User Experience Research Articles

Hand Gesture Recognition System using Deep Learning

This paper presents a comprehensive exploration of a hand gesture recognition system centered on the YOLOv5 object detection algorithm. The system is meticulously designed to fulfill specific objectives, including real-time gesture detection, high accuracy, scalability, robustness to environmental variability, and seamless integration with other system components. Drawing upon the strengths of YOLOv5, the proposed system aims to provide a reliable and efficient solution for hand gesture recognition, thereby enhancing human- computer interaction and enabling various applications across different domains. The methodology encompasses several stages, including data acquisition, preprocessing, object detection using YOLOv5, integration with other system modules, evaluation, and validation. Through a series of experiments and extensive testing in real-world scenarios, the effectiveness and usability of the system are thoroughly assessed, demonstrating its potential for practical deployment and widespread adoption. Additionally, this paper discusses the implications of the findings, identifies areas for further research and development, and offers insights into the future directions of hand gesture recognition systems utilizing YOLOv5. Overall, this study contributes to advancing the field of human-computer interaction and gesture recognition technology, paving the way for innovative applications and enhanced user experiences in various domains. Keywords— Hand Gesture Recognition, YOLOv5, Real-time Detection, Human-Computer Interaction, Object Detection, Machine Learning

Virtual Reality Audio Game for Entertainment & Sound Localization Training

Within the gaming and electronics industry, there is a continuous evolution of alternative applications. Nevertheless, accessibility to video games remains a persistent hurdle for individuals with disabilities, especially those with visual impairments due to the inherent visual-oriented design of games. Audio games (AGs) are electronic games that rely primarily on auditory cues instead of visual interfaces. This study focuses on the creation of a virtual reality AG for cell phones that integrates natural head and torso movements involved in spatial hearing. Its assessment encompasses user experience, interface usability, and sound localization performance. The study engaged eighteen sighted participants in a pre-post test with a control group. The experimental group underwent 7 training sessions with the AG. Via interviews, facets of the gaming experience were explored, while horizontal plane sound source localization was also tested before and after the training. The results enabled the characterization of sensations related to the use of the game and the interaction with the interfaces. Sound localization tests demonstrated distinct enhancements in performance among trained participants, varying with assessed stimuli. These promising results show advances for future virtual AGs, presenting prospects for auditory training. These innovations hold potential for skill development, entertainment, and the integration of visually impaired individuals.

Virtual Reality Audio Game for Entertainment & Sound Localization Training

Within the gaming and electronics industry, there is a continuous evolution of alternative applications. Nevertheless, accessibility to video games remains a persistent hurdle for individuals with disabilities, especially those with visual impairments due to the inherent visual-oriented design of games. Audio games (AGs) are electronic games that rely primarily on auditory cues instead of visual interfaces. This study focuses on the creation of a virtual reality AG for cell phones that integrates natural head and torso movements involved in spatial hearing. Its assessment encompasses user experience, interface usability, and sound localization performance. The study engaged eighteen sighted participants in a pre-post test with a control group. The experimental group underwent 7 training sessions with the AG. Via interviews, facets of the gaming experience were explored, while horizontal plane sound source localization was also tested before and after the training. The results enabled the characterization of sensations related to the use of the game and the interaction with the interfaces. Sound localization tests demonstrated distinct enhancements in performance among trained participants, varying with assessed stimuli. These promising results show advances for future virtual AGs, presenting prospects for auditory training. These innovations hold potential for skill development, entertainment, and the integration of visually impaired individuals.

Truth discovery for mobile workers in edge-assisted mobile crowdsensing

The proliferation of mobile phones has led to the rise of mobile crowdsensing systems. However, many of these systems rely on the deep cloud, which can be complex and challenging to scale. To improve the performance of crowdsensing at the edge cloud, truth-discovery methods are commonly employed. These methods typically involve updating either the truth or the weight associated with a user’s task. While some edge cloud-based crowdsensing systems exist, they do not provide incentives to users based on their experience. In this report, we present a new approach to truth discovery and incentive-giving that considers both the user’s experience and the accuracy of their submitted data. Our modified truth-discovery algorithm updates both the weight and truth concurrently, with greater incentives offered to users who have completed more tasks and whose submitted data is close to the estimated truth. We have run simulations to show how well our suggested strategy works to enhance the incentive system for experienced users.

