bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Rules for User Interface Design (DRUID)
Authors: Fox Jeffrey A. , Smith Sidney L.
Published: January 2009

A well-designed user interface is important for the success and acceptance of any software product. Some experts believe that user interface design can be improved through the application of specific rules translated from general design guidelines. Derivation of design rules from guidelines can be aided by computer tools. But storing guidelines in a computer may offer no advantage over printed text unless the computer also provides aids for selecting and applying design guidelines.

DRUED development has been sponsored by The MITRE Corporation as a tool for improving user interface design. DRUID is based on the 944 design guidelines proposed in Smith and Mosier's 1986 Guidelines for Designing User Interface Software. But DRUID's capabilities extend beyond that original text and provide further aids for user interface design.

Initial DRUID capabilities demonstrated in 1988 support the review of design guidelines as an “electronic book”, enabling a user to navigate through structured hypertext to find specific guidelines, to find functionally related guidelines, and to browse through guidelines at will. DRUID also permits ready retrieval of related guideline material by cross referencing and via a topical index.

Newly developed DRUID capabilities extend that electronic book and move toward a computer-based design tool. DRUID users can now specify relevant guidelines for a system design application and rate the relative importance of those selected guidelines.

Proposed future DRUID capabilities will provide functions to rate design compliance with those selected guidelines, to aid the translation of guidelines into specific design rules, and to develop rule-based templates to support modular design of user interface software.

DRUID is implemented on the Apple Macintosh II computer with HyperCard software. The user interface for DRUID is designed to accommodate both expert and novice users. A DRUID user can accomplish sequence control either by pointing (via mouse) or by keyed command entries.

DRUID computer aids promise to help expedite and reduce the cost of the development of user interface software. Those aids should also help improve the quality and consistency of user interface software through rule-based design.
Satisfying the Special Needs of the Visually Impaired Diabetic through the User-Based Design of a Blood Glucose Monitoring System
Authors: Case Robert
Published: January 2009

Designing products for the visually impaired presents a different set of problems than those encountered when designing for the general population. Several research techniques and an integrated design methodology were utilized to address specific user-based issues. Visually impaired diabetics were interviewed throughout the development process to determine their concerns, needs and expectations. Concurrently, the research and design staff were sensitized to the condition of retinopathy so that the experience of being visually impaired directed their design-decision making process. The result, as this demonstration will show, was the development of a superior blood glucose monitoring system for the targeted user group. Design decisions and evaluations based on the extensive research will be demonstrated through the use of models and 35 mm slides – showing the beneficial results of this process.
A Delphi Algorithm that Integrates Knowledge for Expert System Development
Authors: Layton Terre L. , Ellis Newton C. , Huchingson R. Dale
Published: January 2009

A rapid growth of expert system development in various fields of study will likely occur in this decade. Two prerequisites are needed in order for this to happen: strong social need and technical feasibility. Given that both factors presently exist, a few areas where expert systems can help significantly include: (1) providing an interactively accessible source of updated and well-organized knowledge, and (2) assisting a user in decision making.

The current research reviews areas of Artificial Intelligence that relate to the process of knowledge acquisition for expert systems. Until very recently, the primary technique for knowledge acquisition has been the time-consuming process of interviews. Typical techniques include: structured and unstructured interviews, questionnaires, and verbal reporting which incorporates protocol analysis. The functions involved in one or more of the techniques encompass extraction of meaning, data inference, and rule induction coupled with retrospective comment analysis, and behavioral observations. The purpose of the current research is to explore different avenues for data acquisition when dealing with multiple knowledge sources with the objective to develop an automated technique for knowledge acquisition.

The Delphi Technique is the primary technique investigated in this study, and the result is the Delphi Manager algorithm which is based on the original version of the Delphi Exercise modified to benefit the expert system development process. Other users of the algorithm include: (1) model verification and validation, (2) forecasting, and (3) opinion polls for policy decision making. Although there are additional uses, the Delphi Manager is primarily formulated for the expert system development process.

The Delphi Manager was validated by using an existing knowledge base (KB) that was compiled by a paper and pencil version of the Delphi Technique. This existing KB was part of a dissertation by Randall F. Scott entitled “A Computer Programmer Productivity Prediction Model.”

