bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is the Ambidextrous Advantageous When using Large Touchscreens?
Authors: Kang Hwa-young , Shin Gwanseob
Published: October 2013

Conducting touch gestures on large format touchscreens for personal computers (PCs) is known to cause greater body discomforts than that from using a traditional PC due to frequent hand movements in floating arm postures. It was of interest whether the discomforts would vary depending on user’s handedness. The current study investigated potential associations between user’s handedness and subjectively assessed discomforts during the use of a 23” touchscreen personal computer. Twenty two participants were grouped by their handedness (left-handed, ambidextrous, right-handed), and conducted a typical web browsing task for 30 minutes while their hand/arm movements and subjective body discomfort ratings were periodically collected. Results show that ambidextrous participants used both hands more evenly than the other two groups, and they also reported significantly less body discomforts (p<0.05) compared to the others. To reduce physical discomforts and prevent musculoskeletal problems associated with the extended use of touchscreens, alternating hands in conducting touch gestures could be recommended.
The Effects of Mobile Computer Location in a Vehicle Cab on Muscle Activity and Body Posture of Large and Small Drivers
Authors: Saginus Kyle , Marklin Richard
Published: October 2013

The objective of this research is to determine the best location to place a conventional mobile PC supported by a commercially available mount in a vehicle cab for small and large body sizes. Many North American electric utility companies and sales agencies are in the process of integrating mobile computers into their fleet vehicle cabs. Four locations of mobile computers in a light truck cab were tested in a laboratory study to determine how driver body size and computer location affected muscle activity of the lower back and shoulders and joint angles of the shoulders, elbows, and wrists of small and large drivers. Driver size had a negligible effect on biomechanical loading. Regardless of driver size, placing the mobile computer closer to the steering wheel reduced low back and shoulder muscle activity required to use the mobile computer, and joint angles were also closer to neutral. Also locating the mobile computer close to the steering wheel reduces risk factors of injuries such as low back pain and shoulder tendonitis. A recommendation for the initial location along with adjustments to locate the mobile computer with respect to the steering wheel is included.
Trunk Kinematics under Sudden Loading Impact when Adopting Different Foot Postures
Authors: Zhou Jie , Ning Xiaopeng , Dai Boyi
Published: October 2013

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of foot posture on trunk biomechanical responses when experiencing sudden external loading. Fifteen subjects were recruited to perform a series of sudden loading tasks using three different foot postures with two levels of weight. Our results showed that sudden external loading generated the smallest impact when subjects adopted “Staggered Stance”. Compared with “Wide Stance”, “Staggered Stance” significantly decreased the increment of trunk flexion angle, increment of L5/S1 joint moment, and peak L5/S1 joint anterior-posterior shear force by 21.5%, 6.5%, and 22.5%, respectively. Compared with “Narrow Stance”, the decreases were 15.1%, 3.2%, and 16.2% respectively. Heavier load weight resulted in larger spinal impact. The interaction effect between foot posture and magnitude of the load was not significant. The findings of this study could be used in reducing the risk of low back pain when dealing with sudden loading.
Combining Very Limited Anthropometric Data
Authors: Albin Thomas J.
Published: October 2013

Occasionally an ergonomist or designer is asked to develop an anthropometric model that will accommodate a desired proportion of an anticipated user population, but with only very limited anthropometric data, such as a summary table of percentiles, available. Despite the known problems of adding or subtracting percentiles, that may be the only option available to him or her. This paper introduces a technique that reduces the error associated with adding percentiles, although it does not eliminate it. Two examples are given.
Comparisons of Tibial Shock when walking on four different flooring surface materials used in distribution centers
Authors: Lavender Steven A. , Mehta Jay P. , Allread W. Gary
Published: October 2013

Flooring surfaces can be made from concrete, bar grate, composite materials, or may be covered with matting material. Anecdotal data suggested that surfaces made from wood composite materials may be a more comfortable surface on which to work. The objective of this study was to quantify differences in tibial shock as 16 people walked on concrete, bar grate, a wood composite material, and a concrete surface covered with matting. An accelerometer was attached to the right shin of volunteers who were asked to walk on each surface. Significant differences across the four surfaces were observed when each participant walked at their normal walking speed (p=.041) and when they walked at a faster than normal pace (p=.023). These findings suggest that individuals working in distribution centers, where extensive walking is part of the job, would possibly experience less lower extremity discomfort on selected floor surfaces.
An Innovative Idea for Reducing the Musculoskeletal Disorders in Drywall Installation
Authors: Sengupta Priyadarshini Dasgupta , Punnett Laura , Moir Susan , Kuhn Sarah , Buchholz Bryan
Published: October 2013

Objective:

The study was conducted to assess an intervention suggested by the workers to reduce the ergonomic exposures of the drywall installation task.

