Showing papers in "International Journal of Human-computer Studies \/ International Journal of Man-machine Studies in 2017"

Gamified crowdsourcing: Conceptualization, literature review, and future agenda

Abstract: Two parallel phenomena are gaining attention in human–computer interaction research: gamification and crowdsourcing Because crowdsourcing's success depends on a mass of motivated crowdsourcees, crowdsourcing platforms have increasingly been imbued with motivational design features borrowed from games; a practice often called gamification While the body of literature and knowledge of the phenomenon have begun to accumulate, we still lack a comprehensive and systematic understanding of conceptual foundations, knowledge of how gamification is used in crowdsourcing, and whether it is effective We first provide a conceptual framework for gamified crowdsourcing systems in order to understand and conceptualize the key aspects of the phenomenon The paper's main contributions are derived through a systematic literature review that investigates how gamification has been examined in different types of crowdsourcing in a variety of domains This meticulous mapping, which focuses on all aspects in our framework, enables us to infer what kinds of gamification efforts are effective in different crowdsourcing approaches as well as to point to a number of research gaps and lay out future research directions for gamified crowdsourcing systems Overall, the results indicate that gamification has been an effective approach for increasing crowdsourcing participation and the quality of the crowdsourced work; however, differences exist between different types of crowdsourcing: the research conducted in the context of crowdsourcing of homogenous tasks has most commonly used simple gamification implementations, such as points and leaderboards, whereas crowdsourcing implementations that seek diverse and creative contributions employ gamification with a richer set of mechanics

Enhancing user experience with conversational agent for movie recommendation

Abstract: This study investigates how user satisfaction and intention to use for an interactive movie recommendation system is determined by communication variables and relationship between conversational agent and user. By adopting the Computers-Are-Social-Actors (CASA) paradigm and uncertainty reduction theory, this study examines the influence of self-disclosure and reciprocity as key communication variables on user satisfaction. A two-way ANOVA test was conducted to analyze the effects of self-disclosure and reciprocity on user satisfaction with a conversational agent. The interactional effect of self-disclosure and reciprocity on user satisfaction was not significant, but the main effects proved to be both significant. PLS analysis results showed that perceived trust and interactional enjoyment are significant mediators in the relationship between communication variables and user satisfaction. In addition, reciprocity is a stronger variable than self-disclosure in predicting relationship building between an agent and a user. Finally, user satisfaction is an influential factor of intention to use. These findings have implications from both practical and theoretical perspective.

Can we control it? Autonomous robots threaten human identity, uniqueness, safety, and resources

Abstract: Emergence of autonomous machines is a hotly debated topic in mass-media. However, previous research has not empirically investigated whether the perceived autonomy of robots affects their social acceptance. In this study we examined the impact of perceived robot autonomy on realistic threats (threats to human jobs, resources and safety) and identity threats (threats to human identity and distinctiveness), attitude toward robots, and support for robotics research. US based participants watched a video of robots performing various tasks – these robots were presented as either autonomous and capable of disregarding human commands or non-autonomous and only capable of following human commands. Participants who watched videos of supposedly autonomous robots perceived robots in general to be significantly more threatening to humans (both realistic and identity threats) than those who watched a video of non-autonomous robots. Furthermore, exposure to autonomous robots evoked stronger negative attitude towards robots in general and more opposition to robotics research than exposure to non-autonomous robots. Both realistic and identity threats mediated the increase in negative attitudes toward robots and opposition to robotics research, although realistic threats were often the stronger mediator of the two. Our findings have practical implications for research on AI and open new questions on the relationship between robot autonomy and their social impact.

