Public Access Computing Research Articles

Survey of public access information retrieval systems : Displays Technol and Applications, 1990, 11.4, 193–200, 0 refs.

Abstract A London HCI Centre (LHC) project to produce a user interface development environment for screen-based, nondirect manipulation, public use computer systems is described. A survey of available public access computer systems was undertaken to characterize and critically assess the usability of current designs. That part of the survey relating to four particular information retrieval systems is presented. Some serious weaknesses in the user interfaces to these systems are highlighted along with recommendations for improvements. The paper concludes with a general discussion of the major areas of weakness and how human factors guidelines can be used to improve usability.

The Use of Home-Based Computers to Support Persons Living With AIDS-ARC

Care of the patient at home challenges nurses with both the quantity and diversity of services required. New technologies such as computer networks may provide mechanisms to relieve the burden on traditional services, while opening new ways to meet the unique needs of home-based patients in a timely and effective manner. Capitalizing on an existing, free, public-access computer network, we developed the ComputerLink, a computer network designed to provide home-care support to persons living with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex (ARC) in the community. In the pilot study presented here, we demonstrate the feasibility of using home-based computer networks to provide information, communication, and decision assistance to persons living with AIDS (PLWA). The success experienced with this particular group of patients provides sufficient encouragement to further test this intervention with PLWAs and to extent this nursing intervention to other groups of community-based patients.

Survey of public access information retrieval systems

A London HCI Centre (LHC) project to produce a user interface development environment for screen-based, nondirect manipulation, public use computer systems is described. A survey of available public access computer systems was undertaken to characterize and critically assess the usability of current designs. That part of the survey relating to four particular information retrieval systems is presented. Some serious weaknesses in the user interfaces to these systems are highlighted along with recommendations for improvements. The paper concludes with a general discussion of the major areas of weakness and how human factors guidelines can be used to improve usability.

Using videotex for shopping - a qualitative analysis

Abstract Public access computer systems, e.g. videotex, enable the development of value added services such as teleshopping and telebanking. Potential users may not have any significant experience of computers, or indeed any interest in learning how to operate them. The computers, therefore, need to be simple to use. This paper attempts to identify features of the teleshopping task which contribute to problems of usability. This identification is a pre-requisite for subsequent experimental evaluation and system optimization. First, transactions are described in terms of a general model of the task. The videotex form of a particular transaction-shopping - is then examined and expectations of sources of difficulty are derived. The data from an observational study are used to identify sources of difficulty and to establish a set of operationalizable system variables contributing to user difficulties and errors. A model of the user is then described which accounts for such problems of usability in terms of mi...

Public Access Computer Facilities In Libraries — Some Guidelines

The beginnings of provision of public access computing facilities are noted. Some of the issues to be addressed in taking a decision to provide such facilities and the pitfalls in implementing such a decision are examined. Consideration is given to both microcomputer and mainframe computer provision.