Enhancing user experience in the digital service environment: A comprehensive study on the design and evaluation of internet-based healthcare products.

In the era of burgeoning digital technology, healthcare is a challenging transformative change towards virtual and digital platforms. Internet-based healthcare services are emerging as a popular trend within the medical area. User experience (UX) is paramount for the healthcare service, as it significantly influences experience satisfaction and fosters user viscosity. Gaining a profound understanding of users' demands and crafting services that align with their expectations is essential. Consequently, exploring an effective design approach for the digital healthcare service that prioritizes UX along with utilizing a comprehensive evaluation methodology to handle UX data, is of profound importance. This study introduces a design methodology for Internet-based healthcare products grounded in the UX and mental (UX-M) model. Aiming to refine the Internet-based healthcare product design by integrating insights from the experience data, it employs the Delphi-ANP and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation to determine evaluation indexes and conduct experiential assessments. The UX evaluation results of existing schemes are compared with the proposed design scheme of the intelligent guidance and internet hospital. The findings indicate that the UX evaluation of Internet-based medical services with the proposed method outperforms the existing schemes. On the one hand, UX research of Internet-based healthcare products can significantly enhance service satisfaction for patients utilizing online medical treatments. On the other hand, the analysis of experience-based evaluation empowers designers to refine and improve UX design of Internet-based medical services. Such research endeavors are critical for enhancing the overall quality of service offerings and elevating user satisfaction in the digital healthcare landscape.

Enhancing user experience in the digital service environment: A comprehensive study on the design and evaluation of internet-based healthcare products.

In the era of burgeoning digital technology, healthcare is a challenging transformative change towards virtual and digital platforms. Internet-based healthcare services are emerging as a popular trend within the medical area. User experience (UX) is paramount for the healthcare service, as it significantly influences experience satisfaction and fosters user viscosity. Gaining a profound understanding of users' demands and crafting services that align with their expectations is essential. Consequently, exploring an effective design approach for the digital healthcare service that prioritizes UX along with utilizing a comprehensive evaluation methodology to handle UX data, is of profound importance. This study introduces a design methodology for Internet-based healthcare products grounded in the UX and mental (UX-M) model. Aiming to refine the Internet-based healthcare product design by integrating insights from the experience data, it employs the Delphi-ANP and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation to determine evaluation indexes and conduct experiential assessments. The UX evaluation results of existing schemes are compared with the proposed design scheme of the intelligent guidance and internet hospital. The findings indicate that the UX evaluation of Internet-based medical services with the proposed method outperforms the existing schemes. On the one hand, UX research of Internet-based healthcare products can significantly enhance service satisfaction for patients utilizing online medical treatments. On the other hand, the analysis of experience-based evaluation empowers designers to refine and improve UX design of Internet-based medical services. Such research endeavors are critical for enhancing the overall quality of service offerings and elevating user satisfaction in the digital healthcare landscape.

A Multi-Dimensional Data-Driven Study on the Emotional Attachment Characteristics of the Renovation of Beijing Traditional Quadrangles