The Delphi Manager has the potential to reduce significantly the time needed to collect and analyze new data. In addition, its user-friendly interface reduces the need for an advanced computer user either to build a questionnaire or to install a help facility. The program provides context sensitive help which is input by the developer through a series of templates. The Delphi Manager is also flexible enough to accommodate anyone from a novice to an advanced programmer. Improvements are suggested that are designed to provide additional program functionality and applications.
User-System Interface (USI) Prototyping
Authors: Hansen Mark D. , Griggs Edwin B. , Runyard Robert C. , Steiner Milton A. , Sigsbey Roy C.
Published: January 2009

This demonstration presents the utility of USI prototyping (of computer-based systems) as a human factors engineering design tool. We will present our USI prototyping tool, its composition, and a sample application. Throughout the demonstration we will illustrate how prototype USIs can be generated quickly and efficiently for user evaluation and immediate insertion into system design.

Our tool for prototyping USIs is called a “USI Prototyping System (USIPS).” USIPS is divided into four components: Imagetool, Fonttool, Dynatool, and On-Line Help. Imagetool is used to build static images of text and graphics. Fonttool is used to design the fonts used in the images. Dynatool is used to link these static images into user and event driven USIs that interface to real and or simulated data bases. As a result these USIs appear to work as they would in the target system. On-Line Help is used to provide unfamiliar users with information on how to operate USIPS. We will describe each of these components in the demonstration.

USI prototyping is used to formally and informally study design options for the USI before coding takes place. As the system design is being developed, different ways of interacting with users and displaying information is studied at relatively little cost. These studies yield an effective USI design which can then be implemented. A large bonus of USI prototyping is that it enables early and congenial interaction with future users of the system. User working groups can be formed and included early in the USI design process. Since the user is actively involved in the USI design process, user acceptance problems would be kept to a minimum. USI prototyping is also used to provide rapid answers to questions arising during the system development process.
A Comparative Study of Mouse and Keyboard Interfaces in Computer-Based Interactive Videodisc Training
Authors: Hiett Malcolm D.
Published: January 2009

Little empirical evidence exists to assist interactive videodisc and computer based training developers in determining optimum user-interfaces. Mouse and keyboard response modes have different instructional, development and cost factor advantages and disadvantages. This paper overviews a presentation related to the author's dissertation experiment covering these issues.
The Soft Stair: Falls Induced by a Laboratory Stair
Authors: Templer J. A. , Boulet J. A. M. , Hanagud S. , Hyde D.
Published: January 2009

This study is part of a research program directed at reducing stair injuries by absorbing much of the impact of a fall. Little is known about human kinetics during falls. The paper describes a laboratory stair that induces subjects to fall, but terminates the tumble before the stair is struck. The trajectory of the falling subjects provides insights into the nature of stair falls, and makes it possible to predict the forces that would be generated at impact.
Optimal Position of D-handles on Snow Shovels
Authors: Montazer M. Ali , Ruiz Roberto G. , Sanders Matthew S.
Published: January 2009

Handles and handle designs have been the subject of numerous studies over many years. There are a number of studies concerned with parameters such as the size, shape and length of handles as they affect human performance and work efficiency. This study is concerned with D-handles on snow shovels. A simulated snow shoveling experiment with 13 subjects was conducted to determine the optimal position of D-handles on snow shovels. The shovels used were identical with respect to the length and size of their handles as well as blade shape. However, they differed in the angular position of the D-handle with respect to the shovel blade. Subjective rates of perceived exertion and body parts discomfort were collected. Analysis of the data showed significant subject differences but insignificant shovel type differences. The graphical examination of the data reveals that D-handles positioned in the 0 to 30 degree range scored the lowest rates of overall exertion and body parts discomfort.
Human Factors Design Guidelines for the Disabled
Authors: Ward John T.
Published: January 2009

In an effort to develop human factors guidelines for designing consumer products for the disabled a series of interviews and surveys were conducted in the homes of noninstitutionalized disabled people. The study covered a variety of disabilities, and where possible, individuals with several different levels of a given disability were included. A detailed set of recommendations of specific controls for use on products to be used by disabled people was found to be impractical because interfaces which are desirable to one disabled person are often a bad choice for another. The greatest problem for most disabled consumers is the variety of controls often found on a product. If one key control is inoperable by a person, the product may be unusable for that person. A preferred method for designing for the disabled is to use less variety in the selection of controls on each product. By reducing the within product variability along certain key design dimensions an individual capable of using some of the controls is more likely to be able to use them all.
Designing a Computer Pencil and Tablet for Handwriting
Authors: Francik Ellen , Akagi Kenichi
Published: January 2009

