Input Tasks Research Articles

Using Hall Effect Sensors for 3D Space Text Entry on Smartwatches

The use of ultra-small smart devices, such as smartwatches, has become increasingly popular, particularly at the consumer level, in recent years. Smartwatch is a kind of interactive device that offers the ability to read text messages, email and notifications, once it is synchronized with a smartphone. But, performing efficient text input task on smartwatch is really difficult due to its small touch screen display. In this paper, we present hall effect sensors based text entry mechanism that effectively uses the 3D space around the smartwatch for entering alphanumeric characters. Our proposed text input technique (a) does not consume any screen space; (b) does not need any visual search to find a character and (c) does not suffer from fat finger problem.

Towards affective touch interaction: predicting mobile user emotion from finger strokes

The role of affect and emotion in interactive system design is an active and recent research area. The aim is to make systems more responsive to user’s needs and expectations. The first step towards affective interaction is to recognize user’s emotional state. Literature contains many works on emotion recognition. In those works, facial muscle movement, gestures, postures and physiological signals were used for recognition. The methods are computation intensive and require extra hardware (e.g., sensors and wires). In this work, we propose a simpler model to predict the affective state of a touch screen user. The prediction is done based on the user’s touch input, namely the finger strokes. We defined seven features based on the strokes. A linear combination of these features is proposed as the predictor, which can predict a user’s affective state into one of the three states: positive (happy, excited and elated), negative (sad, anger, fear, disgust) and neutral (calm, relaxed and contented). The model alleviates the need for extra setup as well as extensive computation, making it suitable for implementation on mobile devices with limited resources. The model is developed and validated with empirical data involving 57 participants performing 7 touch input tasks. The validation study demonstrates a high prediction accuracy of 90.47 %. The proposed model and its empirical development and validation are described in this paper.

Visiting Involvement Load Hypothesis and Vocabulary Acquisition in Similar Task Types

“Involvement load hypothesis” in second language literature in spite of its inclusiveness has not yet provided a definite answer to vocabulary acquisition. This study investigated task-induced involvement suggested first by Laufer and Hulstijn (2001) in similar task types. In order to better examine the involvement hypothesis in incidental learning, applying Nelson Proficiency Test, 70 high proficiency EFL learners from two different English institutes in Isfahan, Iran, were randomly assigned to two experimental groups: gap-filling task completion and reading comprehension task completion. The two input task types had two and one involvement indexes, respectively. The results of repeated measures ANOVA considering the performance of the two homogeneous groups in pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest confirmed Laufer and Hulstijn’s (2001) involvement hypothesis in similar task types. The study suggests that teachers and language learners can use tasks with higher involvement indexes regardless of their type in order to improve their vocabulary acquisition.

A Comparative Study of Using Receptive and Productive Tasks on the Vocabulary Development of Upper-Intermediate Iranian EFL Learners

<p><em>This study attempts to investigate differential effect of using receptive and productive tasks on the vocabulary development of upper intermediate Iranian EFL learners and which of the tasks (receptive tasks or productive tasks) is more effective in vocabulary development. This study first examined the immediate effect of receptive and productive task and then the delayed effect of two kinds of tasks on the vocabulary development. For this end, 50 upper intermediate English learners received TOEFL vocabulary part test and 30 learners who had got higher mark selected for the treatment and divided into two experimental groups. Learners received an approximately 10 minute for 20 session productive task treatment and 10 minute receptive task. In the receptive group, the learners completed True-False, Matching and Multiple choice tasks and in the productive tasks completed Short-Response, Fill-in Blank and Sentence Writing tasks. All the learners after the treatment received immediate vocabulary post test and delayed post test to examine learners’ vocabulary learning development. The findings of the first research question indicated that both of the receptive and productive groups had development on the vocabulary learning. To answer the second question which examined two tasks (receptive or productive tasks) on the vocabulary learning, the learners who completed productive tasks outperformed those who did the receptive tasks that is in contrast to the predictions of the involvement load hypothesis, which does not predict that any output task will lead to better results than any input task.</em></p>

Touchable area: An empirical study on design approach considering perception size and touch input behavior

As the use of mobile touch devices continues to increase, distinctive user experiences can be provided through a direct manipulation. Therefore, the characteristics of touch interfaces should be considered regarding their controllability. This study aims to provide a design approach for touch-based user interfaces. A derivation procedure for the touchable area is proposed as a design guideline based on input behavior. To these ends, two empirical tests were conducted through a smart phone interface. Fifty-five participants were asked to perform a series of input tasks on a screen. As results, touchable area with a desirable hit rate of 90% could be yielded depending on the icon design. To improve the applicability of the touchable area, user error was analyzed based on omission-commission classification. The most suitable design had a hit rate of 95% compared to 90 and 99%. This study contributes practical implications for user interaction design with finger-based controls. Relevance to industryThis research describes a distinctive design approach that guarantees the desired touch accuracy for effective use of mobile touch devices. Therefore, the results will encourage interface designers to take into account the input behavior of fingers from a user-centered perspective.