In recent years, the development of China’s megacities has entered the stage of stock renewal. Research and practice concerning old city renewal in cities with a long history, represented by Beijing, has also become a hot spot for researchers and designers in the fields of urban planning, architecture and landscape architecture. As one of the main spatial components of the old city, Beijing’s traditional quadrangles are closely related to the spatial perception and emotional experience of citizens and tourists due to their near-human scale characteristics. However, current research focuses more on the evaluation of the historical value of the quadrangles in the early stage of renovation and the specific design and construction methods in the process of renovation, and few studies pay attention to the characteristics of the built environment that promote the emotional experience of users after renovation is completed. Under these circumstances, the study focuses on the emotional attachment between people and the spatial composition and built environment characteristics of the renovated traditional Beijing quadrangles; the avant garde small-scale quadrangle renovation type, which has a wider coverage, more types of user, and pays more attention to people’s emotional experience in the renovated space, was selected as the research object. Four typical quadrangle cases were selected for in-depth discussion. Based on the theory of emotional attachment from a multidisciplinary perspective, this study constructed a series of scales that can measure the degree and dimension of emotional attachment between people and the built environment, coupled with local observation and interviews, to obtain multi-dimensional data reflecting attachment, and used SPSS to conduct correlation analysis and exploratory factor analysis to quantitatively explore the effects of different built environment characteristics on attachment. The results show that: (1) As for the material characteristics, the organic integration of traditional and modern materials, structures and colors can effectively enhance people’s positive emotional experience and promote the establishment of emotional attachment. The combination of these characteristics and the process of people’s three-dimensional spatial experience can further enhance the degree of attachment. In addition, the consistency of materials and technologies, the organic integration of the old and the new, and the carrying capacity of the renovation method for traditional history and culture are the basis for promoting this kind of emotional attachment, which needs to be further explored and considered. (2) As for the non-material characteristics, the diverse, variable, recognizable, unique, and digital spatial function settings that respond to changes in people’s need and current developments can significantly promote the establishment of emotional attachment between people and the environment. This further emphasizes the importance of positioning the space in the early stage of the renovation and the operation of the space in the later stage. (3) The results further support the validity and rationality of the series of scales constructed in this study in quantitatively measuring the attachment characteristics between people and the built environment. As a result, the study provides a reference for emotion-oriented design means, research logic and quantitative evaluation methods in the practice and research of urban renovation and renewal in the future.

Digital Forensics for Analyzing Cyber Threats in the XR Technology Ecosystem within Digital Twins

Recently, advancements in digital twin and extended reality (XR) technologies, along with industrial control systems (ICSs), have driven the transition to Industry 5.0. Digital twins mimic and simulate real-world systems and play a crucial role in various industries. XR provides innovative user experiences through virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). By integrating digital twin simulations into XR devices, these technologies are utilized in various industrial fields. However, the prevalence of XR devices has increased the exposure to cybersecurity threats in ICS and digital twin environments. Because XR devices are connected to networks, the control and production data they process are at risk of being exposed to cyberattackers. Attackers can infiltrate XR devices through malicious code or hacking attacks to take control of the ICS or digital twin or paralyze the system. Therefore, this study emphasizes the cybersecurity threats in the ecosystem of XR devices used in ICSs and conducts research based on digital forensics. It identifies potentially sensitive data and artifacts in XR devices and proposes secure and reliable security response measures in the Industry 5.0 environment.

How do emotions evolve? The effect of emotions in the interactive scenes of a new product trial

As people pay more attention to users’ subjective experiences, emotion becomes more important for productions and designers. Emotion has been defined, classified, and evaluated through interaction process in different fields, but how emotions evolve during user interaction and affect the user experience bring a new research topic. In this paper, emotions are divided into instantaneous emotions (IE) and perceived emotions (PE) for research. As a result, different IE have different evolution rules (Curious trends to stay, Amazed trends to transform), and certain PE do have significant effects on user experience in different stages. Also, we find non-correspondence between IE and PE. The results provide designers with more details of users’ feedback and bring more help for emotion prediction and user experience evaluation.

Client Oriented Scale of Improvement in First-Time and Experienced Hearing Aid Users: An Analysis of Five Predetermined Predictability Categories through Audiometric and Speech Testing.