We designed a computer pencil and tablet for Freestyle,TM a multimedia communications system based on handwritten annotations. Although graphics pens and tablets are already in use for handprinted character recognition and CAD applications, designing a pen and tablet specifically for rapid, continuous handwriting required substantial changes. Design criteria came from a laboratory study in which evaluators performed various writing and drawing tasks with a working pen and tablet. Evaluators rated the working system, plus model pens and tablets that were variants on a proposed design. Field observations of working prototypes also contributed to the final product.
Pest-Control Products: Reading Warnings and Purchasing Intentions
Authors: Leonard David. , Ponsi Kathryn A. , Silver N. Clayton , Wogalter Michael S.
Published: January 2009

This research is part of a large study examining people's perceptions of household pest-control products. Described in this report are the variables associated with peoples' willingness to read warnings on these products and the variables associated with likelihood to purchase. Two subject samples, comprised of 70 undergraduates and 20 adults, examined 22 pest-control products and responded to a questionnaire assessing perceptions of the products, the packaging, and the warnings. Results showed that product hazardousness, warning understandability, and warning attractiveness strongly related to subjects willingness to read the warnings. Unexpectedly, readability analyses indicated subjects would more likely read warnings with more sentences/statements and written at higher grade levels. A different set of variables was related to purchasing intentions. Subjects reported greater willingness to purchase products that were more familiar and which had more attractive packaging. Regression analyses were also performed to obtain models predictive of reading warnings and purchasing intentions. The results are discussed in terms of manufacturers' concerns of sales and consumer safety. The relative independence of subjects' purchasing intentions and the variables related to reading warnings suggests that manufacturers can place appropriate and effective warnings on pest-control products without the fear of reduced buying intentions.
Product Evaluation of Three Competing Document Production Devices
Authors: Harrison Patti L. Kelly , Sayer James R. , Snyder Harry L.
Published: January 2009

Three competing document production devices were evaluated in terms of ease of learning and ease of use. Forty temporary office workers were hired to learn each device and then perform 16 identical exercises on each machine. After each exercise, the subjects were to rate the features assessed in that exercise along several seven-point rating scales anchored on either “Easy to Do” - “Hard to Do” or “Easy to Remember” - “Hard to Remember.” After completing these exercises on each of the devices, the subjects were then asked to perform six additional exercises on the machines and to compare and rank them.

Data consisted of subjective ratings from the exercises, the times required to complete each of the exercises, and the subjective rankings of the machines. Analyses of variance of the subjective ratings identified 78 out of 160 factors by which to distinguish the devices. These subjective factors were supported by an analysis of variance of the time data. Nonparametric analysis of variance of the subjective rankings of the devices identified an additional 23 out of 26 features by which the devices reliably differed.
Design of a Consumer Computer Terminal for Automated Access to Overnight Delivery Services
Authors: Maddox Michael E. , Turpin James A.
Published: January 2009

Consumer product design is seldom approached in a truly systematic framework, especially in applied settings. Although most designers know about systems design techniques, real design projects usually appear to be driven by severe scheduling constraints, cost limitations, strongly held opinions on the part of management and designers, or all of these characteristics. There has also historically been friction between human factors professionals and industrial designers. The result is that most consumer products have not undergone a truly systematic process of design and testing.

This paper describes a case study in which a real product with potentially significant financial impact has been designed and is being tested using a systematic process. More significantly, this product represents a collaboration among company management, human factors professionals, and industrial designers. The overall design and testing process is described. Results from several tests, successively increasing the fidelity of the test items, are presented
Partial Attention in Warning Failure: Observations from Accidents
Authors: Robinson Gordon H.
Published: January 2009

One frequent reason for the failure of warnings is incomplete visual attention. The author draws on his experience as an expert witness in over 150 accidents where warnings were an issue to suggest causes of this problem and possible design directions.
What's on TV? Effects of Televised Advertising on Consumer Perceptions of Products and Product Safety
Authors: Cohen David M. , Cohen H. Harvey
Published: January 2009

In the course of working on a products liability accident case, the question was raised, what is a consumer's reasonable expectation regarding a popularly advertised product's quality and safety? In a first attempt to answer this question, the research literature dealing with the behavioral effects of televised advertising was reviewed. This paper presents the results of this review.
Increasing the Noticeability of Warnings: Effects of Pictorial, Color, Signal Icon and Border
Authors: Young Stephen L.
Published: January 2009

Because of the importance of noticeability on subsequent comprehension and compliance to warnings, guidelines suggest increasing the salience or conspicuity of warnings. Surprisingly, only a small amount of research has examined different methods of increasing the noticeability of warnings. Therefore, the current research orthogonally manipulated four salience variables (pictorial, color, signal icon and border) to determine their effect on noticeability of warning information. Subjects viewed 96 simulated alcohol labels on a computer, half with a warning and half without. Subjects indicated whether or not a warning was on the label and response latencies were recorded. The results showed that warnings containing a pictorial, color or an icon had significantly faster response times than warnings without them. However, the addition of a border did not improve response times. More detailed analyses showed interactions between the four salience manipulations. These results demonstrate that pictorials, color and icons can enhance the noticeability of warning information. Moreover, it is clear that these salience manipulations interact with each other and that they should not be used indiscriminately without adequate knowledge of these interactions.
Strength and Understanding of Signal Words by Elementary and Middle School Students
Authors: Silver N. Clayton , Wogalter Michael S.
Published: January 2009

