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The benefits of fruits and vegetables for older adults include reducing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Tablets like the iPad can promote healthy behaviors, but usability issues for older adults remain unclear. Three experts evaluated five iPad apps related to fruit and vegetable intake using heuristics adapted from existing heuristics. Eight problems emerged: 1) icons use symbols and text with little connection to functionality; 2) unfamiliar symbols; 3) unnecessary steps required to complete tasks; 4) few accessibility features; 5) small text; 6) insufficient color contrast; 7) insufficient instructional features; and 8) unlabeled advertising. Design recommendations are presented for each problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of fruits and vegetables for older adults include reducing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Tablets like the iPad can promote healthy behaviors, but usability issues for older adults remain unclear. Three experts evaluated five iPad apps related to fruit and vegetable intake using heuristics adapted from existing heuristics. Eight problems emerged: 1) icons use symbols and text with little connection to functionality; 2) unfamiliar symbols; 3) unnecessary steps required to complete tasks; 4) few accessibility features; 5) small text; 6) insufficient color contrast; 7) insufficient instructional features; and 8) unlabeled advertising. Design recommendations are presented for each problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how searchers interact with a web-based, faceted library catalog when conducting exploratory searches. It applied multiple methods, including eye tracking and stimulated recall interviews, to investigate important aspects of faceted search interface use, specifically: (a) searcher gaze behavior-what components of the interface searchers look at; (b) how gaze behavior differs when training is and is not provided; (c) how gaze behavior changes as searchers become familiar with the interface; and (d) how gaze behavior differs depending on the stage of the search process. The results confirm previous findings that facets account for approximately 10-30% of interface use. They show that providing a 60-second video demonstration increased searcher use of facets. However, searcher use of the facets did not evolve during the study session, which suggests that searchers may not, on their own, rapidly apply the faceted interfaces. The findings also suggest that searcher use of interface elements varied by the stage of their search during the session, with higher use of facets during decision-making stages. These findings will be of interest to librarians and interface designers who wish to maximize the value of faceted searching for patrons, as well as to researchers who study search behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As LIS programs continue to incorporate information and communications technology (ICT) into their curricula, one of the challenges they face is the diverse technology backgrounds and competencies of incoming students. Students without adequate preparation may experience particular difficulty when confronted with a more technically demanding curriculum. This article reports on content analysis of the requirements and expectations for incoming students that 57 ALA-accredited LIS programs have published on the web. It examines the conceptual knowledge, practical skills, and ICT access identified by the programs as important for student success, for face-to-face and online programs. It also examines how programs diagnose and support students with gaps in their knowledge or skills. The study used an iterative method to develop categories that reflect the diversity of expectations regarding knowledge, skills, and CT access. The results suggest that there are few consistent expectations between programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper describes a novel instantiation of a digital photo library in a public access system. It demonstrates how designers can utilize characteristics of a target user community (social constraints, trust, and a lack of anonymity) to provide capabilities, such as unrestricted annotation and uploading of photos, which would be impractical in other types of public access systems. It also presents a compact set of design principles and guidelines for ensuring the immediate usability of public access information systems. These principles and guidelines were derived from our experience developing PhotoFinder Kiosk, a community photo library. Attendees of a major HCI conference (CHI 2001 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems) successfully used the tool to browse and annotate collections of photographs spanning 20 years of HCI-related conferences, producing a richly annotated photo history of the field of human–computer interaction. Observations and usage log data were used to evaluate the tool and develop the guidelines. They provide specific guidance for practitioners, as well as a useful framework for additional research in public access interfaces. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses exploratory search tasks. Such tasks become necessary when information searches have some degree of ambiguity or uncertainty. Characteristics of exploratory search tasks include a desire to discover, acquire, or compare knowledge, and little specificity with respect to what is actually sought.

Creativity support tools is a research topic with high risk but potentially very high payoff. The goal is to develop improved software and user interfaces that empower users to be not only more productive but also more innovative. Potential users include software and other engineers, diverse scientists, product and graphic designers, architects, educators, students, and many others. Enhanced interfaces could enable more effective searching of intellectual resources, improved collaboration among teams, and more rapid discovery processes. These advanced interfaces should also provide potent support in hypothesis formation, speedier evaluation of alternatives, improved understanding through visualization, and better dissemination of results. For creative endeavors that require composition of novel artifacts (e.g., computer programs, scientific papers, engineering diagrams, symphonies, artwork), enhanced interfaces could facilitate exploration of alternatives, prevent unproductive choices, and enable easy backtracking. This U.S. National Science Foundation sponsored workshop brought together 25 research leaders and graduate students to share experiences, identify opportunities, and formulate research challenges. Two key outcomes emerged: (a) encouragement to evaluate creativity support tools through multidimensional in-depth longitudinal case studies and (b) formulation of 12 principles for design of creativity support tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]