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Purpose Interactive image-guided surgery technologies enable accurate target localization while preserving critical nearby structures in many surgical interventions. Current state-of-the-art interfaces largely employ traditional anatomical cross-sectional views or augmented reality environments to present the actual spatial location of the surgical instrument in preoperatively acquired images. This work proposes an alternative, simple, minimalistic visual interface intended to assist during real-time surgical target localization. Methods The estimated 3D pose of the interventional instruments and their positional uncertainty are intuitively presented in a visual interface with respect to the target point. A usability study with multidisciplinary participants evaluates the proposed interface projected in surgical microscope oculars against cross-sectional views. The latter was presented on a screen both stand-alone and combined with the proposed interface. The instruments were electromagnetically navigated in phantoms. Results The usability study demonstrated that the participants were able to detect invisible targets marked in phantom imagery with significant enhancements for localization accuracy and duration time. Clinically experienced users reached the targets with shorter trajectories. The stand-alone and multi-modal versions of the proposed interface outperformed cross-sectional views-only navigation in both quantitative and qualitative evaluations. Conclusion The results and participants’ feedback indicate potential to accurately navigate users toward the target with less distraction and workload. An ongoing study evaluates the proposed system in a preclinical setting for auditory brainstem implantation.

Background Technology can benefit older adults in many ways, including by facilitating remote access to services, communication, and socialization for convenience or out of necessity when individuals are homebound. As people, especially older adults, self-quarantined and sheltered in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of usability-in-place became clear. To understand the remote use of technology in an ecologically valid manner, researchers and others must be able to test usability remotely. Objective Our objective was to review practical approaches for and findings about remote usability testing, particularly remote usability testing with older adults. Methods We performed a rapid review of the literature and reported on available methods, their advantages and disadvantages, and practical recommendations. This review also reported recommendations for usability testing with older adults from the literature. Results Critically, we identified a gap in the literature—a lack of remote usability testing methods, tools, and strategies for older adults, despite this population’s increased remote technology use and needs (eg, due to disability or technology experience). We summarized existing remote usability methods that were found in the literature as well as guidelines that are available for conducting in-person usability testing with older adults. Conclusions We call on the human factors research and practice community to address this gap to better support older adults and other homebound or mobility-restricted individuals.

Background Readily available testing for SARS-CoV-2 is necessary to mitigate COVID-19 disease outbreaks. At-home collection kits, in which samples are self-collected without requiring a laboratory or clinic visit and sent to an external laboratory for testing, can provide convenient testing to those with barriers to access. They can prevent unnecessary exposure between patient and clinical staff, increase access for patients with disabilities or remote workers, and decrease burdens on health care resources, such as provider time and personal protective equipment. Exact Sciences developed an at-home collection kit for samples to be tested to detect SARS-CoV-2 that includes an Instructions for Use (IFU) document, which guides people without prior experience on collecting a nasal swab sample. Demonstrating successful sample collection and usability is critical to ensure that these samples meet the same high-quality sample collection standards as samples collected in clinics. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the usability of a SARS-CoV-2 at-home nasal swab sample collection kit. Methods A human factors usability study was conducted with 30 subjects without prior medical, laboratory, or health care training and without COVID-19 sample self-collection experience. Subjects were observed while they followed the IFU for the at-home sample collection portion of the SARS-CoV-2 test in a setting that simulated a home environment. IFU usability was further evaluated by requiring the subjects to complete a survey, answer comprehension questions, provide written feedback, and respond to questions from the observer about problems during use. Results All 30 subjects successfully completed the sample collection process, and all 30 samples were determined by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing to meet quality standards for SARS-CoV-2 testing. The subjects’ written feedback and comments revealed several recommendations to improve the IFU. Conclusions The study demonstrated the overall usability of an at-home SARS-CoV-2 collection kit. Various feedback mechanisms provided opportunities to improve the wording and graphics for some critical tasks, including placing the label correctly on the tube. A modified IFU was prepared based on study outcomes.

Many teaching and learning tools incorporate current technologies for the learners to gain new knowledge thus increasing the efficiency of learning. Some of the technologies adopted in the mobile-based education systems are virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. In the Biology field, one of the problems faced by the learners is the difficulties in visualizing the human cell division process in the topic of mitosis and meiosis. Thus, many innovations which adopt these technologies are created to improve the understanding and interest of the learners. In this work, an interactive mobile learning application with virtual reality technology has been designed and developed to help learners visualize the human cell division process. The mobile application which is known as InCell VR also includes mini games which can help to test and improve the learners’ understanding. The InCell VR was developed using Unity, a game engine platform for developing high performance commercial game. The final evaluation assesses two parts: the learners’ knowledge gain after using the application and usability evaluation of the application. The usage of the proposed application was seen to give positive impact on the development of learners’ knowledge from the pre- and post-test testing sessions. The usability study showed that InCell VR application is useful, easy to be used and learnt, and give satisfactions to the users.

e-Health may enhance self-management of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI). It is crucial to involve patients in planning, developing and monitoring the optimal e-Health solution. This research aims to describe patient-centered innovation in an early developmental stage of the WOMEN-UP solution. We conducted a qualitative study through a self-developed questionnaire in 22 women with SUI, to define system requirements from a patient’s perspective. The first prototype of the WOMEN-UP solution was developed. It was tested by 9 patients in a usability study (think-aloud protocol and retrospective interviews). Patient preferences regarding the possible use of an e-Health solution with serious games for PFMT were: (1) to receive feedback about PFMT, (2) convenient home-use, (3) increasing motivation, (4) available in medical centers. Identified usability aids (31) reassured our design-development plan, which considered the biofeedback and serious games as key factors. Patient’s perspective detected some unexpected issues related to the calibration and serious games, involving a change in the ongoing development to get an improved WOMEN-UP solution, the value of patient-centered innovation during the development of an e-Health solution for PFMT (WOMEN-UP solution). To identify patients’ unmet needs, we proposed a longitudinal approach for the future eHealth-related patient-centered innovations.