Several recent studies have examined the connoted meaning of signal words that are commonly used in product warning labels and signs. However, the tested population in almost all of these studies has used college students. One purpose of the present research was to determine if the hazard levels implied by signal words connote the same relative meaning to a different population of persons, namely elementary and middle-school students. A second purpose was to assess the understandability of signal words using an objective measure based on the number of missing ratings (i.e., ratings left blank). A third purpose was to develop a list of potential signal words that would be understandable to most younger persons. Elementary and middle-school students rated 43 potential signal words on carefulness (i.e., “How careful would you be after seeing each term?”). A sample of 70 college students also rated the terms on carefulness, strength, and understandability. Although the younger students gave higher carefulness ratings to the words than did the college students, the rank order of the words was consistent across participant groups. In addition, ratings of understandability by college students were predictive of the terms that younger students left blank. Two shorter lists of potential signal words were derived that more than 95% or 99% of the youngest students (fourth and fifth graders) understood. The practical and forensic relevance of these results are discussed, including implications for hazard communication to persons of different populations.
Visual Factors in Rail-Highway Grade Crossing Accidents
Authors: Mortimer Rudolf G.
Published: January 2009

Drivers approaching railroad crossings make the final decision to cross based upon visual information, although auditory information may also be used beforehand. The major sources of information that affect the decision-process are considered, such as the types of warning devices at the crossings and on trains, road geometry, pavement characteristics, obstructions to visibility, traffic density, natural and artificial lighting, vehicle design factors and driver variables, including expectation, attention and search behavior.
An Eye Scan Analysis of Accessing Product Warning Information
Authors: Laughery Kenneth R. , Young Stephen L.
Published: January 2009

Eye tracking procedures were employed to study eye scan patterns of subjects searching for warning messages in product labels. Thirty-eight alcoholic beverage labels were constructed, 24 of which contained a warning. For each label, subjects indicated whether or not it contained a warning. Salience of the warning was manipulated by the presence or absence of four features which appeared individually or in combination. The features were a pictorial, an icon, color and a border. Of particular interest was the ability to decompose the total time it takes to find the warning in two components: location time and decision time. Location refers to the time it takes to find the area where the warning is, and decision refers to the time it takes to determine if the given information is a warning, as well as the time to make an overt response. The results show that the singular addition of a pictorial, an icon, color or a border did not produce a significant improvement in total time or in location time relative to a warning with no salient features (the baseline warning). The addition of a pictorial did improve decision time compared to the baseline warning. The combination of a pictorial, color and an icon produced a significant decrease in total time, location time and decision time. These results show that salience manipulations affect time to find a warning, as well as time to determine if given information is a warning.
Crew Performance in Spacelab
Authors: Wichman Harvey , Donaldson Stewart I.
Published: January 2009

This paper discusses two studies utilizing videotaped footage of crew members working in the micro-g environments aboard two flights of Spacelab. Various aspects of crew restraint, stabilization, manipulation of controls, and moving about were observed, operationally defined, and quantified by observing videotaped scenes of spacelab crew members. In the first study four performance behaviors were quantified in order to provide estimates of their frequency of occurrence and variation over the course of each of the flights: (1) movement between work stations (translation), (2) holding on with one hand to stabilize while working (Hand Hold), (3) use of provided foot restraints while working (Foot Restraint), (4) out-of-control body movements (Struggle). Eighty one-minute segments were randomly chosen of which 59 met the restrictive definitions for coding. Four raters timed all behaviors using stopwatches. Inter-rater reliabilities (Chronbach's ALPHA) varied between .87 and .96 for the four behaviors. The averaged responses of the four raters showed the following mean proportions of time for each of the behaviors: Translating=9.4%, Hand Hold=32.2%, Foot Restraint=35.3%, and Struggle=3.7%. Because more than a third of a crew member's time was spent inefficiently holding on with one hand while trying to work with the other, a second study was conducted exploring the use of foot restraints and hand stabilization. In both flights hand stabilization occurred more often when using a single cloth foot loop than when using two, t(90)=2.37, p < .01. Crew members increased their use of double foot restraints with experience.
A Prototype Modular Base System for Military Applications
Authors: Frey Thomas J.
Published: January 2009

Modularity is a concept that the military has been advocating for the design of ground station shelters for the past several years. To this end the military has created a program known as the Standard Mobile Segment (SMS). This program is intended to create standards for military shelters and the modular equipment housed within.