Methods:

At several focus group meetings the drywall installers were asked to brainstorm on innovative ideas that could reduce their ergonomic/musculoskeletal exposures during the drywall installation work. The workers discussed the idea of using a ‘deadman’ (long narrow piece of sheetrock) to help hold the panels on the ceiling while installing them. The researcher collected quantitative exposure data (PATH, 3DSSPP) at the baseline and intervention phases. The data at the two time periods were compared to find out any change in the exposure with use of the ‘deadman’.

Results:

Results showed that exposures (such as overhead arm and awkward trunk postures and heavy load handling) were reduced in the intervention phase while using an electrical lift and the ‘deadman’.

Conclusion:

The concept of the ‘deadman’, which was shown to help reduce musculoskeletal exposures during ceiling installation, can be used to fabricate a permanent ergonomic tool to support the ceiling sheetrock.
Agile and UX
Authors: Meingast Melissa , Ballew Timothy , Edwards Rochelle , Nordquist Eric , Sader Christopher , Smith Danielle
Published: October 2013

Adherence to an agile software development methodology has become commonplace in many organizations. However, while the focus on iteration and frequent investigation appears to readily map onto many of the values advocated by HF/UX professionals, in practice the merging of the two approaches is not always straightforward or complementary. Panel members represent a range of perspectives with regard to the adoption and integration of UX research and agile methodologies, as well as company sizes, from large technology companies to an independent consultancy. Panelists will describe their unique approaches, their transitions into the agile environment and some of the challenges, and their lessons learned when it comes to operating as HF/UX professionals within an agile development environment. Panelist will also discuss common themes, such as the criticality of working ahead of the current sprint, leaner research design, and increased collaboration across developers and research teams.
Ubiquitous Computing
Authors: Resnick Marc L.
Published: October 2013

Ubiquitous computing is a term used to describe an approach to product and service delivery in which the technology is concealed in the background, requiring little to no interaction with the user to complete the user’s and/or the technology’s objectives. This creates unique challenges for user experience design because the typical methods and tools are not applicable. Input to the system is limited to the technology’s ability to intuit the users’ objectives through their natural behavior. Output is executed on the environment as much as to the user. Several cases are presented to illustrate the common user experience challenges when designing partially or completely ubiquitous systems.
Extrinsic Motivation and User Performance
Authors: King Harriet C. , Pastel Robert , Ward Paul , Wallace Charles
Published: October 2013

Among daily computer users who are proficient, some are flexible at accomplishing unfamiliar tasks on their own and others have difficulty. We hypothesize that extrinsically motivated users have difficulty with unfamiliar computer tasks and skill transfers, whereas intrinsically motivated daily users accomplish unfamiliar tasks readily. Nine extrinsically motivated users and seven intrinsic users were directed and observed with qualitative ethnographic methods using a think-aloud-type verbal protocol. The observations were coded based on a rubric. The coding was checked with two additional raters, and inter-rater reliability was greater than 90%. The data were then statistically analyzed. Findings show that extrinsically motivated users in all age groups and competence levels have weak productivity when faced with unfamiliar tasks or software, while intrinsically motivated users have few difficulties. This work draws attention to an underrepresented group of competent but extrinsically motivated computer users who become unproductive when operating in unfamiliar conditions. The data suggest that researchers should control for motivation style when evaluating user interface designs.
Application of Personas in the Design of Augmentative Alternative Communication Devices
Authors: Subrahmaniyan Neeraja , Fulcher Katrina R. , Hutchinson Todd E. , Min Haesik , Seale Jennifer M. , Bisantz Ann M. , Higginbotham D. Jeffery
Published: October 2013

Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) aids are devices that help individuals with speech impairments communicate. Currently, the design and development of AAC devices does not follow a usercentered design philosophy. This affects the quality of life of individuals who are in need of AAC devices. Individuals with the progressive disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are a population for which AAC is of critical importance. Due to the ALS individuals’ physical capabilities and constraints, there are challenges in involving the user population in a user-centered design process. This paper recommends the application of the methodology of persona development derived from the field of interaction design/usercentered design to solve some of the existing problems in the design of AAC devices for this population. This research demonstrates how current user-centered design methodologies can be adapted to develop personas of individuals with ALS and more generally, how user-centered design should be integrated into the design of AAC devices to enhance the quality of life of individuals with communication impairments.
Artifact Usage, Context, and Privacy Management in Logging and Tracking Personal Health Information in Older Adults
Authors: Miller Shadeequa , Mutlu Bilge , Lee John
Published: October 2013

