Real Context Of Use Research Articles

Usability of the "Systematic Review Support" computer system: amethodological study.

(1) The "Systematic Review Support" system has a high degree of perceived usability. (2) Its use facilitates the exclusion of duplicate references and the selection of studies. (3) Remote and synchronous usability testing made research possible during the pandemic. (4) Combining usability techniques made it possible to identify the necessary adjustments. (5) The method used expanded the test's capacity in a real context of use.

Clinical stakeholders’ perspective for the integration of an immersive wheelchair simulator as a clinical tool for powered wheelchair training

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate clinical stakeholders’ acceptance of an immersive wheelchair simulator as a potential powered wheelchair skills training tool. Focus groups, conducted in four rehabilitation centers, were used to obtain a rich understanding of participants’ experiences and beliefs. Then, a cross-sectional survey of the simulator acceptability for clinical practice was created. Twenty-three rehabilitation therapists and clinical program directors participated in the focus groups and thirty-three responded to the survey. Participants generally expressed that use of the simulator would be complementary to training in an actual powered wheelchair, and that it could be useful for challenging situations in rehabilitation centers (e.g. anxious clients; when there is uncertainty around their potential to drive a powered wheelchair; tasks that cannot be assessed in a real-life environment). They also provided suggestions to improve the simulator (e.g. more feedback during tasks; possibility of adjusting control settings such as speed and sensitivity; possibility of adding varied control interfaces). Feedback received from key stakeholders clearly indicated that the wheelchair simulator would be complementary to training provided in a real context of use. However, some important limitations must be addressed to improve the simulator and promote its adoption by clinical programs, therapists and clients.

Usability issues in the operating room – Towards contextual design guidelines for medical device design

Most usability assessments of medical devices describe the problems of individual devices in detail, but few account for the real context of use or provide designers with actionable guidelines for improvement. To fill this gap, this paper reports the results of a case study on the usability of operating room technologies and documents the creation of contextual design guidelines for operating room device design. We spent 64 h in a gynecological operating unit conducting interviews with staff and observing device use during surgery. With qualitative analysis methods and based on existing usability principles, we created 21 design guidelines for the operating room context. The new guidelines highlight interactions between multiple devices, staff members, as well as other contextual factors. While the guidelines require further validation, they can potentially support the creation of more safe, ergonomic, and intuitive medical devices.

Development of an Acceptance Model for Occupational Exoskeletons and Application for a Passive Upper Limb Device

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONOccupational exoskeletons may help reduce the physical demands of work, but several challenges exist in their workplace integration. While there is evidence that wearing an exoskeleton can reduce perceptions of effort and muscle fatigue, exoskeletons can negatively affect user acceptance if they increase local discomfort or do not provide sufficient adjustability. Additionally, most existing evidence is from laboratory settings, which has unknown validity for real work activities. To address these limitations, we completed a field study to identify key acceptance factors in real contexts of use, as well as methods for measurement. From our results, we present acceptance factors in a model centered on four aspects concerning the use of an occupational exoskeleton, a global methodology for factor identification, and propose easy measurement methods for practitioners. These outputs provide new ergonomics specifications for human–exoskeleton interaction in the early use stage.TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Background: To address the high costs of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, several industries have started to experiment with exoskeletons, but have faced technical and psychological barriers. The design of efficient and usable exoskeletons needs to account for both technical constraints and more subtle requirements related to their acceptance by users. Existing models of acceptability, essentially based on predictive methods and information sciences, were not considered relevant for the case of occupational exoskeletons. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to specify an acceptance model adapted to occupational exoskeletons, in order to facilitate their evaluation during the initial phase of use in the field. Methods: We employed an ecological approach. Because of the physical interaction the user experiences with an exoskeleton and within the working situation, acceptance criteria were developed from actual field use. Initially, an action research process was completed to identify key determinants in the field. New factors, missing in existing acceptability models, were added to a proposed new model, together with methods for their measurement. To test the new model, an experiment was completed on manual operations in an industrial context and partly in a laboratory. Results: We organized the identified factors into an acceptance model, which was then validated and completed by exoskeleton experts in ergonomics based on four aspects: physical, occupational, cognitive, and affective. Conclusions: This new model, focused on usability, is based on easy-to-implement methods and could, therefore, be of use to diverse stakeholders (exoskeleton designers, ergonomists, etc.). Based on a real use approach, such a model makes it easier to evaluate the human–exoskeleton system, and could thus facilitate more successful adoption by companies.

