bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Software Tool for Cognitive Work Analysis
Authors: Hingu Dharmendra Praving , Muthukrishnan Somasundaram , Rantanen Esa M. , Lintern Gavan
Published: September 2017

Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) is a conceptual framework that allows for analysis of all factors that affect human-system interactions. The products of this system of analyses can then be directly transformed into design requirements for information systems. Doing CWA by hand is quite tedious, however, and larger projects where data are collected from multiple individuals doing the same task differently, or when multiple different tasks are included in a larger-scale CWA, pose special challenges. It is apparent that streamlined documentation and support tool for CWA is needed. Even at a cost of some lost flexibility, the benefits of a software tool to support data collection are apparent. The tool should also support the analyses of large amounts of data from multiple operators within a large system, where individual differences in ways of doing things are expected. This paper describes the development of such a tool with examples of its use.
Carrying the Team: The Importance of One Player’s Survival for Team Success in League of Legends
Authors: Eaton Joshua A. , Sangster Matthew-Donald D. , Renaud Molly , Mendonca David J. , Gray Wayne D.
Published: September 2017

Objective: This research investigates the effect of “critical” team members and team familiarity on team performance in the Multi-player Online Battle Arena gaming environment, League of Legends™. Background: A critical team member is any member of a team whose presence (or absence) can have a dramatic impact on the team’s ability to reach their objective, while team familiarity can be viewed as the knowledge team members have about one another and the knowledge team members have about the tasks that must be accomplished. Methods: Data visualization techniques and logistic regression is used to explore team data collected from publicly accessible sources for the online game League of Legends, which is one of the most popular games in the world. Results: The proportion of time a team’s “Carry” is incapacitated (the “critical” team member) during a given match has a direct impact on how the team performs. Conclusions: The results show that critical team positions exist on teams, and can have a significant effect on achieving the team’s goals. In addition, there is a need for the development of tools, techniques and measures to bring “Big Data” to bear in the study of teamwork. Application: This research illustrates the feasibility of exploring online gaming data for new insights into team performance.
Description-Experience Gap: The Role of Feedback and Description in Human Trust in Automation
Authors: Mishler Scott , Chen Jing , Sabic Edin , Hu Bin , Li Ninghui , Proctor Robert W.
Published: September 2017

Human trust in automation is widely studied because the level of trust influences the effectiveness of the system (Muir, 1994). It is vital to examine the role that the people play and how they interact with the system (Hoff & Bashir, 2015). In the decision-making literature, an interesting phenomenon is the description-experience gap, with a typical finding that experience-based choices underweight small probabilities, whereas description-based choices overweight small probabilities (Hertwig, Barron, Weber, & Erev, 2004; Hertwig & Erev, 2009; Jessup, Bishara, & Busemeyer, 2008). We applied this description-experience gap concept to the study of human-automation interaction and had Amazon Mechanical Turk workers evaluate emails as legitimate or phishing. An anti-phishing warning system provided recommendations to the user with a reliability level of 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%. Additionally, the way in which reliability information was conveyed was manipulated with two factors: (1) whether the reliability level of the system was stated explicitly (i.e., description); (2) whether feedback was provided after the user made each decision (i.e., experience). Our results showed that as the reliability of the warning system increased, so did decision accuracy, agreement rate, self-reported trust, and perceived system reliability, consistent with prior research (Lee & See, 2004; Rice, 2009; Sanchez, Fisk, & Rogers, 2004). The increase in performance and trust with the increase in reliability indicates that participants were paying attention to and using the automation to make decisions. Feedback was also highly influential in performance and establishing trust, but description only affected self-reported trust. The effect of feedback strengthened at the higher levels of reliability, showing that individuals benefited the most from feedback when the automated warning system was more reliable. Additionally, unlike prior studies that manipulated description and experience/feedback separately (Hertwig, 2012), we varied description and feedback conditions systematically and discovered an interaction between the two factors. Our results show that feedback is more helpful in situations that do not provide an explicit description of the system reliability, compared to those who do. An implication of the current results for system design is that feedback should be provided whenever possible. This recommendation is based on the finding that providing feedback benefited both users’ performance and trust in the system, and on the hope that the systems in use are mostly of high reliability (e.g., > .80). A note for researchers in the field of human trust in automation is that, if only subjective measures of trust are used in a study, providing description of the system reliability will likely cause an inflation in the trust measures.
Eye in the Sky: Investigating Spatial Performance Following Perspective Change
Authors: Cauffman Stephen J. , Gillan Douglas J.
Published: September 2017

