Evaluation Of Interface Research Articles

Development of expert system for nuclear piping integrity

The objective of this paper is to develop a nuclear piping integrity expert system (NPIES) for nuclear piping integrity. This paper describes the structure and the development strategy of the NPIES system. The NPIES system consists of five parts; user interface, database, knowledge base, expert and integrity evaluation parts. The user interface part is developed to connect the user and the NPIES system effectively. In the database part, nuclear piping material properties are stored; the unknown material properties are stored in the knowledge base part. Various rules for inferring material properties are stored in the knowledge base part. The most appropriate evaluation method for a given input condition is recommended in the expert part. Finally, the integrity evaluation part is developed for the evaluation of piping integrity effectively.

Usability Issues in User Interface Evaluation.

Usability Issues in User Interface Evaluation.

ClockWorks: Visual Programming of Component-Based Software Architectures

ClockWorksis a programming environment supporting the visual programming of object-oriented software architectures. In developing ClockWorks, we used user interface evaluation techniques, including heuristic evaluation, cognitive walkthrough and user evaluation. The development of ClockWorks was based on a task analysis of ClockWorks programmers. This task analysis revealed that programmers work incrementally. Incremental development implies the need for good support for information filtering and for easy refinement and restructuring of programs. ClockWorks has been implemented and runs on Sun workstations. All examples shown in this paper were programmed with ClockWorks.

Novice use of a dimensional scale for the evaluation of the hypermedia user interface: Caveat emptor

Novice use of a dimensional scale for the evaluation of the hypermedia user interface: Caveat emptor

A user interface evaluation environment using synchronized video, visualizations and event trace data

This paper presents a simple but very powerful technique to support user interface evaluation along with a prototype open environment — I-Observe, the Interface OBServation, Evaluation, Recording, and Visualization Environment. I-Observe's technique requires recording user interface sessions in multiple modalities, both as a trace of interesting events and through video images. It provides tools to allow the user interface evaluator either to analyze and visualize the event tracer data, or to combine the event trace and video modalities. The analyst using I-Observe can search the event stream for patterns of interesting or important user actions, then use the recorded timestamps associated with these actions to present only the sections of the video recording of interest. This allows the analyst to study, for example, all places where the user invokes a help system or a particular command to be observed, without manually searching the recording or sitting through long sessions of unrelated interactions. By combining the precise recording of automatic event trace capture with the rich contextual information that can be captured in a video and audio recording, this technique allows analyses to be performed that would not be practical with either media alone.

CDROM USER INTERFACE EVALUATION: THE APPROPRIATENESS OF GUIS

Following a general trend in software development, CDROM applications are increasingly implementing Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs). The general assumption is that GUIs offer advantages in terms of ease of learning and use, especially for non‐expert users. Moreover, the adoption of GUIs for CDROMs has been suggested as a means of providing a de facto standard interface. This study assesses the appropriateness of GUIs, more specifically Windows‐based interfaces for CDROM. An evaluation model was devised to carry out an expert evaluation of the interfaces of seven CDROM products. The model identified two levels of interaction, the dialogue level and task level, and focused on general interface features, search and retrieval tasks, and output and processing options as well as the help facilities. The results are discussed in the light of HCI Usability Criteria and design guidelines (including general interface design guidelines, specific Windows design guidelines and The CDROM Consistent Interface Guidelines) to assess to what extent the applications comply and appropriate recommendations are made.

A Cost Benefit Analysis Tool (CBAT) for the Management of User Interface Design and Evaluation Tasks

A user interface cost benefit analysis is an examination of the estimated costs associated with user interface design and evaluation tasks against the potential benefits to the software product. The Cost Benefit Analysis Tool (CBAT) is a human factors management tool written in SuperCard™. The tool is based on research by Mayhew (1993) and Mantei and Teorey (1988). CBAT supplements previous research efforts by the addition of more user interface tasks during typical software development lifecycle phases. The main cost benefit form is completed by means of electronic worksheets which are used to estimate both the costs and the benefits used in the overall analysis. Both cost and benefit estimates can be tailored to individual organizational needs. The tool provides the capability to print out data used to perform the cost benefit analysis and on-line help is provided for all worksheets. Future enhancements to CBAT are suggested in the following areas: additional user interface cost tasks and benefit estimates, the saving of analysis data into individual files, the inclusion of a graphic scheduling capability, and improvements to the software performance and flexibility.

