An Architecture for Collaborative Terrain Sketching with Mobile Devices.

With the popularity of mobile devices, wearables and auxiliaries such as stylus, a number of possible modes for interaction are available. However, the concept of simultaneous copying of multiple snippets of text is not yet widely available. It might be useful to the user to paste multiple snippets of text simultaneously, rather than copy and paste individual snippets multiple times. Multiple copy and paste is especially useful for mobile devices given the limited screen size and number of cumbersome operations involved. In this paper, we modify the architecture of the web browser to support this operation of multiple copy and paste. We present the modified web browser architecture and implementation details of the system, along with some user interactions in which the feature for multiple text snippet copy and paste can be implemented. We also present a usability study to determine how usable the feature for multiple copy and paste was found by a group of users.

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of gender and prior experience with virtual reality (VR) on Immersive User Experience. We propose to use IUX to describe user experience with immersive technologies. IUX includes traditional component of UX (i.e., pragmatic quality and hedonic qualities identification and stimulation) as well as components specific to VR (i.e., presence and cybersickness). We conducted an experiment with 52 students, asking them to perform an aeronautical assembly task in VR. Results show that gender has an effect on two subscales of presence – self-assessment of performance and ability to act – and on hedonic quality stimulation. Prior experience with VR has an effect on self-assessment of performance, pragmatic quality and hedonic quality stimulation. Gender and prior experience with VR have an insignificant effect on cybersickness.

Experience is key in deciding whether or not to adopt a system such as persuasive technology, which aims to persuade people to take up a targeted attitude or behavior. Thousands of persuasive technologies have been developed for commercial and academic uses; however, many studies on experience have mainly been conducted on products and none have focused on studying experience in the context of persuasive technologies. Therefore, this study aims to investigate emotional experience and user experience when using persuasive technology. Twenty-five participants comprising university staffs and students were given 6 weeks to use two different persuasive web applications—one on health and the other on environmental issues. A pre-post interaction approach was carried out to analyze the participants’ emotional experiences; Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) instruments and questionnaires were used to assess user experience based on the pragmatic, hedonic, and appeal quality of the web applications. From 20 PANAS emotions, only six emotions were found to have significant impact. Although a significant change happened in user experience perceptions from the pre-interaction to post-interaction stages, no significant change happened in user emotional experience. The findings imply that the changes in user experience perceptions over time may contribute towards altering persuasion, whether by increasing or reducing persuasion via persuasive technology. As a result, this study contributes new information to the theory of designing persuasive technology such that more concern is put on the hedonic quality and appealingness of a system for greater user experience and an emotionally impactful and successful persuasion.

User experience (UX) arises from the user's interaction with a product and its pragmatic and hedonic (pleasure) qualities. Until recently, UX evaluation has focused mainly on examining short-term experiences. However, as the user-product relationship evolves over time, the hedonic aspects of UX eventually seem to gain more weight over the pragmatic aspects. To this end, we have developed a UX Curve method for evaluating long-term user experience, particularly the hedonic quality. In this paper, we present a study in which the UX Curve was used to retrospectively evaluate the UX of Facebook and mobile phones. The results show that compared to a questionnaire, the UX Curve method is more effective for identifying the hedonic aspects of UX. This method can be used by practitioners and researchers who want to understand evolving UX and to design better products. This straightforward method is especially suited for industrial contexts where resources are limited.

A pedestrian experience framework to help identify impediments to walking by mobility-challenged pedestrians