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) are becoming more prevalent in civilian use, such as emergency response and public safety. As a result, UASs pose issues of remote perception for human users (Eyerman, 2013). The purpose of this experiment was to test the effects of combining aerial and ground perspectives on spatial judgments of object positions in an urban environment. Participants were shown randomly ordered image pairs of aerial and ground views of objects in a virtual city and were asked to make judgments about where a missing object was in the second image of the pair. Response times and error were collected with error being calculated using the Euclidean distance formula. The results were consistent with previous research and showed that congruent trials (aerial-aerial and ground-ground) resulted in less error and response time. It was also shown that there was a significant four-way interaction between stimulus image, response image, object density, and stimulus duration. The results of this study are intended to provide the basis for future work in understanding the underlying reasons behind spatial errors that might occur during use of UASs and lead to design implementations for interfaces to reduce these errors.
Criterion Variability in Binary Periscope Observation Decisions
Authors: Ralph Jason , Gabriel Joseph , O’Donnell Staci
Published: September 2017

Submarine control interfaces are developed with the assumption that the most important sources of variability are system and environment related. This study attempts to investigate the contribution of human sources of variability not related to the system or environment. In particular, this work focuses on criterion variability in initial contact decisions. Consistent with our understanding of signal detection theory as it relates to human decision making, we found significant variability in decisions caused by differences in response criterion/bias. We also found that the likelihood that stimuli matched a participant’s direction of bias affected their decisions in the direction of their criterion/bias. The results indicate the importance of criterion variability as a measured parameter for decisions requiring levels of situational awareness beyond simple detection.
A quantitative driver model of pre-crash brake onset and control
Authors: Svärd Malin , Markkula Gustav , Engström Johan , Granum Fredrik , Bärgman Jonas
Published: September 2017

An existing modelling framework is leveraged to create a driver braking model for use in simulations of critical longitudinal scenarios with a slower or braking lead vehicle. The model applies intermittent brake adjustments to minimize accumulated looming prediction error. It is here applied to the simulation of a set of lead vehicle scenarios. The simulation results in terms of brake initiation timing and brake jerk are demonstrated to capture well the specific types of kinematics-dependencies that have been recently reported from naturalistic near-crashes and crashes.
Exploring the Optimal Number of Trials and Participants for Touchpad Testing Using Fitts-based Tasks
Authors: Avera Angie , Kelling Nicholas , Harper Christy , Burks Rick , Bowman Hannah
Published: September 2017

With touchpads being the primary input device for many laptop users, the importance of ensuring that laptops have the most functional touchpad has continued to grow. Human Factors practitioners are often tasked with ensuring that touchpads are accurate and efficient input devices. Tasks based on Fitts law to assess point and click performance are commonly used for testing touchpads, however there does not seem to be a widely used standard regarding the number of trials and participants. Testing with more trials and participants than necessary can be time consuming and costly for industry practitioners. This research explored varied numbers of participants and Fitts task trials with the goal of determining the optimal practices to maximize efficiency. Preliminary results indicate that when testing performance with a multidirectional Fitts test, twelve participants is acceptable for device comparison with at least 48 trials. For a sample size of 24 participants, there is evidence to support reducing the number of trials to 24. Implications for examining other testing scenarios for optimal sample size and trial number with the prescribed methodology are discussed.
Task Interruptions Undermine Cyber Defense
Authors: Vieane Alex , Funke Gregory , Greenlee Eric , Mancuso Vincent , Borghetti Brett , Miller Brent , Menke Lauren , Brown Rebecca , Foroughi Cyrus K. , Boehm-Davis Deborah
Published: September 2017

Computer network defense analysts engage a difficult, though critical, task in cyber defense. Anecdotally, these operators complain of frequent task interruptions while they are performing their duties. The goal for the current study was to investigate the effect of a commonly reported interruption, answering email, on accuracy and completion times in a simulated network analyst task. During task trials, participants were interrupted by emails between alert investigations, during alert investigations, or not at all (control). The results indicated that email interruptions increased alert completion times regardless of when they occurred, but interruptions that occurred during an alert investigation also reduced the accuracy of subsequent judgments about alert threat. Overall, the results suggest that task interruptions can potentially undermine cyber defense, and steps should be taken to better quantify and mitigate this threat.
Effect of Control-Display Gain and Mapping and Use of Armrests on Accuracy in Temporally Limited Touchless Gestural Steering Tasks
Authors: Ram Sharan , Mahadevan Anjan , Rahmat-Khah Hadi , Turini Guiseppe , Young Justin G.
Published: September 2017