Objectives: The aim of our investigation was to explore the relationship between unaided pure-tone and speech audiometry and self-reported aided performance measured according to five predetermined COSI categories among first-time hearing aid users and experienced hearing aid users. Methods: Data from 286 patients were retrospectively evaluated. We divided the sample into first-time hearing aid users (G1) and experienced hearing aid users (G2). The correlation between unaided tonal and speech audiometry and five preliminary selected client-oriented scale of improvement (COSI) categories was studied. Results: A greater percentage of hearing aid users aged >80 years and a higher prevalence of severe-to-profound hearing loss in G2 group were observed (p < 0.05). For the total cohort, a mean hearing threshold of 60.37 ± 18.77 db HL emerged in the right ear, and 59.97 ± 18.76 db HL was detected in the left ear (p > 0.05). A significant statistical difference was observed in the group of first-time hearing aid users for the "Television/Radio at normal volume" item, where patients with a lower speech intellection threshold (SIT) were associated with higher COSI scores (p = 0.019). Studying the relationship between the speech reception threshold (SRT) and the COSI item "conversation with 1 or 2 in noise" evidenced worse speech audiometry in patients who scored ≤2 among experienced hearing aid users (p = 0.00012); a higher mean 4-8 kHz frequencies threshold for the better ear was found within the G2 group among those who scored ≤2 in the COSI item "conversation with 1 or 2 in quiet" (p = 0.043). Conclusions: Our study confirms a poor correlation between unaided tonal and speech audiometry and self-reported patient assessment. Although we included only five COSI categories in this study, it is clear that unaided audiometric tests may drive the choice of proper hearing rehabilitation, but their value in predicting the benefit of hearing aids remains limited.

Cascade or updown sliding: the influence of interactive interface of short video app on information processing and user experience

Cascade or updown sliding: the influence of interactive interface of short video app on information processing and user experience

Camsites as a Context for Sexual Consent Education: User Experiences

ABSTRACT Understanding sexual consent is essential for the promotion of healthy sexual relationships and the prevention of sexual violence. Emerging sexual technologies can provide opportunities for users to learn about and potentially practice navigating sexual consent with partners, but this field of research is still nascent. In this study, we surveyed 5,828 erotic camsite users to determine whether they learned something new about sexual consent from their use of the site. Participants mostly identified as heterosexual white men, aged 18 to 99. Our results showed that 12% (n = 699) reported learning something new about sexual consent from their camsite use. Those who reported learning something new were prompted to provide a qualitative report of what they had learned; 36% (n = 252) did so. Users reported learning about the importance of respecting boundaries; how consent can change or differ based on the person, context, or time; the implicit and explicit forms of sexual consent, and the need to explicitly communicate about sexual consent; and how consent norms apply to commercial sexual contexts. Our findings show that people are learning about sexual consent from camsites, but the obtained knowledge is complex and sometimes negative. This study sheds light on the potential of emerging sexual technologies as sources for sexual education, and highlights the need for further research exploring the ways in which understandings of digital sexual consent translate to broader contexts.

Modulating the fidelity and spatial extent of electrotactile stimulation to elicit the embodiment of a virtual hand.

Restoring tactile feedback in virtual reality can improve user experience and facilitate the feeling of embodiment. Electrotactile stimulation can be an attractive technology in this context as it is compact and allows for high-resolution spatially distributed stimulation. In the present study, a 32-channel tactile glove worn on the fingertips was used to provide tactile sensations during a virtual version of a rubber hand illusion experiment. To assess the benefits of multichannel stimulation, we modulated the spatial extent of feedback and its fidelity. Thirty-six participants performed the experiment in two conditions, in which stimulation was delivered to a single finger or all fingers, and three tactile stimulation types within each condition: no tactile feedback, simple single-point stimulation, and complex sliding stimulation mimicking the movements of the brush. Following each trial, the participants answered a multi-item embodiment questionnaire and reported the proprioceptive drift. The results confirmed that modulating the spatial extent of stimulation, from a single finger to all fingers, was indeed a successful strategy. When stimulating all fingers, tactile stimulation significantly improved all subjective measures compared to receiving no tactile stimulation. However, unexpectedly, the second strategy, that of modulating the fidelity of feedback, was not successful since there was no difference between the simple and complex tactile feedback in any of the measures. The results, therefore, imply that the effects of tactile feedback are better expressed in a more dynamic scenario (i.e., making/breaking contact and delivering stimulation to different body locations), while it still needs to be investigated if further improvements of the complex feedback can make it more effective compared to the simple approach.