Relatos de experiências de ex-estudantes de português língua estrangeira: a coconstrução do conhecimento por meio da pesquisa narrativa

Part of a research project in learning narratives, this paper tries to map the experience of three former university students of Portuguese as a foreign language (PLE), who graduated from the College of Exact and Natural Sciences (FaCEN), Paraguay, and, at the time of this research, were Post-Graduate students in Brazil. Their experiences were analyzed in two levels: their learning process in Paraguay and their consolidation of the language, in real context of use, in Brazil. The corpus was constituted by learning narratives collected through interviews with the use of Narrative Inquiry as means and method of work. The data was analyzed and coded in combination with the concept of Three-Dimensional Space. The results points to the insufficient number of hours dedicated to PLE classes; to the need to develop students' autonomy and, also, materials that expand the opportunities for study outside the classroom using the new technologies that focus on specific purposes and; for greater contact between students and native speakers.

A Multimodal Alarm System for Risk Management in a Clinical Lab

In this article, the authors aim at finding a way to effectively communicate situations of risk related to work safety, by catching workers' attention without interrupting their main task. They designed a multimodal alarm solution specifically conceived for a biomedical lab, where workers might be intoxicated due to the possible leak of reagents or to excessive exposure to potentially toxic substances. The authors propose a novel multimodal alarm system which makes use of different sensory modalities, touch and vision. In particular, it exploits wearable technologies to improve the effectiveness of the alarm in the context. In details, it offers 1) tactile alarm to catch user attention, 2) different alarm modalities for collective and personal risks, 3) visual cue to provide immediate diagnostic information on the risk source, and more detailed information on the risk nature. In this article, the authors describe a pilot test in the real context of use to inform the design of the system. The results are promising for the development of the solution.

O condicional de valor evidencial no domínio jornalístico

Este artigo propõe o estudo de um uso evidencial ainda não explorado no português do Brasil (PB), que se dá por meio do condicional (futuro do pretérito), que indicará como o locutor teve acesso à informação transmitida no enunciado – qual a fonte da informação. A partir da teoria funcionalista, objetiva-se fazer uma descrição detalhada do condicional de valor evidencial em contextos reais de uso no PB. Com as ocorrências fornecidas por um corpus composto por gêneros do domínio jornalístico, busca-se descrever seu funcionamento, definindo suas características. Com essa caracterização, será possível verificar se o morfema do condicional pode ser considerado como um marcador gramatical de evidencialidade no PB, assim como ocorre em outras línguas. A descrição possibilitará ainda a verificação da função discursiva desse uso nos gêneros jornalísticos que compõem o corpus.

A 3D-centered information system for the documentation of a complex restoration intervention

Abstract Restoration is becoming a quite complex process: a large number of internal and external variables co-exist and may impair it. Among these, the large number of professionals involved and the huge amount of documentation produced can heavily affect the quality of the intervention as well as the possibility to have systemic and informed interventions in the future. In particular, a standardized method for storing restoration data and accessing them is still lacking, and the use of new technologies is still limited and/or not scalable. The paper describes the process of designing and testing an information system (IS) based on three-dimensional (3D) data, aimed to support the restoration of Neptune's Fountain in Bologna. In preparation of the restoration, a major effort was carried out to design and implement a web-based IS able to host all of the data produced, to allow the conservation-restoration specialists to interact on-site with an accurate 3D representation of the elements of the fountain, and to directly reference all information and data produced on the geometry of the model. The paper focuses on the challenges and adopted solutions related to the use of 3D models and the data mapping on 3D surfaces in the context of restoration documentation. Highly detailed visualizations of the models, easy navigation, and usable functionalities to add information directly on the 3D model have been achieved by extending the available solutions and by implementing new mechanisms to overcome the limitations of WebGL and remote rendering. Neptune IS’ development has been extensively experimented in a real context of use. Results and knowledge from the experimentation currently represents the basis for evolving Neptune IS into a possible generic and flexible platform for documentation management in the field of restoration and related methodologies.

