Cognitive engineering

https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/13123/3/Fulltext.pdf

Evolution of design for sustainability: From product design to design for system innovations and transitions

A distributed recommendation system and method are disclosed that provides greater privacy for the user's private data. The method distributes the tasks of a recommendation system between wireless devices (100) and network servers (140), so as to protect the privacy of end users. The user's wireless device (100) sends (326) a current context-activity pair (515) to a network server (140) in response to either the user's selection (324) of an activity or automatically (322). The user's wireless device (100) includes a service history log (110). The activities stored in the service history log (110) include past recommendations (1) made by the network server (140), past services used (2), prestored service preferences (3), and special requested service requirements (4). Context-activity pair information (515) sent to the server (140) can include any combination of these activities. The server (140) then responds with an appropriate recommendation (515').

Method and business process to maintain privacy in distributed recommendation systems

A preferred contact group centric interface for a communication device can be used to facilitate communications by a user. The user interface can be arranged to activate from a user's “home page” on the display, from an idle screen that is accessed after a timeout period expires, or any other appropriate mechanism that activates the preferred contact group centric experience. A user selects the preferred contact group from among an array of the user's contacts. Once the contact group is configured, a minimal number of navigation/selection features is necessary to activate any number of communication modes available to the contacts. The contact group is configured such that simple and quick navigation between the contact members is achieved. The contact group can be presented in 2D and 3D arrangements, in any number of list or geometric configurations. A pricing plan can optionally be tied to each member of the contact group.

Preferred contact group centric interface

A schema-based service for Internet access to per-user services data, wherein access to data is based on each user's identity. The service includes a schema that defines rules and a structure for each user's data, and also includes methods that provide access to the data in a defined way. The services schema thus corresponds to a logical document containing the data for each user. The user manipulates (e.g., reads or writes) data in the logical document by data access requests through defined methods. In one implementation, the services schemas are arranged as XML documents, and the services provide methods that control access to the data based on the requesting user's identification, defined role and scope for that role. In this way, data can be accessed by its owner, and shared to an extent determined by the owner.

Schema-based services for identity-based data access

A method for voice based communication between a number of mobile terminals of a telecommunication network, the method comprising the steps of creating a group of said number of terminals and storing group information in each of the number of terminals, recording a voice message in one of the terminals of the group, dispatching the voice message to the terminals of the group from the one of the terminals, and receiving the voice message at at least all other terminals of the group. The step of creating a group of terminals further comprises the steps of coupling together a number of mobile terminals, initiating a group creation command from at least one of the terminals, sending predetermined information from terminal to terminal to each terminal of the number of terminals for forming a group information, and transmitting the group information to all of the terminals thus forming a group of the terminals.

Group communication device and method

This paper describes a new digital user study tool called Mobile Probes. Mobile Probes arose from a need to develop contextual and dynamic self-documenting tools for studying people's actions in mobile contexts. The technology used in the pilot study was based on dual band mobile phones with GPRS connections and an external accessory digital camera. A system was also developed for sharing and sorting the data. The system was implemented with Java software to enable the device to send and receive data, and PHP scripting to send and edit the questions and to view the answers through a dynamic web server. Another pilot study was conducted with a flexible platform that operates a spatio-temporal mobile log. The results of the studies show that Mobile Probes are a promising way to conduct user studies. Ideas for future development of the tool are discussed.

Mobile probes

Three-in-One User. Study for Focused Collaboration

In an emotional notification system, information about another party is entered into and stored in a terminal of a first party along with one or more data objects associated with the second party (such as an email from, to or about the second party, a file originated by the second party, etc.). Each time the first party activates at his terminal through an interface module a data object associated with a second party, a notifying message is sent to the second party to make the second party aware that the first party is devoting attention to the second party and to promote bonding between the two parties. The notifying message may take one of various, preferably unobtrusive forms, such as a vibration of a terminal belonging to the second party, which minimizes any distraction caused by the notifying message.

Mobile emotional notification application

This paper describes a study of a three-dimensional virtual prototype intended for usability resting and concept validation over the Internet. A virtual reality modeling language (VRML)-model of a fictive mobile phone concept with simulated interaction functionality was tested for usability following two approaches. The first group performed a traditional task-based usability test, the other performed a free exploration test. The approaches were compared, for example, by asking the participants to draw their mental model of the product's user interface. The research aimed at supporting de-centralised product development. The goal was to expand the possibilities of user-centred design methods by utilising the internet. The results indicate that 3D virtual reality prototypes can be used for remote usability testing and design evaluation. The limitations and requirements for successful prototyping and testing are discussed. The task-based and free exploration testing approaches are also compared. Moreover, broader issues on usability testing using virtual reality (VR) models compared to physical models are discussed. For example how users experienced the product from the VR model compared to a physical appearance model.

Turkka Keinonen

Papers

Group communication device and method

Mobile probes

Three-in-One User. Study for Focused Collaboration

Mobile emotional notification application

Virtual prototypes in usability testing