Interface Design Approach Research Articles

Revitalizing Interest in Traditional Malaysian Games Among the Younger Generation Through Mobile Applications: An Interface Design Approach

The rich heritage of traditional Malaysian games is at risk of fading in the face of modern digital entertainment, particularly among younger generations. This study explores how mobile applications can serve as a platform to revitalize interest in these games by employing an innovative interface design approach. Focusing on user-centred design principles, this paper highlights the importance of visual appeal, ease of use, and engagement in encouraging younger users to interact with this cultural artefact. By combining tradition with technology, the research demonstrates how thoughtfully designed mobile applications can preserve cultural heritage while resonating with the digital-native generation. The findings present a framework for integrating cultural education into modern gaming experiences, contributing to preserving Malaysia's unique cultural identity.

A Computational Design Framework for Lubrication Interfaces With Active Micro-textures

Abstract The major goal of the present study is to develop a computational design framework for the active control of hydrodynamically lubricated interfaces. The framework ultimately delivers an electrode distribution on an elastomeric substrate such that a voltage-controlled texture may be induced on its surface. This enables the setup to attain a desired time-dependent macroscopic lubrication response. The computational framework is based on a numerically efficient two-stage design approach. In the first stage, a topology optimization framework is introduced for determining a microscopic texture and the uniform modulation of its amplitude. The objective is to attain the targeted fluid flux or frictional traction signals based on the homogenization-based macroscopic response of the texture. As a minor goal, a novel unit cell geometry optimization feature will be developed which will enable working in a design space that is as unrestricted as possible. The obtained designs are then transferred to the second stage where the electrode distribution on a soft substrate is determined along with the voltage variation that delivers the desired amplitude variation. The first stage operates in a two-dimensional setting based on the Reynolds equation whereas the second stage operates in a three-dimensional setting based on an electroelasticity formulation. The two stages are heuristically coupled by transferring the texture topology to the electrode distribution through a projection step. The viability of such an active lubrication interface design approach is demonstrated through numerous examples that methodically investigate the central features of the overall computational framework.

Design and Development of MASTR: A classroom Mobile Assistance Supervision Tool and Reporting for Teachers

Classroom routines are the fundamental basis of classroom management. Consistency of routines is one strategy for effective and efficient classroom management. This study aimed to develop and design a classroom Mobile Assistance Supervision Tool and Reporting for Teachers (MASTR) using an integration of the Modified Feature Development and Task-Centered User Interface Design approaches. It has four phases: identification, requirement gathering, design and development, which uses heuristics and walkthrough evaluations that produced two iterations, and usability testing. Using the heuristics and walkthrough evaluations led to an 87.62 usability rating. MASTR is an offline, Android-based application to aid effective and efficient classroom management.

A Systematic Literature Review of Design Thinking Approach for User Interface Design

The user interface is an influential element in software applications. A well-designed user interface will potentially increase the usability of software applications. Therefore, user interface designers should deliberate when considering which approach and method to implement for designing user interfaces. Design thinking is currently a widely followed approach in user interface design practices. Hence, this study aimed to explore research trends and current practices of design thinking approach for user interface design. This study employed a systematic literature review following the Kitchenham method. This study found 39 articles deemed relevant to the design thinking approach. In general, our study found five common stages broadly mentioned in the articles, i.e., empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. The most widely practiced method during those five stages is interview, user persona, brainstorming, user interface, and usability testing. However, there is no consensus on what kind of stage(s) and which method(s) should be employed when following the design thinking approach for user interface design. Therefore, it will depend on the designer's decision in choosing which stage(s) and their related method(s) will be employed.

A Systematic Literature Review of Design Thinking Approach for User Interface Design

The user interface is an influential element in software applications. A well-designed user interface will potentially increase the usability of software applications. Therefore, user interface designers should deliberate when considering which approach and method to implement for designing user interfaces. Design thinking is currently a widely followed approach in user interface design practices. Hence, this study aimed to explore research trends and current practices of design thinking approach for user interface design. This study employed a systematic literature review following the Kitchenham method. This study found 39 articles deemed relevant to the design thinking approach. In general, our study found five common stages broadly mentioned in the articles, i.e., empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. The most widely practiced method during those five stages is interview, user persona, brainstorming, user interface, and usability testing. However, there is no consensus on what kind of stage(s) and which method(s) should be employed when following the design thinking approach for user interface design. Therefore, it will depend on the designer's decision in choosing which stage(s) and their related method(s) will be employed.

