Small Screen Interface Research Articles

A mobile flight case learning system for ATC miscommunications

Aviation’s highest priority is safety. The primary risk to safety derives not from automated systems but from human factors, most notably air traffic control. We present results from development of a flight case learning system designed to operate on mobile phones used by air traffic controllers (ATCs). Our system takes advantage of key Ontology concepts, a case-based system development procedure, human-centered design (HCD) strategies, and appropriate small-screen interface design protocols. A questionnaire to assess user interaction satisfaction (QUIS) was deployed for subsequent usability testing and to verify acceptance of, and satisfaction with, the system. Twelve subjects participated in the questionnaire-based evaluation of subjective satisfaction. In addition, two flight experts served on a review panel for domain knowledge verification and acceptance of the interface design. Our results confirm that the system is a suitably designed mobile learning system that can accelerate self-learning for ATCs.

A Mobile Nursing Information System Based on Human-Computer Interaction Design for Improving Quality of Nursing

A conventional Nursing Information System (NIS), which supports the role of nurse in some areas, is typically deployed as an immobile system. However, the traditional information system can't response to patients' conditions in real-time, causing delays on the availability of this information. With the advances of information technology, mobile devices are increasingly being used to extend the human mind's limited capacity to recall and process large numbers of relevant variables and to support information management, general administration, and clinical practice. Unfortunately, there have been few studies about the combination of a well-designed small-screen interface with a personal digital assistant (PDA) in clinical nursing. Some researchers found that user interface design is an important factor in determining the usability and potential use of a mobile system. Therefore, this study proposed a systematic approach to the development of a mobile nursing information system (MNIS) based on Mobile Human-Computer Interaction (M-HCI) for use in clinical nursing. The system combines principles of small-screen interface design with user-specified requirements. In addition, the iconic functions were designed with metaphor concept that will help users learn the system more quickly with less working-memory. An experiment involving learnability testing, thinking aloud and a questionnaire investigation was conducted for evaluating the effect of MNIS on PDA. The results show that the proposed MNIS is good on learning and higher satisfaction on symbol investigation, terminology and system information.

Presenting information on the small-screen interface: Effects of table formatting

This study explored strengths and limitations of table formatting choices by engaging twenty-eight participants in information searches in online tables, presented on a small-screen interface (Palm IIIc). Table length across conditions was held constant at three screens long (24 rows total) but varied from one to three screens wide (approximately 35, 70, and 105 characters per line). Target information was positioned in either the upper left, lower left, upper right, or lower right quadrants. Data collected were time on task, error rate, and level of participants' confidence in their answers. Experimenters found that increased horizontal scrolling imposed the heaviest burden on information search. This study supports restricting table widths to one screen on handheld computers. If necessary, however, tables can go to two screens wide without critical detriment to usability. While ruled line formatting is slightly better than interface character in providing visual support for the burden of horizontal scrolling, neither formatting option adequately compensates for the added burden.