The development and validation of the ARI questionnaire

Abstract: Location-aware Augmented Reality (AR) applications are often argued to provide users with immersive experiences that are situated in the real world. Immersion, which can be seen as a form of cognitive and emotional absorption, has been asserted to promote enjoyment, engagement in a task and even learning. However, such claims remain largely unsubstantiated due to the lack of validated instruments for measuring users' immersion in location-based AR environments. Attempts to develop validated instruments for evaluating immersion have been few and non-systematic, while existing instruments are oriented towards measuring immersion in the context of non-AR digital games. At the same time, studies seeking to operationalize and measure immersion are still inconclusive; even though immersion is considered as a multi-level psychological construct, it is not yet clear whether there is multidimensionality in each level or not. The present study describes the development and validation of the ARI Augmented Reality Immersion questionnaire: an instrument for measuring immersion in AR location-aware settings. To achieve this goal, a multi-step process was employed to develop and validate a novel instrument; analyses included exploratory factor analysis with 202 high school students, followed by a confirmatory factor analysis with 162 high school students. This multi-step process resulted in a 21-item, seven-point Likert-type instrument with satisfactory construct validity, which is based on a multi-leveled model of immersion with multidimensionality in each level. We argue that the ARI questionnaire, as a validated and tested measurement, can be highly useful for researchers and designers in the field of location-based AR. A novel questionnaire for measuring immersion in location-based AR is presented.The ARI questionnaire has been shown to have satisfactory reliability and validity.The data suggest a hierarchical and multi-level model of immersion.The questionnaire can establish participants' immersion level in location-based AR.The ARI questionnaire can contribute to improved location-aware AR designs.

Not just seeing, but also feeling art: Mid-air haptic experiences integrated in a multisensory art exhibition

Abstract: The use of the senses of vision and audition as interactive means has dominated the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) for decades, even though nature has provided us with many more senses for perceiving and interacting with the world around us. That said, it has become attractive for HCI researchers and designers to harness touch, taste, and smell in interactive tasks and experience design. In this paper, we present research and design insights gained throughout an interdisciplinary collaboration on a six-week multisensory display – Tate Sensorium – exhibited at the Tate Britain art gallery in London, UK. This is a unique and first time case study on how to design art experiences whilst considering all the senses (i.e., vision, sound, touch, smell, and taste), in particular touch, which we exploited by capitalizing on a novel haptic technology, namely, mid-air haptics. We first describe the overall set up of Tate Sensorium and then move on to describing in detail the design process of the mid-air haptic feedback and its integration with sound for the Full Stop painting by John Latham (1961). This was the first time that mid-air haptic technology was used in a museum context over a prolonged period of time and integrated with sound to enhance the experience of visual art. As part of an interdisciplinary team of curators, sensory designers, sound artists, we selected a total of three variations of the mid-air haptic experience (i.e., haptic patterns), which were alternated at dedicated times throughout the six-week exhibition. We collected questionnaire-based feedback from 2500 visitors and conducted 50 interviews to gain quantitative and qualitative insights on visitors’ experiences and emotional reactions. Whilst the questionnaire results are generally very positive with only a small variation of the visitors’ arousal ratings across the three tactile experiences designed for the Full Stop painting, the interview data shed light on the differences in the visitors’ subjective experiences. Our findings suggest multisensory designers and art curators can ensure a balance between surprising experiences versus the possibility of free exploration for visitors. In addition, participants expressed that experiencing art with the combination of mid-air haptic and sound was immersive and provided an up-lifting experience of touching without touch. We are convinced that the insights gained from this large-scale and real-world field exploration of multisensory experience design exploiting a new and emerging technology provide a solid starting point for the HCI community, creative industries, and art curators to think beyond conventional art experiences. Specifically, our work demonstrates how novel mid-air technology can make art more emotionally engaging and stimulating, especially abstract art that is often open to interpretation.