Standard shelter sizes were determined to be 8 foot high by 8 foot wide in overall lengths of 10, 20, 30, or 40 feet. These dimensions were selected to allow transport by truck in any state of the union. Wall thickness was set at 3″ leaving inside dimensions of 90″ high by 90″ wide.

Shelter components such as workstations, racks, equipment, and storage areas would be designed to be “plugged in” or “unplugged” as the need arose. All manufacturers would provide components with uniform interfaces in standard dimensions to be interchangeable with components of other manufacturers. As an example, one 48″ workstation could be removed and replaced with two 24″ electronic racks.

Using a standard sized shelter and the concept of modularity, the IBM Human Factors team in the Federal Sector Division in Boulder, Colorado began by creating a modular 48″ workstation that conformed with the SMS standard. The modular workstation was then expanded into a complete 20 foot transportable operations shelter. The prototype of this shelter in now complete and the modular concept has been expanded to include a modular base system.
The Effects of Direct and Indirect Office Lighting on VDT Workers
Authors: Hedge A.
Published: January 2009

A long-term follow-up study of the effects of lensed-indirect uplighting and parabolic downlighting on computer workers is described. Results from a 15 month post-installation survey showed consistently fewer complaints among workers with lensed-indirect uplighting compared with those with a parabolic downlighting. Workers with lensed-indirect uplighting reported fewer and less frequent eye focusing problems and fewer complaints about lighting conditions. Workers with parabolic lighting reported more lighting-related problems, more visual health complaints, and more lost productive time because of the lighting, and almost half of the lighting fixtures had been modified by users. A majority of workers expressed a strong preference for lensed-indirect uplighting.
Utilizing a Microcomputer Based Flight Simulation in Teaching Human Factors in Aviation
Authors: Moroney William F. , Moroney Brian W.
Published: January 2009

This paper describes the use of Microsoft's “Flight Simulator” and “Flight Simulator: Aircraft and Scenery Designer” in teaching human factors in aviation to psychology and engineering students. The student's role commenced as that of a participant-observer and concluded as that of a scientist-practitioner. Flight Simulator was used to familiarize the student with aerodynamic principles, the relationship between aircraft controls and displays and flight dynamics. Both the syllabus incorporating the flight simulation and the capabilities of the simulation are described. The authors examined the capabilities of the simulations and feel that they provide an excellent return for a comparatively small investment. Students felt that the ability to use a simulator greatly enhanced the course. The simulations have potential applications which remain to be tapped. As a teaching aid, it is rated “best buy”.
Showing What People Can and Cannot Do: Human Capacity and Limitations Demonstrations
Authors: Shapiro Ronald G. , White Royce M. , Brown Megan L. , Adams Roxann E. P.
Published: January 2009

To communicate Human Factors Design Principles to audiences of computer programmers, community groups, junior college and college students, the authors have combined a set of thirteen demonstrations of Human Capabilities and Limitations into an effective, stand-alone presentation lasting from one to two hours. Each of the demonstrations and the implications of each demonstration for product design will be explained. The content areas include:

Memory

Classical Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Cognitive Learning

Obedience to Authority.

Rule Usage

Perception

Adaptation

Response Competition

The primary goal of this paper is to provide the Human Factors Educator, Practitioner or Graduate Student with an alternative way to introduce the topic of Human Factors in one or two consolidated sessions to a variety of audiences which will be informative, popular, easy to prepare for, and very inexpensive. A secondary goal is to provide some demonstration ideas which might be used to supplement traditional classroom lectures.
ABET Accreditation and Human Factors Engineering Course
Authors: Deivanayagam S.
Published: January 2009

A Panel Session Sponsored by Educators' Professional Group
Using Tracon™ as a Teaching Tool
Authors: Smolensky Mark W.
Published: January 2009

TRACON is an air traffic control simulator for the personal computer. The purpose of this demonstration is to illustrate its potential usefulness in illustrating human factors issues in a real-world task.
The Thesis Simulation: An Approach for Teaching Research Skills in a Remote, Non-Thesis Program
Authors: Dingus Thomas A. , Gillan Douglas J.
Published: January 2009

Remote education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels is becoming increasingly popular. With advances in technology (utilizing satellite uplinks, VCR compatible video production facilities and computer conferencing), high-quality, flexible, remote education is now feasible. However, particularly at the graduate level, achieving the ultimate goal of providing the same educational opportunities off-campus as on-campus is not a simple process. For example, providing research skill development is difficult in the remote education environment. In human factors, such skill development can not be easily overlooked or under-emphasized since many available career opportunities require significant research efforts.