Making Tangible the Intangible: Hybridization of the Real and the Virtual to Enhance Learning of Abstract Phenomena

Interactive systems based on Augmented Reality (AR) and Tangible User Interfaces (TUI) hold great promise for enhancing the learning and understanding of abstract phenomena. In particular, they enable to take advantage of numerical simulation and pedagogical supports, while keeping the learner involved in true physical experimentations. In this paper, we present three examples based on AR and TUI, where the concepts to be learnt are difficult to perceive. The first one, Helios, targets K-12 learners in the field of astronomy. The second one, Hobit is dedicated to experiments in wave optics. Finally, the third one, Teegi, allows one to get to know more about brain activity. These three hybrid interfaces have emerged from a common basis that jointly combines research and development work in the fields of Instructional Design and Human-Computer Interaction, from theoretical to practical aspects. On the basis of investigations carried out in real context of use and on the grounding works in education and HCI which corroborate the design choices that were made, we formalize how and why the hybridization of the real and the virtual enables to leverage the way learners understand intangible phenomena in Sciences education.

Experimental basis in lithic arrows usage and hafting at the end of the last glaciation in the French Alps

Abstract To identify lithic arrowheads from Prehistoric sites is very difficult because there is a great variability in their morphology and in the ways of hafting and throwing them. Variables playing in their use are numerous. Some experimental approaches try to explain traces in prehistorical lithic points by mean of paying attention at some of these variables. Many researchers have used morphological parameters to distinguish spear from arrowheads, showing which characteristics define the potential of each type of weapon in ethnographical examples. However, only an accurate use-wear analysis that pays attention on macro and micro-wear traces and which is grounded on systematically experimentation references, could help to understand their real context of use. Several attempts have yielded results about facts as the absence of traces in used projectiles, breakages at the end of hafts or some characteristics like macro-wear and micro-wear traces. Many of these results were obtained in laboratory conditions by shooting at artificial targets since only few experimentation approaches use animals. We present the results of experimental shots with bows of 53 exact copies of lithic pointed implements, arrows from the Mesolithic and Azilian layers from La Fru and Gerbaix Haut (from the Savoie and Haute Alpes regions in France) sites. Some of the results and conclusions of this experimental approach can be directly transferred to other contexts. Furthermore, methodological discussion is important for further experimental researches and archaeological interpretation.

Getting Engaged in America

Introduction: The National Curricular Parameters of 2000 point out a new path for the teaching of foreign languages in Brazilian school. They determine that the language must be taught in such a way that it enables students to actually communicate by using the language. They also suggest that the teaching of a foreign language should allow students to learn about foreign cultures as well. The National Curricular Parameters (2000:25) state that, “the Foreign Languages take on the condition of being an indissoluble part of the set of essential knowledge that allow the student to approach several cultures and, consequently, promote his integration in a globalized world”. Furthermore, the National Curricular Parameters assert that grammar must be taught in context and not isolated as it used to be. Thus, this lesson plan has as its theoretical support those two ideas of the National Curricular Parameters: enabling students to learn about foreign cultures and teaching, or in the case of this plan in specific, reviewing a grammar topic in a real context of use.

Peripheral interaction: characteristics and considerations

In everyday life, we are able to perceive information and perform physical actions in the background or periphery of attention. Inspired by this observation, several researchers have studied interactive systems that display digital information in the periphery of attention. To broaden the scope of this research direction, a few recent studies have focused on interactive systems that can not only be perceived in the background but also enable users to physically interact with digital information in their periphery. Such peripheral interaction designs can support computing technology to fluently embed in and become a meaningful part of people’s everyday routines. With the increasing ubiquity of technology in our everyday environment, we believe that this direction is highly relevant nowadays. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of three case studies on peripheral interaction. These case studies involved the design and development of peripheral interactive systems and deployment of these systems in the real context of use for a number of weeks. Based on the insights gained through these case studies, we discuss generalized characteristics and considerations for peripheral interaction design and evaluation. The aim of the work presented in this paper is to support interaction design researchers and practitioners in anticipating and facilitating peripheral interaction with the designs they are evaluating or developing.