Touchless gestural controls are becoming an important natural input technique for interaction with emerging virtual environments but design parameters that improve task performance while at the same time reduce user fatigue require investigation. This experiment aims to understand how control-display (CD) parameters such as gain and mapping as well as the use of armrests affect gesture accuracy in specific movement directions. Twelve participants completed temporally constrained two-dimensional steering tasks using free-hand fingertip gestures in several conditions. Use of an armrest, increased CD gain, and horizontal mapping significantly reduced success rate. The results show that optimal transfer functions for gestures will depend on the movement direction as well as arm support features.
Topics in Inclusive Design for the Graduate Human Factors Engineering Curriculum
Authors: D’Souza Clive
Published: September 2017

The confluence of demographic trends in aging and disability prevalence, increased expectations among workers and consumers with and without impairments, and greater reliance on complex yet pervasive technologies (e.g., automation, internet of things) has resulted in an increased emphasis on designing for human-system performance and accommodation across the full spectrum of human abilities. Inclusive design or universal design (UD) is one of the few user-centered design paradigms that advocate consideration for the full spectrum of human abilities, including individuals with and without disabilities.

A graduate-level course was developed and implemented to introduce ergonomics and human factors students to the UD paradigm and to UD goals and principles using select academic and non-academic readings, and assignments related to multivariate statistics, field observations, and design of experiments. The course placed an emphasis on the fundamentals and research base in ergonomics in relation to UD research and practice, viz., topics related to variability in human functioning and performance associated with anthropometry, biomechanics, perception and cognition. Alongside the motivations for the course, this paper provides an overview of the course objectives, topics covered, and some early lessons learned.
Theory of Sustained Optimal Challenge in Teaching and Learning
Authors: Ahmed Shaheen
Published: September 2017

Yerkes-Dodson law suggests an optimal level of arousal for the best performance in learning tasks. Ideally, the instructors’ expectations should match the abilities and inabilities of students. This study proposes a theory that challenges students optimally and continually over the course of teaching and learning, with proofs using both theoretical and classroom examples. The theory of sustained optimal challenge facilitates student learning by achieving primarily three objectives: (1) continually adjusts the speed and content difficulty levels over the course of teaching and learning; (2) matches the instructors’ expectations with the students’ aptitudes (abilities and inabilities); and (3) finally, reduces the variation in student learning. The effect of central limit theorem, teaching and learning theories, learning outcomes, and student feedback supported the proposed theory in a wide range of disciplines, including, Statistics, Mechanics, Quality, and Ergonomics. Sustained optimal challenges were observed in most courses taught utilizing the proposed theory.
Investigating the Role of Working Memory Components in Mathematical Cognition in Children: A Scoping Review
Authors: Anas Saeed , Sasangohar Farzan
Published: September 2017

Mathematics has been long known to be a complicated subject, requiring an advanced set of skills. Each skill learned in mathematics requires different level of effort and goes through a different path of processing when working memory is utilized. Being a leading indicator of children’s academic achievement, mathematical cognition is of vital importance and is monitored from a young age, where low performance could be a sign of a learning disability that needs to be addressed. A scoping review of literature was conducted to investigate the fortifying evidence on the importance of working memory in children’s mathematical performance, and present the common measures for which future research in this field would need to account. One of the main findings of this research is the strong contribution of working memory to problem solving, whether it is a single- or multi-digit arithmetic in consideration. Verbal working memory will have greater contribution for orally presented problems in contrast to written ones that would interact with visual-spatial sketchpad. A number of measures were agreed on to be good contributors for working memory performance, however some limitations apply on the modeling of working memory which was found to be alleviating some implications; at the same time, providing rich soil for cultivating new research.
Recruitment and Educational Alignment Use Cases for Competency Frameworks
Authors: Ann Hahn Heidi
Published: September 2017

Competency frameworks describe the knowledge, skills, and behavior needed to perform in a given field or role. Organizations and individuals have numerous use cases for competency assessment. Post-secondary educational institutions and training providers also have use cases for industry- and discipline-specific competency frameworks. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has used competency frameworks for both organizational uses and individual assessment purposes. While these uses are briefly touched on, the focus of this paper is on use of competency frameworks for communicating employer needs to education providers for recruitment purposes and for aligning curricula to meet discipline-specific competency requirements. LANL’s approach to developing and managing competency frameworks for several types of technicians is described, as is the use case methodology.
Naturalistic Driver Behaviour in Response to the Multi-Sensory Experience of Rear-End Collisions
Authors: Belkadi Y. , Campbell A.D.
Published: September 2017