A Systematic Literature Review of Design Thinking Approach for User Interface Design

User interface is an influential element in software applications. A well-designed user interface will potentially increase the usability of software applications. Therefore, user interface designers should have a deliberate thought when considering which approach and method they would implement for designing user interface. Design thinking is currently one of the widely followed approach in user interface design practices. Hence, this study was aimed to explore research trend and current practices of design thinking approach for user interface design. This study was conducted by employing a systematic literature review following Kitchenham method. This study found 39 articles that were deemed relevant to the design thinking approach. In general, our study found five common stages broadly mentioned in the articles i.e.empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. The most widely practiced method during each of those five stages is interview, user persona, brainstorming, user interface, and usability testing. However, there is no consensus on what kind of stage(s) and which particular method(s) that should be employed when following design thinking approach for user interface design. Therefore, it will depend on the decision of the designer in choosing which stage(s) and their relatedmethod(s) that will be employed.

High-throughput ab initio design of atomic interfaces using InterMatch

Forming a hetero-interface is a materials-design strategy that can access an astronomically large phase space. However, the immense phase space necessitates a high-throughput approach for an optimal interface design. Here we introduce a high-throughput computational framework, InterMatch, for efficiently predicting charge transfer, strain, and superlattice structure of an interface by leveraging the databases of individual bulk materials. Specifically, the algorithm reads in the lattice vectors, density of states, and the stiffness tensors for each material in their isolated form from the Materials Project. From these bulk properties, InterMatch estimates the interfacial properties. We benchmark InterMatch predictions for the charge transfer against experimental measurements and supercell density-functional theory calculations. We then use InterMatch to predict promising interface candidates for doping transition metal dichalcogenide MoSe2. Finally, we explain experimental observation of factor of 10 variation in the supercell periodicity within a few microns in graphene/α-RuCl3 by exploring low energy superlattice structures as a function of twist angle using InterMatch. We anticipate our open-source InterMatch algorithm accelerating and guiding ever-growing interfacial design efforts. Moreover, the interface database resulting from the InterMatch searches presented in this paper can be readily accessed online.

Engineering a Ni-Al Brucite-Based Interface Layer with Regulated Zn2+ Flux for Highly Reversible Zn Metal Anodes.

Practical aqueous Zn-ion batteries are appealing for grid-scale energy storage with intrinsic safety and cost-effectiveness, yet their cycling stability and reversibility are limited by unwanted dendrite growth and water-induced erosions on Zn. Herein, a hydrophilic and Zn2+-conductive Ni-Al layered double hydroxide (NiAl-LDH) interphase layer is constructed on the surface of Zn, in which NiAl-LDH enables a more uniformly distributed Zn2+ concentration and interfacial electric field owing to its large internal Zn2+ channels and favorable charge redistribution effect. Consequently, the NiAl-LDH-integrated Zn anode achieves low voltage hysteresis and high reversibility of Zn plating/stripping with uniform underneath deposition behaviors. Remarkably, the resultant NiAl-2 LDH@Zn delivers superior cycling durability over 2800 h (∼4 months, 0.5 mA cm-2), realizes high reversibility with 99.4% average Coulombic efficiency over 1400 cycles, and confers stable operation of full Zn cells with high V2O5 mass loadings. This work offers a facile and instructive interface design approach for achieving highly stable Zn metal anodes.

Decision Support for Flexible Manufacturing Systems: Application of the Cognitive Systems Engineering and Ecological Interface Design Approach

We applied the cognitive systems engineering (CSE)/ecological interface design (EID) approach to the work domain of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). Work domain analyses (WDA) and activity analyses were conducted. Previous concerns regarding the suitability of CSE for FMS are addressed. Principles of EID (i.e., direct perception, direct manipulation, and visual momentum) were applied in designing an ecological interface for a flexible manufacturing system (EcoFlex). The critical links between the products of a WDA and the content of an ecological interface (a key innovation of EID) are made explicit. The evaluations of this interface were very positive across a wide variety of traditional and novel dependent variables (please see the companion manuscript). The overall success of this research program clearly demonstrates that the CSE/EID approach is capable of being applied to FMS. Contributions of this manuscript include both theoretical insights (defining properties of the FMS work domain, concrete examples of the principles of EID, critical links between CSE and EID, resolution of concerns about the overall framework) and practical applications (specific design solutions for FMS and similar work domains, and successful examples of the CSE/EID approach which can be studied and leveraged by students).

