2006
We present a study that evaluates conventional Pan and Zoom Navigation and Rubber Sheet Navigatio... more We present a study that evaluates conventional Pan and Zoom Navigation and Rubber Sheet Navigation, a rectilinear Focus+Context technique. Each of the two navigation techniques was evaluated both with and without an overview. All interfaces guaranteed that regions of interest would remain visible, at least as a compressed landmark, independent of navigation actions. Interfaces implementing these techniques were used by 40 subjects to perform a task that involved navigating a large hierarchical tree dataset and making topological comparisons between nodes in the tree. Our results show that Pan and Zoom Navigation was significantly faster and required less mental effort than Rubber Sheet Navigation, independent of the presence or absence of an overview. Also, overviews did not appear to improve performance, but were still perceived as beneficial by users. We discuss the implications of our task and guaranteed visibility on the results and the limitations of our study, and we propose preliminary design guidelines and recommendations for future work.
Mobile computing devices, such as smart phones, offer benefits that may be especially valuable to... more Mobile computing devices, such as smart phones, offer benefits that may be especially valuable to older adults (age 65+). Yet, older adults have been shown to have difficulty learning to use these devices. In the research presented in this article, we sought to better understand how older adults learn to use mobile devices, their preferences and barriers, in order to find new ways to support them in their learning process. We conducted two complementary studies: a survey study with 131 respondents from three age groups (20--49, 50--64, 65+) and an in-depth field study with 6 older adults aged 50+. The results showed, among other things, that the preference for trial-and-error decreases with age, and while over half of older respondents and participants preferred using the instruction manual, many reported difficulties using it. We discuss implications for design and illustrate these implications with an example help system, Help Kiosk, designed to support older adults’ learning to u...
Proceedings of the 2004 conference on Human factors in computing systems - CHI '04, 2004
Aphasia is a cognitive disorder that impairs speech and language. From interviews with aphasic in... more Aphasia is a cognitive disorder that impairs speech and language. From interviews with aphasic individuals, their caregivers, and speech-language pathologists, the need was identified for a daily planner that allows aphasic users to independently manage their appointments. We used a participatory design approach to develop ESI Planner (the Enhanced with Sound and Images Planner) for use on a PDA and subsequently evaluated it in a lab study. This methodology was used in order to achieve both usable and adoptable technology. In addition to describing our experience in designing ESI Planner, two main contributions are provided: general guidelines for working with special populations in the development of technology, and design guidelines for accessible handheld technology.
Teams engaging in assistive technology research should include expertise in the domain of disabil... more Teams engaging in assistive technology research should include expertise in the domain of disability itself, in addition to other areas of expertise that are more typical in human-computer interaction (HCI) research, such as computer science and psychology. However, unexpected problems can arise when HCI researchers do not adequately plan the involvement of domain experts in a research project. Although many research teams have included domain experts when designing assistive technologies, there has been little work published on how to best involve these experts in the research process. This paper is a first step towards filling that void. Based on the authors' own experiences involving domain experts in research, as well as those documented in the literature, five types of domain experts and three broad roles that domain experts can play are identified, and five guidelines for their involvement are presented. This analysis will be useful to anyone in the assistive technology and universal accessibility communities, especially those who are in the early stages of conducting research in this area. It is intended to lay the foundation of best practices for involving domain experts in assistive technology research.
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 2008
This paper describes research exploring the use of haptics to support users collaborating remotel... more This paper describes research exploring the use of haptics to support users collaborating remotely in a single-user shared application. Mediation of turn-taking during remote collaboration provides a context to explore haptic affordances for background communication as well as control negotiation in remote collaboration: existing turn-taking protocols are rudimentary, lacking many communication cues available in face-to-face collaboration. We therefore designed a custom turn-taking protocol that allows users to express different levels of urgency in their request for control from a collaborator; state of control and requests are communicated by touch, with the intent of offloading visual attention. To support it, we developed a set of haptic icons, tangible stimuli to which specific meanings have been assigned. Because we required an icon set which could be utilized with specified, varying levels of intrusiveness in real attentionally challenged situations, we used a perceptually guided procedure that consisted of four steps: initial icon set design, perceptual refinement, validation of learnability and effectiveness under workload, and deployment in an application simulation. We found that our haptic icons could be learned to a high degree of accuracy in under 3 min and remained identifiable even under significant cognitive workload. In an exploratory observational study comparing haptic, visual, and combined haptic and visual support for our protocol, participants overall preferred the combined multi-modal support, and in particular preferred the haptic support for control changes and the visual support for displaying state. In their control negotiation, users clearly utilized the option of requesting with graded urgency. The three major contributions in this paper are: (1) the introduction and first case study using a systematic process for refining and evaluating haptic icons for background communication in a primarily visual application; (2) the usability observed for a particular set of icons designed with that process; and (3) the introduction of an urgency-based turn-taking protocol and a comparison of haptic, visual and multi-modal support of our implementation of that protocol.
Current interface design guidelines encompass only a subset of the relevant human-factors data, a... more Current interface design guidelines encompass only a subset of the relevant human-factors data, and seem to have evolved more from intuition than systematic empirical research. In order to close the young-old digital gap, we advocate the development of guidelines that are more firmly anchored in a comprehensive understanding of adult lifespan developments in cognition, learning style as well as personality and attitude, supported by research on their validity and reliability. Human-computer interaction, computer accessibility, usability research, cognitive aging, declining perceptual-motor skills, assistive technologies, attitudes toward computers, fear of failure.
Adaptive graphical user interfaces have the potential to improve the user's experience by persona... more Adaptive graphical user interfaces have the potential to improve the user's experience by personalizing the interface to better suit his or her needs. However, evaluations have yielded conflicting results: some studies show that adaptive menus and toolbars are faster or preferred in comparison to static counterparts [6,8], while others show the opposite [3,10,11]. We propose an evaluation approach that should allow for more comprehensive comparison of adaptive interfaces by: (1) reporting on and isolating factors such as accuracy, stability and predictability that may contribute to the user's experience, and (2) measuring the user's awareness of advanced features, in addition to performance and user satisfaction.
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Papers by J. McGrenere