BackgroundThe terms health app and medical app are often used interchangeably but do not necessarily mean the same thing. To better understand these terms and better regulate such technologies, we need distinct definitions of health and medical apps.ObjectiveThis study aimed to provide an overview of the definitions of health and medical apps from an interdisciplinary perspective. We summarized the core elements of the identified definitions for their holistic understanding in the context of digital public health.MethodsThe legal frameworks for medical device regulation in the United States, the European Union, and Germany formed the basis of this study. We then searched 6 databases for articles defining health or medical apps from an interdisciplinary perspective. The narrative literature review was supported by a forward and backward snowball search for more original definitions of health and medical apps. A qualitative analysis was conducted on the identified relevant aspects and core elements of each definition. On the basis of these findings, we developed a holistic definition of health and medical apps and created a decision flowchart to highlight the differences between the 2 types.ResultsThe legal framework showed that medical apps could be regulated as mobile medical devices, whereas there is no legal term for health apps. Our narrative literature review identified 204 peer-reviewed publications that offered a definition of health and medical apps. After screening for original definitions and applying the snowball method, 11.8% (24/204) of the publications were included in the qualitative analysis. Of these 24 publications, 22 (88%) provided an original definition of health apps and 11 (44%) described medical apps. The literature suggests that medical apps are a part of health apps. To describe health or medical apps, most definitions used the user group, a description of health, the device, the legal regulation, collected data, or technological functions. However, the regulation should not be a distinction criterion as it requires legal knowledge, which is neither suitable nor practical. An app’s intended medical or health use enables a clear differentiation between health and medical apps. Ultimately, the health aim of an app and its main target group are the only distinction criteria.ConclusionsHealth apps are software programs on mobile devices that process health-related data on or for their users. They can be used by every health-conscious person to maintain, improve, or manage the health of an individual or the community. As an umbrella term, health apps include medical apps. Medical apps share the same technological functions and devices. Health professionals, patients, and family caregivers are the main user groups. Medical apps are intended for clinical and medical purposes and can be legally regulated as mobile medical devices.

The explosive growth in the number of mobile devices such as Internet-enabled cellular phones, wireless handheld devices, wireless laptops, and tablet PCs has driven the corresponding growth in applications for mobile computing. These applications usually belong to one of two classes: collaborative applications and individual application. While collaborative applications require several mobile devices to work together and include peer-to-peer computing and grid computing, individual applications are local to the mobile device and its user. In this paper, we present a framework that allows mobile devices to collaboratively work on a computationally-expensive problem. Such a problem is decomposed into smaller tasks and distributed across other mobile devices willing to share their computational power with others. This framework is based on the paradigm of grid computing applied to the domain of wireless mobile devices. This paper presents our current implementation of the framework architecture and simulation of its functionality. Also, we focus on the issues of mobility, QoS and network stability and their effect on the performance of our collaborative problem-solving framework.

A preliminary study was carried out as an initiative to probe into the possibilities of incorporating mobile apps and social networks in medical library services. Major objective was to find out the trend and preference of medical faculty students in using mobile devices for accessing information. The cross-sectional survey design was used with mixed method. Self-administered questionnaire was distributed among students of eight medical faculties in Sri Lanka and 120 filled questionnaires were received from six medical faculties. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The use of a mobile device was analyzed through factor analysis. Cronbach’s alpha of the particular statements is 0.864 which indicate the adequate internal consistency of the statements and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy (KMO) and Bartlett test value is 0.788 which indicate that the data is suitable for factor analysis. The factor analysis resulted in four-factor model, which explain 66.43% of variance in the data. The four factors are ‘educational use’, ‘entertainment use’, ‘basic communicational use’ and ‘free call use’. Since the factor - educational use explain highest percentage (39%) of variance in the data, it indicates that there is a potential to use mobile device for educational purposes. The results also have revealed that majority of the students (85.2%) retrieved medical information through web resources using mobile devices. They also collect information using personal communication especially from friends and lecturers (41.5%). Among the information sources which they use through the mobile devices, Google is at the first place (82.3%) and Wikipedia (80%) is in second place. Only 67.2% of them use the mobile device to read e-books. In the purpose of using mobile devices for educational purpose, highest usage was observed for retrieval of images (81.8%), information on drugs (76.6%) and clinical guidelines (72.3%). Slow Internet connectivity (77.9%), poor network or signal coverage (76.6%), and lack of Wi-Fi facilities in faculty settings (55.9%) are the major barriers to using of mobile devices. Despite the students are positive about mobile devices, they consider more about the authenticity of online information and lack of knowledge and awareness on access to medical information. Moreover, they were mostly inclined to Google and Wikipedia but were unaware of other online resources to access medical information. Therefore, adopting mobile devices in health/medical information literacy programmes and curricula are recommended with further research.

