Search

This article is a preface to a special issue collection of papers presented at the 35th British Computer Society Human-Computer Interaction Conference. The conference focused on the theme of "Towards a Human-Centred Digital Society" and included a mix of in-person and virtual workshops and presentations. The collection of papers covers a range of topics, including the impact of e-training materials on dyslexic children, adaptive e-learning for learners with dyslexia, computer-supported assessments for group projects in higher education, eye-tracking studies with children, interactions across physical and digital spaces, community-driven digital archives, and phishing classification decisions of email users. The papers contribute valuable insights to the field of human-computer interaction and offer potential for future innovations in HCI. [Extracted from the article]

It is commonly believed that human-centred design (HCD) approach is very beneficial to interactive systems development. However, not much is known about the state of HCD practice in developing countries, especially the sub-Saharan Africa. This paper explores the state of HCD practice in three Nigerian software companies. We used the interview technique to explore two key issues. First, the perception of humans as a component of sociotechnical systems, and second, how HCD process is being approached in software companies. A cross-case analysis of the three companies was performed and the usability maturity model-human-centredness scale was used to determine the state of maturity of the three companies. The outcomes of this study reveal that HCD practice is currently at the least stage of maturity in the three companies and user involvement is not practiced in the right manner. The outcomes of the study suggest the need for reflective HCD practice and localizing human–computer interaction approaches to contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Emotions are of increasing interest to the HCI community. Within the last decade, emotion research in HCI grew from an eccentric hobby of some visionary scientists to a widely accepted field of research. A number of proof-of-concept prototypes and studies have been published, dedicated sensor systems and technology frameworks have been developed, and theoretical considerations have been made. While they all represent a very valuable contribution to this young field of research, they lack a common theoretical basis. Particularly, there exists no applicable model of emotions suitable for designing emotion-aware systems or performing HCI-related emotion studies. However, in order to become a mature discipline, emotion research in HCI needs such a rigorous footing that future work can be based on. In this paper, a suitable approach to structure and represent emotions for use in digital systems is introduced, after a detailed and critical review of widely used emotion models is given and representative study results are discussed. The proposed method meets several requirements of HCI researchers and software developers. It avoids artificial categorisation of emotions, requires no naming of emotional states, is language independent, and its implementation is straightforward. The results of an experiment based on this approach are discussed demonstrating its applicability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Improving the position and effectiveness of user-centred design, UCD, in software and product development is a challenge in many companies. One step towards improvements is to carry out a usability capability maturity, UCM, assessment to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a development organisation in user-centred design. This article reports the lessons learnt from 11 empirical UCM assessments of R&D groups of Nokia, a software house, an SME, and a research institute in Finland. The first assessments were carried out using a standard process assessment model (a pre-version of ISO 18529); the last assessments were carried out using a new KESSU model that evolved during the research. It was found that the assessment model, its interpretation, and the viewpoints of the assessment team have a critical role in the success of assessments. In addition, it was found that the customers have different purposes for assessments and those purposes have an effect on how one should conduct the assessment—or whether to conduct it at all. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Prototypes of interactive computer systems have been built that can begin to detect and label aspects of human emotional expression, and that respond to users experiencing frustration and other negative emotions with emotionally supportive interactions, demonstrating components of human skills such as active listening, empathy, and sympathy. These working systems support the prediction that a computer can begin to undo some of the negative feelings it causes by helping a user manage his or her emotional state. This paper clarifies the philosophy of this new approach to human–computer interaction: deliberately recognising and responding to an individual user''s emotions in ways, that help users meet their needs. We define user needs in a broader perspective than has been hitherto discussed in the HCI community, to include emotional and social needs, and examine technology''s emerging capability to address and support such needs. We raise and discuss potential concerns and objections regarding this technology, and describe several opportunities for future work. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Use of technology often has unpleasant side effects, which may include strong, negative emotional states that arise during interaction with computers. Frustration, confusion, anger, anxiety and similar emotional states can affect not only the interaction itself, but also productivity, learning, social relationships, and overall well-being. This paper suggests a new solution to this problem: designing human–computer interaction systems to actively support users in their ability to manage and recover from negative emotional states. An interactive affect–support agent was designed and built to test the proposed solution in a situation where users were feeling frustration. The agent, which used only text and buttons in a graphical user interface for its interaction, demonstrated components of active listening, empathy, and sympathy in an effort to support users in their ability to recover from frustration. The agent''s effectiveness was evaluated against two control conditions, which were also text-based interactions: (1) users’ emotions were ignored, and (2) users were able to report problems and ‘vent’ their feelings and concerns to the computer. Behavioral results showed that users chose to continue to interact with the system that had caused their frustration significantly longer after interacting with the affect–support agent, in comparison with the two controls. These results support the prediction that the computer can undo some of the negative feelings it causes by helping a user manage his or her emotional state. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]