Consumer health information technology (CHIT) applications have the potential to improve overall care quality for older adults. The design and development of CHIT applications requires an understanding of the current and future personal health information management (PHIM) activities occurring in home and community settings. Building a better understanding of critical PHIM activities, such as how older adults track and log health information, is essential in the design of technologies that support these activities. This paper presents findings from a contextual inquiry of how older adults currently use artifacts in logging and tracking personal health information (PHI). Context and privacy management emerged as key themes in data analysis. Design implications for future CHIT applications are discussed.
Using Haptic Feedback in Human Robotic Swarms Interaction
Authors: Nunnally Steven , Walker Phillip , Lewis Mike , Chakraborty Nilanjan , Sycara Katia
Published: October 2013

Robotic swarms display emergent behaviors that are robust to failure of individual robots, although they can not necessarily accomplish complex tasks with these behaviors. The research objective is to make use of their robust behaviors to accomplish complex tasks in many types of environments. For now, it is difficult to affect swarm “goals”, and therefore difficult them to direct to perform complex tasks. The extant literature on Human Swarm Interaction (HSI) focuses on demonstrating the usefulness of human operator inputs for swarms to accomplish complex tasks. The human typically gets visual feedback of the state of the swarm and influences the robots through a computer interface. This paper presents a user study investigating the effectiveness of haptic feedback in improving HSI. We use methods developed in studies using haptics in multi-robot systems (where the communication and structure is very rigid) and potential field algorithms developed for fully-autonomous swarms to determine the benefits of haptic feedback from the semi-autonomous control algorithm. In some environments, haptic feedback proved beneficial whereas in other environments haptic feedback did not improve performance over visual feedback alone. However, presence of haptic feedback did not degrade the performance under any of the experimental conditions. This supports our working hypothesis that haptic feedback is potentially useful in HSI.
Human Factors in the Wild
Authors: Xiao Yan , Abts Natalie , Wolf Laurie , Hallbeck Susan , Taneva Svetlena , Chagpar Anjum , Probst C. Adam
Published: October 2013

This session will focus on lessons learned when developing solutions for real world problems in healthcare. Human factors (HF) practitioners bring unique knowledge, methods, and perspectives to work with clinicians to address numerous defects in the worksystem but require problem-solving skills that focus on solutions. The HF contribution may be in the area of process improvement (e.g., prevention of patient falls), systems design (e.g., designing crashcart), or identification of design flaws so robust intervention may be deployed (e.g., glucose meters). Six human factors practitioners who work within healthcare systems will present real world challenges which were discovered by HF methods, or which have heavy HF implications, but where direct HF influence on design lead to the ultimate effective solution. The session will be designed to lead to a discussion about how HF methods were adapted to individual problems at hand and to focus on developing solutions.
The Importance of Ergonomics in Green Design
Authors: Hedge Alan
Published: October 2013

In the past decade the green building movement has gathered tremendous momentum. Since 2008 the US Green Building Council has provided an opportunity for ergonomists to actively participate in this movement by helping designers earn credit in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process. This paper outlines the history and reviews requirements of this credit. The value of integrating good ergonomics programs into the design of green buildings is presented and future opportunities are discussed.
Sustainable canadian mining
Authors: Nadeau Sylvie , Badri Adel , Wells Richard , Neumann Patrick , Kenny Glen , Morrison Douglas
Published: October 2013

Mining is a major industrial activity in Canada and will increase in importance as world demand continues to grow. Demand for mining resources is such that we have little choice but to conduct operations at greater and greater depths. This paper will outline the challenges faced by modern and deep mining operations for establishing safe and sustainable working conditions. The consideration of occupational health and safety in mining vehicle design remains cursory. Current personal protective devices are rudimentary. Risks will increase as mining operations reach greater depths. Organizational and generational changes, continued expansion of mining operations, and economic pressures will complicate the situation. One possible solution would be to design new intelligent personal protective equipment, taking into consideration multiple major human factors concerns by utilizing interdisciplinary industrial/academic research partnerships.
Future Directions for Sociotechnical Systems and Safety
Authors: Hettinger Lawrence J. , Robertson Michelle M. , Waterson Patrick , Carayon Pascale , Dainoff Marvin J. , Kirlik Alex , Kleiner Brian M. , Waterson Patrick
Published: October 2013