Decision Support for Flexible Manufacturing Systems: The Evaluation of an Ecological Interface and Principles of Ecological Interface Design

The cognitive systems engineering (CSE)/ecological interface design (EID) approach was applied in developing decision support for the flexible manufacturing system (FMS) work domain. Four interfaces were designed via the factorial application/non-application of direct perception (DP) and direct manipulation (DM). The capability of these interfaces to support performance in a simulated FMS was evaluated using a variety of traditional and novel dependent variables. The ecological interface (with DP, DM and an intact perception-action loop) provided clearly superior decision support (32 favorable significant results) relative to the other three interfaces (a combined total of 28 favorable significant results). The novel dependent variables were very sensitive. The results are interpreted from three different perspectives: traditional EID, the quality of constraint matching between triadic system components and closed-loop, dynamical control systems. The rationale for an expanded theoretical framework which complements, but does not replace, the original principles of CSE/EID is discussed. The potential for both specific interface features and novel dependent variables to generalize to real-world FMS applications is addressed. The expanded theoretical framework is universally relevant for the development of decision making and problem solving support in all computer-mediated work domains.

Design Thinking Approach for User Interface Design and User Experience on Campus Academic Information Systems

Abstract—Currently, an academic system with structured data is needed for all lecture institutions, especially universities in Indonesia, Siliwangi University, with its academic system, namely the Campus Academic Information System (SIMAK). Over time, complaints from the visual aspect and user experience that did not keep up with the times became a new problem for SIMAK with student access rights. Therefore, the UI/UX aspect in developing an application is vital in accessing the available features. In this study, the method applied is Design Thinking to develop SIMAK WEB and SIMAK MOBILE application designs according to the data and input obtained from users. The research stages include Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. The final result is user testing from expert users with ten examiners, each producing a success rate percentage of 100% for SIMAK WEB and a percentage of 90% for SIMAK MOBILE. In addition, the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) assessment from the same expert user plus end-users of 39 respondents and 33 respondents for web and mobile respectively increased 6 UEQ scales, namely Attractiveness, Clarity, Efficiency, Accuracy, Stimulation and lastly especially Novelty which has an increase of 5.286 and 5.264 from the initial value of -0.880. The Novelty scale is the only scale with a negative impression initially and was successfully evaluated in this study with a good score. The implication for further research is that an in-depth study and application of unique methods regarding the conversion of designs into prototype form is necessary so that coding can run smoothly. Keywords— Design Thinking, Campus Academic System, User Experience, User Experience Questionnaire, User Interface

Exploring Effects of Ecological Visual Analytics Interfaces on Experts' and Novices' Decision‐Making Processes: A Case Study in Air Traffic Control

AbstractOperational demands in safety‐critical systems impose a risk of failure to the operators especially during urgent situations. Operators of safety‐critical systems learn to make decisions effectively throughout extensive training programs and many years of experience. In the domain of air traffic control, expensive training with high dropout rates calls for research to enhance novices' ability to detect and resolve conflicts in the airspace. While previous researchers have mostly focused on redesigning training instructions and programs, the current paper explores possible benefits of novel visual representations to improve novices' understanding of the situations as well as their decision‐making process. We conduct an experimental evaluation study testing two ecological visual analytics interfaces, developed in a previous study, as support systems to facilitate novice decision‐making. The main contribution of this paper is threefold. First, we describe the application of an ecological interface design approach to the development of two visual analytics interfaces. Second, we perform a human‐in‐the‐loop experiment with forty‐five novices within a simplified air traffic control simulation environment. Third, by performing an expert‐novice comparison we investigate the extent to which effects of the proposed interfaces can be attributed to the subjects' expertise. The results show that the proposed ecological visual analytics interfaces improved novices' understanding of the information about conflicts as well as their problem‐solving performance. Further, the results show that the beneficial effects of the proposed interfaces were more attributable to the visual representations than the users' expertise.

