Data Entry Task Research Articles

The Role of Effort in Shifting Preference for Feedback Stimuli

ABSTRACT Researchers have examined preference for the format of delivery of feedback, however little research has examined strategies to increase feedback and praise desirability. The current study aimed to evaluate whether preference shifted for stimuli that signaled work and for manager-praise stimuli that were delivered after work. Moreover, we sought to understand if these preference shifts were greater when the work was higher-effort compared to lower-effort work tasks (a phenomenon described in the basic literature as within-trial contrast). The study took place in a simulated work environment. Sixteen university students clicked on a shape that produced the work task, completed a mock medical data-entry task, and received manager-praise on an FR1 and FR20 schedule. At the start of the study and following each contingency exposure trials, they completed a preference assessment for both the shapes and the manager-feedback stimuli. The primary dependent variable was the percentage of preference change for two categories of stimuli – shapes presented at the beginning of trials that signaled which condition participants were in and manager-praise stimuli presented at the end of trials. Preference for the shape stimuli for both high- and low-effort stimuli decreased indicating that stimuli that signal work may become less preferred. Preference for the manager-praise stimuli for both high- and low-effort stimuli increased suggesting that stimuli that follow work may become more preferred. Overall, these data suggest that the conditions under which managers deliver feedback and praise may influence preference for those stimuli.

A Study on the Effect of Gender, Size of Mobile Phones and Noise on the Performance of Operators During Data Entry Task

In this paper, various parameters were chosen in order to investigate the effects of gender, size of mobile as well as noise on the performance during a data entry task. The analysis consisted of 14 participants of different genders 7 each into two equal groups to perform data entry tasks on mobile of size 5.8 inches and 6.2 inches under the influence of varying noise levels. The total number of words entered by each subject in ten minutes was analyzed statistically. The male performed better than their counterparts at each noise level. The performance of each subject was found better on smaller phones than the larger one. With an increase in noise intensity, the performance was degraded and then enhanced at 94dBA. Effects of gender, size of mobile phones, noise as well as the interaction between gender and noise were found to be statistically significant. The interactions amongst all the three were found to be insignificant.

Data Entry Automation Improves Cost, Quality, Performance, and Job Satisfaction in a Hospital Nursing Unit.

An Automated Data Entry Process Technology tool was developed to free nurses from data entry tasks, thus creating time for patient care and other activities associated with improvements in performance and job satisfaction. Manually transferring data from patient measurement devices to electronic health records (EHRs) is an intensive, error-prone task that diverts nurses from patient care while adversely affecting job performance and employee satisfaction. Performance improvement analytics were used to compare matched sets of manual and automated EHR data entries for 1933 consecutive vital signs records created by 49 RNs and certified nursing assistants in a 23-bed medical-surgical unit at a large tertiary hospital. Performance and quality effects were evaluated via nurses' responses to a postintervention survey. Data errors decreased from approximately 20% to 0; data transfer times were reduced by 5 minutes to 2 hours per measurement event; nurses had more time for direct patient care; and job satisfaction improved. Data entry automation eliminates data errors, substantially reduces delays in getting data into EHRs, and improves job satisfaction by giving nurses more time for direct patient care. Findings are associated with improvements in quality, work performance, and job satisfaction, key goals of nursing leaders.

Training, retention, and transfer of data entry perceptual and motor processes over short and long retention intervals.

In two experiments, subjects trained in a standard data entry task, which involved typing numbers (e.g., 2147) using their right hands. At an initial test (20 min or 6 months after training), subjects completed the standard task, followed by a left-hand variant (typing with their left hands) that involved the same perceptual, but different motoric, processes as the standard task. At a second test (2 days or 8 months after training), subjects completed the standard task, followed by a code variant (translating letters into digits, then typing the digits with their right hands) that involved different perceptual, but the same motoric, processes as the standard task. At test, for each of the three tasks, half the trials were trained numbers (old) and half were new. Repetition priming (faster execution times to old than new numbers) was found for each task, with extended delays only slightly decreasing the magnitude of the effect. Repetition priming for the standard task reflects retention of trained numbers, for the left-hand variant reflects transfer of perceptual processes, and for the code variant reflects transfer of motoric processes. There was, thus, evidence for both specificity and generalizability of training data entry perceptual and motoric processes even over very long retention intervals.