The Sociotechnical Systems (STS) approach has had an enormous influence on both research and practice within occupational safety and has been applied across a range of domains including construction, healthcare, transportation and manufacturing. This panel will discuss the outcomes from a Hopkinton Conference on STS and Safety held at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety in Hopkinton, Massachusetts on October 18-19th 2012. The conference brought together a group of invited international researchers from 20 institutions in order to discuss current and future directions for sociotechnical systems and safety. The panel will focus on summarizing the main outcomes from these discussions, these include new directions for research and practice (Carayon on behalf of Hancock, Leveson, Noy, Sznelwar, van Hootegem and Hettinger); current and future requirements for development of methods and tools within STS and safety (Waterson on behalf of Cooke, Roth, Militello, Robertson and Stanton); the scope for computer-based modeling and simulation of complex sociotechnical systems (Alex Kirlik on behalf of Buckle, Goh and Hettinger); the application of a framework from a dynamical systems framework to the problem of communication and decision-making in complex systems (Dainoff on behalf of Flach, Carroll, Hamilton and Sanderson); and, the identification of the key sociotechnical attributes of safe systems (Kleiner on behalf of DeJoy, Hettinger, Huang and Love).
Considering Culture in the Design and Evaluation of Health IT for Patients
Authors: Montague Enid , Winchester Woodrow , Valdez Rupa , Vaughn-Cooke Monifa , Perchonok Jennifer
Published: October 2013

In the context of health care, culture can influence the way a patient understands health information, what they consider a health problem, how they express symptoms, who should provide them treatment, and what type of treatment they should be provided. This panel will discuss why human factors professionals should consider the patient’s culture when designing and evaluating health information technology and approaches to developing culturally informed technologies. The discussion will begin by highlighting work from a general cultural group: racial and ethnic minorities. It will then become more specific by looking at cultural groups within a certain disease: Black female college students and HIV/AIDS, Hispanic and African American diabetes patients, and lesbians during pregnancy and childbirth. The panelists will focus on lessons learned from previous research within each of these cultural groups that can be applied to the overall design of culturally-informed health IT.
Work System Barriers to Providing Safe Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medication Recommendations for Older Adults
Authors: Chui Michelle A. , Stone Jamie A. , Thorpe Joshua M. , Martin Beth A.
Published: October 2013

Background: Unsafe medication use represents a major public health concern, especially for older adults. OTC medications, those that can be purchased without a formal prescription or advice from a health care professional, are one contributor to unsafe use because of their perceived safety and accessibility. Despite the recognition of pharmacists’ ability to help patients make safe OTC medication choices, the prevalence of older adult misuse of OTC medications is well documented. Objective: To identify barriers to pharmacists providing safe OTC medication recommendations to older adults. Methods: Twenty-one retail pharmacists in three focus groups with questions developed using the critical incident technique. Analysis was guided by the Input-Performance-Output Model for Health Care Professional Performance. Results: Thematic analysis revealed barriers within all of the input categories of the work system model, including provider, patient, work system, organizational factors, and external environment. The results provide support that any intervention to improve safe OTC medication use in older adults should take into consideration the role of individual and interacting components of the work system.
Multi-Level Ergonomics
Authors: Rivera-Rodriguez A. Joy , McGuire Kerry , Carayon Pascale , Kleiner Brian , Wears Robert , Robertson Michelle , Holden Richard , Waterson Patrick
Published: October 2013

Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) researchers have a long tradition of focusing on the individual or micro-level. However, HFE researchers have started expanding their focus to include organizational or macro-level factors. That said, a gap still exists of theories or models that explain the link between micro and macro variables. Identifying these links and thus integrating macroergonomics and microergonomics is called mesoergonomics. Mesoergonomics considers the relationship between variables bounded across multiple levels in a work system. By bounding the system of interest across levels (or time, hierarchy, space, and process), the context surrounding the phenomenon of interest is identified. Understanding the context lessens the risk of missing contributing factors or explanations of the phenomenon, reducing the likelihood of contextual and ecological fallacies. This panel will discuss the challenges and benefits of conducting meso-or multi-level ergonomics research. Some of the panelists, specifically Carayon, will also discuss the difficulties of determining the proper system boundaries for researching particular phenomenon.
Do Looming Objects Capture Overt Attention?
Authors: Lewis Joanna E. , Neider Mark B.
Published: October 2013

Researchers have demonstrated stimuli onset captures attention, particularly in visual search. Although previously published work specifically does not attribute this effect to motion, recent research suggests looming motion captures attention. We investigated eye movements during visual search with looming targets and distractors. We replicated previous response time data, and additionally demonstrated these differences were not from physical distances and varied as a function of distraction stimuli fixation. Our results indicate attentional costs may result from both overt and covert processing.
Vigilance
Authors: Dillard Michael B. , Warm Joel S. , Funke Gregory J. , Vidulich Michael A. , Nelson W. Todd , Eggemeier Thomas F. , Funke Matthew E.
Published: October 2013