Making privacy personal

Abstract: Social Network Sites (SNSs) offer a plethora of privacy controls, but users rarely exploit all of these mechanisms, nor do they do so in the same manner. We demonstrate that SNS users instead adhere to one of a small set of distinct privacy management strategies that are partially related to their level of privacy feature awareness. Using advanced Factor Analysis methods on the self-reported privacy behaviors and feature awareness of 308 Facebook users, we extrapolate six distinct privacy management strategies, including: Privacy Maximizers, Selective Sharers, Privacy Balancers, Self-Censors, Time Savers/Consumers, and Privacy Minimalists and six classes of privacy proficiency based on feature awareness, ranging from Novices to Experts. We then cluster users on these dimensions to form six distinct behavioral profiles of privacy management strategies and six awareness profiles for privacy proficiency. We further analyze these privacy profiles to suggest opportunities for training and education, interface redesign, and new approaches for personalized privacy recommendations. We show that Facebook users' privacy behaviors and awareness are multi-dimensional.Feature awareness is a significant predictor of Facebook users' privacy behaviors.Six unique user profiles emerged to reveal different privacy management strategies.Six privacy proficiency profiles emerged from the dimensions of feature awareness.The privacy profiles can be used to personalize user education and nudging.

Digitizing the chemical senses

Abstract: Review paper assesses the possibilities and pitfalls around the digitization of the chemical senses.Possibilities include delivery of ambient fragrance, digital flavour experiences.We highlight how the majority of the attempts at successful commercialization have failed, often in the face of consumer ambivalence over the perceived benefits/utility.Ultimately, we suggest that mixed reality solutions are currently the most plausible as far as delivering (or rather modulating) flavour experiences digitally is concerned.The identify key problems with digital fragrance delivery related to attention and attribution (i.e., being aware of stimulation and believing that it is doing the work). Many people are understandably excited by the suggestion that the chemical senses can be digitized; be it to deliver ambient fragrances (e.g., in virtual reality or health-related applications), or else to transmit flavour experiences via the internet. However, to date, progress in this area has been surprisingly slow. Furthermore, the majority of the attempts at successful commercialization have failed, often in the face of consumer ambivalence over the perceived benefits/utility. In this review, with the focus squarely on the domain of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), we summarize the state-of-the-art in the area. We highlight the key possibilities and pitfalls as far as stimulating the so-called lower senses of taste, smell, and the trigeminal system are concerned. Ultimately, we suggest that mixed reality solutions are currently the most plausible as far as delivering (or rather modulating) flavour experiences digitally is concerned. The key problems with digital fragrance delivery are related to attention and attribution. People often fail to detect fragrances when they are concentrating on something else; And even when they detect that their chemical senses have been stimulated, there is always a danger that they attribute their experience (e.g., pleasure) to one of the other senses this is what we call the fundamental attribution error. We conclude with an outlook on digitizing the chemical senses and summarize a set of open-ended questions that the HCI community has to address in future explorations of smell and taste as interaction modalities

TaskMe: toward a dynamic and quality-enhanced incentive mechanism for mobile crowd sensing

Abstract: Incentive is crucial to the success of mobile crowd sensing (MCS) systems. Over the different manners of incentives, providing monetary rewards has been proved quite useful. However, existing monetary-based incentive studies (e.g., the reverse auction based methods) mainly encourage user participation, whereas sensing quality is often neglected. First, the budget setting is static and may not meet the sensing contexts or user anticipation. Second, they do not measure the quality of data contributed. Third, the design of most incentive schemes is quantity- or cost-focused and not quality-oriented. To address these issues, we propose a novel MCS incentive mechanism called TaskMe. An LBSN (location-based social network)-powered model is leveraged for dynamic budgeting and proper worker selection, and a combination of multi-facet quality measurements and a multi-payment-enhanced reverse auction scheme are used to improve sensing quality. Experiments on several user studies and the crawled dataset validate TaskMe's effectiveness.