The purpose of this study was to quantify naturalistic driver behaviour during real-world rear-end collisions. Rear-end collisions from the 100-car naturalistic driving database were reviewed and behaviour of drivers in the struck vehicles (i.e., lead vehicles) were analyzed. Results indicate that rear-ended drivers disengage their foot from the brake pedal and then reapply within average perception and response intervals (0.90 seconds; 0.15 SD) and braking intensities (0.50 g; 0.27 SD) consistent with visual detection of immediate collision hazards, despite the added complexity of a multi-sensory collision experience. Together with previous research, these data suggest that perception and response durations and braking intensities are scaled to the severity of the detected hazard. This research has applications to forensic investigations of collisions in which the inclusion of driver behaviour data is a requisite to quantifying impact dynamics and the analysis of collision avoidance potential in real-world conditions.
Tools for Symbol Development – Safety Symbol Response Taxonomy and Graphic Compatibility Verification
Authors: Isaacson Judith J. , Frantz Jared , Hall Steven M. , Burhans Charles G.
Published: September 2017

Symbols and graphics are often used in place of or in combination with word messages in product information. This paper discusses two development tools in the context of safety symbols and warnings. The first tool is a detailed Safety Symbol Response Taxonomy that allows richer analysis of open-ended comprehension testing responses than that provided by the “correct/wrong/wrong with opposite meaning” coding used when determining if a symbol meets ISO 9186-1 criteria of acceptability. This is useful in targeting improvements as well as selecting between variants that otherwise appear to have similar results. The second tool is a method for verifying safety symbols or graphics supplementing warning text are compatible with their associated word messages, including guidance for categorizing open-ended responses. Practical considerations for symbol development and examples are provided.
Going Mobile: Guiding the Development of Safer and More Effective Mobile Access in Healthcare
Authors: Lazzara Elizabeth H. , Baker Anthony L. , Abts Natalie , Nathan-Roberts Dan , Ranton Justin , Fouquet Sarah , Chaparro Barbara
Published: September 2017

Smartphones and tablets continue to be weaved into our everyday lives. The proliferation of these technologies has also led to rapid growth in the number of medical technologies that are available. In particular, medical software offers a large variety of benefits, with specific applications serving as communication platforms, information references, health record databases, and much more. It is clear that medical software has myriad benefits, but it also presents many challenges, such as reliability, usability, and regulatory oversight. Thus, the objective of this discussion panel is to assemble professionals in the fields of healthcare, usability, and human-system integration to address the question: How can the sciences of human factors and medicine work together to influence the design and implementation of safe, effective mobile medical software?
Improving Instructions to Stop the Bleed
Authors: Forsyth Katherine L. , Lowndes Bethany R. , Prytz Erik , Jonson Carl-Oscar , Sztajnkrycer Matthew D. , Heller Stephanie F. , Hallbeck M. Susan , Blocker Renaldo C.
Published: September 2017

The Stop The Bleed initiative was developed by the Department of Homeland Security to educate lay providers in bleeding reduction strategies. The current study evaluated: (1)three tourniquet instructions using a simulated tourniquet task and (2)participant confidence levels in tourniquet use and lay provider training. Thirty participants with limited clinical experience applied a tourniquet to a simulated limb using one of three instruction sets. Twelve of these participants (40%) participated in a tourniquet training session and focus group to discuss each instruction set. Participants preferred the most simple and pictoral instruction set, and identified opportunities for improvement in each set. Participant confidence in tourniquet use increased significantly following the task and the focus group. After the focus group, participant confidence in instructing lay providers on proper tourniquet use significantly increased. Adding key steps, contextual pictures, and indicators of success to instructions could support lay providers stop the bleed in life-threatening situations.
Understanding Patient Web Portal Use: An Exploration of Evaluation and Usability Studies
Authors: Rogers Michelle L. , Jeanty Judith
Published: September 2017

In times of tightening budgets, hospital systems are looking to health information technology (HIT) to be utilized to contain costs while maintaining or improving health outcomes. When considering health disparities, health IT was looked to for possible solutions to achieve those goals. We conducted a focused review of health services and informatics literature to identify how evaluation and usability were described in patient web portals (PWPs) used by medically underserved communities. We conducted a focused review of health services and informatics literature to identify how evaluation and usability were described in the patient portal work as it refers to use by medically underserved communities. In our search, we restricted our review to patient portals that are “tethered” to existing health care institutions as opposed to those that are consumer facing only (e.g. personal health records). We know that EHR use will continue to increase over time, so this study is timely and appropriate. 430 articles met study criteria which included a search of Web of Science, CINAHL and PubMed databases. Search terms included the phrases (and/or variations): *patient portal*, *patient web portal*, “*tethered electronic health record*”, “*tethered personal health record*”, “*personal health record*”, “*patient electronic health record*”, “*underserved” or “minority”. The resulting articles assessed the impacts of PWPs on clinical, behavioral, or psychosocial outcomes (Table 1). After review by the three authors, 40 articles were selected to describe the landscape of evaluation and usability studies. The majority of the evaluation studies in this review examined the effect of a PWP on clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. A majority of articles assessing the usability of PWP systems and functions focused on the perspectives of patients and/or health care providers. Both types of studies are valuable in understanding the role PWPs can play in increasing patient engagement, improving outcomes and enhancing patient-provider communication among patients suffering health disparities. What is less clear are methods to mitigate the identified problems and difficulties in the PHR interface design and implementation. There is lack of literature on the differential impacts of organizational structure and support as opposed to individual use and behavior. The attention paid to evaluation and usability offers a unique view into use and usefulness of information technology. Additional approaches are likely to be necessary to understand the underlying cultural and cost concerns. We know that EHR and PWP use will continue to increase over time, so this study is timely and appropriate.
Rapid Heuristic Evaluation: Ensuring Fast and Reliable Usability Support
Authors: Dobre Jolie , Harrington Craig , Herout Jennifer , Weir Charlene , Cook Ashley , Carter Tippy , Baggetta Donna , Relihan Walter “Bud”
Published: September 2017