Background The complex 3-dimensional (3D) nature of anatomical abnormalities in congenital heart disease (CHD) necessitates multidisciplinary group discussions centered around the review of medical images such as magnetic resonance imaging. Currently, group viewings of medical images are constrained to 2-dimensional (2D) cross-sectional displays of 3D scans. However, 2D display methods could introduce additional challenges since they require physicians to accurately reconstruct the images mentally into 3D anatomies for diagnosis, staging, and planning of surgery or other therapies. Virtual reality (VR) software may enhance diagnosis and care of CHD via 3D visualization of medical images. Yet, present-day VR developments for medicine lack the emphasis on multiuser collaborative environments, and the effect of displays and level of immersion for diagnosing CHDs have not been studied. Objective The objective of the study was to evaluate and compare the diagnostic accuracies and preferences of various display systems, including the conventional 2D display and a novel group VR software, in group discussions of CHD. Methods A total of 22 medical trainees consisting of 1 first-year, 10 second-year, 4 third-year, and 1 fourth-year residents and 6 medical students, who volunteered for the study, were formed into groups of 4 to 5 participants. Each group discussed three diagnostic cases of CHD with varying structural complexity using conventional 2D display and group VR software. A group VR software, Cardiac Review 3D, was developed by our team using the Unity engine. By using different display hardware, VR was classified into nonimmersive and full-immersive settings. The discussion time, diagnostic accuracy score, and peer assessment were collected to capture the group and individual diagnostic performances. The diagnostic accuracies for each participant were scored by two experienced cardiologists following a predetermined answer rubric. At the end of the study, all participants were provided a survey to rank their preferences of the display systems for performing group medical discussions. Results Diagnostic accuracies were highest when groups used the full-immersive VR compared with the conventional and nonimmersive VR (χ22=9.0, P=.01) displays. Differences between the display systems were more prominent with increasing case complexity (χ22=14.1, P Conclusions The most preferred display system among medical trainees for visualizing medical images during group diagnostic discussions is full-immersive VR, with a trend toward improved diagnostic accuracy in complex anatomical abnormalities. Immersion is a crucial feature of displays of medical images for diagnostic accuracy in collaborative discussions.

The perception of body ownership creates a sense of embodiment, which can be a powerful learning tool. Embodied learning can occur by watching an individual's body movement and also via human-computer interactions, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). In this article, we designed and implemented a novel virtual body-ownership AR/VR tool for human anatomy-the human muscular arm avatar (HMAA). HMAA utilizes embodiment-based body ownership to explore the human hand/forearm musculature. The HMAA was trialed with medical students to explore the extent to which it could be used to aid student learning. The key findings of the usability study suggest that 98% (N = 100) of students found the tool extremely useful; 83% reported that the tool allowed them to engage with the learning materials, peers, and content effectively. Also, 10% of students mentioned that the HMAA fostered an embodied learning experience. This triggered an intentional exploration of instances suggesting embodiment in the data. HMAA is believed to have allowed individuals to visualize and conceptualize abstract ideas that would have been otherwise challenging using static models. The outcomes of this article indicate the significant potential of body-ownership-based self-learning tools for anatomy. However, further studies using learning outcomes are needed to investigate the potential advantages of body-ownership-based tools compared to current learning techniques., University of Otago Teaching Development Grant

The video game industry can be ruthless. As a developer, you usually find yourself working in the popular third-party development tools of the time. These tools however might not provide the best usability and quality of life one desires. This can lead to a lot of frustration for the developer, especially when the development enters a crunch period of long and hard work. We believe some of the frustration can be avoided, and we believe this can be done by creating effective, functional and user-friendly integrated development tools specialized for the development environment. In this master's thesis we investigated just that, how integrated game development tools can be designed to be usable in terms of effectiveness and learnability. The investigation was performed by designing and implementing an integrated game development tool. The development of the tool was performed iteratively with user testing between every iteration to find usability defects, allowing the tool to be refined and improved throughout the development process. To finish off the development process, there was a final user test where professional video game developers tried out the tool and then answered a System Usability Scale questionnaire. The System Usability Scale score and task completion rate showed that the final state of the tool can be considered highly usable in terms of effectiveness and averagely usable in terms of learnability. This suggests that involving user testing in the development process is vital for ensuring good usability in the end product.

[Resumen] La usabilidad se refiere a la capacidad de un software de ser comprendido, aprendido, usado y ser atractivo para el usuario, en condiciones específicas de uso (ISO/IEC 9126). Por tanto, integrar la usabilidad es uno de los factores clave en cualquier proceso para el desarrollo de software. El objetivo principal de este Trabajo de Fin de Grado es desarrollar un conjunto de heurísticas y guías de usabilidad para el diseño de APIs RESTful a partir de un análisis exhaustivo sobre los principios del estilo REST dentro de un modelo expandido de usabilidad aplicable a cualquier producto o sistema. Para demostrar la eficacia de este conjunto, se estudió la usabilidad en un caso práctico, precisamente en la API REST para desarrolladores de Twitter, mediante una evaluación heurística, una técnica introducida por Nielsen y Molich en 1990 que consiste en examinar la calidad de uso de un sistema a partir del cumplimiento de un conjunto de heurísticas. Previamente, caracterizamos el contexto de uso a partir de las características de los usuarios, tareas y entorno que están implicados en una API REST para definir con mayor precisión los problemas encontrados mediante el estudio de usabilidad. Por último, propusimos varias mejoras para resolver algunas de las carencias de usabilidad detectadas. [Abstract] Usability refers to the ability of a software to be understood, learned, used and attractive to the user, under specific conditions of use (ISO/IEC 9126). Therefore, integrating usability is one of the key factors in any software development process. The main objective of this end of degree project is to develop a set of heuristics and usability guidelines for the design of RESTful APIs based on an exhaustive analysis of the principles of the REST style within an expanded usability model applicable to any product or system. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this set, we studied usability in a case study, specifically the REST API for Twitter developers, using heuristic evaluation, a technique introduced by Nielsen and Molich in 1990, which consists of examining the quality of use of a system based on compliance with a set of heuristics. Previously, we characterized the context of use from the characteristics of users, tasks and environment that are involved in an API REST to define more precisely the problems found through the usability study. Finally, we proposed several improvements to solve some of the detected usability shortcomings. Traballo fin de grao (UDC.FIC). Enxeñaría informática. Curso 2019/2020

Introduction: In response to reported difficulties in selecting a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, we designed a patient-centered online Part D plan selection tool (CHOICE1.0) to simplify the selection process and to provide personalized, expert recommendations. Methods: This ethnographic comparative usability study observed 44 patients using the first version of the tool during Medicare 2016 Open Enrollment. Participants were observed as they chose their drug plan using Medicare.gov and 1 of 3 versions of CHOICE1.0 that varied in amount of expert guidance. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze exit survey data. The observations were video-recorded, and field notes were analyzed thematically. Results: Participants were significantly more satisfied with CHOICE1.0 for choosing a plan, understanding information, and ease of use compared to Medicare.gov . Those using expert versions of CHOICE1.0 were more likely to indicate their intention to switch plans than those using Medicare.gov , though they wanted to know the source and content. Conclusion: The more patient-centered prescription drug choice tool improved user experience and enabled users to choose plans more consistent with expert recommendations.