This study tested the possibility that the temporal context in which a vigilance task is performed will moderate the perceived workload of the task. We employed a procedure to manipulate participants’ perceived time progression (PTP) during task performance by creating a mismatch between their expectations about how long they would perform the task and the actual time they were engaged (Sackett et al., 2010). All participants worked at the task for 30 minutes. Those in a time drags condition were led to believe it would last 15 minutes while those in a time flies condition were told it would last 60 minutes. PTP was significantly slower in the former condition than in the latter. However, workload scores on the NASA Task Load Index were similar in the two conditions and fell at the upper level of the scale. Evidently, vigilance tasks are perceived as hard work even when time flies.
The Effects of Feedback in Vigilance Training on Performance, Workload, Stress and Coping
Authors: Teo Grace W. , Schmidt Tarah N. , Szalma James L. , Hancock Gabriella M. , Hancock Peter A.
Published: October 2013

The ability to maintain vigilance in scanning the environment for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) can mean the difference between life and death for Soldiers. Although this ability to sustain attention varies among individuals, performance feedback training using knowledge of results (KR) has been found to improve performance. The present study builds on previous work on the influence of KR on vigilance training to investigate the efficacy of such training for improving upon performance and reducing workload and stress. Results indicated that the KR group achieved better vigilance performance than the No KR group and that the training benefits from KR persisted beyond the training phase. However, KR did not substantially affect perceived workload or stress response.
On the Hunt
Authors: Hess Alyssa S. , Wismer Andrew J. , Bohil Corey J. , Neider Mark B.
Published: October 2013

Visual search tasks commonly involve manipulating the number of targets and distractors to change difficulty levels and observe differences in reaction time and accuracy. What happens when the search background itself serves as a distractor? By creating a target that has been camouflaged to match the environment, we observed RT and accuracy both with and without a target preview. We hypothesized that 1) as target size decreased (increasing difficulty), RT would increase and accuracy would decrease, and 2) that the target preview would not aid in search. Our results support for our first hypothesis, and partially support our second. Reaction times were unaffected by the availability of the target preview, but search accuracy displayed a small cost. Overall, our findings suggest that search for camouflaged targets in the real world, in some cases, is predicated on a categorical representation of the target.
Information Format and Cognitive Style
Authors: Sprehn Kelly A. , Kremer Gül E. Okudan , Riley David R.
Published: October 2013

The format of information can provide a powerful communication tool; however, a confluence of mismatched formats can be problematic. Particularly in the area of home energy audits, service providers rely on static reports that outline potential savings and recommendations to customers. These reports are created using a variety of information formats. In a broader sense, incorporating an understanding of the user, at a cognitive level, can reduce the cognitive effort required to comprehend the information presented. This research explores the potential for enhancing these static reports for usability and comprehension. In the paper, a summary of reviews on cognitive theory, comprehension, and style is presented. The hypothesis that matched information format and individual cognitive style will result in more accurate recall and a higher usability rating is tested through a comprehension and usability experiment. Results indicate promising associations not only between format and cognitive style, but also with more subjective variables.
Eye Movements When Viewing a HMD Under Vibration
Authors: Uribe Daniel J. , Miller Michael E.
Published: October 2013

With improvements in Helmet-Mounted-Display (HMD) technology, they have become an essential element of many military systems. However, vibration and the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) continue to influence the utility of these displays. When a human’s head experiences low-frequency motion, the VOR stabilizes the eye with respect to the external environment. However, this response blurs the perceived image on an HMD as the display moves with the user’s head. This research investigated the VOR as a function of whole-body, low-frequency vibration. An HMD was developed to allow a user to perform visual tasks, while recording eye movements via Electro-OculoGraphy (EOG). This experiment explored the effect of vibration on eye movements while performing tasks chosen to isolate specific eye motions. The magnitude of vertical eye movement during target fixation was greatest between 4 and 6 Hz, while the addition of target motion significantly increased the magnitude of unintended vertical eye movements at peak frequencies. The findings are consistent with previous research, which has found a decline in visual performance for operators using an HMD in environments undergoing vibration.
Hemispheric Differences and Spatial Ability in Robot to Human Tactile Communication
Authors: Descheneaux Charles R , Reinerman-Jones Lauren , Barber Daniel
Published: October 2013