Haptic experience design

Abstract: From simple vibrations to roles in complex multisensory systems, haptic technology is often a critical, expected component of user experience one face of the rapid progression towards blended physical-digital interfaces. Haptic experience design, which is woven together with other multisensory design efforts, interfaces is now becoming part of many designers' jobs. We can expect it to present unique challenges, and yet we know almost nothing of what it looks like in the wild due to the field's relative youth, its technical complexity, the multisensory interactions between haptics, sight, and sound, and the difficulty of accessing practitioners in professional and proprietary environments. In this paper, we analyze interviews with six professional haptic designers to document and articulate haptic experience design by observing designers' goals and processes and finding themes at three levels of scope: the multisensory nature of haptic experiences, a map of the collaborative ecosystem, and the cultural context of haptics. Our findings are augmented by feedback obtained in a recent design workshop at an international haptics conference. We find that haptic designers follow a familiar design process, but face specific challenges when working with haptics. We capture and summarize these challenges, make concrete recommendations to conquer them, and present a vision for the future of haptic experience design.

When we talk about older people in HCI, who are we talking about? Towards a ‘turn to community’ in the design of technologies for a growing ageing population

Abstract: This paper addresses a number of challenges HCI designers and researchers deal with when designing digital technologies for older people. We conducted a 5-year research-through-design study, which combined ethnography, participatory design and real-life evaluation, to explore the design and use of technologies aimed to enhance the social life of older people. The paper explores widespread assumptions about the social category of older people and the meaning of technologies for them. This paper argues that assuming that (i) older people have unique needs and interests that set them apart from other user groups and (ii) the meaning of technologies remains unaltered on completion of co-design activities are both problematic, because they do not consider carefully enough the sociocultural contexts in which older people interact and engage in their daily lives. The paper posits that the meaning of technologies for older people and their own identities as individuals of a certain age are shaped within situated communities. Thus, technologies designed ‘for older people’ should be designed to meet situated and dynamic needs/interests of the communities (and not only of care) to which they belong. We draw upon our findings and other situated epistemological discourses in HCI to introduce a different perspective, a turn to community, in the design of technologies for an ever-increasing ageing population.

Being there again Presence in real and virtual environments and its relation to usability and user experience using a mobile navigation task

Abstract: The possibility of using virtual environments instead of real field or laboratory environments is a promising research field. However, before virtual environments are able to replace the traditional environments the differences between the methods must be worked out. We take up on previous studies which compared different real and virtual environments concerning presence and usability and expand the research on the factor of user experience. We compared a virtual field environment (CAVE Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) and a real field environment (city center of Chemnitz, Germany) in a between-subject-design concerning presence, and evaluate its impact on the usability and the user experience of a geocaching game. The data of 60 participants was analyzed and shows significantly higher ecological validity for the real field environment but higher values for engagement and negative effects in the virtual field environment. Concerning usability, significant differences were verified between the two environments. All presence factors correlated significantly with usability in the CAVE, but did not correlate in the real-field environment. Concerning user experience, the CAVE showed significantly higher hedonic quality values, whereas the real field environment had higher pragmatic quality values. In both conditions presence and user experience factors were partly correlated. Our results indicate that virtual environments can be an alternative to real environments for user experience studies, when a high presence is achieved. virtual environments are an alternative for user experience studies.Ratings for usability are correlated with presence in VR.Ratings for user experience are correlated with presence in VR.

Towards an animal-centred ethics for Animal-Computer Interaction

Abstract: The emerging discipline of Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI) aims to take what in Interaction Design is known as a user-centred approach to the design of technology intended for animals, placing them at the centre of the design process as stakeholders, users, and contributors. However, current regulatory frameworks for the involvement of animals in research are not animal-centred, regarding them as research instruments, unable to consent to procedures that may harm them, rather than consenting research participants and design contributors. Such frameworks aim to minimise the impacts of research procedures on the welfare of individual animals, but this minimisation is subordinated to specific scientific and societal interests, and to the integrity of the procedures required to serve those interests. From this standpoint, the universally advocated principles of replacement, reduction and refinement aim to address the ethical conflicts arising from the assumed inability of individual animals to consent to potentially harmful procedures, but such principles in fact reflect a lack of individual centrality.This paper makes the case for moving beyond existing regulations and guidelines towards an animal-centred framework that can better support the development of ACI as a discipline. Firstly, recognising animal welfare as a fundamental requirement for users and research participants alike, the paper articulates the implications of a welfare-centred ethics framework. Secondly, recognising consent as an essential requirement of participation, the paper also defines criteria for obtaining animals' mediated and contingent consent to engaging with research procedures. Further, the paper argues for the methodological necessity, as well as the ethical desirability, of such an animal-centred framework, examining the boundaries of its applicability as well as the benefits of its application. Finally, the paper puts forward a series of practical principles for conducting ACI research, which imply but also essentially exceed the welfare and ethics requirements of current regulatory frameworks. Propose an animal-centred ethical framework to support ACI development.Articulate the implications of a welfare-centred ethical approach.Define criteria for obtaining animals' mediated and contingent consent.Put forward a series of practical principles for conducting ACI research.