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Human Factors Engineering (HFE) office developed a usability testing method called “Rapid Heuristic Evaluation” (Rapid HE) that offers benefits to users of the Agile development process. Rapid HE addresses the need to combine fast, reliable usability support with feedback from clinical subject matter experts (SMEs) during the design and development of an electronic health record (EHR). The Rapid HE process leverages established EHR heuristics to accelerate wireframe review and approval, and merges a traditional heuristic evaluation (HE) with an expert review by two SMEs. Our application of Rapid HEs has maximized use of resources and minimized the amount of time needed to provide feedback during Agile development cycles. This paper describes the Rapid HE process, deviations from traditional HEs, and reports on data from 16 HEs that our group conducted on an EHR platform currently being developed by VA.
Expanding Medication Decision Support in Community Pharmacies without Sacrificing Usability
Authors: Heiden Siobhan M. , Jahn Michelle A. , Caldwell Barrett S.
Published: September 2017

Patient safety has been an area of intense attention and research across disciplines for nearly two decades, with medication safety being a key concern. Many community pharmacies have installed software programs with algorithms to detect and alert pharmacists of potentially harmful drug interactions. Despite the improvements that have been made in reducing medication errors by using these engineering interventions, there are information gaps in addressing broader contextual information related to patients’ health goals. Focusing on the role and work tasks of community pharmacists helps to address the usability issues that could arise if medication decision support tools expanded to include an increasing range of medication alerts. The authors’ goal is to improve alignment between healthcare professional needs and patient health goals, while recognizing the unique work demands and patient interaction opportunities of community pharmacists.
Role Assignment in High Fidelity Patient Simulation and the Effects on Nursing Students’ Self-Efficacy Development
Authors: Weiler Dustin T. , Saleem Jason J.
Published: September 2017

Previous studies have evaluated the effectiveness of high fidelity patient simulators (HFPS) on nursing training. However, a gap exists on the effects of role assignment in multiple-student simulation scenarios. This study explored the effects of role assignment on self-efficacy development in baccalaureate-level nursing students. Using a researcher-developed tool, based upon a previously developed and utilized tool to fit the simulation scenario, the effects of role assignment were determined. Role assignment was found to have a significant effect on self-efficacy development. Furthermore, roles that require the participant to be more involved with the simulation scenario yielded more confident scores than roles that did not require the participant to be as involved. With this study, future multi-student simulation scenarios can be adjusted knowing the impact different roles can have on self-efficacy development.
Infusion pump informatics approach to quantify impact of alerts and alarms on healthcare delivery
Authors: Yu Denny , Hsu Kang-Yu , Kim Joon Hong , DeLaurentis Poching
Published: September 2017

Infusion pumps are medical devices that deliver medication, fluids, and nutrients in a precise and controlled manner that is critical to patient care. This study proposes using infusion pump informatics on all-infusion datasets to understand current impact of alerts and alarms on patient care and health practitioner workflow. All-infusion datasets contain infusion data for both normal and abnormal use, i.e., error states. Ten months of continuous data was collected from one health institution. Analysis of variance with log-transformation and logistic regressions were used to analysis contributing factors for alerts and alarms states. A total 64,511 minutes of alarm activation were observed, where alarms were active prior to being resolved. Mean resolution times for 83% of alarms were one minute or less; however, 3% or alarms required >4 minutes before getting resolved. Risk factors for infusions with alerts included nursing shift variables. Specifically, odds for alerts were 1.3 times higher for infusions that span across shifts than infusions in the day shift.
Reducing Stress in Healthcare: Evidence from Using an Integration Design Model
Authors: Keefer Robert , Douglas Lisa
Published: September 2017