A Study on Internet of Things in Women and Children Healthcare

Individual entities are being connected every day with the advancement of Internet of Things (IoT). IoT contains various application domains and healthcare is one of them indeed. It is receiving a lot of attention recently because of its seamless integration with electronic health (eHealth) and telemedicine. IoT has the capability of collecting patient data incessantly which surely helps in preventive care. Doctors can diagnose their patients early to avoid complications and they can suggest further modifications if needed. As the whole process is automated, risk of errors is reduced. Administrative paperwork and data entry tasks will be automated due to tracking and connectivity. As a result, healthcare providers can engage themselves more in patient care. In traditional healthcare services, an individual used to have access to minimal insights into his own health. Hence, they were less conscious about themselves and depended wholly on the healthcare facilities for unfortunate events. But they can track their vitals, activities and fitness with the aid of connected devices now. Furthermore, they can suggest their preferred user interfaces. This paper describes several methods, practices and prototypes regarding IoT in the field of healthcare for women and children.

On-Road Evaluation of In-vehicle Interface Characteristics and Their Effects on Performance of Visual Detection on the Road and Manual Entry.

This study investigated the impact of in-vehicle interface characteristics on drivers' multitasking performance measures relating to visual attention management, concerning the distraction potential of in-vehicle touchscreens. Compared with physical controls providing drivers with naturalistic nonvisual cues, in-vehicle touchscreen interaction relies on vision to a greater extent, leading to more time with eyes off the road and concerns for safety. Little is known from existing research about the extent to which synthetic feedback of in-vehicle touchscreens support visual attention of multitasking drivers, while automakers are increasingly incorporating nondriving functions into in-vehicle touchscreens. Twenty-nine participants drove an instrumented vehicle on a closed course and acknowledged visual probes obscured on the roadside, while performing a manual data entry task with input interfaces mounted on the center console. The interfaces differed by interface type, key feedback modality, and key size; the configuration of interface characteristics was the within-subject variable. The collected data include performance measures concerning visual detection and touchscreen interaction, in addition to perceived workload. The addition of nonvisual feedback to touchscreen interaction significantly improved accuracy and promptness of visual detection. No significant difference was found between different sizes of touchscreen keys when synthetic nonvisual feedback was available. Given multisensory feedback, no measure showed a difference between touchscreen conditions and a physical keypad. The provision of synthetic nonvisual feedback to touchscreen interaction can support visual attention and enhance multitasking performance in driving. This study can inform in-vehicle interface designers and policy makers concerned with distracted driving and safety.

Distributed Electronic Documentation Practices of Homecare Admission: Informing Electronic Health Record Design Guidelines

Home care nurses complete many activities as part of the admission process. A pilot study of the home care admission process indicated that a nurse distributes data entry tasks between the patient’s home and a post-documentation period later in the day. We found evidence of a strategy to document information that requires direct observation (either from the patient or through viewing the home environment) in the home. We found evidence of a strategy to document outside of the home for data elements based on clinical judgment or assessments as well as information supported by clinical decision support in the Electronic Health Record (EHR). These finding inform recommendations for data entry and navigation design guidelines for home care admission EHR systems.

A Survey of Marathi Character Recognition

Marathi is the main official language in Maharashtra. In recent years, handwritten Marathi character recognition has captured a lot of attention as it has broad application in areas like passport, railways, postal address reading etc. Recognition of handwritten characters would decrease the task of data entry and save the time in case of Form filling, Banking and Postal Automation etc. This paper presents the various steps involved in recognition of handwritten characters and review of methods reported by various researchers for handwritten character recognition.