Robots are following an evolutionary path similar to computers. One obstacle for this evolution is language interaction between humans and robots. Traditionally, human-to-robot language has been one way in the form of commands from human to robot. One path of robot-to-human language is tactile. Tactile communication affords the user a hands-free method of interaction. Hands-free tactile communication is an asset for military ground personnel allowing the hands, eyes, and ears to be fully utilized for other tasks. Speech and language are traditionally associated with the left cerebral hemisphere. Since tactile communication does not include the traditional auditory pathway of verbal language, there is potential for employing a more right cerebral hemisphere spatial pathway. The present study looks at the right and left cerebral hemispheric activity measured by an electroencephalogram of participants using a vibrotactile belt for robot to human communication.
Misalignment Effect Function Measurement for Oblique Rotation Axes
Authors: Ellis Stephen R. , Adelstein Bernard D. , Yeom Kiwon
Published: October 2013

The Misalignment Effect Function (MEF) describes the decrement in manual performance associated with a rotation between operators’ visual display frame of reference and that of their manual control. It now has been empirically determined for rotation axes oblique to canonical body axes and is compared with the MEF previously measured for rotations about canonical axes. A targeting rule, called the Secant Rule, based on these earlier measurements is derived from a hypothetical process and shown to describe some of the data from three previous experiments. It explains the motion trajectories determined for rotations less than 65° in purely kinematic terms without the need to appeal to a mental rotation process. Further analysis of this rule in three dimensions applied to oblique rotation axes leads to a somewhat surprising expectation that the difficulty posed by rotational misalignment should get harder as the required movement is shorter. This prediction is confirmed. Geometry underlying this rule also suggests analytic extensions for predicting more generally the difficulty of making movements in arbitrary directions subject to arbitrary misalignments.
Making eyes with robots
Authors: Wiese E. , Wykowska A. , Müller H.J.
Published: October 2013

One of the most important aims of social robotics is to improve Human-Robot Interaction by providing robots with means to understand observed behavior and to predict upcoming actions of their in-teraction partners. The most reliable source for inferring the action goals of interaction partners is their gaze direction. Hence, to anticipate upcoming actions, it is necessary to identify where others are currently look-ing at and to shift the attentional focus to the same location. Interestingly, it has been shown that observing robot gaze direction also induces attentional shifts to the location that is gazed-at by the robot. Given this, gaze direction can be actively used by the robot to direct the attentional focus of interaction partners to im-portant events in the world. In this paper, we review findings from two studies indicating that the readiness to engage attentional resources in interactions with robots is modulated by the degree to which intentionali-ty can be attributed to the robot: Robots believed to behave similar to humans cause stronger gaze-cueing effects than robots perceived as machines, independently of their physical appearance. Based on these find-ings, and on results from a pilot study with a sample of patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we derive guidelines for improving human-robot interaction by emulating social gaze behavior.
Direct perception biases with maritime navigation displays of collision risk
Authors: Eftychiou Alexander , Dowell John
Published: October 2013

Maritime navigation systems need to assist judgments about safe separations and avoidance manoeuvres. Collision Danger Sectors (CDS) are a proposed visualisation for radar displays intended to support the direct perception of impending traffic separation violations. We report an evaluation of the CDS display format in a laboratory study of navigation decision-making involving judgments of safe separations. Contrary to prediction, the CDS display did not bias decision making towards neglecting rules about track crossing. The CDS display did encourage excessive avoidance manoeuvres at higher angles of approach. A marked increase in response time with angle of approach was also evident, indicating a need for decision-aiding.
Providing conversation partners views of the driving scene mitigates cell phone-related distraction
Authors: Gaspar John G. , Street Whitney M. , Windsor Matthew B. , Carbonari Ronald , Kaczmarski Henry , Kramer Arthur F. , Mathewson Kyle E.
Published: October 2013

Cognitively demanding cell phone conversations impair driving performance. In some situations, conversations with a passenger are less disruptive than cell phone conversations, in theory because of heightened situational awareness. Here, drivers completed challenging freeway drives in a high-fidelity simulator while conversing with a partner. The pairs engaged in naturalistic conversations in three different conditions: remotely on a hands-free phone, as a passenger in the vehicle, and in a videophone condition where the hands-free phone experience was enhanced by a live video the driving scene and the driver’s face. This condition was designed to increase the conversation partner’s awareness of the driving situation to a level similar to that of an in-vehicle passenger, to test our hypothesis that this cognizance leads to less distracted driving. We compared these conversation conditions to a driving-alone condition. Drivers were involved in more collisions with merging vehicles in the phone condition compared to drive-alone, passenger or videophone conditions, and crucially there was no difference in collisions between the passenger and videophone conditions. Providing remote conversation partner information about the driver and driving scene reduces the detrimental effect of cell phone conversations, possibly by increasing shared situational awareness.
Can You Feel The Difference? The Just Noticeable Difference of Longitudinal Acceleration
Authors: Müller Thomas , Hajek Hermann , Radić-Weißenfeld Ljubica , Bengler Klaus
Published: October 2013