The rapid and broad adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems has produced a technological burden that includes systems that have poor usability, reduce efficiency and increase workload for the user. Research shows that healthcare professionals experience elevated levels of stress in the work environment and many consider leaving the healthcare field. A Person-Technology (P-T) fit model helps explain how stress in the work environment is related to the usability of a system. Traditional principles for designing healthcare tools focus on tactical human-computer interactions and do not typically consider human-computer integration. Data from two healthcare system projects that used an integration model of design expands the scope of traditional design principles to include a human-computer symbiosis. The integration model resulted in improvements to usability scores using standard metrics. Implications and future research are discussed.
Modeling Affordance Using Formal Methods
Authors: Abbate Andrew J. , Bass Ellen J.
Published: September 2017

Affordances, or the physical interactions that an environment allows for a particular agent, are critical to the design of human-interactive systems. Researchers are developing formal models of human-device interaction that can be used to verify procedures, displays, and controls; however, no formal approaches to guide design exist for affordances. This paper presents such an approach. To model affordance formally, we instantiate an extant formalism from ecological psychology. A human-environment system model represents physical entities in an environment, properties such as 3-D spatial relations among them, and motor capabilities of a human operator. An application is demonstrated in an aircraft cabin door case study, and verification results aid in identifying an undesirable situation involving door openability.
A Formal Human Reliability Analysis of a Community Pharmacy Dispensing Procedure
Authors: Zheng Xi , Bolton Matthew L. , Daly Christopher , Feng Lu
Published: September 2017

Medication errors in community pharmacies are a major threat to patient health and safety. Current experimental and observational studies are insufficient to address the medication error problem due to its complexity. Thus, we adapt a well-validated human reliability analyses (HRA) approach for use with the probabilistic model checking, to create and validate a formal approach that allows the analysts to predict medication error rates and explore interventions for different community pharmacy procedures. We use the method to analyze a common dispensing procedure of community pharmacies and compare our results to published error rates. Finally, we discuss our results and explore how our method could be further developed in the future.
Operationalizing the C’s of Teamwork in an Intelligent Tutoring System
Authors: Bonner Desmond , Ouverson Kaitlyn , Gilbert Stephen , Dorneich Michael , Winer Eliot , Sinatra Anne , Macallister Anastacia , Kohl Adam
Published: September 2017

One of the difficulties in creating a team-focused intelligent tutoring system (ITS) is defining the measures used to assess the team’s performance. While the team research literature offers nine C’s of teamwork to consider, e.g., cooperation, communication, etc., it can also be difficult to implement these in real-world practice. This paper reviews the approach used in three team ITSs in which the C’s were used, offering guidance for future implementation of team tutors.
Examining Task Priority Effects in Multi-Task Management
Authors: Gutzwiller Robert S. , Sitzman Danielle M.
Published: September 2017

The Strategic Task Overload Model (STOM) seeks to predict the choices of operators when they are confronted with multiple task options in an overloading situation. These situations characterize safety-critical incidents and work domains, such as a worker in a nuclear power plant or aircraft cockpit when multiple alarms sound, additional interruptions occur, and ongoing tasks must still be performed. Training and other safety considerations may instruct operators to “prioritize” certain tasks over others under these conditions, such as paying attention to the forward roadway while driving, instead of a passenger or a cell phone. However, priority may not exercise much power over the choice to switch tasks. Supporting prior data, the current experiment using a multi-task battery show priority instructions exerted no effect on the choice to switch task behavior; and in contrast to prior work, instructions also did not influence the time spent performing a prioritized task.
Identifying Predictors of Army Marksmanship: A Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor Perspective
Authors: Anglin Katlin M. , Novell Corinne A. , Murphy Jennifer S. , Goodwin Gregory A.
Published: September 2017

Marksmanship is a core competency every U.S. Army Soldier must attain in order to achieve combat readiness (James & Dyer, 2011). To enhance overall marksmanship proficiency, the current research aims to develop a model to predict Soldier marksmanship qualification scores based on individual differences. The results of the current study found several psychomotor, cognitive, and affective variables predicted marksmanship qualification scores. These findings bring research a step closer to identifying skill deficiencies and individual needs prior to training. More research is needed to maximize understanding and improvement of marksmanship performance and to improve overall combat readiness.
A Design Feature and Cross-Culture Based Comparative Evaluation of Web Maps
Authors: Li Guanlong , Li Yueqing , Zhang Jing , Zhang Xiao
Published: September 2017

This study aims to investigate how design features and cross-culture factors affect the usability of web maps. Twelve volunteers performed two scenario-based tasks using three web maps in a Windows environment. There were four dependent variables: completion time, number of clicks, success rate and workload. Results revealed that different design features significantly affected users’ performances.
A Desktop Usability Evaluation of the Facebook Mobile Interface using the JAWS Screen Reader with Blind Users
Authors: Brinkley Julian , Tabrizi Nasseh
Published: September 2017