The growing amount of low cost mobile devices over the last years allowed almost each person to be equipped with their personal device. This situation is leading researchers to investigate new possibilities to exploit the physical presence of several mobile devices for purposes like co-located collaborative activities. For example, today it is a common situation that a group of users tries to satisfy situational needs by using their mobile devices without the possibility to ‘integrate’ or join them to make more use of their full potential. In this paper, we propose a study to evaluate a new paradigm designed to compose data sources available on each mobile device through their spatial arrangement on a desk. HuddleLamp is a device that allows each mobile device to be spatially-aware of all other mobile devices on the desk. The main goal of this study is to understand if spatial awareness features can support co-located collaborative tasks to satisfy situational informational needs.KeywordsMulti-device environmentsSpatially-aware interfacesUser study

Falls are a major public health concern in today’s aging society. Virtual reality (VR) technology is a promising method for reducing fall risk. However, the absence of representations of the user’s body in a VR environment lessens the spatial sense of presence. In terms of user experience, augmented reality (AR) can provide a higher degree of presence and embodiment than VR. We developed an AR-based exergame system that is specifically designed for the elderly to reduce fall risk. Kinect2.0 was used to capture and generate 3D models of the elderly and immerse them in an interactive virtual environment. The software included three functional modules: fall risk assessment, cognitive–motor intervention (CMI) training, and training feedback. The User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ-S) was used to evaluate user experience. Twenty-five elders were enrolled in the study. It was shown that the average scores for each aspect were: pragmatic quality score (1.652 ± 0.868); hedonic quality score (1.880 ± 0.962); and overall score was 1.776 ± 0.819. The overall score was higher than 0.8, which means that the system exhibited a positive user experience. After comparing the average score in a dataset product of UEQ-S Data Analysis Tool, it was found that the pragmatic quality aspect was categorized as good, while the hedonic quality aspect was categorized as excellent. It revealed a positive evaluation from users.

Traditional rehabilitation programs for children with cerebral palsy and acquired brain injuries aim to enhance motor and cognitive abilities through repetitive exercises, which are often perceived as tedious and demotivating. Extended reality technologies, including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality, offer more engaging methods through exergames. However, to date, no AR exergames simultaneously integrate cognitive and motor aspects within navigational tasks. Developing these exergames necessitates rigorous methodological steps, especially when using emerging technologies such as AR. The MIDE (Multidisciplinary Iterative Design of Exergames) framework advocates a participatory design approach, involving users from the outset, the objective being to optimize the interface and validate game mechanics through user experience (UX) assessment. Some researchers initially test these mechanisms on healthy children before applying them to clinical populations. This study aims to evaluate the UX of our AR exergames, consisting of two games (AR Corsi and AR Zoo), in typically developing children. Typically developing children participated in two 1.5-hour sessions. During each session, they played one of two AR games using the Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset: AR Corsi and AR Zoo, both of which are designed to engage executive functions and motor skills through navigational capabilities. UX was assessed after each session using the following measures: System Usability Scale scores for usability, AttrakDiff for attractiveness and game quality, MeCue for emotional experience, and Rating scale of Perceived Exertion for Children for pre- and postsession mental and physical fatigue. A total of 27 participants (mean age 11.9, SD 1.2 years) were included in the study. Mean System Usability Scale scores were 79.9 (SD 11.4) for AR Corsi and 76.3 (SD 12.1) for AR Zoo, indicating good usability. The AttrakDiff questionnaire yielded favorable results, with scores between 1 and 3 for overall attractiveness, pragmatic quality, and stimulation for both AR games. However, the hedonic quality "identity" received neutral scores (mean 0.6, SD 0.5 for AR Corsi and mean 0.7, SD 0.8 for AR Zoo). The MeCue emotions module yielded average scores of 5.2 (SD 0.7) for AR Corsi and 5.3 (SD 0.8) for AR Zoo, significantly exceeding the theoretical mean of 4 (P<.001). We observed a significant effect of physical fatigue (P=.02) and mental fatigue (P=.002) after exposure to both games. A comparative analysis of UX between the two games showed no significant differences. This study demonstrates that our exergame, comprising two AR games, is user-friendly and well-received by typically developing children, eliciting positive emotions and overall appeal. Although some children reported fatigue, favorable UX evaluation confirms the validity of the game's content and mechanisms, suggesting its suitability for use among children with cerebral palsy and acquired brain injuries.