Implementing Sustainable Data Collection for a Cardiac Outcomes Registry in an Australian Public Hospital

Clinical outcome registries are an increasingly vital component of ensuring quality and safety of patient care. However, Australian hospitals rarely have additional resources or the capacity to fund the additional staff time to complete the task of data collection and entry. At the same time, registry funding models do not support staff for the collection of data at the site but are directed towards the central registry tasks of data reporting, managing and quality monitoring. The sustainability of a registry is contingent on building efficiencies into data management and collection. We describe the methods used in a large Victorian public hospital to develop a sustainable data collection system for the Victorian Cardiac Outcomes Registry (VCOR), using existing staff and resources common to many public hospitals. We describe the features of the registry and the hospital specific strategies that allowed us to do this as part of our routine business of providing good quality cardiac care. All clinical staff involved in patient care were given some data collection task with the entry of these data embedded into the staff's daily workflow. A senior cardiology registrar was empowered to allocate data entry tasks to colleagues when data were found to be incomplete. The task of 30-day follow-up proved the most onerous part of data collection. Cath-lab nursing staff were allocated this role. With hospital accreditation and funding models moving towards performance based quality indicators, collection of accurate and reliable information is crucial. Our experience demonstrates the successful implementation of clinical outcome registry data collection in a financially constrained public hospital environment utilising existing resources.

Influence of input device, work surface angle, and task on spine kinematics.

With the increase of tablet usage in both office and industrial workplaces, it is critical to investigate the influence of tablet usage on spine posture and movement. To quantify spine kinematics while participants interacted with a tablet or desktop computer. Fourteen participants volunteered for this study. Marker clusters were fixed onto body regions to analyze cervical and lumbar spine posture and sampled at 32 Hz (Optotrak Certus, NDI, Waterloo, Canada). Participants sat for one hour in total. Cervical and lumbar median angles and range of motion (10th to 90th % ile angles) were extracted from amplitude probability distribution functions performed on the angle data. Using a sloped desk surface at 15°, compared to a flat desk, influenced cervical flexion (p = 0.0228). Completing the form fill task resulted in the highest degree of cervical flexion (p = 0.0008) compared to the other tasks completed with cervical angles between 6.1°-8.5° higher than emailing and reading respectively. An interaction between device and task (p = 0.0061) was found for relative lumbar median spine angles. Increased lumbar flexion was recorded when using a computer versus a tablet to complete various tasks. Task influenced both cervical and lumbar spine posture with the highest cervical flexion occurring while completing a simulated data entry task. A work surface slope of 15° decreased cervical spine flexion compared to a horizontal work surface slope.

Understanding the barriers to successful adoption and use of a mobile health information system in a community health center in São Paulo, Brazil: a cohort study

BackgroundMobile technology to support community health has surged in popularity, yet few studies have systematically examined usability of mobile platforms for this setting.MethodsWe conducted a mixed-methods study of 14 community healthcare workers at a public healthcare clinic in São Paulo, Brazil. We held focus groups with community healthcare workers to elicit their ideas about a mobile health application and used this input to build a prototype app. A pre-use test survey was administered to all participants, who subsequently use-tested the app on three different devices (iPhone, iPad mini, iPad Air). Usability was assessed by objectively scored data entry errors and through a post-use focus group held to gather open-ended feedback on end-user satisfaction.ResultsAll of the participants were women, ranging from 18–64 years old. A large percentage (85.7%) of participants had at least a high school education. Internet (92.8%), computer (85.7%) and cell phone (71.4%) use rates were high. Data entry error rates were also high, particularly in free text fields, ranging from 92.3 to 100%. Error rates were comparable across device type. In a post-use focus group, participants reported that they found the app easy to use and felt that its design was consistent with their vision. The participants raised several concerns, including that they did not find filling out the forms in the app to be a useful task. They also were concerned about an app potentially creating more work for them and personal security issues related to carrying a mobile device in low-income areas.ConclusionIn a cohort of formally educated community healthcare workers with high levels of personal computer and cell phone use, we identified no technological barriers to adapting their existing work to a mobile device based system. Transferring current data entry work into a mobile platform, however, uncovered underlying dissatisfaction with some data entry tasks. This dissatisfaction may be a more significant barrier than the data entry errors our testing revealed. Our results highlight the fact that without a deep understanding of local process to optimize usability, technology-based solutions in health may fail. Developing such an understanding must be a central component in the design of any mHealth solution in global health.