Traditionally, a large portion of research skill is developed during the conduct of a thesis project. Unfortunately, many remote students are not in a position to fulfill thesis requirements with out significant tenure (up to one year) on campus. Such requirements can preclude many students from pursuing a graduate education in the field of their choice. The current paper describes an approach (dubbed “the thesis simulation”) for providing research skill development opportunities, to the greatest extent possible, to remote students in a non-thesis, remote human factors program.
Knowledge of Warning Labels on Alcoholic Beverage Containers
Authors: Kaskutas Lee , Greenfield Tom
Published: January 2009

Health warning labels are now required on alcohol beverage containers in the United States. This study addresses who has seen these labels and changes in relevant knowledge. Random national samples of adults were interviewed by telephone six months prior to and six months after the enactment in November 1989 of the warning label law (N=2006 and 2000, respectively). Six months after introduction of warning labels, over one fifth of the respondents reported having seen the labels. Greater proportions of key target groups, such as young men at risk for drunk driving and heavy drinkers, reported seeing the warnings. Strength of belief in the truth of included label content increased significantly but very slightly, while for several non-included potential warnings it declined somewhat. The findings suggest that the current warning labels are being noticed by many of those at risk of hazards discussed in the labels. Health information on alternative messages was initially less well known and knowledge levels declined, suggesting these also be considered as suitable warning messages.
Effects of Explicitness in Conveying Severity Information in Product Warnings
Authors: Laughery Kenneth R. , Rowe-Hallbert Anna L. , Young Stephen L. , Vaubel Kent P. , Laux Lila F.
Published: January 2009

Manufacturers typically provide consumers with a warning message on the label of potentially hazardous products in order to encourage their safe use. Warnings often vary in explicitness and severity, where explicitness refers to the specificity of the stated injury consequences and severity refers to the harshness of the consequences. This study examined the nature of the relationship between explicitness and severity and explored changes in people's perceptions of four common consumer products as a result of exposure to warnings that varied on these two dimensions. The results show that explicitness and severity are related. The results also demonstrated that exposure to explicit warnings produced an increase in rated severity of injury and intent to act cautiously with a product. Overall this study suggests that, unless they are explicit, warnings on common consumer products may not change perceptions and subsequent intentions to act cautiously.
Increasing Human Factors Effectiveness in Product Design
Authors: Fisher Wayne
Published: January 2009

Human Factors specialists working alone or in small groups face a number of challenges when designing commercial products. These challenges range from having a role that is often poorly understood to a basic lack of staff resources. Strengthening the role of Human Factors specialists typically requires the allocation of already scarce resources and as a result individuals working alone or in small groups often face a breadth versus depth trade off. This is because activities such as user interface design and test and evaluation can be resource intensive to the exclusion of other tasks.

An alternate role for Human Factors specialists working in this type of environment is to focus on information as a critical resource and to leave design implementation to other, better staffed development groups. This change in emphasis allows the Human Factors specialist to focus on identifying user needs and testing to ensure that those needs are met.

Changing from a designer to an information provider requires skills in two areas: information gathering at the early phases of the product development cycle and usability testing at the design phase. Information gathering activities are used to identify critical user interface elements and to develop behavioural objectives for the product. Usability testing is used to provide ongoing feedback about the effectiveness of the design solution throughout the design phase of the project.

One key result of Human Factors specialists becoming more involved with defining user (customer) needs to the developers and verifying that the product design meets these needs is to shift the design focus from engineering driven to user centered.
Legibility of Seven Segment Numeric LED Displays: Comparisons of Two Fonts at Various Distances
Authors: Gunderson Jon , Gruetzmacher George , Swanson Naomi
Published: January 2009

The legibility of seven segment numeric displays was investigated for two different numeric LED fonts at five reading distances. An alternative font as proposed by Van Nes and Bouma (1980) was compared to the font used currently by many commercial products. Subjects performed a digit cancelling task as single digits were presented on the seven segment display at various reading distances. The error rate and response times for five reading distances from 8 to 25 feet were evaluated for a .3 × .188 inch LED display (VAS of 0.179 to 0.0573 degrees) The font proposed by Van Nes and Bouma was found to reduce errors by almost 50 percent at all but the longest viewing distance. This design information is valuable especially when designing medical equipment for critical care and operating room environments.
Posted Warning Placard: Effects on College Students Knowledge of Alcohol Facts and Hazards
Authors: Kalsher Michael J. , Clarke Steven W. , Wogalter Michael S.
Published: January 2009