Dynamic analysis of a pedestrian network: The impact of solar radiation exposure on diverse user experiences

The walking experience is impacted by solar radiation exposure of pedestrian paths; this is a critical consideration for walkability assessment. The presented systematic methodology evaluates the impact of solar radiation on the user experience of pedestrian networks. Simulations were performed modelling the urban morphology in 3D and evaluating the shading provision of sidewalks at key times of the year. Three issues were investigated: the variability in solar radiation exposure of sidewalks, the difference in path length if discomfort resulting from exposure to solar radiation was prioritised over distance, and the access to shading for pedestrians of diverse walking abilities. Four user profiles were characterised by walking speed and ability to climb the stairs; adopting the perspective of diverse users provided critical information to design cities meeting the needs of vulnerable pedestrians. The resulting maps illustrated the dynamic nature of solar radiation exposure of the pedestrian network, with a critical cue on the paths chosen for optimising comfort, and the time that pedestrians would spend in the sun before finding shade. This work is a first step forward in the systematic implementation of microclimatic analysis in the walkability assessment, aimed at supporting designers in proposing solutions for ameliorating thermal stress.

Technology roadmapping for the e-commerce sector: A text-mining approach

Due to rapid technological advancements and shifting consumer dynamics, the e-commerce industry has undergone rapid transformation. Further, emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, and augmented reality, have the ability to revolutionize the e-commerce landscape. However, limited studies have mapped the technological evolution in the e-commerce sector. Therefore, this study offers a multi-faceted forecast of e-commerce technologies by combining patent analysis, semantic network analysis, and topic modelling approaches. The study analyzes 4113 patents and categorizes them into two time periods: 2001–2012 and 2013–2023. This study constructs co-word maps, defines the relationships between the words, and examines how the co-word relationships have changed over the time period. In the period between 2001 and 2012, the patents are categorized into four clusters: information processing and communication technologies, product purchase and sale management, e-commerce systems, and digital transaction and security management. For the period spanning between 2013 and 2023, the patents are classified into seven clusters: user experience, integrating devices, product information management, e-commerce infrastructure, advanced e-commerce authentication, pricing and payment solution, platform development, and e-commerce optimization. It aims to bridge theory and practice by developing a roadmap of near-, mid-, and far-future e-commerce technologies. The study highlights implications for practice and theory.

Telemedicine and Remote Management of Patients with Heart Failure: From Theory to Daily Practice.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is responsible for a high number of hospitalizations, caused by a progressive worsening quality of life. Telemedicine allows for better management of patients' complex conditions, improving the care released. However, the risk of remaining at a testing stage often limits the integration of remote care in daily pathways for HF patients. The aim of this study is to outline the steps needed to integrate telemedicine activities into ordinary HF clinic practices. This methodology is applied to observe activities and trend improvements over a 12-month routine phase. Method: Three steps have been defined for an efficient introduction of remote care services in ordinary activities, integrating them with traditional in-person care: (i) introduction of temporary telemedicine projects, (ii) systematization of telemedicine pathways, and (iii) evaluation of monitoring phase. Observational data have been collected from structured interviews to show the rate of telemedicine activities achieved in clinical practice over the last year. Results: The methodology has been proposed in the HF clinic of the Italian hospital ASST Bergamo Est. After an initial testing phase, in which usability and user experience have been tested, four different remote activities were added: (i) telemonitoring for patients with an implantable device, (ii) follow-up televisits, (iii) nursing telephone support, and (iv) high-intensity telesurveillance pathways for patients after an HF acute event. During the last year, 218 telemonitoring pathways, 75 televisits, 500 telephone calls, and nine telesurveillance pathways have been performed. Success rates were high, and patients gave positive feedback. Conclusion: By integrating multiple telemedicine activities, it has been possible to better manage complex patients, keep track of disease progression, and improve their participation in care.