On predicting learning styles in conversational intelligent tutoring systems using fuzzy decision trees

Abstract: Intelligent Tutoring Systems personalise learning for students with different backgrounds, abilities, behaviours and knowledge. One way to personalise learning is through consideration of individual differences in preferred learning style. OSCAR is the name of a Conversational Intelligent Tutoring System that models a person's learning style using natural language dialogue during tutoring in order to dynamically predict, and personalise, their tutoring session. Prediction of learning style is undertaken by capturing independent behaviour variables during the tutoring conversation with the highest value variable determining the student's learning style. A weakness of this approach is that it does not take into consideration the interactions between behaviour variables and, due to the uncertainty inherently present in modelling learning styles, small differences in behaviour can lead to incorrect predictions. Consequently, the learner is presented with tutoring material not suited to their learning style. This paper proposes a new method that uses fuzzy decision trees to build a series of fuzzy predictive models combining these variables for all dimensions of the Felder Silverman Learning Styles model. Results using live data show the fuzzy models have increased the predictive accuracy of OSCAR-CITS across four learning style dimensions and facilitated the discovery of some interesting relationships amongst behaviour variables.

Situated crowdsourcing during disasters

Abstract: Although emergency services have already recognized the importance of citizen-initiated activities during disasters, still questions with regard to the coordination of spontaneous volunteers and their activities arise. Within our article, we will present a technological approach based on public displays which aims to foster situated crowdsourcing between affected citizens, spontaneous volunteers as well as official emergency services. We will address the research question: How can the situated tasks performed by spontaneous volunteers be supported by the use of public displays during disasters? First we will present the current state of the art with regard to the coordination practices of spontaneous volunteers and emergency services within disaster situations as well as related problems, potentials and specifics of situated crowdsourcing and public displays. To gain insight into actual coordination practices, we conducted an empirical study with 18 different stakeholders involved in disaster management. Based on the literature review and our empirical study, we have derived a technical concept that supports the task and activity management of spontaneous volunteers as well as the coordination both of the demands of affected people and the offers from spontaneous volunteers. We have implemented our concept as the public display application City-Share, which provides a robust communication infrastructure and encompasses situated crowdsourcing mechanisms for managing offers and demands of activities on-the-ground. Based on its evaluation with several users, we will discuss our findings with regard to the assignment of tasks on-the-ground and situated crowdsourcing during emergencies. We outline that City-Share can improve a community's disaster resilience, especially when focusing on the kind of collaborative resilience emerging between official stakeholders and spontaneous volunteers or affected citizens at a local level. Empirical study on coordination between emergency services and spontaneous volunteers.Concept for situated task and activity management of spontaneous volunteers.Public display application City-Share for situated crowdsourcing on-the-ground.City-Share combines physical presence, comforting words and getting together.