Time Enhanced Architectural Modelling (T.E.A.M.): Virtual reality project for the planning and visualization of kinetic architecture and dynamic design

T.E.A.M. is a research project that was created to facilitate the design of kinetic projects and components created through a computational design process. Time is the ingredient that allows dynamism. The following paper examines the core features of Platform One, an experimental digital application born within the project and aimed at supporting designers during the development, in a VE (Virtual Environment) of dynamic architectures and components, as well as the principles that inspired it. The application presents two key features: the first one is that everything modified and developed in the VE retains its geometric characteristics, allowing the user to reach an informed 3D model at the end of the process; the second one is the ease and enjoyment with which the user manipulates complex dynamic geometries in the three-dimensional environment through a natural interface design approach that focuses on direct manipulation of architectural objects and components. The simulator is designed to be used in a 6DOF virtual environment using a commercial VR headset. It has currently been loaded with several archetypal test architectures and soon it will be available to designers who want to test their work with it.

Para-Fluoro-Thiol Reaction on Anchor Layers Grafted from an Aryldiazonium Salt: A Tool for Surface Functionalization with Thiols.

A new coupling reaction, the para-fluoro-thiol (PFT) reaction, activated by base at room temperature, is reported for carbon surface functionalization. 4-Nitrothiophenol (4-NTP) and (3-nitrobenzyl)mercaptan (3-NBM) were coupled to pentafluorophenyl (F5-Ph) anchor layers grafted from the aryldiazonium ion formed in situ. The relative yields of the PFT reactions, estimated from the electrochemical responses of coupled nitrophenyl (NP) and nitrobenzyl (NB) groups, depended on the nucleophilicity of the thiolate and the strength of the base. The highest surface concentration (4.6 × 10-10 mol cm-2) was obtained using 3-NBM in the presence of [Bu4N]OH; this concentration corresponds to the maximum that is typically achieved for other high-yielding coupling reactions at aryldiazonium ion anchor layers. The PFT reaction is expected to be applicable to the numerous thiol derivatives commonly restricted to self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formation at gold and other noble metals, thereby opening a simple new approach for interface design on carbon substrates. The strategy may also have advantages for modification of gold surfaces: the layer prepared by coupling 3-NBM to F5-Ph films on gold was found to be more stable to storage under ambient conditions than self-assembled monolayers of 3-NBM.

A Review of Human-Computer Interaction Design Approaches towards Information Systems Development

Nowadays modern information systems (emerging technologies) are increasingly becoming an integral part of our daily lives and has begun to pose a serious challenge for human-computer interaction (HCI) professionals, as emerging technologies in the area of mobile and cloud computing, and internet of things (IoT), are calling for more devotion from HCI experts in terms of systems interface design. As the number of mobile platforms users, nowadays comprises of children’s, elderly people, and people with disabilities or disorders, all demanding for an effective user interface that can meet their diverse needs, even on the move, at anytime and anywhere. This paper, review current articles (43) related to HCI interface design approaches to modern information systems design with the aim of identifying and determining the effectiveness of these methods. The study found that the current HCI design approaches were based on desktop paradigm which falls short of providing location-based services to mobile platforms users. The study also discovered that almost all the current interface design standard used by HCI experts for the design of user’s interface were not effective & supportive of emerging technologies due to the flexibility nature of these technologies. Based on the review findings, the study suggested the combination of Human-centred design with agile methodologies for interface design, and call on future works to use qualitative or quantitative approach to further investigate HCI methods of interface design with much emphasis on cloud-based technologies and other organizational information systems.

Overview of Service Interface Design Approaches for Interoperability of Traditional System Integration Patterns

One of the major issues in system integration is to deal with interoperability of legacy systems which use traditional System Integration Patterns (SIP). Information are unable to exchange effectively when the systems involved comes from developer that tended to not interoperate and this leads to the interoperability problem in heterogeneous system integration. To address the interoperability issues, interfacing processes need to be made more easily by defining components, processes, and interfaces that affect the system integration architecture at the initial design stage. This paper includes a basic concept on types of traditional SIP covering File-Based, Common Database, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), Distributed Objects, and Messaging. An overview of three Service Interface Design (SID) approaches for systems interoperability is discussed. The discussions on these approaches serve as a basis for the solution of interoperability of heterogeneous systems which use traditional SIP.