Muscle Activity and Posture Differences in the Sit and Stand Phases of Sit-to-Stand Workstation Use: A Comparison of Computer Configurations

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS We found differences in muscle activity, joint angles, and discomfort ratings between seated versus standing computerized work, with the standing phase resulting in “better” measures. Given that sit-to-stand workstations are gaining popularity, identifying such differences can help minimize exposure to ergonomic risks during computing tasks—particularly during the standing phase of the work task. For example, workers positioned themselves closer to the work station while standing, which resulted in reduced muscular loads and more neutral joint angles. By adjusting seated postures to more closely reflect standing postures, low level muscle fatigue and discomfort can be minimized.TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Background: Prolonged seated work has been associated with a number of adverse health conditions, and the use of sit-to-stand workstations have been shown to provide benefits for those employed in primarily sedentary work tasks, such as computer tasks. However, little research has been reported on potential differences in musculoskeletal loading and postures during the sit versus stand phases of data entry tasks. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify differences in muscle activity level, joint angle, discomfort in the trunk and upper extremity, and body positioning relative to the workstation while using a sit-to-stand workstation for a simulated data entry task. Methods: A repeated measures design was used to study the effects of computer configuration (desktop, docked laptop with peripherals, and laptop) and sit/stand phase (seated or standing) on muscle activity, posture, and reports of discomfort. Twenty-four participants (12 males and 12 females) completed three cycles of a 20/5 sit-to-stand ratio (20 minutes seated, 5 minutes standing) during a data entry task. Surface electromyography of the shoulders, forearm, and lower back were used to estimate muscle activity levels; electrogoniometers were used to track elbow, neck, and back angles, and discomfort was measured using a body discomfort map. Repeated measures analysis of variance and Tukey's honest significant difference post hoc tests were used to determine statistical differences between conditions. Results: Computer configuration, in general, was not found to significantly affect the dependent measures, though the sit/stand phase did. The seated phase resulted in more non-neutral working postures than standing, which were likely associated with body positioning relative to the workstation and computer. Participants positioned themselves further from the computer and workstation while seated than while standing. Seated work resulted in higher upper trapezius activity than when standing (4.9% versus 2.4%). Conclusions: While sit-to-stand workstations may present long term health benefits, there are likely tradeoffs for the musculoskeletal system—particularly during the seated phase of the work. Workers may benefit from training on body positioning during both phases to ensure neither phase of the work increases musculoskeletal risks.

Short links and tiny keyboards: A systematic exploration of design trade-offs in link shortening services

Link-shortening services save space and make the manual entry of URLs less onerous. Short links are often included on printed materials so that people using mobile devices can quickly enter URLs. Although mobile transcription is a common use-case, link-shortening services generate output that is poorly suited to entry on mobile devices: links often contain numbers and capital letters that require time consuming mode switches on touch screen keyboards. With the aid of computational modeling, we identified problems with the output of a link-shortening service, bit.ly. Based on the results of this modeling, we hypothesized that longer links that are optimized for input on mobile keyboards would improve link entry speeds compared to shorter links that required keyboard mode switches. We conducted a human performance study that confirmed this hypothesis. Finally, we applied our method to a selection of different non-word mobile data-entry tasks. This work illustrates the need for service design to fit the constraints of the devices people use to consume services. A systematic critique of identifier schemas used by existing link-shortening services.A set of computational models that identify potentially superior schema designs.An empirical user study that confirms the superiority of our new schema designs.