From smart objects to smart experiences: An end-user development approach

Abstract: The growing availability of smart objects is stimulating researchers to investigate the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon from different perspectives. The potential of this technology is evident in different domains. In Cultural Heritage (CH), it may enhance access to CH collections, in order to ensure a more engaging visit experience and to increase the appropriation of CH content by visitors. So far, research on IoT has primarily focused on technical features of smart objects (e.g., how to program sensors and actuators), while there are very few approaches trying to facilitate the adoption of such a technology by end users. This lack limits the social and practical benefits of IoT; it creates barriers in all those usage scenarios where people would like to define the behavior of smart objects but they might not have the required programming skills. This is becoming evident in CH sites, where different stakeholders would benefit from managing ecosystems of interoperable smart objects to create enhanced visit experiences. This article presents a visual composition paradigm that allows non-programmers to synchronize the behavior of smart objects, thus determining more engaging user experiences. It discusses how the paradigm suites the need of curators and guides of CH sites to define smart visit experiences through which visitors can acquire CH content by interacting with the surrounding environment and the smart objects included in it. A serious game designed with professional guides of CH sites is used as a case study to show the potential of the presented approach.

The human touch: How non-expert users perceive, interpret, and fix topic models

Abstract: Topic modeling is a common tool for understanding large bodies of text, but is typically provided as a “take it or leave it” proposition. Incorporating human knowledge in unsupervised learning is a promising approach to create high-quality topic models. Existing interactive systems and modeling algorithms support a wide range of refinement operations to express feedback. However, these systems’ interactions are primarily driven by algorithmic convenience, ignoring users who may lack expertise in topic modeling. To better understand how non-expert users understand, assess, and refine topics, we conducted two user studies—an in-person interview study and an online crowdsourced study. These studies demonstrate a disconnect between what non-expert users want and the complex, low-level operations that current interactive systems support. In particular, our findings include: (1) analysis of how non-expert users perceive topic models; (2) characterization of primary refinement operations expected by non-expert users and ordered by relative preference; (3) further evidence of the benefits of supporting users in directly refining a topic model; (4) design implications for future human-in-the-loop topic modeling interfaces.

Understanding the Potential of PARO for Healthy Older Adults.

Abstract: As the population ages, there is an increasing need for socio-emotional support for older adults. A potential way to meet this need is through interacting with pet-type robots such as the seal robot, PARO. There was a need to extend research on PARO's potential benefits beyond cognitively impaired and dependently living older adults. Because independently living, cognitively intact older adults may also have socio-emotional needs, the primary goal of this study was to investigate their attitudes, emotions, and engagement with PARO to identify its potential applicability to this demographic. Thirty older adults participated in an interaction period with PARO, and their attitudes and emotions toward PARO were assessed before and after using a multi-method approach. Video of the interaction was coded to determine the types and frequency of engagements participants initiated with PARO. Overall, there were no pre-post interaction differences on these measures. However, semi-structured interviews suggested that these older adults had positive attitudes towards PARO's attributes, thought it would be easy to use, and perceived potential uses for both themselves and others. Participants varied in their frequency of engagement with PARO. A novel finding is that this active engagement frequency uniquely predicted post-interaction period positive affect. This study advances understanding of healthy older adults' attitudes, emotions, and engagement with PARO and of possible ways in which PARO could provide social and emotional support to healthy older adults. The results are informative for future research and design of pet-type robots.

The role of expectations in service evaluation

Abstract: We develop and test a model that suggests that expectations influence subjective usability and emotional experiences and, thereby, behavioral intentions to continue use and to recommend the service to others. A longitudinal study of 165 real-life users examined the proposed model in a proximity mobile payment domain at three time points: before use, after three weeks of use, and after six weeks of use. The results confirm the short-term influence of expectations on users' evaluations of both usability and enjoyment of the service after three weeks of real-life use. Users' evaluations of their experiences mediated the influence of expectations on behavioral intentions. However, after six weeks, users' cumulative experiences of the mobile payment service had the strongest impact on their evaluations and the effect of pre-use expectations decreased. The research clarifies the role of expectations and highlights the importance of viewing expectations through a temporal perspective when evaluating user experience. We examine the temporal role of pre-use expectations in framing user experiences.Expectations influence perceived usability of a service after three weeks of usage.Expectations influence enjoyment of a service after three weeks of usage.Users' experiences mediate the influence of expectations on behavioral intentions.After six weeks, experiences have the strongest impact on users' evaluations.