Design, implementation and evaluation of an adaptive user interface

Abstract Software systems developed in recent years are becoming increasingly powerful, but in most cases they tend to abandon the user to deal with the complexity of the system alone. There is an immense need for systems with individual, context-sensitive support. The paper discusses the development of such a support system with special focus on the user interface. The extension of an existing and complex program. Excel, to an adaptive and customizable system is described. This extension is called Flexcel, and it has been implemented and evaluated. The primary aim of this extension is to provide a convenient environment for adapting Excel's user interface to particular users and their current tasks. For example, it allows the user to define new menu for actions that are frequently needed and normally require a tedious dialog step. Flexcel also analyzes the user's interaction style and presents adaptation suggestions. A critique component supports the user in his/her problem solving and learning activities related to the adaptability of Flexcel's user interface.

Layout appropriateness: a metric for evaluating user interface widget layout

Numerous methods for evaluating user interfaces have been investigated to develop a metric that incorporates simple task descriptions which can assist designers in organizing their user interface. The metric, Layout Appropriateness (LA), requires a description of the sequences of actions users perform and how frequently each sequence is used. This task description can either be from observations of an existing system or from a simplified task analysis. The appropriateness of a given layout is computed by weighting the cost of each sequence of actions by how frequently the sequence is performed, which emphasizes frequent methods of accomplishing tasks while incorporating less frequent methods in the design. In addition to providing a comparison of proposed or existing layouts, an LA-optimal layout can be presented to the designer. The designer can compare the LA-optimal and existing layouts or start with the LA-optimal layout and modify it to take additional factors into consideration.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

An NC lathe simulator for part programming and machine operation training

The objective of this study is to develop a simulator, entitled nc-lathe to simulate the NC lathe operation and to train the part programming technique. nc-lathe includes five basic modules: operation selection module, part program development module, machine set-up module, simulation animation module, and design considerations module. The operation selection module consists of a rule-based expert system to aid in the selection of work-holding devices and machining operations. The part program development module includes a part program editor for developing and editing a part program for the designed part. The machine set-up module allows the user to set up the machine before the operation. The simulation animation module consists of a syntax checker, an operation troubleshooter, and a simulation animation subsystem. The syntax checker is designed for verifying the part program. The operation troubleshooter consists of a rule-based expert system to diagnose several most frequent operation problems during the simulation with probable causes and recommendations. On the simulation animation screen, a dynamic pictorial information is provided for simulating the NC lathe operation. Ten cases with a variety of machining operations on the lathe were used to validate the system. The results indicate that the performance of nc-lathewas equivalent to that of real NC lathes. The results of user interface evaluation demonstrate that nc-lathe provides an efficient and user-friendly interface. Evaluation of the system's performance indicates that nc-lathe could be used as a tool to help students to learn part programming.

Photo CD Consumer Player User Interface Design

During this demonstration, the user interface for one model of a Photo CD Player will be presented. This product, currently available to consumers, plays both Photo CD discs and Audio CDs. The Photo CD technology as it relates to consumers will be introduced as well as Human Factors design goals and intended usage. Demonstration of the product will be used to show how well the user interface met these design goals. User interface evaluation techniques and the design direction for future player models will be discussed.

Interface-usability evaluation: science of trade-offs

The effectiveness of four techniques in evaluating the usability of a graphical user interface is presented. The techniques are heuristic evaluation, usability testing, guidelines, and cognitive walkthrough. The techniques are compared as to the number, type, and severity of the problems each could identify for a specific product. >

A TASK ANALYTIC METHODOLOGY FOR PREDICTING EASE OF LEARNING OF INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Predictive models, especially those that are based on sound theories of human behavior, represent powerful tools that can provide useful analyses of interface designs before any coding of software or empirical testing. In this research, a methodology for evaluating user interface designs in terms of ease of learning is developed and tested. The methodology represents an extension to the cognitive complexity theory of Kieras and Polson (1985). The application of this theory is well explained in (Bovair, Kieras and Polson, 1990). In the cognitive complexity models, ease of learning is measured by the learning time (or training time) which is predicted as a function of the number of new rules that must be learned. In this research, a different measure of ease of learning is proposed and different classes of rules are identified.

“Works as Advertised”: Observations and Benefits of Prototyping

The design of useful, easy to use application software requires early and sustained involvement of end users in the design and evaluation of the user interface. The present paper describes the experiences of the authors during the design and evaluation of a prototype user interface for an accounts receivable application. Some of the issues inherent in prototyping, and the anticipated, as well as unanticipated, benefits of prototyping are discussed.