An AI-powered approach to the semiotic reconstruction of narratives

This article presents a novel and highly interactive process to generate natural language narratives based on our ongoing work on semiotic relations, providing four criteria for composing new narratives from existing stories. The wide applicability of this semiotic reconstruction process is suggested by a reputed literary scholar’s deconstructive claim that new narratives can often be shown to be a tissue of previous narratives. Along, respectively, three semiotic axes – syntagmatic, paradigmatic, and meronymic – existing stories can yield new stories by the combination, imitation, or expansion of an iconic scene; lastly, a new story may emerge through reversal via an antithetic consideration, i.e., through the adoption of opposite values. Targeting casual users, we present a fully operational prototype with a simple and user-friendly interface that incorporates an AI agent, namely ChatGPT. The prototype, in a coauthor capacity, generates context-compatible sequences of events in storyboard format using backward-chaining abductive reasoning (employing Stable Diffusion to draw scene illustrations), conforming as much as possible to the user’s authorial instructions. The extensive repertoire of book and movie summaries available to the AI agent obviates the need to manually supply laborious and error-prone context specifications. A user study was conducted to evaluate user experience and satisfaction with the generated narratives. The preliminary findings suggest that our approach has the potential to enhance story quality while offering a positive user experience.

Virtual Desktop Assistant for Linux

A desktop assistant on Linux is a software application designed to assist users in performing various tasks on their Linux- based desktop system. It typically integrates with the desktop environment and offers a user-friendly interface for performing common tasks such as launching applications, managing files and folders, and accessing system settings. The assistant can also be customized with plugins or extensions to add additional functionality. The main goal of a desktop assistant on Linux is to make the user experience as smooth and efficient as possible. By centralizing common tasks and providing an accessible interface, the assistant eliminates the need for users to navigate complex system settings or memorize multiple keyboard shortcuts. This, in turn, makes it easier for users to perform everyday tasks on their Linux-based desktop system, increasing productivity and overall satisfaction with their experience. Keywords— Deep Learning, Machine learning, NLP, Voice Assistant, Linux, Artificial Intelligence, Speech Recognition, LLMs.

Evaluation and determinants of metro users' regularity: Insights from transit one-card data

Regularity is typically defined based on the repetitive travel behavior of individuals, referring to how often travelers would utilize a specific service within a given spatio-temporal context. However, previous research on metro users' regularity primarily utilized basic metric, for example metro trip frequency, to measure regularity. What's more, metro smart card data typically encompasses time, spatial features, and card type information, lacking individual attributes such as age, gender, and type of residence, which limits in-depth analysis correlating individual attributes with travel behavior. The study obtained transit one-card data from Nanjing, China, which enabled us to extract metro user's travel and individual information. Thus, the entropy rate methodology was employed to measure metro users' regularity, while machine learning techniques were used to analyze non-linear effects of built environment, travel-related, and individual attributes on regularity. Results indicate that the built environment, travel-related, and individual attributes account for 66.66%, 33.31%, and 0.03% of the total relative importance, respectively. Two most influential variables impacting regularity, namely entertainment POIs at the origin level (17.77%) and weekdays (17.51%), belong to the built environment and travel-related attributes, respectively. In terms of individual attributes, age exhibits a greater impact on regularity compared to gender and type of residence, manifested in the variation of regularity among different age groups. This finding can assist metro policymakers in understanding metro users' travel behavior, aiming to enhance operational efficiency and optimize the user experience.

The Effect of Product Personalization, User Experience, and Consumer Trust on the Level of E-Commerce Consumer Satisfaction in Indonesia

This study looks into how user experience, consumer trust, and product personalization affect Indonesian e-commerce customer happiness. To investigate the associations between these characteristics, data was gathered via surveys and analyzed quantitatively using 225 Indonesian e-commerce customers. The results show that consumer trust is positively influenced by product customisation, and consumer trust is positively influenced by user experience. Furthermore, customer satisfaction and confidence in e-commerce are strongly impacted by product customisation and user experience. These findings highlight the significance of personalized experiences, frictionless communication, and reliability in fostering customer satisfaction among Indonesian online shoppers. Through comprehension of these characteristics, enterprises can formulate focused approaches to augment customer contentment and cultivate enduring connections inside the Indonesian e-commerce domain.