An end-user questionnaire to measure user experience quickly in a simple and immediate way while covering a preferably comprehensive impression of the product user experience was the goal of the reported construction process. An empirical approach for the item selection was used to ensure practical relevance of items. Usability experts collected terms and statements on user experience and usability, including `hard' as well as `soft' aspects. These statements were consolidated and transformed into a first questionnaire version containing 80 bipolar items. It was used to measure the user experience of software products in several empirical studies. Data were subjected to a factor analysis which resulted in the construction of a 26 item questionnaire including the six factors Attractiveness, Perspicuity, Efficiency, Dependability, Stimulation, and Novelty. Studies conducted for the original German questionnaire and an English version indicate a satisfactory level of reliability and construct validity.

Construction and Evaluation of a User Experience Questionnaire

A method includes displaying a first application view. A first input is detected, and an application view selection mode is entered for selecting one of concurrently open applications for display in a corresponding application view. An initial group of open application icons in a first predefined area and at least a portion of the first application view adjacent to the first predefined area are concurrently displayed. The initial group of open application icons corresponds to at least some of the concurrently open applications. A gesture is detected on a respective open application icon in the first predefined area, and a respective application view for a corresponding application is displayed without concurrently displaying an application view for any other application in the concurrently open applications. The open application icons in the first predefined area cease to be displayed, and the application view selection mode is exited.

Device, method, and graphical user interface for managing concurrently open software applications

Motivation: For the biologist, running bioinformatics analyses involves a time-consuming management of data and tools. Users need support to organize their work, retrieve parameters and reproduce their analyses. They also need to be able to combine their analytic tools using a safe data flow software mechanism. Finally, given that scientific tools can be difficult to install, it is particularly helpful for biologists to be able to use these tools through a web user interface. However, providing a web interface for a set of tools raises the problem that a single web portal cannot offer all the existing and possible services: it is the user, again, who has to cope with data copy among a number of different services. A framework enabling portal administrators to build a network of cooperating services would therefore clearly be beneficial.

Results: We have designed a system, Mobyle, to provide a flexible and usable Web environment for defining and running bioinformatics analyses. It embeds simple yet powerful data management features that allow the user to reproduce analyses and to combine tools using a hierarchical typing system. Mobyle offers invocation of services distributed over remote Mobyle servers, thus enabling a federated network of curated bioinformatics portals without the user having to learn complex concepts or to install sophisticated software. While being focused on the end user, the Mobyle system also addresses the need, for the bioinfomatician, to automate remote services execution: PlayMOBY is a companion tool that automates the publication of BioMOBY web services, using Mobyle program definitions.

Availability: The Mobyle system is distributed under the terms of the GNU GPLv2 on the project web site (http://bioweb2.pasteur.fr/projects/mobyle/). It is already deployed on three servers: http://mobyle.pasteur.fr, http://mobyle.rpbs.univ-paris-diderot.fr and http://lipm-bioinfo.toulouse.inra.fr/Mobyle. The PlayMOBY companion is distributed under the terms of the CeCILL license, and is available at http://lipm-bioinfo.toulouse.inra.fr/biomoby/PlayMOBY/.

Contact: rf.ruetsap@troppus-elybom; rf.toredid-sirap-vinu.sbpr@troppus-elybom; rf.ruetsap@ladnotel

Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Mobyle: a new full web bioinformatics framework

In this paper, we present an integrated system concept for the living assistance domain based on ambient intelligence technology and discuss the resulting challenges for the software engineering discipline. Automated living assistance systems represent a promising approach for the prolongation of an independent and self-conducted life of handicapped and elderly people thereby, enhancing their quality of life and minimizing the need for manual social/medical care. It is demonstrated that living assistance systems must realize flexibility and adaptability at the algorithmic, architectural and human interface level to an extent unknown in present systems. The construction of robust, trustworthy living assistance systems is an extremely challenging task and requires novel approaches for dependable self-adapting software architectures, resource efficiency, and self-adapting multi-modal human-computer interfaces. The resulting consequences and challenges for the discipline of software engineering are outlined in this paper.