Social networking sites (SNSs) like Facebook are widely used and have been broadly studied but despite years of investigation, accessibility complaints from individuals with visual impairments continue to persist. To investigate this issue we have conducted a quasi-ethnographic usability evaluation of Facebook involving blind participants, the mobile interface ( m.facebook.com ) and the JAWS screen reader on a desktop computer; a configuration that has been suggested in the related literature but insufficiently investigated. Six participants attempted 18 tasks designed to be representative of common SNS user activities. Of the features evaluated participants were most severely challenged by the process of creating a user profile and identifying other users with whom to establish relationships; two of the three core activities commonly viewed as characterizing SNSs. These findings suggest that despite recent progress additional research may be needed to make Facebook truly accessible for individuals with visual impairments.
Perspectives in Sustainable Interaction Design: A preliminary discussion involving human values and HCI
Authors: Nunes Luciana , Alvão Cláudia Mont’
Published: September 2017

The growth of products and services consumption, including the technological ones, turns necessary to rethink our behavior in a way that it minimizes the impacts of consumption in our society, as well as on future generations and improves mental, physical and social well-being. Sustainable Interaction Design (SID), a field of study within HCI, argues that sustainability must be the primary focus of projects involving the use of technologies. analyzes and discusses SID’s applicability in the Interaction Design field and process through an integrative literature review of papers published between 2005 and 2015, books and documents that address this design-technology-sustainability relation. The idea isn’t discuss all questions that are raised on the literature, but share a collection of perspectives. As a conclusion, further discussion is needed involving how to approach the three pillars of sustainability in projects, how to incorporate SID concepts to Design Education, how to apply these concepts in a multidisciplinary team in the professional environment, and how HCI evaluation methods can be improved to consider sustainability issues.
Validation of the LiFFT Risk Assessment Tool and Guidance on Its Use
Authors: Gallagher Sean , Sesek Richard F. , Schall Mark C. , Huangfu Rong
Published: September 2017

The purpose of this paper is to describe a new risk assessment tool for manual lifting (LiFFT), to demonstrate the strong association between LiFFT’s cumulative damage metric with low back outcomes, and to provide recommendations for use in a variety of settings.
Communicating the Value of Ergonomics to Management – Part 1: Language, ROI, and Models
Authors: Rempel David , Reid Christopher R. , McGowan Blake , Williamson Cindy , Alexander David , Whitehead Cindy , Sobhani Ahmad
Published: September 2017

More than ever, human factors engineers and ergonomists need to justify our practice’s value to management. How can we effectively communicate with management? How should we present a Return on Investment (ROI) that leadership will find useful that addresses company profits, cost savings, productivity, first time quality, and turnover? What else does management care about other than ROI? The presenters on this first panel of a two panel set, will share their years of experience on how to effectively communicate the value of HF/E to management, industrial designers, and engineers. The session will start with a lecture followed by a panel discussion led by the moderators. The audience will be encouraged to participate with their own questions and comments.
Effects of an intentional gait modification on lower limb alignment
Authors: Choi Seobin , Shin Gwanseob
Published: September 2017

Construction workers are exposed to the risk of medial meniscus tear due to their repetitive kneeling posture. Injury prevention requires the reduction of compressive force on the medial side of the knee joint by reducing knee adduction angle. The objective of this experimental study was to explore whether an intentional gait modification could change the lower limb alignment and reduce the knee adduction angle without any brace or external devices. Eight healthy participants walked on a treadmill with three different gait strategies: normal, valgus and varus walking. Their lower limb kinematics data were captured by three-dimensional motion capture system, and knee joint adduction angle variables were compared between the three strategies. Results found significant (p<0.05) decrease of the peak knee adduction angle during stand and swing phases when walking with intentional valgus strategy compared to when walking normally, indicating the positive effects of gait modification on the lower limb alignment.
Lumbar Facet Joint Kinematics and Load Effects During Dynamic Lifting
Authors: Chowdhury Suman K , Byrne Ryan M , Zhou Yu , Aiyangar Ameet , Zhang Xudong
Published: September 2017