Design and evaluation of a personal robot playing a self-management education game with children with diabetes type 1

Abstract: Objective To assess the effects of a personal robot, providing diabetes self-management education in a clinical setting on the pleasure, engagement and motivation to play a diabetes quiz of children (7–12) with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), and on their acquisition of knowledge about their illness. Methods Children with T1DM (N = 27) participated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which they played a diabetes mellitus self-management education (DMSE) game, namely a diabetes quiz, with a personal or neutral robot on three occasions at the clinic, or were allocated to a control group (care as usual). Personalised robot behaviour was based on the self-determination theory (SDT), focusing on the children's needs for competence, relatedness and autonomy. The SDT determinants pleasure, motivation and diabetes knowledge were measured. Child-robot interaction was observed, including level of engagement. Results Results showed an increase in diabetes knowledge in children allocated to the robot groups and not in those allocated to the control group (P =.001). After three sessions, children working with the personal robot scored higher for determinants of SDT than children with the neutral robot (P = .02). They also found the robot to be more pleasurable (P =.04), they answered more quiz questions correctly (P =.02), and were more motivated to play a fourth time (P = .03). The analysis of audio/video recordings showed that in regard to engagement, children with the personal robot were more attentive to the robot, more social, and more positive (P < .05). Conclusion The study showed how a personal robot that plays DMSE games and applies STD based strategies (i.e., provides constructive feedback, acknowledges feelings and moods, encourages competition and builds a rapport) can help to improve health literacy in children in an pleasurable, engaging and motivating way. Using a robot in health care could contribute to self-management in children with a chronic disease and help them to cope with their illness. © 2017

Cheery companions or serious assistants? Role and demeanor congruity as predictors of robot attraction and use intentions among senior citizens

Abstract: Using a robot designed for senior citizens in a retirement home setting, an experiment (N=51) was conducted to investigate whether variations in the role (companion vs. assistant) and social demeanor (playful vs. serious) of a robot influence senior citizens’ perceptions of the robot's social attractiveness, intelligence, anxiety, and eeriness. Results show that assistant robots are perceived as more socially attractive and intelligent when their demeanor is playful rather than serious. In addition, companion robots are evaluated as less anxious and less eerie when their personality is serious rather than playful. Finally, companion robots with a serious demeanor have a positive indirect effect on robot use intentions via heightened perceptions of intelligence and social attractiveness, while assistant robots with a playful demeanor have a positive indirect effect on intentions via lower perceptions of anxiety. The implications of our findings for human-robot interaction and the design of socially assistive robotics are discussed.

Testing the ‘uncanny valley’ hypothesis in semirealistic computer-animated film characters: An empirical evaluation of natural film stimuli

Abstract: The uncanny valley (UV) hypothesis, which predicts that almost but not fully humanlike artificial characters elicit negative evaluations, has become increasingly influential. At the same time, the hypothesis has become associated with many computer-animated films that have aimed at high realism. In the present investigation, we tested whether semirealistic animated film characters do in fact elicit negative evaluations. Fifty-four participants were asked to evaluate five matched film excerpts from each of cartoonish, semirealistic, and human-acted films. Mixed model analyses were conducted to reduce the effects of participant and stimulus related confounds. Explicit selections made after the experiment confirmed that participants associated semirealistic film characters correctly with the UV. Semirealistic animated characters also received higher eeriness ratings than the other film characters. In particular, two semirealistic films ‘Beowulf’ and ‘The Polar Express’ were selected the most often explicitly, and ‘Beowulf’ also received higher eeriness ratings than any other film. Somewhat unexpectedly, cartoonish characters received the highest strangeness ratings and (after confound correction) the lowest likability ratings. Taken together, the present findings demonstrate that semirealistic animated film characters are more eerie than cartoonish characters or real actors, and hence provide evidence for the existence of the UV in animated film characters.