Live Piloting and Prototyping

This paper presents current trends in service design research concerning large scale projects aimed at generating changes at a local scale. The strategy adopted to achieve this, is to co-design solutions including future users in the development process, prototyping and testing system of products and services before their actual implementation. On the basis of experience achieved in the European Project Life 2.0, this paper discusses which methods and competencies are applied in the development of these projects, eliciting the lessons learnt especially from the piloting phase in which the participatory design (PD) approach plays a major role. In the first part, the topic is introduced jointly with the theoretical background where the user center design and participatory design methods are presented; then the Life 2.0 project development is described; finally the experience is discussed from a service design perspective, eliciting guidelines for piloting and prototyping services in a real context of use. The paper concludes reflecting on the designers’ role and competencies needed in this process.

Highly focused document retrieval in aerospace engineering

PurposeThis paper seeks to describe the preliminary studies (on both users and data), the design and evaluation of the K‐Search system for searching legacy documents in aerospace engineering. Real‐world reports of jet engine maintenance challenge the current indexing practice, while real users' tasks require retrieving the information in the proper context. K‐Search is currently in use in Rolls‐Royce plc and has evolved to include other tools for knowledge capture and management.Design/methodology/approachSemantic Web techniques have been used to automatically extract information from the reports while maintaining the original context, allowing a more focused retrieval than with more traditional techniques. The paper combines semantic search with classical information retrieval to increase search effectiveness. An innovative user interface has been designed to take advantage of this hybrid search technique. The interface is designed to allow a flexible and personal approach to searching legacy data.FindingsThe user evaluation showed that the system is effective and well received by users. It also shows that different people look at the same data in different ways and make different use of the same system depending on their individual needs, influenced by their job profile and personal attitude.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on a specific case of an enterprise working in aerospace engineering. Although the findings are likely to be shared with other engineering domains (e.g. mechanical, electronic), the study does not expand the evaluation to different settings.Originality/valueThe study shows how real context of use can provide new and unexpected challenges to researchers and how effective solutions can then be adopted and used in organizations.

Augmenter la validité des évaluations des applications graphiques interactives. Combiner les approches prédictives et empiriques

While human-computer interaction (HCl) researchers invent a lot of interaction techniques that could improve usability of graphical applications, most of our interfaces are still based on the WIMP model (Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointing. The difficulty of assessing the performance of an interaction technigue in a real context of use can partly explain this gap. This article aims at improving the evaluation process used in HCI by following a methodology where predictive and empirical aspects are complementary to augment the external validity of lab experiments. This approach is supported by two tools: the Complexity of Interaction Sequences (CIS) model and the TouchStone platform. This evaluation methodology de.nes a design space with performance measures to allow interface developers to make informed choices.

An instrument to support thinking critically about critical thinking in online asynchronous discussions

<span>This paper reports on the creation of an instrument for use by instructors, students, or researchers to identify, measure or promote critical thinking (CT) in online asynchronous discussions (OADs). Four models of CT were reviewed, synthesised, analysed, and evaluated to clarify the construct. Indicators of specific cognitive processes related to CT were identified, and subsequently retained, rejected or modified to show how the construct might be operationalised in real contexts of use. Subsequent empirical testing of the instrument for the analysis of a transcript of an OAD revealed that while the instrument was valuable in identifying and measuring CT in the OAD, issues of practicality need to be addressed. Implications for research and practice are presented.</span>

Generic integrity in document design

Genre is realization of a set of communicative purposes embedded in recurring rhetorical contexts displaying typical cognitive structuring. Most professional documents display their typical 'generic integrity' which is often identifiable in terms of a combination of text-internal and text-external factors. Although generic integrity is somewhat flexible and fluid, and dependent on participant relationship and institutional discursive practices, it is one of the important contributors to effective and successful design and development of professional and public documents. In this paper, I would like to consider examples of public documents from legal and business settings to focus on the generic integrity of these documents in the context of issues like the simplification and easification of legal documents, selection and appropriation of linguistic resources in the textualization of professional genres, reader accessibility of professional and public discourse, suggesting implications for the writer's commitment to the intended message and readership(s), in the act of document design, and the relationship between the design and performance of professional documents in their real contexts of use.