Federal legislation requires a warning label on all alcoholic beverage containers sold in the U.S. However, this method of communicating the hazards of alcohol consumption is lacking because (a) it is not designed to reach the underage population, (b) the warning label is small and contains limited information, and (c) the information is not communicated when alcoholic beverages are not served in their original container (e.g., by the glass). The present study was conducted to determine if a posted placard would effectively convey alcohol-related information to college students. A warning sign containing this information was field-tested in eight fraternities assigned to conditions of a Solomon four-group (pre-post) design. In the warning intervention conditions, signs were posted at various locations in fraternity houses. A questionnaire was distributed that assessed knowledge of five categories of hazards associated with alcohol consumption. Results indicated that, in general, students were knowledgeable about alcohol consumption facts and hazards, but that knowledge of alcohol-related information significantly increased as a result of exposure to the warning.
Limits of Intelligibility of Accelerated Synthesized Speech by Inexperienced Sighted and Experienced Blind Listeners
Authors: Gunderson Jon
Published: January 2009

People with blindness who use computer systems cannot use the standard CRT display to access information presented by the computer. The main medium for people with blindness to access computers is through electronic speech synthesizers. One of the characteristics of computer users with blindness is to increase the speech rate of the synthesizer to rates more than double normal conversational speech rates. To the casual listener the increased speech rates seem unintelligible. There have not been quantitative measurements of this observed behavior to determine the limits of speech intelligibility and behaviors at high speech rates. This study is designed to investigate the limits of speech intelligibility of accelerated synthesized speech for both inexperienced and experienced listeners. The results of this experiment show that intelligibility decreases linearly with speech rate. There is no significant difference between the percentage of words correct between the experienced and inexperienced group. There is a significant difference in the number of words confused between the two groups. The lack of group effects in the percentage of words correct is due to a bimodal distribution of scores in the experienced group. While subjects in the experienced group clearly demonstrated the highest intelligibility the group also have some of the lowest intelligibility scores.
The Design of Keyboard Templates
Authors: Nolan Peter R.
Published: January 2009

The keyboard template is a primary means of organizing software features for the end-user in a business office. This paper presents preference data collected from end-users in several small field studies. The data is used as a basis for design recommendations on five variables: template layout; coding; fonts; logic and shape. The data revealed that users prefer the F key legend and labels left justified with no vertical or horizontal lines. Color coding should use the color coding already employed on the host keyboard, with additional primary colors, if necessary. A mixed upper and lower case in a sans-serif font should be used to print the function labels. Vertical logic should move outward from the function key, and a shape that wraps around the function keys is preferred to a straight template. Examples of currently available templates are used to illustrate the design points being made. There is a discussion of the methodology used.
Designing User Interface Guidelines for Time-Shift Programming on a Video Cassette Recorder (VCR)
Authors: Hoffberg Linda I.
Published: January 2009

Advances in technology may create additional problems for the user. The average consumer encounters difficulty when programming electronic products which require a series of steps to operate. The user-interfaces of these products vary not only among different types of products, but also within the individual market itself. There are presently no interface guidelines in existence to assist designers in developing easy to use electronic programmable products.

This research proposes user interface guidelines to improve the current poor interface designs of the Video Cassette Recorder (VCR). Improving the interfaces of electronic products results in less frustration for users. This study demonstrates the advantages of incorporating human factors design criteria into the interface of electronic programmable devices. Research and testing performed on existing VCRs identified problems and the need to minimize them.

The results of the research were used to develop and implement a new interface using HyperPADTM, a prototyping tool for the IBM/PC. HyperPADTM was also used to simulate an existing VCR. A data collection program captured the users' keystrokes and errors, and simplified the analysis of the raw data. Test results for the new VCR interface demonstrated a 50% reduction in the number of incorrect recordings and a 50% reduction in the time required to set the clock and program the VCR.
The Transfer of Skill from a Computer Game Trainer to Actual Flight
Authors: Gopher Daniel , Weil Maya , Bareket Tal
Published: January 2009