Although extensive efforts have been dedicated to investigating the risk factors of low back pain in the workplace, a clear knowledge of their effects on the facet joint (FJ) mechanics is lacking. In this study, fourteen healthy participants performed dynamic lifting task with varying external load while a dynamic stereo-radiography system captured their lumbar motion continuously. The FJ kinematics in the lumbar spine were ascertained using a volumetric model-based tracking method. The FJ kinematics data from seven participants were processed and analyzed using non-parametric statistical test. The results indicated significant (p<0.05) effects of external load on the FJ flexion and superior-inferior translation at all segments, showing more consistent trends at the L2-L3, L3-L4, and L4-L5 joints during trunk flexion angles of approximately 20° and 40°. Findings of this study provide a preliminary but important foundation in elucidating facet-related injury mechanism due to strenuous exertions in workplaces.
Industrial Exoskeletons: Are We Ready for Prime Time Yet?
Authors: Reid Christopher R. , Nussbaum Maury A. , Gregorczyk Karen , Harris-Adamson Carisa , Kyte Kadon , Lowe Brian , Smets Marty , Zmijewski Ron
Published: September 2017

What is an exoskeleton? Exoskeletons are external devices that are worn for an intended purpose such as rehabilitation or replacement for lost physical functions like walking. Others have considered these systems from what earlier might have been a more science fiction perspective – such as increased mechanical leveraging, strength, and speed – though such applications are starting to become science fact. Examples of such emerging applications have, until now, been directed toward military applications, such as developing the “super soldier” concept. Exoskeleton technologies are also being increasingly applied in medical scenarios. However, industrial applications are still in their infancy despite a dramatic increase in commercial products being released to the market. With this infancy, designers of systems have focused on system function; but, what about user population safety, fit accommodation, and regulatory concerns? How should designers design for human user concerns while targeting system function? What considerations should customers and stakeholders contemplate before buying that next commercial off-the-shelf system? Ultimately, how do we use ergonomic approaches to better design, assess, and use exoskeletons to benefit labor-intensive occupational tasks, or most effectively adopt exoskeletons to enhance work that involves physical fatigue and risk of musculoskeletal injury? The session will start with initial lectures and introductions from the panel, followed by an encouraged panel discussion with the audience led by the moderators.
Burnout and its Association with Musculoskeletal Pain among Primary Care Providers
Authors: Zhang Xuanxuan , Schall Mark C. , Sesek Richard , Gallagher Sean , Michel Jesse
Published: September 2017

Burnout is a growing concern among primary care providers (PCPs). The condition may lead to diminished quality of patient care as well as reduced quality of life. Although self-reported musculoskeletal pain is common among healthcare providers, the relationship between burnout and musculoskeletal pain among PCPs has been studied very little. We describe a cross-sectional pilot survey conducted among 38 PCPs (MDs, DOs, PAs, and NPs) in the Midwestern United States. Self-reported feelings of burnout and musculoskeletal pain in different body regions were analyzed using regression models. Results suggested that increasing number of hours worked per day, severity of pain in the neck / shoulder area, and severity of pain in the right wrist were associated with an increased risk of burnout. On the contrary, burnout decreased with increasing age. The findings suggest that additional research is needed to understand the risk factors for burnout among PCPs, particularly during the early stages of their career.
Statistical Prediction of Hand Force Exertion Levels in a Simulated Push Task using Posture Kinematics
Authors: Lim Sol , D’Souza Clive
Published: September 2017

This study explored the use of body posture kinematics derived from wearable inertial sensors to estimate force exertion levels in a two-handed isometric pushing and pulling task. A prediction model was developed grounded on the hypothesis that body postures predictably change depending on the magnitude of the exerted force. Five body postural angles, viz., torso flexion, pelvis flexion, lumbar flexion, hip flexion, and upper arm inclination, collected from 15 male participants performing simulated isometric pushing and pulling tasks in the laboratory were used as predictor variables in a statistical model to estimate handle height (shoulder vs. hip) and force intensity level (low vs. high). Individual anthropometric and strength measurements were also included as predictors. A Random Forest algorithm implemented in a two-stage hierarchy correctly classified 77.2% of the handle height and force intensity levels. Results represent early work in coupling unobtrusive, wearable instrumentation with statistical learning techniques to model occupational activities and exposures to biomechanical risk factors in situ.
Real-time quantitative performance feedback during strength exercise improves motivation, competitiveness, mood, and performance
Authors: Wilson Kyle M. , Helton William S. , de Joux Neil R. , Head James R. , Weakley Jonathon J. S.
Published: September 2017

Providing quantitative feedback on performance in real-time appears to improve performance in a strength training context. Less is known about the associated effects on psychological variables. Fifteen rugby athletes performed a strength training exercise both with and without objective performance feedback provided in real-time. Feedback increased performance, consistent with previous research. Feedback also led to higher ratings of task competitiveness, state motivation, mood, and workload. These findings provide insight into possible underlying mechanisms responsible for the feedback’s facilitative effects on performance. The findings also suggests that providing this type of feedback may have benefits within other industries, where attempts are frequently made to increase adherence to exercise and rehabilitation programs. This research carries important implications for the design and use of technology within both the sports science and healthcare industry.