Background: For digital tools to have high usability and fit service users’ health needs and socio-environmental context, it is important to explore usability with end-users and identify facilitators and barriers to uptake. Objective: To conduct user testing of the smartphone health application, PeerTECH, in a Norwegian community mental health setting. Methods: Semistructured interviews and usability testing of the PeerTECH app using the Think-Aloud approach and task analysis among 11 people (three individuals with a serious mental illness, two peer support workers, and six mental health professionals). Results: Study participants perceived PeerTECH as a relevant tool to support self-management of their mental and physical health conditions, and they provided valuable feedback on existing features as well as suggestions for adaptions to the Norwegian context. The task analysis revealed that PeerTECH is easy to manage for service users and peer support workers. Conclusions: Adapting the PeerTECH smartphone app to the Norwegian context may be a viable and useful tool to support individuals with serious mental illness.

Background The Smart Angel home medical device allows ambulatory surgery patients to monitor their own health by taking their blood pressure and oxygen levels and answering a health questionnaire from home. Currently, this device is a prototype in the design phase, and no usability evaluation has been performed. This preventive device must be usable by patients with different profiles; however, it is important to select patients carefully to ensure their safety when using the device. As such, it would be interesting to know how to select or exclude patients. However, the links between user characteristics and the usability of this home medical device remain unclear. Objective This study aims to better understand the links between certain characteristics of potential patients (ie, age, education, technophilia, and health literacy) and the usability (ie, effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction) of Smart Angel, as defined by the ISO 9241-11. Methods We conducted an experimental study involving 36 participants investigating the effects of 4 patient characteristics (ie, age, education, technophilia, and health literacy) on usability, measured in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. A mixed methods approach (subjective vs objective) using a variety of standard instruments was adopted (direct observation, video analysis, and questionnaires). First, to help participants project themselves into the real use of the Smart Angel device, they watched a scenario in a video. Second, the participants completed a set of questionnaires to show the extent of their health literacy level (Newest Vital Sign [NVS] and the Health Literacy Survey [HLS]) and then operated Smart Angel devices. Efficiency (ie, handling time) and effectiveness (ie, number of handling errors) measures were collected by video analysis. Satisfaction measures were collected by a questionnaire (System Usability Scale [SUS]). The qualitative observational data were coded using inductive analysis by 2 independent researchers specialized in cognitive psychology and cognitive ergonomics. Results The results show a moderate and positive correlation between age and effectiveness (r=0.359; P=.03) and efficiency (r=0.357; P=.03). There is strong correlation between health literacy scored by the NVS and effectiveness (r=0.417; P=.01), efficiency (r=-0.38; P=.02), and satisfaction (r=0.45; P=.006). However, there is a weak correlation between technophilia and usability and no relationship between education level and usability. Conclusions Our results show that literacy level and age are 2 important factors to consider when selecting future users of the Smart Angel device to ensure patient safety. This study also serves as an example promoting mixed methodologies in assessments of medical device usability that cannot be performed under real-world conditions.

Implementing integrated online prevention to reduce the risk of both obesity and eating disorders, in the school setting, is a promising approach. The challenge is to develop highly user-friendly and motivating programs, to foster adherence and effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usability of such a universal prevention program for students aged 14&ndash, 19 years, and to address engagement issues. A mixed-methods approach was chosen, consisting of a think-aloud task, a semi-structured interview, and a questionnaire including items on sociodemographic characteristics and the System Usability Scale (SUS). Usability tests were conducted in two rounds, with five adolescents participating per round. Mean score in the SUS was 92.5 of 100 points (range 85&ndash, 100), in the second round, after some adaptations from the participants&rsquo, feedback. In the course of the think-aloud tasks and interviews, five major themes emerged&mdash, visual design, navigation, mode of transfer, content, and engagement conditions. Interesting headlines, gamification, and monitoring tools are crucial for engagement. Apart from the importance of using the program during school hours, the study showed that problems currently perceived as important by the target group, need to be considered and addressed, prior to offering them prevention programs, which highlights the importance of a user-centered design.

Background : To support the self-management of heart failure, a team of hospital clinicians, patients, and family caregivers have co-designed the consumer mobile health app, Care4myHeart. Objective : This research aimed to determine patient experiences of using the app to self-manage heart failure. Methods : Patients with heart failure used the app for 14 days on their own smart device in a home setting, following which a mixed-methods evaluation was performed. Eight patients were recruited, of whom six completed the Mobile Application Rating Scale and attended an interview. Results : The overall app quality score was "acceptable" with 3.53 of 5 points, with the aesthetics (3.83/5) and information (3.78/5) subscales scoring the highest. The lowest mean score was in the app-specific subscale representing the perceived impact on health behavior change (2.53/5). Frequently used features were weight and fluid restriction tracking, with graphical representation of data particularly beneficial for improved self-awareness and ongoing learning. The use of technology for self-management will fundamentally differ from current practices and require a change in daily routines. However, app use was correlated with potential utility for daily management of illness with benefits of accurate recording and review of personal health data and as a communication tool for doctors to assist with care planning, as all medical information is available in one place. Technical considerations included participants' attitudes toward technology, functionality and data entry issues, and relatively minor suggested changes. Conclusions : The findings from this usability study suggest that a significant barrier to adoption is the lack of integration of technology into everyday life in the context of already established disease self-management routines. Future studies should explore the barriers to adoption and sustainability of consumer mobile health interventions for chronic conditions, particularly whether introducing such apps is more beneficial at the commencement of a self-management regimen.

Background: Care providers and surgeons prepare for cardiac surgery using case conferences to review, discuss, and run through the surgical procedure. Surgeons visualize a patient’s anatomy to decide the right surgical approach using magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiograms in a presurgical case planning session. Previous studies have shown that surgical errors can be reduced through the effective use of immersive virtual reality (VR) to visualize patient anatomy. However, inconsistent user interfaces, delegation of view control, and insufficient depth information cause user disorientation and interaction difficulties in using VR apps for case planning. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate and compare the usability of 2 commercially available VR apps—Bosc (Pyrus Medical systems) and Medical Holodeck (Nooon Web & IT GmbH)—using the Vive VR headset (HTC Corporation) to evaluate ease of use, physician attitudes toward VR technology, and viability for presurgical case planning. The role of medical libraries in advancing case planning is also explored. Methods: After screening a convenience sample of surgeons, fellows, and residents, ethnographic interviews were conducted to understand physician attitudes and experience with VR. Gaps in current case planning methods were also examined. We ran a usability study, employing a concurrent think-aloud protocol. To evaluate user satisfaction, we used the system usability scale (SUS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). A poststudy questionnaire was used to evaluate the VR experience and explore the role of medical libraries in advancing presurgical case planning. Semistructured interview data were analyzed using content analysis with feedback categorization. Results: Participants were residents, fellows, and surgeons from the University of Washington with a mean age of 41.5 (SD 11.67) years. A total of 8 surgeons participated in the usability study, 3 of whom had prior exposure to VR. Users found Medical Holodeck easier to use than Bosc. Mean adjusted NASA-TLX score for Medical Holodeck was 62.71 (SD 18.25) versus Bosc’s 40.87 (SD 13.90). Neither app passed the mean SUS score of 68 for an app to be considered usable, though Medical Holodeck (66.25 [SD 12.87]) scored a higher mean SUS than Bosc (37.19 [SD 22.41]). One user rated the Bosc usable, whereas 3 users rated Medical Holodeck usable. Conclusions: Interviews highlighted the importance of precise anatomical conceptualization in presurgical case planning and teaching, identifying it as the top reason for modifying a surgical procedure. The importance of standardized user interaction features such as labeling is justified. The study also sheds light on the new roles medical librarians can play in curating VR content and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration.