The Effect of Sequence of Output Tasks on Noticing Vocabulary Items and Developing Vocabulary Knowledge of Iranian EFL Learners

This study examined the role of output-first presentation of vocabulary tasks in noticing lexical items and enhancing vocabulary knowledge of EFL learners. The participants were 103 elementary level female Iranian EFL learners who were randomly divided into three groups: input-only, inputoutput, and output-input groups. After all participants took a placement test and a vocabulary pretest, the input-only group of learners received only input tasks, while the members of the other two groups received both input and output tasks in different sequences. All participants then took a vocabulary posttest. Comparison of input-only group with the other two groups showed that participants in the input plus output groups outperformed input-only group in the vocabulary posttest. The results of t-test and Mann-Whitney test indicated that output-input group performed better than the input-output group in both overall vocabulary posttest and the productive vocabulary section of the test. Moreover, the results of the semi-structured interview revealed the positive influence of output-first presentation of vocabulary tasks on noticing the gap in lexical knowledge. The findings of this study suggest presentation of vocabulary tasks in the sequence of output prior to input in order to enhance noticing vocabulary knowledge gap and develop vocabulary knowledge.

Input, input processing, and output: A study with discourse-level input and the French causative

AbstractThis study examines the effects of input-oriented instruction and instruction that involves cycles of input plus output via three learning conditions with discourse-level input: (1) an input-oriented task in the form of a structured input reading activity, (2) a reading activity with comprehension questions, and (3) an input plus output-oriented task in the form of a text reconstruction activity, on the learning of the French causative structure. Results revealed that participants who engaged in the structured input reading activity performed significantly better than those in the other two learning conditions on both an interpretation and a production task.

The Impact of Processing Instruction on the Recognition and Production of English Derivational Affixes Among EFL Learners

1. Sasan Baleghizadeh[1][1] 2. Arash Saharkhiz[1][1] 1. 1Shahid Beheshti University (G.C.), Tehran, Iran 1. Sasan Baleghizadeh, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran 198396 9411, Iran. Email: sasanbaleghizadeh{at}yahoo.com In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of processing instruction (PI) as opposed to traditional deductive exercise-based intervention (TI) in teaching English derivational affixes. There was also a comparison non-intervention (NI) group, and the groups were posttested. To teach the target affixes via PI, new structured input tasks were developed. In all, 101 adult male and female lower-intermediate participants initially took part in the study, but this was later reduced to 71 as a result of the pretest, and so on. The results were analyzed through MANOVA and paired t test. In recognition, PI and TI outperformed non-intervention, while PI and TI did not outperform one another. In production, TI outperformed the other groups, while the other groups did not outperform one another. More studies must be carried out before drawing any conclusions about the transferability of PI to output activities for teaching derivational affixes. The students were also interviewed to survey their attitudes. Affectively, PI created self-confidence and an enjoyable atmosphere among the learners. Also cognitively, PI was the only group that satisfied the participants in their ability to recognize and produce derivational affixes. We found PI a highly effective and positive approach for teaching recognizing derivational affixes. We also believe it to possess a high potential for teaching their production, as it gave the participants a good sense of self-confidence for the production of the affixes. [1]: #aff-1

An Investigation Into the Relationship Between Texture and Human Performance in Steering and Gesture Input Tasks

This article experimentally investigates user performances with various surface textures in steering and gesture input tasks. Results reveal that (a) low friction material makes users spend more time on each task, and (b) although low friction material benefits the smoothness of trajectory, it causes more trajectory errors, and (c) users apply less force or pressure with slippery materials during the tasks. These findings are the more significant because they demonstrate that the common glass surface of most tablet surfaces is not the best kind of surface for optimum accuracy or for user satisfaction. The results suggest that users should be free to change the surface texture of the device in order to get natural and realistic haptic feedback according to different tasks and personal preferences.

Task Estimation Using Latent Semantic Analysis of Visual Scenes and Spoken Words

SUMMARYIn this paper, we propose a task estimation method based on multiple subspaces extracted from multimodal information of image objects in visual scenes and spoken words in dialogue appearing in the same task. The multiple subspaces are obtained by using latent semantic analysis (LSA). In the proposed method, a task vector composed of spoken words and the frequencies of image‐object appearances are extracted first, and then similarities among the input task vector and reference subspaces of different tasks are compared. Experiments are conducted on the identification of game tasks. The experimental results show that the proposed method with multimodal information outperforms the method in which only the single modality of image or spoken dialogue is applied. The proposed method achieves accurate performance even if less spoken dialogue is applied.