In developing the next generation of engines and powertrains in the automotive industry, a deep knowledge of acceleration and its perception by the customer is essential. Because the vehicle’s longitudinal acceleration is one of the most dominant factors in perceived driving experience, the desired increase or accepted decrease of this factor should be carefully controlled. The main objective of the present study is to identify the point at which the difference in longitudinal acceleration becomes just noticeable. In particular, this means locating the minimum point at which a vehicle’s acceleration can differ from another and still be noticed by the subject. For this purpose, an experimental vehicle was equipped with an application control device, which allowed the vehicle’s acceleration performance to change within a few seconds. That on the other hand enabled an experiment to be conducted with 16 subjects and using adapted methods from the field of psychophysical research. The obtained threshold of about 0.1m/s² (level of maximum acceleration) and about 1m/s³ (acceleration gradient, 95% confidence interval) demonstrated a way that this research problem can be taken from the laboratory and applied under real life conditions to obtain applicationoriented results.
A Dual-Process Approach to Understanding Human-Robot Interaction
Authors: Lobato Emilio J. C. , Wiltshire Travis J. , Fiore Stephen M.
Published: October 2013

Human-robot interaction (HRI) research needs to leverage the theories and findings from multiple disciplines to inform subsequent empirical investigation and robot design. Utilizing evidence and suggestions from social cognitive and neurocognitive disciplines for human-human interaction, we propose an approach for conceptualizing HRI. Comparing HRI to human-human interaction at the surface level and deeper levels allows for the generation and evaluation of testable hypotheses in multiple disciplines to inform the design of future robotic systems.
Developing a Tactical Language for Future Robotic Teammates
Authors: Phillips Elizabeth , Rivera Javier , Jentsch Florian
Published: October 2013

The transition of robots from valuable tools to useful teammates to humans is contingent upon successful communication methods. Effective communication has been shown to have a positive effect on the development and quality of shared mental models and on performance within human-human teams. Likely, effective communication will have a similarly positive effect within future human-robot teams. The purpose of this effort was, therefore, to develop a vocabulary database that facilitates the identification of suitable terms for tactical Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) in military contexts. The database can be utilized for the selection of appropriate terms to capture mission and movement intent, as well as to inform the selection of alternate terms to reduce communication errors. The end result of this research will help support the development of a human-robot language that enhances shared mental models among team members, and produce better interactions between human-robot teams.
Vote-By-Phone
Authors: Holmes Danae , Kortum Philip
Published: October 2013

There are a myriad of voting technologies available today, but a noted lack of remote voting methods. In this paper we explore a novel remote voting method that allows users to vote-by-phone. This method used an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to allow users to vote using a touch-tone telephone. The IVR voting system has several advantages including ubiquity of access, accuracy, and accessibility. We developed and tested three iterations of IVR voting systems and examined the usability of each system to determine the merit of an IVR voting system as a voting platform. The usability of the IVR voting systems were compared with traditional voting methods to understand how they performed in relation to these other voting methods. The results showed that the vote-by-phone method was as accurate and as subjectively usable, but not as efficient, as traditional voting methods. These results suggest that an IVR voting system could be viable candidate as a voting platform.
Usability Evaluation of a Paratransit Mobile Application
Authors: Mintmire Elizabeth , Ling Chen , Shehab Randa
Published: October 2013

TransitMobile is a mobile application that provides logistic information to drivers in Oklahoma community-based paratransit operations. Passenger reservation information is transferred from the home agency to in-vehicle mobile devices to notify the drivers as reservations are made in real-time. In this study, user testing and a questionnaire were used to evaluate the usability of the application. Task completion times and subjective measures from the questionnaire pointed to areas of the system design that caused errors. The effects of practice revealed the importance of training for drivers in the field. While TransitMobile is a promising application, the system in which it functions is complex, and users must receive adequate training in order to use the application to its fullest potential.
The effects of mental model conformity on usability in apps
Authors: Fok Audrey W. , Procci Katelyn , Flynn Jeremy R. , Mouloua Mustapha
Published: October 2013

Designing interfaces to conform to users’ mental models is an important usability guideline. With respect to designing apps to be used on tablets and smartphones for existing websites, whether the app conforms exactly to the website’s original layout is a design question that must be considered. Aside from general mental models of functionality, this study sought to examine the importance of conformity to system (i.e., website) mental models when designing apps. Sixteen undergraduate students were recruited. They completed a series of tasks, either first on the website to generate a mental model of the system, and then again on the app, or vice-versa. Time to complete the tasks was recorded and participants also completed questionnaires to determine how system mental models affected usability. Results suggested that the app was more usable than the website overall. Task times and usability scores were not affected by condition; however, those who used the website first gave higher subjective usability scores overall to both the app and the website. These results imply that conformity to the website is not necessary to create a usable app.
Assessing Conceptualizations of User Friendliness for Consumer Products
Authors: Harrington Christina N. , Taylor Jesseca R. I. , Cowley Jennifer A. , Wogalter Michael S.
Published: October 2013