Objective To present a new computer-assisted system for improved usability, intuitiveness, efficiency, and controllability in transoral laser microsurgery (TLM). Study Design Pilot technology feasibility study. Setting A dedicated room with a simulated TLM surgical setup: surgical microscope, surgical laser system, instruments, ex vivo pig larynxes, and computer-assisted system. Subjects and Methods The computer-assisted laser microsurgery (CALM) system consists of a novel motorized laser micromanipulator and a tablet- and stylus-based control interface. The system setup includes the Leica 2 surgical microscope and the DEKA HiScan Surgical laser system. The system was validated through a first-of-its-kind observational study with 57 international surgeons with varied experience in TLM. The subjects performed real surgical tasks on ex vivo pig larynxes in a simulated TLM scenario. The qualitative aspects were established with a newly devised questionnaire assessing the usability, efficiency, and suitability of the system. Results The surgeons evaluated the CALM system with an average score of 6.29 (out of 7) in ease of use and ease of learning, while an average score of 5.96 was assigned for controllability and safety. A score of 1.51 indicated reduced workload for the subjects. Of 57 subjects, 41 stated that the CALM system allows better surgical quality than the existing TLM systems. Conclusions The CALM system augments the usability, controllability, and efficiency in TLM. It enhances the ergonomics and accuracy beyond the current state of the art, potentially improving the surgical safety and quality. The system offers the intraoperative automated scanning of customized long incisions achieving uniform resections at the surgical site.

Objective – When the Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) at Brigham Young University released a new website with same-look capabilities for computers, tablets, and smartphones, we undertook a summative assessment to review website features and to determine baseline measures of website access via device and patron group. Methods – The study used a mixed methods approach using three levels of assessment (focus groups, an online survey, and a usability test), with each level informing the subsequent level. Results – The website changes were well-received by the overwhelming majority of patrons. Device usage was associated with the type of task for which patrons were accessing the website. Computers were used primarily for research-related tasks (e.g., accessing journals, databases, and the main search bar). Smartphones were used primarily for on-the-go tasks (e.g., accessing personal accounts, finding library hours, and reserving group study rooms). Tablets fell between these two. Several website services were identified as being underused. Study results were moderated by time of release (i.e., only half of survey participants had viewed the new website) and access to device (i.e., many patrons did not have access to a tablet or a smartphone). Conclusions – The summative assessment of the HBLL’s new website was well-received and viewed as a positive change. While most patrons were initially unaware of the same-look feature across devices, this was considered to be a positive change. As devices become more accessible for patrons, it is believed that website access by device will change. A follow-up study is planned to assess any changes in use patterns or use of access devices.

[EN] Video lectures are widely used in education to support and complement face-to-face lectures. However, the utility of these audiovisual assets could be further improved by adding subtitles that can be exploited to incorporate added-value functionalities such as searchability, accessibility, translatability, note-taking, and discovery of content-related videos, among others. Today, automatic subtitles are prone to error, and need to be reviewed and post-edited in order to ensure that what students see on-screen are of an acceptable quality. This work investigates different user interface design strategies for this post-editing task to discover the best way to incorporate automatic transcription technologies into large educational video repositories. Our three-phase study involved lecturers from the Universitat Polite`cnica de Vale`ncia (UPV) with videos available on the poliMedia video lecture repository, which is currently over 10,000 video objects. Simply by conventional post-editing automatic transcriptions users almost reduced to half the time that would require to generate the transcription from scratch. As expected, this study revealed that the time spent by lecturers reviewing automatic transcriptions correlated directly with the accuracy of said transcriptions. However, it is also shown that the average time required to perform each individual editing operation could be precisely derived and could be applied in the definition of a user model. In addition, the second phase of this study presents a transcription review strategy based on confidence measures (CM) and compares it to the conventional post-editing strategy. Finally, a third strategy resulting from the combination of that based on CM with massive adaptation techniques for automatic speech recognition (ASR), achieved to improve the transcription review efficiency in comparison with the two aforementioned strategies. 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved., The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant agreement no. 287755 (transLectures) and ICT Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP/2007-2013) as part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Grant agreement no. 621030 (EMMA), and the Spanish MINECO Active2Trans (TIN2012-31723) research project.