Efficient grouping-based mapping and scheduling on heterogeneous cluster architectures

Heterogeneous clusters of computers usually provide high computing power for large-scale applications at the expense of large cost. And there are two challenges currently faced by researchers. One is how to map large applications, modeled by Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAG), to heterogeneous architectures with minimal cost. The other is how to schedule tasks on each cluster to further decrease the total cost.This paper proposes an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulation to achieve optimal results. In order to improve the efficiency for ILP, the problem size is first reduced by Safe Graph Grouping (SGG). SGG guarantees the reduced graph to be a DAG to avoid dead lock during the scheduling. Then Time Constrained Local Scheduling (TCLS) is used to further reduce total cost for the input task graph. Experimental results show that the cooperation of SGG and ILP can reduce the total cost by 11.46% compared with existing mapping techniques.

Long-range dependencies in quick-sort algorithm

Sorting is one of the most frequently used types of processing in computer systems. In presented approach sorting will be considered as an introduction of order into processed input task and algorithm as a physical system (responsible for computations). This analysis shows how the dependencies in processed tasks can influence the behavior of algorithm (or equivalently Turing machine). Normally, analysis of any algorithm behavior is done in terms of classical computational complexity. In this paper the rate of existence of long-term correlations in processing dynamics is calculated basing on Hurst coefficient. Slowa kluczowe: zalezności dlugoterminowe, algorytm szybkiego sortowania, wspolczynnik Hurst’a, samopodobienstwo.

The Effect of Task Complexity on Productivity with Seated, Standing and Walking Computer Workstations

The knowledge economy and explosion of information technology have resulted in many computer-based workers who experience discomfort, cumulative trauma disorders, and tend to have a higher body mass index than manufacturing workers. The process of redesigning workstations to address these issues should include a study that evaluates the impact on productivity. This paper demonstrates that productivity evaluations of potential designs can utilize simple low-cost methods by assessing productivity with an input task based on Fitts’ Tapping test. This research compares three computer workstation designs (seated, standing and walking) and shows that walking adversely affects productivity yet comparing seated and standing postures yields mixed results. For more simple tasks, the ideal posture is sitting while for more complex tasks the worker should be standing for improved productivity.

Multi-task Parallel Algorithm for DSRC

Multi-task parallel algorithm is applied to accelerate the program of DNA Sequence Reads Compressor (DSRC), which is specialized for compressing DNA sequencing data file - FASTQ format file. The compression process is first divided into two parallel tasks: data process task and data input task. Then, the data process task is further divided into two parts: Title data process part and other data process part. Three high parallelism models for the Title data processing are developed: multi-CPU model, CPU+GPU model and CPU+MIC model. All three models are tested, and the result shows that nearly 3x acceleration can be achieved. The maximum throughput observed among all tested cases is 144MB/S, and the average throughput is 120MB/S. Research finds that the acceleration ratio depends on the types of sequencing platforms. The program performs better on data from the ILLUMINA and SOLiD sequencing platforms.

Mouse and Keyboard Cursor Warping to Accelerate and Reduce the Effort of Routine HCI Input Tasks

Gaze tracking has been suggested as an alternative to traditional computer pointing mechanisms. However, the accuracy limitations of gaze estimation algorithms and the fatigue imposed on users when overloading the visual perceptual channel with a motor control task have prevented the widespread adoption of gaze as a pointing modality. Rather than using gaze as a complete pointing mechanism, this study investigates the usage of gaze to complement traditional keyboard/mouse cursor positioning methods during standard human-computer interaction (HCI). With this approach, bringing the mouse/keyboard cursor to a target still requires a manual action, but the time and effort involved are substantially reduced in terms of mouse movement amplitude incurred or number of keystrokes pressed. This is accomplished by the cursor warping from its original position on the screen to the estimated point of regard of the user on the screen as estimated by video-oculography gaze tracking when a keystroke or mouse movement event is detected. The user adjusts the final fine-grained positioning of the cursor manually. The results of the user study carried out here on the effects of cursor warping in common computer input operations that involve cursor repositioning when using one or several monitors as well as on its learning dynamics over time show that cursor warping can speed up and/or reduce the physical effort required to complete tasks such as mouse/trackpad target acquisition, keyboard text cursor positioning, mouse/keyboard based text selection, and drag and drop operations.

From UML specifications to mapping and scheduling of tasks into a NoC, with reliability considerations

This paper describes a technique for performing mapping and scheduling of tasks belonging to an executable application into a NoC-based MPSoC, starting from its UML specification. A toolchain is used in order to transform the high-level UML specification into a middle-level representation, which takes the form of an annotated task graph. Such an input task graph is used by an optimization engine for the sake of carrying out the design space exploration. The optimization engine relies on a Population-based Incremental Learning (PBIL) algorithm for performing mapping and scheduling of tasks into the NoC. The PBIL algorithm is also proposed for dynamic mapping of tasks in order to deal with failure events at runtime. Simulation results are promising and exhibit a good performance of the proposed solution when problem size is increased.