This study examines the conceptualizations of the user-friendliness of technology-based consumer products. Participants (n=205) were asked to evaluate 25 statements related to the topic of user-friendliness. Participants’ ratings indicated that statements concerning positive productivity levels and reliable displays (e.g. “I quickly learned how to use this product” or “I can find information quickly within the display”) received the highest ratings of user friendliness. Low user-friendliness was associated with systems deemed as complex or with longer durations of product adaptation and learning (e.g. “This product prevents me from choosing what I would like to do” or “I really have to concentrate to use this product”). A factor analysis of the data suggested four dimensions of user-friendliness: ease-of-use, delight, reliability and feedback. Design implications and possible human factors’ interventions for consumer products are discussed.
A Microworld Simulator for Process Control Research and Training
Authors: Dyre Brian P. , Adamic Eric J. , Werner Steffen , Lew Roger , Gertman David I. , Boring Ronald L.
Published: October 2013

We introduce and will demonstrate a new software tool for creating simulations of simplified process control tasks—what Vincente (2000) termed microworlds—for research and training applications. This tool builds on previous software tools, such as the synthetic task environment DURESS, but provides more flexibility in simulation design, a more realistic physics model, and additional components for representing complex processes, such as auditory and visual alarms for nuclear power plants. Further, our microworld simulation tool can be used for a variety of tasks, from flexibly specifying a synthetic environment for research on a desktop computer to scaling up to large format touch displays with realistic controls typical of high-fidelity process control simulators. Potential applications of the microworld simulator include research on the cognitive engineering of human-machine interfaces used in process control, training of process control operators and other personnel, and rapid prototyping and testing of process controls and displays.
Cognitive Resource Demands During Climbing
Authors: Helton William S. , Green Alex L. , de Joux Neil R.
Published: October 2013

Climbing is a demanding physical activity often requiring communication with others. In sport and recreational climbing communication may be with belayers and team members. In occupations requiring climbing, like firefighting and search and rescue, this communication demand is even more pressing. Theories in human factors, such as Multiple Resource Theory (MRT), may be useful in designing and selecting communication technology appropriate for climbers. We present the results of a series of dual-task studies in which climbing is combined with a communication task. These results indicate climbing is highly cognitively demanding. Based on these results and MRT, we suggest the need for communication equipment that augments the climber’s memory and caution regarding the use of communication equipment using visual or tactile modalities.
Do Voters Really Fail to Detect Changes to Their Ballots? An Investigation of Ballot Type on Voter Error Detection
Authors: Acemyan Claudia Ziegler , Kortum Philip , Payne David
Published: October 2013

Data from previous research that investigates whether or not voters fail to notice changes to their electronic ballot selections indicate that high percentages of people do not notice if their votes were altered, even after inspecting a final review screen. This paper questions if voters really do not notice changes as the previous studies found, or if the findings are an artifact of the types of races and propositions that they vote for in the experimental mock elections. Specifically, previous research studies used ballots that were comprised of fabricated candidates and propositions, which do not reflect the types of real-world issues presented on a ballot during an actual election. To investigate the issue, this study replicated the prior research, but introduced into the experiment a new type of ballot that was based on actual people and issues that the participant population was familiar with and felt was relevant to their current circumstances. Our findings reveal that the type of races presented to participants on a ballot in a mock election does not impact the ability of users to notice altered selections on a vote verification review screen. This suggests that the review screens currently implemented in electronic voting technologies might not be effective since user mistakes and potential fraud cannot be reliably identified by the voter before a vote is cast and then counted in the election tally.
Sonification as Sensemaking in Control Room Applications
Authors: Viraldo Jacob , Caldwell Barrett
Published: October 2013

Traditional analog alarms are nearly always exclusively binary, resulting in a single audio signal display sounding in order to inform users of a particular system parameter which has varied from within its predefined limits. During emergency situations, users can be faced with multiple simultaneous alarms, each relaying information concerning different, but usually related, system parameters. Using advanced sonification principles, achieved real-time with digital sound manipulation according to established human factors principles, new multi-parameter alarms can be created to better inform users of suboptimal conditions. These high-tech alarms also serve to help users maintain high levels of situational awareness, while aiding in sensemaking and decreasing stress caused by alarm flooding and cognitive overload.