Fehlerhafte medizinische Produkte können schwerwiegende Auswirkungen auf die Gesundheit des Patienten haben. Als Ursache der unerwünschten Ereignisse steht nicht das technische Versagen der Geräte, sondern dessen unzureichende Gebrauchstauglichkeit im Mittelpunkt. Viele Mängel liegen demnach in der Gestaltung der Mensch-Maschine-Schnittstelle. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Studie wurde ein perkutanes Herzunterstützungssystem (Reitan CardioBridge Herzkatheterpumpe, RCP) einer Gebrauchstauglichkeitsuntersuchung (Usability-Test) unterzogen. Es sollte beantwortet werden ob Veränderungen in der Entwicklung eines medizinischen Gerätes, im Hinblick auf dessen Gebrauchstauglichkeit mit einzelnen Methoden oder nur im Zusammenspiel mehrerer Methoden messbar sind und welche Designvorschläge für die weitere Entwicklung des Gerätes vorstellbar sind? Zum Vergleich diente eine vorausgegangene Studie. Der Usability-Test (UT) erfolgte nach einem standardisierten Verfahren, wurde zusätzlich durch Fragebögen (ASQ, PSSUQ) und eine, an den medizinischen Arbeitsbereich angepasste, Heuristische Evaluation (HE) ergänzt. Die Veränderungen des Gerätes führten bei drei Testaufgaben zu statistisch signifikanten Ergebnissen. Dabei erwiesen sich zwei Veränderungen auch als Verbesserungen des Gerätes. Mit Hilfe der Heuristischen Evaluation konnten 22 Gebrauchstauglichkeitsprobleme identifiziert werden. Im ASQ Fragebogen wurde die neue Version des Gerätes signifikant positiver bewertet. Das Ergebnis des UT ergab 14 Vorkommnisse in Verbindung mit der Gebrauchstauglichkeit des Gerätes, ein Problem wurde dabei als kritisch eingestuft. Die Effektivität des Gerätes lag bei 91 Prozent und die Effizienz bei 87 Prozent. In der vorliegenden Studie konnte gezeigt werden, dass Optimierungen eines medizinischen Gerätes zu messbaren Ergebnissen führen können. Insgesamt betrachtet konnte die CardioBridge RCP eine zufriedenstellende Gebrauchstauglichkeit aufweisen. Schwächen weist das Gerät im Bereich der Kabelverbindungen auf. Zu leise Alarmsignale und eine unzureichende Kennzeichnung wichtiger Funktionen sind weitere grundlegende Probleme. Aus den Ergebnissen kann abgeleitet werden, dass die Veränderungen des Gerätes auch mit einzelnen Methoden messbar sind aber die Kombination beider Methoden verlässlichere Ergebnisse liefert. Der UT ist dabei die Methode der Wahl, weil hier im Gegensatz zum ASQ Fragebogen die Veränderungen genauer benannt und bewertet werden konnten. Die „Think Aloud“ Technik liefert dabei wertvolle Informationen. Mit Hilfe der HE ist es möglich sich einen Gesamteindruck von dem Testgerät und dessen eventuellen Schwächen zu verschaffen. Hinsichtlich der Evaluatoren sind auf jeden Fall, mehr als ein oder zwei Testleiter einzusetzen um möglichst viele Gebrauchstauglichkeitsprobleme zu identifizieren. Zukünftige Optimierungen des Gerätes sollten eine vereinfachte und intuitive Gestaltung des Interface beinhalten. Verbesserungsbedarf besteht weiterhin im Bereich der Kabelanschlüsse, des Ein-/Ausschalters und des Zubehörs. Ebenfalls optimiert sollten die Warnmeldungen und Bestätigungsfunktionen. Abschließend ist festzustellen, dass der Usability-Test sinnvoll durch die Heuristische Evaluation und den ASQ Fragebogen zu ergänzen ist.

A usability study involving ten multilingual visually impaired users was conducted on two university websites in German. Both websites were partially localised into French, English and, one of them, into Italian, but to different degrees: the first one had been reorganised, while the second one offered a mirror structure. The main goals were to observe the interaction of multilingual screen reader users with partially localised websites and to evaluate the impact of language selection by the user and the implementation of different localisation strategies on the overall usability of the test websites. The quantitative and qualitative data collected through the tests suggest that screen reader users generally prefer to browse in their native tongue and that they are used to find a way to change the language when needed. Users who browse the localised versions encounter more usability problems that are more often related to language than users who browse the original version. Finally, neither localisation degree proved satisfactory for screen reader users

Affecting 1 in 68, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social skill impairments. While prognosis can be significantly improved with intervention, few evidence-based interventions exist for social skill deficits in ASD. Existing interventions are resource-intensive, their outcomes vary widely for different individuals, and they often do not generalize to new contexts. Technology-aided intervention is a motivating, low-cost, and versatile approach for social skills training in ASD. Although early studies support the feasibility of technology-aided intervention, existing approaches have been criticized for teaching social skills through human-to-computer interaction, paradoxically leading to increased social isolation. To address this gap, we propose a system to help guide human-to-human interaction called Holli, a wearable technology to serve as a social skills coach for children with ASD. The Google Glass-based application listens to conversations and prompts the user with appropriate social responses. In this paper, we describe a usability study we conducted to determine the feasibility of using wearable technology to prompt children with ASD throughout social conversations. Fifteen children with ASD (mean age = 12.92 ± 2.33, verbal intelligent quotient = 103.3 ± 18.73) used the application while engaging in a restaurant-themed interaction with a research assistant. The application was evaluated on its effectiveness (i.e., how accurately the application responds), efficiency (i.e., how quickly the user and the application respond), and user satisfaction (based on a post-session questionnaire). All users were able to successfully complete the 10-turn exchange while using Holli. The results indicated the Holli accurately detected and recognized user utterance in real time. Participants reported positive experiences of using the application. To the best of our knowledge, this system is the first technology-aided intervention for ASD that employs human-to-human social coaching, and our results demonstrate the device is a viable medium for treatment delivery.

International audience; We evaluate the performance and usability of mouse-based, touch-based, and tangible interaction for manipulating objects in a 3D virtual environment. This comparison is a step toward a better understanding of the limitations and benefits of these existing interaction techniques, with the ultimate goal of facilitating an easy transition between the different 3D data exploration environments. For this purpose we analyze partic-ipants' performance in 3D manipulation using a docking task. We measured completion times, docking accuracy, as well as subjective criteria such as fatigue, workload, and preference. Our results show that the three input modalities provide similar levels of precision but require different completion times. We also discuss our qualitative observations as well as people's preferences and put our findings into context of the application domain of 3D data analysis environments. Many application domains rely on effective, efficient, and intuitive means of interacting with 3D data [37, 48]. Traditionally, this interaction has often relied on mouse and keyboard inputs. Recent developments of interaction technology, however, have led to new input modalities becoming available, in particular tactile input [30, 61, 74] 1 and tangible interaction [31, 59]. 2 Several researchers have thus started to explore their use for interaction with 3D data. Nevertheless, the three input modalities—mouse, touch, and tangibles—are not identical in characteristics such as their capabilities or usability: their advantages and disadvantages depend on the the interaction goal and the given application domain. For example, while one may use a tangible input device intuitively in a game, scientific visualization applications may require a level of accuracy that 1 I. e., interfaces based on finger or pen input on display surfaces. 2 I. e., interfaces that follow Ullmer & Ishii's [68] four characteristics. one could expect to better be provided by touch-based or in particular mouse-based input. Tangibles are often regarded as the best way to interact with 3D data. We question this assumption here with our study that measured several usability factors: participants' accuracy (i. e., rotational difference and Euclidean distance), their perceived fatigue levels, and their perceived workload. We also took into account participants' preferences and their general feedback for each technique. The study consisted of 15 abstract 3D docking tasks—bringing an abstract virtual object to a given target orientation and position—for each of the three modalities. Our study confirmed that mouse, tactile, and tangible input are all valid means to control 3D manipulations. Much to our surprise, however, we found that all three input modalities allow users to achieve the same level of accuracy. Differences only arose with respect to task completion times and preferences. Qualitative observations of the participants during the study provided additional insights on what users tend to do when facing a docking task with these three input techniques which we discuss in detail below. In summary, we contribute (1) an in-depth analysis of people's understanding and use of mouse-based, tactile, and tangible input for 3D interaction, (2) a study design that compares the three modalities, and (3) in-depth qualitative observations and people's preferences in the context of 3D data analysis environments. We thus shed light on the advantages and disadvantages of the techniques and serves as a basis for their further development and evaluation, in particular for 3D visualization.