Optimal Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Interfacing: Applying Modern Control for Design and Verification of High-Accuracy Interfaces

In this article, we develop a novel approach to design power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) simulation interfaces that maximize simulation bandwidth and accuracy by leveraging a modern control framework that explicitly considers objectives on accuracy and can automatically synthesize an optimal controller that meets these objectives while stabilizing the closed-loop system. The method developed improves upon common approaches to PHIL interface design that typically involve multiple design steps for manual compensation and stabilization that can result in interfaces that are stable but have suboptimal bandwidth and accuracy. The approach developed is general and can be applied to most PHIL system configurations. The modeling framework allows for the inclusion of scaling factors and hardware-under-test current injection models that are common to practical PHIL simulations and have significant impacts on stability. We also present practical methods and metrics for verifying the absolute accuracy of PHIL simulation results without relying on relative comparisons to potentially inaccurate models or previous simulation results. We demonstrate the accuracy evaluation method and show the improved performance achievable when using the optimal PHIL interface design approach in an experimental case study involving a 100-kVA battery inverter.

Product Interface Design for Complexity Management in Assembly Systems

Manufacturing firms are facing the challenge of minimizing variety-induced complexity in assembly systems. One of the effective approaches to complexity management is to reconfigure the assembly system by rearranging its assembly sequence. In order to rearrange an assembly sequence, a design-oriented approach is necessary because assembly is an activity of connecting parts through an interface between them. It means that the assembly sequence in production is restricted by the structure of interface connections in design. In this vein, this paper introduces a new design-oriented approach called interface design approach to complexity management in assembly systems. First, the mechanism of how the structure of interface connections affects assembly system complexity is identified. Then, an interface design framework is proposed for effectively finding an optimal interface structure and its assembly sequence to minimize assembly system complexity. For evaluating the complexity, the operator choice complexity index is adopted and modified for the interface design problem. In the case study, the framework is applied to the interface design problem by using industrial data of a plasma display panel (PDP) family from LG Electronics. The result of the study demonstrates that the assembly system complexity is significantly reduced by the proposed interface design framework.

NURBS-based microstructure design for organic photovoltaics

The microstructure – spatial distribution of electron donor and acceptor domains – plays an important role in determining the photo current in thin film organic solar cells (OSCs). Optimizing the microstructure can lead to higher photo current generation, and is an active area of experimental research. There has been recent progress in framing OSC microstructure design as a computational design problem. However, most current approaches to microstructure optimization are based on volumetric distribution of material, which makes the design space very large. In contrast, we frame the microstructure design optimization problem in terms of designing the interface between the donor and acceptor regions, and thus pose it as a surface representation and optimization problem. This results in substantially reduced number of design variables, thus enabling use of standard optimization tools. In this work, we address the efficient design of OSC microstructure by using surface and curve modeling techniques to model the donor–acceptor interface, and use meta-heuristic, gradient-free optimization techniques to optimize the microstructure for maximum short circuit current generation. Our modeling framework consists of three major components: (1) geometric modeling of OSC microstructure that uses Non-Uniform Rational B-spline (NURBS) curves and surfaces to construct the free-form donor–acceptor interface, (2) photo-current generation modeling that uses a parallel, finite-element based exciton–drift–diffusion (XDD) model, and (3) optimization that utilizes genetic algorithms (GA) to optimize the OSCs microstructure via exploration of the NURBS representation. We apply these methods for the optimization of both 2D and 3D microstructures. Results show substantial improvement in current density compared to the bulk-heterojunction microstructures. These results provide promising microstructures for experimental groups to fabricate. The proposed surface representation approach seems to be a promising approach for interface design in engineered systems.

All at Sea with User Interfaces: From Evolutionary to Ecological Design for Submarine Combat Systems

The quickening pace of technological advancement will require submarine command teams of the future to process greater volumes of data, potentially with fewer operators. User interfaces (UIs) have evolved to meet current requirements, but this iterative process has propagated legacy design paradigms that may be unsuitable for future system specifications. To understand where improvements may be made, a review of current submarine control room operation is presented, using a sociotechnical systems approach. The social (command team: work, structure, and communication) and technical (combat systems) components are presented for context. An emphasis is placed on Sonar and Target Motion Analysis due to their prevalence within the control room. It was found that current UIs place increased cognitive requirements on operators due to the complexity and quantity of information presented. It is proposed that adopting an Ecological Interface Design (EID) approach could reduce such issues, facilitating effective resource allocation to manage increased data volumes. EID has been demonstrated to be effective across many domains, however, its exploitation in submarine control rooms is limited. Advances in modern submarine combat systems have promoted greater flexibility, providing an opportunity to utilise contemporary design philosophies for designing intuitive interfaces to maintain effective control room performance.