Engaging indigenous people as geo-crowdsourcing sensors for ecotourism mapping via mobile data collection: a case study of the Royal Belum State Park

ABSTRACTWeb 2.0 and the proliferation of built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) on smartphones have influenced the increase of geo-crowdsourcing activities in a number of different contexts. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performance of indigenous people’s use of mobile collection applications that are embedded in a smartphone to facilitate ecotourism asset mapping. In order to achieve this, field usability testing was conducted where structured observational method was used to assess the performance. The findings indicate majority of them can complete the data entry tasks using mobile data collection. The performance of data entries using radio button, icons, camera and audio methods were identified as better than free text and drop-down list methods. There was a correlation between the level of education with the ability of using radio button, drop-down list and image icon as data entry methods. The paper also discusses the extent of local knowledge relating to ecotourism within the community. The findings should be useful in the understanding of the design of mobile geo-crowdsourcing tools for use within other contexts that focus on data collection by semiliterate and indigenous groups.

Evaluating the Paper-to-Screen Translation of Participant-Aided Sociograms with High-Risk Participants.

While much social network data exists online, key network metrics for high-risk populations must still be captured through self-report. This practice has suffered from numerous limitations in workflow and response burden. However, advances in technology, network drawing libraries and databases are making interactive network drawing increasingly feasible. We describe the translation of an analog-based technique for capturing personal networks into a digital framework termed netCanvas that addresses many existing shortcomings such as: 1) complex data entry; 2) extensive interviewer intervention and field setup; 3) difficulties in data reuse; and 4) a lack of dynamic visualizations. We test this implementation within a health behavior study of a high-risk and difficult-to-reach population. We provide a within-subjects comparison between paper and touchscreens. We assert that touchscreen-based social network capture is now a viable alternative for highly sensitive data and social network data entry tasks.

The Possibility of Using RFID System to Automate and Integrate the Attendance of Professors and Students in the Classroom

One of the most important goals followed in most systems is to increase efficiency, reduce errors and enhance ease of data entry tasks such as better services in organizations. Therefore, the use of intelligent tools is of the most important requirements for a management system in order to collect complete and accurate data and create complete information. In management, use of new technologies is recommended to have smart systems and reduce human errors. This study aimed to investigate “professors and students attendance system using RFID” and research population consists of professors and students. Findings show that, as attendance checking system in universities and schools is done through the class list and checking attendance of students needs to spend time and energy so it leads to a waste of valuable time and energy of professors to teach. Therefore, it is essential to use efficient and modern systems, because with the design and implementation of RFID attendance system and replacing the traditional system, time and energy waste could be avoided and attendance system could be promoted to an intelligent and integrated one. The designed system includes a number of hours of presence and absence, delays and rush to pay the salaries of professors at the University with its automatic identification through radio frequency. This system aims to create changes in this area and it is economic in whole.

Optimizing the user interface of a data entry module for an electronic patient record for cardiac rehabilitation: A mixed method usability approach