Imported Inputs, Quality Complementarity, and Skill Demand

This paper analyzes how access to imported inputs affects firms in developing countries, where domestically produced high-quality inputs are relatively costly. We build an O-Ring type model with quality complementarity across input tasks, ranking tasks by their quality sensitivity. Because high-quality inputs are relatively cheap in international markets, firms use these instead of domestic inputs for quality-sensitive production steps. This substitution effect lowers the demand for domestic input quality (such as skilled labor), while it raises output quality. At the same time, the complementarity effect increases the return to quality in the remaining domestic tasks. This raises output quality further; it also increases the demand for domestic input quality (skills), counterbalancing the first effect. To provide evidence for this mechanism, we match high-resolution data from Chilean customs to a large firm-level panel for the period 1992-2005. In line with the model’s predictions, importers use ceteris paribus a lower share of skilled workers, while their skill demand increases significantly with the quality of imports.

Hardware support for fine-grained event-driven computation in Anton 2

Exploiting parallelism to accelerate a computation typically involves dividing it into many small tasks that can be assigned to different processing elements. An efficient execution schedule for these tasks can be difficult or impossible to determine in advance, however, if there is uncertainty as to when each task's input data will be available. Ideally, each task would run in direct response to the arrival of its input data, thus allowing the computation to proceed in a fine-grained event-driven manner. Realizing this ideal is difficult in practice, and typically requires sacrificing flexibility for performance. In Anton 2, a massively parallel special-purpose supercomputer for molecular dynamics simulations, we addressed this challenge by including a hardware block, called the dispatch unit, that provides flexible and efficient support for fine-grained event-driven computation. Its novel features include a many-to-many mapping from input data to a set of synchronization counters, and the ability to prioritize tasks based on their type. To solve the additional problem of using a fixed set of synchronization counters to track input data for a potentially large number of tasks, we created a software library that allows programmers to treat Anton 2 as an idealized machine with infinitely many synchronization counters. The dispatch unit, together with this library, made it possible to simplify our molecular dynamics software by expressing it as a collection of independent tasks, and the resulting fine-grained execution schedule improved overall performance by up to 16% relative to a coarse-grained schedule for precisely the same computation.

Hardware support for fine-grained event-driven computation in Anton 2

Exploiting parallelism to accelerate a computation typically involves dividing it into many small tasks that can be assigned to different processing elements. An efficient execution schedule for these tasks can be difficult or impossible to determine in advance, however, if there is uncertainty as to when each task's input data will be available. Ideally, each task would run in direct response to the arrival of its input data, thus allowing the computation to proceed in a fine-grained event-driven manner. Realizing this ideal is difficult in practice, and typically requires sacrificing flexibility for performance. In Anton 2, a massively parallel special-purpose supercomputer for molecular dynamics simulations, we addressed this challenge by including a hardware block, called the dispatch unit, that provides flexible and efficient support for fine-grained event-driven computation. Its novel features include a many-to-many mapping from input data to a set of synchronization counters, and the ability to prioritize tasks based on their type. To solve the additional problem of using a fixed set of synchronization counters to track input data for a potentially large number of tasks, we created a software library that allows programmers to treat Anton 2 as an idealized machine with infinitely many synchronization counters. The dispatch unit, together with this library, made it possible to simplify our molecular dynamics software by expressing it as a collection of independent tasks, and the resulting fine-grained execution schedule improved overall performance by up to 16% relative to a coarse-grained schedule for precisely the same computation.

To twist, roll, stroke or poke? A study of input devices for menu navigation in the cockpit

Modern interfaces within the aircraft cockpit integrate many flight management system (FMS) functions into a single system. The success of a user's interaction with an interface depends upon the optimisation between the input device, tasks and environment within which the system is used. In this study, four input devices were evaluated using a range of Human Factors methods, in order to assess aspects of usability including task interaction times, error rates, workload, subjective usability and physical discomfort. The performance of the four input devices was compared using a holistic approach and the findings showed that no single input device produced consistently high performance scores across all of the variables evaluated. The touch screen produced the highest number of ‘best’ scores; however, discomfort ratings for this device were high, suggesting that it is not an ideal solution as both physical and cognitive aspects of performance must be accounted for in design. Practitioner summary: This study evaluated four input devices for control of a screen-based flight management system. A holistic approach was used to evaluate both cognitive and physical performance. Performance varied across the dependent variables and between the devices; however, the touch screen produced the largest number of ‘best’ scores.