A study was conducted at the flight school of the Israeli Airforce to test the transfer of skills from a complex computer game to flight. The context relevance of the game to flight was argued on the basis of a skill oriented task analysis, anchored in contemporary models of the human processing system. The influence of two embeded training strategies was compared, one focusing on the specific skills involved in performing the game, the other designed to improve the general ability of trainees to cope with the high attention load of the flight task. Flight scores of two groups of cadets who received 10 hours of training in the computer game were compared with those of a matched group of cadets without game experience. Both game groups performed significantly better than the no game group in the subsequent test flights. They also had higher final percentage of graduation from the flight training program. The game has now been incorporated in the regular training program of the airforce.
Learning in Consistent Search-Detection Tasks: Type of Search (Memory vs. Visual) Determines Type of Learning
Authors: Corso Gregory M. , Hodge Kevin A. , Fisk Arthur D.
Published: January 2009

The theoretical and practical importance of search paradigms has been well established. This experiment was designed to extend understanding of learning processes in search tasks. Subjects trained under memory, visual, or hybrid memory/visual search conditions and then either transferred to a different search condition (e.g., train on memory, transfer to visual search) or served as controls (e.g., train on memory, transfer to memory search). Asymmetrical transfer was observed. These results have implications for current theories of attention as well as applicability in training situations.
Recognition of Non-Studied Visual Depictions of Aircraft: Improvement by Distributed Presentation
Authors: Jarrard Stephen W. , Wogalter Michael S.
Published: January 2009

This experiment examined the effects of three methods of presentation, one massed and two distributed, on recognition of complex visual stimuli (military aircraft). Also examined was whether the effects of these methods differ as a function of the view at test (same or different from the studied view). In the massed presentation, aircraft were exposed once for eight seconds with each exposure separated by a blank interval of 20 seconds. In the successive distributed condition, each target aircraft was presented four times in a row for two seconds with each exposure separated by blank intervals of five seconds. In the random distributed condition, the aircraft were presented for the same on-off time intervals as the successive distributed condition, but the sequence of the study list was random. Results showed that recognition performance, as assessed by measures of hits, false alarms, and discrimination accuracy was significantly better when the same view was given at study and at test versus a different view. While presentation method did not produce an effect by itself, it did interact with test view. With a different view at test, distributed presentation showed a small, but significant, improvement in recognition performance compared to massed presentation. These results are discussed with regard to the high likelihood that most real-word visual stimuli are seen in a different views at subsequent exposures. Distributed presentation may be a useful way to prepare individuals for a different view at a later time.
Incident Evolution and Task Demands: An Analysis and a Field Study of ‘Going Sour” Incidents
Authors: Xiao Yan , Milgramxy1 Paul , Doyle D. John
Published: January 2009

When managing complex systems, cognitive demands or problem-solving situations can appear in different ways. In some situations, problems surface gradually while being recognised, identified and treated. This category of situations has been labelled as ‘going sour” incidents. Within these incidents, there are a number of interesting and unique features warranting special attention.

The present research project attempts to depict the the task demands associated with going sour incidents. After initial analysis of complexity and some field observations, initial hypotheses were generated. Subsequent field study has provided support for the hypotheses.

Major findings on going sour incidentsinclude: (1) problem-solving spans a long period of time and requires synthesis of information over this period; (2) trouble spots have to be checked repeatedly as the environment is likely to change over time; (3) interventions are required before obtaining sufficient number of signs; and (4) multiple hypotheses must be maintained and examined as the underlying problem changes appearance slowly from one form to another.
A Training Approach for Context-Sensitive Skills: An Example with Typeface Selection
Authors: Keough Barbara , Shalin Valerie L. , McKenna Paul
Published: January 2009

Cognitive task analysis and Computer Science have revolutionized training technology with intelligent tutoring systems (Wenger, 1987). However, some key assumptions determine the success of such systems: 1) Student knowledge is rule-based, so that performance may be evaluated according to the presence or absence of rules and 2) The computer and the student have access to the same information about the problem context. In the instructional task domain we are addressing–-typeface selection–-neither assumption is appropriate. Each selection emerges as an interaction with the parameters and contingencies of the particular problem (Suchman, 1987). Furthermore, an important property of typeface is its evocative or emotional power–-a property that cannot be represented adequately in a computer.

Our objective is to develop a satisfactory compromise using computer-aided instruction, specifically for the domain of typeface selection. Following Clancey (1983) and Winograd & Flores (1986), we recognize that some of the knowledge we seek to train will simply not “be in” the computer. However, it may be reflected in the design and organization of training exercises, which set up a sensitivity to the important dimensions of the problem. We take advantage of the computer medium to demonstrate typeface and layout transformations of preprogrammed text examples, as well as text examples entered on-line by the student. In addition, a hypertext style menuing system allows the student to access any part of the system from any point.

In this paper we provide a description of the system we have built for training in the domain of typeface selection, and discuss the relevance of this system for two applications concerns in human factors: 1) The design of messages for public display and 2) The training of context sensitive skill.