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction on 04 Apr 2014, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2014.907463 [Abstract] Usability studies are often based on ad hoc definitions of usability. These studies can be difficult to generalize, they might have a steep learning curve, and there is always the danger of being inconsistent with the concept of usability as defined in standards and the literature. This alternative approach involves comprehensive, general-purpose, and hierarchically structured taxonomies that follow closely the main usability literature. These taxonomies are then instantiated for a specific product. To illustrate this approach, a usability study for a prototype of an Intelligent Speed Adaptation device is described. The usability study consists of usability requirements analysis, heuristic evaluation, and subjective analysis, which helped identify problems of clarity, operability, robustness, safety, and aesthetics. As a context-specific usability taxonomy for this particular field of application happened to exist, the way that real-world usability results can be mapped to that taxonomy compared to the taxonomy in this article is examined, with the argument that this study’s taxonomy is more complete and generalizable. Xunta de Galicia; CN2011/007 Xunta de Galicia; CN2012/211 European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency; Nº. 228357

The continuing need for governments to radically improve the delivery of public services has led to a new, holistic government reform strategy labeled “Transformational Government” that strongly emphasizes customer-centricity. Attention has turned to online portals as a cost effective front-end to deliver services and engage customers as well as to the corresponding organizational approaches for the back-end to decouple the service interface from the departmental structures. The research presented in this paper makes three contributions: Firstly, a systematic literature review of approaches to the evaluation of online portal models in the public sector is presented. Secondly, the findings of a usability study comparing the online presences of the Queensland Government, the UK Government and the South Australian Government are reported and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches are discussed. And thirdly, the limitations of the usability study in the context of a broader “Transformational Government” approach are identified and service bundling is suggested as an innovative solution to further improve online service delivery.

Infographics are a common visual means to inform users. This paper investigates how lay people of different age, gender and educational background perceive the use of infographics for information visualization in daily tasks. We chose three topics of general interest: weather, study and work and three infographics, one for each topic. We administered a questionnaire to people randomly split in two groups: the first group interacted with a static version of each infographic, i.e., a snapshot of it; the second group interacted with the fully configurable infographics. We aimed to assess information quality on different dimensions, to take into account both formal and substantial aspects; interaction quality along dimensions like usability and ease of use; and design quality on the dimensions of the Visualization Wheel by Cairo, to assess the trade-off between information complexity and aesthetics of infographics. The goal was to measure whether the quality of infographics affects the perception of information and the users' interaction. The overall results suggest that, although interactive infographics are perceived as more complex, the experience with them is better. From our observations, we derived a model to assess the overall quality of static and interactive infographics, based on information, interaction and design quality dimensions. A user study on static and interactive infographics use for daily tasks.An information, interaction and design quality model for infographics.Assessment of whether/how quality of infographics affects users' experience.

Background: D2Refine provides a Web-based environment to create clinical research study data dictionaries and enables standardization and harmonization of its variable definitions with controlled terminology resources. Objective: To assess the usability of the functions D2Refine offers, a usability study was designed and executed. Methods: We employed the TURF (task, user, representation, and function) Usability Framework of electronic health record usability to design, configure, and execute the usability study and performed quantitative analyses. D2Refine was compared for its usability metrics against two other comparable solutions, OntoMaton and RightField, which have very similar functionalities for creating, managing, and standardizing data dictionaries. We first conducted the function analysis by conducting one-on-one interviews armed with questionnaires to catalog expected functionality. The enrolled participants carried out the steps for selected tasks to accomplish specific goals and their feedback was captured to conduct the task analysis. Results: We enrolled a group (n=27) of study developers, managers, and software professionals to execute steps of analysis as specified by the TURF framework. For the within-model domain function saturation, D2Refine had 96% saturation, which was 4 percentage points better than OntoMaton and 28 percentage points better than RightField. The manual examination and statistical analysis of the data were conducted for task analysis, and the results demonstrated a significant difference for favorability toward D2Refine (P

In an effort to find out the best suitable application of mobile learning, several research works are undertaken till date. A review of related papers unveiled that mobile devices act better as a supporting media in teaching and learning scenario. The present worker has developed context specific learning modules i.e. personalized learning contents using an ontology based web service architecture and an experimantal exploration has been done with the target audience to justify the usability of such content in a real time environment. To ensure that the developed contents are acceptable and usable, usability aspects are carefully embedded during the analysis, design and development of the contents. In this paper, the steps to fulfill the usability aspects of the prepared contents are described, an architecture of the dissemination system has been designed and results of the study are presented.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common form of heart arrhythmia and a potent risk factor for stroke. Nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are routinely prescribed to manage AFib stroke risk; however, nonadherence to treatment is a concern. Additional tools that support self-care and medication adherence may benefit patients with AFib. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceived usability and usefulness of a mobile app designed to support self-care and treatment adherence for AFib patients who are prescribed NOACs. Methods: A mobile app to support AFib patients was previously developed based on early stage interview and usability test data from clinicians and patients. An exploratory pilot study consisting of naturalistic app use, surveys, and semistructured interviews was then conducted to examine patients’ perceptions and everyday use of the app. Results: A total of 12 individuals with an existing diagnosis of nonvalvular AFib completed the 4-week study. The average age of participants was 59 years. All participants somewhat or strongly agreed that the app was easy to use, and 92% (11/12) reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the app. Participant feedback identified changes that may improve app usability and usefulness for patients with AFib. Areas of usability improvement were organized by three themes: app navigation, clarity of app instructions and design intent, and software bugs. Perceptions of app usefulness were grouped by three key variables: core needs of the patient segment, patient workflow while managing AFib, and the app’s ability to support the patient’s evolving needs. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that mobile tools that target self-care and treatment adherence may be helpful to AFib patients, particularly those who are newly diagnosed. Additionally, participant feedback provided insight into the varied needs and health experiences of AFib patients, which may improve the design and targeting of the intervention. Pilot studies that qualitatively examine patient perceptions of usability and usefulness are a valuable and often underutilized method for assessing the real-world acceptability of an intervention. Additional research evaluating the AFib Connect mobile app over a longer period, and including a larger, more diverse sample of AFib patients, will be helpful for understanding whether the app is perceived more broadly to be useful and effective in supporting patient self-care and medication adherence. [JMIR Hum Factors 2018;5(1):e13]

International audience; Digital tabletops present numerous benefits in face-to-face collaboration environments. However, their integration in real settings is complicated by cost and fixed location. In this respect, building table-like environments using several handheld devices such as tablets or smartphones provides a promising alternative but is limited to touch interaction only. We propose instead another kind of “around-device” interaction (ADI) technique using the built-in front camera of these devices and fiducial frame markers, which presents advantages including better awareness and less interference. This paper contributes a first step in exploring the potential of this interaction technique by conducting a usability test comparing several ergonomic factors that may have an effect on the very first operation of the interaction: the acquisition of the marker.