Although museums and archives dispose of extensive cultural heritage data, suitable interfaces for exploration of these collections are lacking. We describe an applied research based on an archive of historic photographs. Our main objective is to engage the general audience in the exploration of this data and thus facilitate discovery and insight. Embodied interaction [1] promises much potential for this endeavour and is highly suitable for museums and exhibition spaces when implemented with vision based technology as no contact with hardware is required. In addition, MR output is attractive for surrounding audiences. To test this assertion, an immersive interactive MR exploration space was developed applying embodied concepts, where the user’s position and movement in the interaction space combined with in-air gestures are used for application control of the super-positioned collection data space. A user study was conducted to measure differences in user engagement, exploration behaviour and discovery between this embodied interaction concept and traditional WIMP interaction. With embodied interaction, a significantly higher degree of exploration of the collection space was measured and users discovered slightly more novelties and connections. Additionally, a higher sense of immersion, fresh perspective on the contents and increased interest in the collection were reported. Hedonic qualities (e.g. stimulation, aesthetic appeal, reward factor) scored significantly higher while pragmatic qualities such as perceived usability were lower.

A pre-anesthesia evaluation app named EVAN was developed to facilitate anesthesiologists in their daily practice. EVAN contained a well-organized interface for medical records and an evaluation entry page. The purpose of this study is to assess the usability of EVAN and to find the weakness in the user interface before the revision. Twenty participants were recruited in this study with three components: user task analysis, questionnaires, and semi-structured interview. During the user task analysis, participants were asked to complete 16 tasks under monitoring. The second component of the study is questionnaires, consisted of SUS and AttrakDiff-Short. According to the results, seven participants completed all the tasks successfully. Two tasks had the most failures (8 and 7 failures, respectively). Participants were unable to find a specific function due to inadequate clues on the interactive buttons. Results of task analysis also revealed that the current logic of data storage which aimed to prevent accidental deletion, was not intuitive for most participants. Despite the drawbacks, the gradings of SUS questionnaire was 80.6 ± 14.4, which is an above average result. Scores from the AttrakDiff-Short were all positive, for both pragmatic quality, hedonic quality, and attractiveness. The results of this study are summarized and integrated for the revision of EVAN.

Implementing EMR improves the efficiency and quality of healthcare services. The success of an EMR is supported by UI/UX design. Objective: This study aims to design a web-based EMR UI/UX at PMB Sri Wahyuni that aligns with user needs. Methods: This study is a level 1 R&amp;D research using UCD and UEQ methods. Primary data were collected through interviews, observations, and distribution of questionnaires from all four staff members at PMB Sri Wahyuni. PMB Sri Wahyuni currently does not have an EMR system. Issues include unstructured registration, incomplete identification data, difficulty accessing patient history, and inefficient data processing. The UI/UX design comprises four main menus: dashboard, services, master data, and account. UEQ scores were: attractiveness (2.292); pragmatic quality (2.250), with perspicuity (2.313), efficiency (2.375), dependability (2.063); hedonic quality (2.156), with stimulation (2.250), novelty (2.063). PMB Sri Wahyuni requires a web-based EMR to resolve current issues. The UI/UX design aligns with user needs, achieving excellent benchmark results. The highest group score was attractiveness (2.292), and the highest aspect score was efficiency (2.375). PMB Sri Wahyuni should implement the EMR, advancing the UI/UX design to the development stage while maintaining high UEQ scores.

Modelling user experience with web sites: Usability, hedonic value, beauty and goodness