IntroductionCumbersome electronic patient record (EPR) interfaces may complicate data-entry in clinical practice. Completeness of data entered in the EPR determines, among other things, the value of computerized clinical decision support (CCDS). Quantitative usability evaluations can provide insight into mismatches between the system design model of data entry and users’ data entry behavior, but not into the underlying causes for these mismatches. Mixed method usability evaluation studies may provide these insights, and thus support generating redesign recommendations for improving an EPR system’s data entry interface. AimTo improve the usability of the data entry interface of an EPR system with CCDS in the field of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), and additionally, to assess the value of a mixed method usability approach in this context. MethodsSeven CR professionals performed a think-aloud usability evaluation both before (beta-version) and after the redesign of the system. Observed usability problems from both evaluations were analyzed and categorized using Zhang et al.’s heuristic principles of good interface design. We combined the think-aloud usability evaluation of the system’s beta-version with the measurement of a new usability construct: users’ deviations in action sequence from the system’s predefined data entry order sequence. Recommendations for redesign were implemented. We assessed whether the redesign improved CR professionals’ (1) task efficacy (with respect to the completeness of data they collected), and (2) task efficiency (with respect to the average number of mouse clicks they needed to complete data entry subtasks). ResultsWith the system’s beta version, 40% of health care professionals’ navigation actions through the system deviated from the predefined next system action. The causes for these deviations as revealed by the think-aloud method mostly concerned mismatches between the system design model for data entry action sequences and users expectations of these action sequences, based on their paper-based daily routines. This caused non completion of data entry tasks (31% of main tasks completed), and more navigation actions than minimally required (146% of the minimum required). In the redesigned system the data entry navigational structure was organized in a flexible way around an overview screen to better mimic users’ paper-based daily routines of collecting patient data. This redesign resulted in an increased number of completed main tasks (70%) and a decrease in navigation actions (133% of the minimum required). The think-aloud usability evaluation of the redesigned system showed that remaining problems concerned flexibility (e.g., lack of customization options) and consistency (mainly with layout and position of items on the screen). ConclusionThe mixed method usability evaluation was supportive in revealing the magnitude and causes of mismatches between the system design model of data-entry with users’ data entry behavior. However, as both task efficacy and efficiency were still not optimal with the redesigned EPR, we advise to perform a cognitive analysis on end users’ mental processes and behavior patterns in daily work processes specifically during the requirements analysis phase of development of interactive healthcare information systems.

Effects of monetary reward and punishment on information checking behaviour

Two experiments were conducted to examine whether checking one's own work can be motivated by monetary reward and punishment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a flat-rate payment for completing the task (Control); payment increased for error-free performance (Reward); payment decreased for error performance (Punishment). Experiment 1 (N = 90) was conducted with liberal arts students, using a general data-entry task. Experiment 2 (N = 90) replicated Experiment 1 with clinical students and a safety-critical ‘cover story’ for the task. In both studies, Reward and Punishment resulted in significantly fewer errors, more frequent and longer checking, than Control. No such differences were obtained between the Reward and Punishment conditions. It is concluded that error consequences in terms of monetary reward and punishment can result in more accurate task performance and more rigorous checking behaviour than errors without consequences. However, whether punishment is more effective than reward, or vice versa, remains inconclusive.

The Effect of Interface Type on Visual Error Checking Behavior

During data entry tasks, small errors can result in catastrophe, for instance adding an extra zero to a drug dose when programming an infusion in a hospital. For this reason understanding users’ error checking behavior is highly important. One aspect that can affect error checking is the interface that a user must interact with to enter data. Often user interaction with interfaces is evaluated based on speed or error rate. In this paper, in addition to this, we also explore how different types of interface can affect a user’s error checking behavior in a multitasking environment. We show that a fast to use and familiar interface discourages users from carrying out thorough visual checking in a number transcription task. We also found that having participants perform an additional secondary task while doing the number entry task made participants less likely to check the inputted numbers for errors.

Evaluating the Impact of Changing to an All-Touch Keypad for a Mobile Workforce

Mobile industrial workers are bringing new expectations of familiar and intuitive experiences from their smartphones to the rugged industrial work environment. The impact of moving from physical keys on dedicated, enterprise-class, rugged devices to virtual keys on rugged next-generation devices in industrial environments is not well understood. This study utilized business-critical data entry workflows used by package delivery professionals to measure task completion time, error rates, and subjective preferences when comparing legacy physical keys to virtual keys. The study was designed to compare physical to virtual keys with data entry tasks for the same workflow without optimizing or changing the interface. The results showed that the users indicated an overall preference for the virtual keypad and exhibited faster typing speeds on the virtual keypad. The results did not show any statistical difference in total task time. Users were more likely to detect and correct their errors on a virtual keypad, but were also more likely to mistype on the virtual keypad. These initial findings show that the transition from physical to virtual keypads for package delivery workflows will not adversely impact worker productivity, and could potentially increase productivity and reduce training time.