In this paper we present the development and usability of an electronic health record (EHR) system in a comprehensive dental clinic.The graphic user interface of the system was designed to consider the concept of cognitive ergonomics.The cognitive task analysis was used to evaluate the user interface of the EHR by identifying all sub-tasks and classifying them into mental or physical operators, and to predict task execution time required to perform the given task. We randomly selected 30 cases that had oral examinations for routine clinical care in a comprehensive dental clinic. The results were based on the analysis of 4 prototypical tasks performed by ten EHR users. The results showed that on average a user needed to go through 27 steps to complete all tasks for one case. To perform all 4 tasks of 30 cases, they spent about 91 min (independent of system response time) for data entry, of which 51.8 min were spent on more effortful mental operators. In conclusion, the user interface can be improved by reducing the percentage of mental effort required for the tasks.

BackgroundA large proportion of patients with knee and/or hip osteoarthritis (OA) do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity (PA). Therefore, we developed a web-based intervention that provides a tailored PA program for patients with knee and/or hip OA, entitled Join2move. The intervention incorporates core principles of the behaviour graded activity theory (BGA). The aim of this study was to investigate the preliminary effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of Join2move in patients with knee and/or hip OA.MethodsA non-randomized pilot study was performed among patients with knee and/or hip OA. Primary outcomes were PA (SQUASH Questionnaire), physical function (HOOS and KOOS questionnaires) and self-perceived effect (7-point Likert scale). Baseline, 6 and 12 week follow-up data were collected via online questionnaires. To assess feasibility and acceptability, program usage (modules completed) and user satisfaction (SUS questionnaire) were measured as secondary outcomes. Participants from the pilot study were invited to be interviewed. The interviews focused on users’ experiences with Join2move. Besides the pilot study we performed two usability tests to determine the feasibility and acceptability of Join2move. In the first usability test, software experts evaluated the website from a list of usability concepts. In the second test, users were asked to verbalize thoughts during the execution of multiple tasks.ResultsTwenty OA patients with knee and/or hip OA between 50 and 80 years of age participated in the pilot study. After six weeks, pain scores increased from 5.3 to 6.6 (p=0.04). After 12 weeks this difference disappeared (p=0.5). Overall, users were enthusiastic about Join2move. In particular, performing exercise at one's own pace without time or travel restrictions was cited as convenient. However, some minor flaws were observed. Users perceived some difficulties in completing the entire introduction module and rated the inability to edit and undo actions as annoying.ConclusionsThis paper outlines the preliminary effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of a web-based PA intervention. Preliminary results from the pilot study revealed that PA scores increased, although differences were not statistically significant. Interviews and usability tests suggest that the intervention is feasible and acceptable in promoting PA in patients with knee and/or hip OA. The intervention was easy to use and the satisfaction with the program was high.Keywords: Osteoarthritis, Physical activity, Web-based intervention, Development, Pilot study, Usability study

Remote health monitoring (RHM) programmes are being increasingly developed to face the pervasive diffusion of chronic diseases. RHM strongly relies on Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) intelligent platforms devised to remotely acquire multisource data, process these according to specific domain knowledge, and support clinical decision making. However, since RHM domain is continuously evolving and the pertinent knowledge is not yet consolidated, there is a great demand for services and tools that allow the encoded knowledge to be modified and enriched. This paper presents a knowledge editing service (KES), which aims at enabling clinicians to insert novel knowledge, in a controlled fashion, into an ICT intelligent platform. The solution proposed is innovative since it addresses synergistically peculiar issues related to 1) RHM knowledge format; 2) controlled editing patterns; 3) knowledge verification; and 4) cooperative knowledge editing. None of the existing methods and systems for knowledge authoring tackles all these aspects at the same time. A prototype of the KES has been implemented and evaluated in real operational conditions.

Background: Numerous digital health interventions have been developed for mental health promotion and intervention, including eating disorders. Efficacy of many interventions has been evaluated, yet knowledge about reasons for dropout and poor adherence is scarce. Most digital health intervention studies lack appropriate research design and methods to investigate individual engagement issues. User engagement and program usability are inextricably linked, making usability studies vital in understanding and improving engagement. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore engagement and corresponding usability issues of the Healthy Body Image Program—a guided online intervention for individuals with body image concerns or eating disorders. The secondary aim was to demonstrate the value of usability research in order to investigate engagement. Methods: We conducted an iterative usability study based on a mixed-methods approach, combining cognitive and semistructured interviews as well as questionnaires, prior to program launch. Two separate rounds of usability studies were completed, testing a total of 9 potential users. Thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the think-aloud tasks, interviews, and questionnaires. Results: Participants were satisfied with the overall usability of the program. The average usability score was 77.5/100 for the first test round and improved to 83.1/100 after applying modifications for the second iteration. The analysis of the qualitative data revealed five central themes: layout, navigation, content, support, and engagement conditions. The first three themes highlight usability aspects of the program, while the latter two highlight engagement issues. An easy-to-use format, clear wording, the nature of guidance, and opportunity for interactivity were important issues related to usability. The coach support, time investment, and severity of users’ symptoms, the program’s features and effectiveness, trust, anonymity, and affordability were relevant to engagement. Conclusions: This study identified salient usability and engagement features associated with participant motivation to use the Healthy Body Image Program and ultimately helped improve the program prior to its implementation. This research demonstrates that improvements in usability and engagement can be achieved by testing and adjusting intervention design and content prior to program launch. The results are consistent with related research and reinforce the need for further research to identify usage patterns and effective means for reducing dropout. Digital health research should include usability studies prior to efficacy trials to help create more user-friendly programs that have a higher likelihood of “real-world” adoption. [J Med Internet Res 2016;18(1):e7]