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Living assistance systems: an ambient intelligence approach

An electronic device includes a touch-sensitive display and one or more programs stored in memory for execution by one or more processors. The one or more programs include instructions for displaying a first application view that corresponds to a first application in a plurality of concurrently open applications. The one or more programs include instructions for detecting a first input, and in response, concurrently displaying a group of open application icons that correspond to at least some of the plurality of concurrently open applications with at least a portion of the first application view. The open application icons are displayed in accordance with a predetermined sequence of the open applications. The one or more programs include instructions for detecting a first gesture distinct from the first input, and in response, displaying a second application view that corresponds to a second application adjacent to the first application in the predetermined sequence.

Device, method, and graphical user interface for navigation of concurrently open software applications

Acknowledgements.About the Editors.Contributors.PART I. BASIC TERMINOLOGY, CONCEPTS, AND CHALLENGES.1. Executive Summary and Book Overview (Ahmed Seffah and Homa Javahery).2. Multiple User Interfaces: Cross-Platform Applications and Context-Aware Interfaces (Ahmed Seffah and Homa Javahery).PART II. ADAPTATION AND CONTEXT-AWARE USER INTERFACES.3. A Reference Framework for the Development of Plastic User Interfaces (David Thevenin, et al.).4. Temporal Aspects of Multi-Platform Interaction (David England and Min Du).5. The PALIO Framework for Adaptive Information Services (Constantine Stephanidis, et al.).PART III. DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY AND LANGUAGES.6. Building Multi-Platform User Interfaces with UIML (Mir Farooq Ali, et al.).7. XIML: A Multiple User Interface Representation Framework for Industry (Angel Puerta and Jacob Eisenstein).8. AUIT: Adaptable User Interface Technology, with Extended Java Server Pages (John Grundy and Wenjing Zou). PART IV. MODEL-BASED DEVELOPMENT.9. Adaptive Task Modeling: From Formal Models to XML Representations (Peter Forbrig, et al.).10. Multi-Model and Multi-Level Development of User Interfaces (Jean Vanderdonckt, et al.).11. Supporting Interactions with Multiple Platforms Through User and Task Models (L. Marucci, et al.).PART. V ARCHITECTURES, PATTERNS, AND DEVELOPMENT TOOLKITS.12. Migrating User Interfaces Across Platforms Using HCI Patterns (Homa Javahery, et al.).13. Support for the Adapting Applications and Interfaces to Context (Anind K. Dey and Gregory D. Abowd).14. A Run-time Infrastructure to Support the Construction of Distributed, Multi-User, Multi-Device Interactive Applications (Simon Lock and Harry Brignull).PART VI. EVALUATION AND SOCIAL IMPACTS.15 Assessing Usability across Multiple User Interfaces (Gustav Oquist, et al.).16. Iterative Design and Evaluation of Multiple Interfaces for a Complex Commercial Word Processor (Joanna McGrenere).17. Inter-Usability of Multi-Device Systems - A Conceptual Framework (Charles Denis and Laurent Karsenty).Subject Index.

Multiple user interfaces : cross-platform applications and context-aware interfaces

Metrics-based benchmarks are crucial for measuring usability, particularly for special end user groups such as older adults. So far, usability metrics that are accessible and useful for software developers are still missing. Although usability standards are continually being developed and adapted to the rapid change in both software and computing hardware, the increasing diversity of elderly populations, both culturally and educationally, requires the development of a specific set of criteria. This paper studies two different aspects of usability for the elderly; passiveand activeinteraction. It explores the limitations of active interaction, its potential causes and results. The long term goal is the development of new methods to counteract potential negative bias with regard to passive interaction. More specifically, we are investigating achievable metrics for the evaluation of passive technology trustworthiness and usability while categorizing them according to applicability for usability testing.

Investigating Usability Metrics for the Design and Development of Applications for the Elderly

Multi-devices Multiple user interfaces: development models and research opportunities

User-centered design techniques can broaden the appeal, use, and effectiveness of Web-based bioinformatics tools.

Homa Javahery

Papers

Multiple user interfaces : cross-platform applications and context-aware interfaces

Investigating Usability Metrics for the Design and Development of Applications for the Elderly

Multi-devices Multiple user interfaces: development models and research opportunities

Beyond power: making bioinformatics tools user-centered

A Model for Usability Pattern-Oriented Design