A Comparative Evaluation of the Electronic Keyboard Synthesizer User Interface

A great deal of progress has been made in recent years in understanding the variables that affect the human-system interface. User interface principles have been developed and applied to the design of many military and industrial products. However, these principles are often not applied systematically to the design of the user interface of consumer products. The electronic keyboard synthesizer represents a type of consumer product in which the accurate and timely exchange of information between the system and the user during real-time system operation is essential for optimizing overall system performance. There are many similarities between the mental and physical demands of operating electronic keyboard synthesizers and operating other consumer products, such as personal computers. In many ways, synthesizers have evolved into single purpose computers. Accordingly, an understanding of the factors that affect keyboard synthesizer user interfaces can make a contribution to the understanding of consumer product interface design. This paper provides a brief, nontechnical overview of the evolutionary development of the keyboard synthesizer, discusses three technological developments that have had a major impact on the evolution of the synthesizer user interface, illustrates representative synthesizer user interface designs, and presents a comparative evaluation of the designs with respect to their adherence to user interface principles.

The Uses of Prototyping in User Interface Design and Evaluation

This panel will explore the varied uses of prototyping in the user interface design process. We expect to show that there is no single thing called “user interface prototyping” and that the differences are, in many ways, greater than the similarities. Panelists have been chosen to represent a wide cross section of user interface design tasks. Collectively, members of the panel have experience in prototyping hardware and software, computer programs and telecommunications services, residential, business, and engineering applications, at various levels of fidelity, and in all parts of the design process. We expect to show how these factors all influence the way prototypes are used and that the designer must be careful in choosing the most appropriate prototyping methodology for his or her needs. Each panelist will begin by characterizing the portion of the design process that he or she will be talking about. This represents a major division in the way prototypes are used, both in the way they are built and in the type of information sought by the designer. Prototypes used early in the design process (requirements analysis) tend to be lower fidelity and are used to test preferences for design alternatives, while those used later in the design process (system specification) tend towards higher fidelity and are used to test usability. Each panelist will point out the strengths and weaknesses of his or her prototyping methodology. Each panelist will address the following points: • Appropriate uses of prototyping methodology (early vs. late in design process) • Characteristics of prototypes (platform, level of fidelity, etc.) • Information gathered from the prototypes (evaluate design preferences, measure performance, etc.) • Relative costs of the method (time to build, flexibility, etc.)

A graphical specification system for user-interface design

An environment for creating user interfaces for embedded systems, called the graphical specification system (GSS), is presented. GSS combines graphical and minimal low-level textual specification with a prototyping capability for rapid user-interface design and evaluation. It is part of a larger embedded systems project at Lockheed, called Express. The user interface components, display components, user-machine interaction, interface-application interaction, and executive component are discussed. Two scenarios, developed with GSS tool prototypes, demonstrate how some GSS tools function. One is the construction of a display with two pairs of gauges, one Cartesian and one polar. The other is the design of a display for submarine tracking. >

Towards a practical method of user interface evaluation

This paper describes a practical method for evaluating the usability of human-computer interfaces. The paper specifies the requirements of such a method, and then outlines our work in developing a method to meet this specification. The method is based on the conduct of realistic tasks with an interactive system and the subsequent systematic elicitation of end-users' and designers' reactions to the interface using a criterion-based evaluation checklist. Two practical examples are used to illustrate development of the method: (a) evaluation of a prototype production scheduling system, and (b) comparative assessment of the usability of three prototype user interfaces to a public-access database. The paper discusses some issues raised by the method and considers how it can be furthe developed.

Human Factors Approaches to Prototyping and Evaluating User Interfaces

Human factors contributions to the design of user interfaces are likely to have the greatest impact at early design stages. Rapid prototyping therefore provides an important vehicle for incorporating quality and usability from the outset. Through realistic experience and interaction with the proposed user interface, users and user-interface designers can work together to detect and correct problems before a major development investment is made. The prototyping approach is especially powerful because it provides the opportunity for (1) early user feedback and performance data, (2) efficient, focused communication with users and developers, and (3) iterative design and test. In this paper we illustrate the prototyping and evaluating process with three examples of AT&T products and services.

The design and evaluation of a front-end user interface for energy researchers

The report covers a two-year project to develop a set of microcomputer-based training and assistance programs to support end user access to the Energy Database on the Department of Energy information retrieval systems. A set of programs were designed and tailored to the information needs, skills and information-seeking habits of energy researchers. Discussion covers the issues in development, evaluation and study of user behavior in designing an interface tailored to a special population. Some background information is provided on information systems and database use. 32 refs.