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt die Realisierung eines Gesamtkonzepts zur berührungslosen Bedienung eines Infotainment-Systems im Kraftfahrzeug. Von zentralem Interesse ist dabei die visuelle Interaktion mittels dynamischer Hand- und Kopfgesten. Durch die ergonomische Auslastung der menschlichen Kapazitäten soll dem Fahrer eine möglichst natürliche und intuitive Interaktion bereitgestellt werden. Aufbauend auf sehr positiven Befunden grundlegender Benutzerstudien wird eine gestenoptimierte Bedienumgebung entwickelt. Diese erweist sich aufgrund entwicklungsbegleitender Gebrauchstauglichkeitstests (usabilitytests) als weitgehend intuitiv bedienbar sowie wenig ablenkend und findet zudem breite Akzeptanz. Darüber hinaus wird eine neue Technologie eingeführt, die eine robuste, fahrzeugtaugliche (automotive) Erkennung von Hand- und Kopfgesten ermöglicht. Sie basiert auf der Merkmalgewinnung mittels Infrarot-Distanz-Sensor-Arrays und erbringt hohe Erkennungsraten unter Echtzeitbedingungen(realtime conditions) bei äußerst geringem Bedarf an Rechenleistung. The existing paper describes the realization of a complete concept for a non-contact operation of an infotainment system in motor vehicles. Of main interest thereby is the visual interaction by means of dynamic hand and head gesture. By means of the ergonomic utilization of human capacities, the driver shall be provided with an interaction as natural and intuitive as possible. Based on very positive results of profound usability studies a gesture optimized operation environment is developed. This proves to be widely intuitively operable as well as less distracting due to usability tests made during the process of development and finds broad acceptance. Furthermore, a new technology is introduced, which enables a robust automotive recognition of hand and head movements. It is based on feature extraction by means of infrared distance sensor arrays and delivers high recognition rates under real time conditions with an extremely low requirement for computing power.

This paper describes the process of formally evaluating an E-Learning system that has been in use for several years. Professional usability evaluation offers deeper insight into user behaviour and needs than accidental feedback collection or introspection by system developers. A first analysis of the evaluation samples shows satisfaction of users with the general design of the system but also dissatisfaction with certain aspects of navigation that would otherwise have escaped our attention. State of the art formal evaluation turned out to be instrumental in making an existing system considerably more user-friendly. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]

Input multimodality combining speech and hand gestures has motivated numerous usability studies. Contrastingly, issues relating to the design and ergonomic evaluation of multimodal output messages combining speech with visual modalities have not yet been addressed extensively. The experimental study presented here addresses one of these issues. Its aim is to assess the actual efficiency and usability of oral system messages including brief spatial information for helping users to locate objects on crowded displays rapidly. Target presentation mode, scene spatial structure and task difficulty were chosen as independent variables. Two conditions were defined: the visual target presentation mode (VP condition) and the multimodal target presentation mode (MP condition). Each participant carried out two blocks of visual search tasks (120 tasks per block, and one block per condition). Scene target presentation mode, scene structure and task difficulty were found to be significant factors. Multimodal target presentation proved to be more efficient than visual target presentation. In addition, participants expressed very positive judgments on multimodal target presentations which were preferred to visual presentations by a majority of participants. Besides, the contribution of spatial messages to visual search speed and accuracy was influenced by scene spatial structure and task difficulty: (i) messages improved search efficiency to a lesser extent for 2D array layouts than for some other symmetrical layouts, although the use of 2D arrays for displaying pictures is currently prevailing; (ii) message usefulness increased with task difficulty. Most of these results are statistically significant., Comment: 4 pages

The think aloud method is widely used in usability research to collect user's reports of the experience of interacting with a design so that usability evaluators can find the underlying usability problems. However, concerns remain about the validity and usefulness of think aloud in usability studies. In this panel we will present current studies of the think aloud method, examine and question its usage in the field, discuss the possible pitfalls that may threaten the validity of the method, and provide comments/suggestions on the application of the method. Panel participants will discuss results drawn from both applied research and basic research. We believe that this panel discussion will be useful for HCI designers and usability practitioners in that it will acquaint them with concerns that people have about the think aloud method and provide them with suggestions for improved use of the method. For HCI or usability researchers, this panel discussion will address the importance of formally investigating currently used or newly designed usability methods.

In this paper, we describe a controlled interface for Interactive Drama, PastMaster@Storytelling. PastMaster is used for interacting with an Interactive Drama engine. The paper discusses the test results regarding the usability of the interface.

The Ericsson R380 is a so-called smartphone, combining an advanced mobile phone with a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). To evaluate the usability of the Ericsson R380 and benchmark it against the Nokia 9110 Communicator and the Motorola A6188 Accompli, a repeated measurements experiment was performed. 18 subjects (10 men and 8 women) with no previous experience of any of the interfaces participated. Half of the subjects had extensive experience from using Ericsson mobile phones and half of the subjects had extensive experience from using Nokia mobile phones. A set of 9 tasks to be solved on each interface was presented to the subjects. The order in which the subjects used the interfaces was balanced with a Latin square design while the tasks were presented in consecutive order and were identical for all interfaces. Level of completeness, completion time and number of actions were assessed for each task and interface. Subjects also rated the perceived usability and aesthetics of the interfaces. Overall, subjects were most successful using the Motorola A6188 Accompli, using fewer keystrokes and less time as well as needing fewer hints compared to the Ericsson R380 and Nokia 9110 Communicator. However, the Ericsson R380 was rated significantly higher than the other interfaces on perceived usability. Previous experience with Ericsson or Nokia mobile phones did not have a major impact on how well subjects succeeded with using the interfaces in the test. Certain mistakes made by each group of subjects could be explained in terms of mental models, Einstellung effects and the use of so- called Function-Object interaction style where Object-Function interaction was appropriate. Contrary to earlier findings, aesthetics and perceived usability did not correspond to a great extent. Finally, the results are discussed and some suggestions for improvements are put forward.

The Ericsson R380 is a so-called smartphone, combining an advanced mobile phone with a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). To evaluate the usability of the Ericsson R380 and benchmark it against the Nokia 9110 Communicator and the Motorola A6188 Accompli, a repeated measurements experiment was performed. 18 subjects (10 men and 8 women) with no previous experience of any of the interfaces participated. Half of the subjects had extensive experience from using Ericsson mobile phones and half of the subjects had extensive experience from using Nokia mobile phones. A set of 9 tasks to be solved on each interface was presented to the subjects. The order in which the subjects used the interfaces was balanced with a Latin square design while the tasks were presented in consecutive order and were identical for all interfaces. Level of completeness, completion time and number of actions were assessed for each task and interface. Subjects also rated the perceived usability and aesthetics of the interfaces. Overall, subjects were most successful using the Motorola A6188 Accompli, using fewer keystrokes and less time as well as needing fewer hints compared to the Ericsson R380 and Nokia 9110 Communicator. However, the Ericsson R380 was rated significantly higher than the other interfaces on perceived usability. Previous experience with Ericsson or Nokia mobile phones did not have a major impact on how well subjects succeeded with using the interfaces in the test. Certain mistakes made by each group of subjects could be explained in terms of mental models, Einstellung effects and the use of so- called Function-Object interaction style where Object-Function interaction was appropriate. Contrary to earlier findings, aesthetics and perceived usability did not correspond to a great extent. Finally, the results are discussed and some suggestions for improvements are put forward.