Automatic detection of usability smells in web applications

Abstract: Usability assessment of web applications continues to be an expensive and often neglected practice. While large companies are able to spare resources for studying and improving usability in their products, smaller businesses often divert theirs in other aspects. To help these cases, researches have devised automatic approaches for user interaction analysis, and there are commercial services that offer automated usability statistics at relatively low fees. However, most existing approaches still fall short in specifying the usability problems concretely enough to identify and suggest solutions. In this work we describe usability smells of user interaction, i.e., hints of usability problems on running web applications, and the process in which they can be identified by analyzing user interaction events. We also describe USF, the tool that implements the process in a fully automated way with minimum setup effort. USF analyses user interaction events on-the-fly, discovers usability smells and reports them together with a concrete solution in terms of a usability refactoring, providing usability advice for deployed web applications.

Interactive technology and human-animal encounters at the zoo

Abstract: In this paper we investigate social dimensions of technology use in human-animal interactions, through a study of interactive systems at the zoo.Zoos are a familiar place for encounters between humans and non-domesticated animals. Accordingly, we examine zoos as a significant site to extend research into animal-computer interaction (ACI). We present a case study that examines the deployment and use of new digital technologies that intervene in, and influence, human-animal relationships.The paper reports on interactive systems in use at Melbourne Zoo. The study investigates the use and impact of technology in the course of human-animal encounters, including how human use of technology in this setting shapes encounters in subtle ways. We examine five interactive systems used by visitors (Digital Signs and the Zoopermarket), by zoo personnel with visitors (Educator Screens and Volunteer iPads), and by zoo personnel with animals (Apps for Apes).Our work draws broad insights for the design and understanding of animal-human-computer interaction at the zoo, as a catalyst for further research into this site of considerable significance to animal-computer interaction. We identified four key themes in the ways that interactive systems are intervening in human-animal encounters at the zoo. Firstly, interactive technology at the zoo risks distracting from visitors' encounters with animals. Secondly, the appearance and use of technology moreover runs counter to expectations of naturalistic zoo landscapes. Thirdly, interactive systems however offer opportunities to enhance important aspects of visitors' experience of animal encounters, and to widen the temporal and spatial dimensions of the encounter. Finally, we interpret these insights by examining how technology is used in the context of interactions between numerous human and animal actors, and in a setting impacted by complex social and organisational forces. From this, we identify the need for ACI to consider technology use by diverse people and animals; that multiple interactions may occur at once; the diverse social activities that may surround human-animal interactions; the distributed form of interactions between multiple participants; and the performative nature of some human-animal encounters. Zoos offer a site to study technology as part of complex human-animal interactions.Technology shapes human-animal encounters in subtle ways.Design needs to accommodate diverse human and animal participants.Human-animal interactions may be distributed or entail multiple interactions.Interactions occur as part of social activities and can involve performance.

Children's emotions and quality of products in participatory game design

Abstract: The paper presents an empirical study centred on a participatory game design activity with 810 years old primary-school children, split in different sessions. The study assesses how children perform in game design and whether they are engaged in design tasks. To this end, the study gathers data concerning the quality of children's game design products, regarded as indicators of children's performance in game design. It collects data concerning children's emotions, which are taken as indicators of their engagement in game design. The paper statistically analyses and discusses how emotions and quality of products evolve across the game design experience, and how emotions are related to children's quality of products. Results of this work can help researchers, educators and practitioners manage a complex design experience with and for children, and identify key emotions for promoting quality of design work. The paper discusses children's performance and engagement in participatory game design.It presents a participatory game design study with 810 year olds.The study assesses children's emotions, for engagement, and product- quality, for performance.The study analyses their correlations, and interpret results with observation data.The paper concludes with implications of the study for participatory game design.

Mortality salience in virtual reality experiences and its effects on users attitudes towards risk

Abstract: Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used as a persuasive technology for attitude and behavior change. This paper considers Terror Management Theory (TMT), one of the notable theories that have not been considered so far in persuasive technology, and aims at exploring its use in VR experiences. First, we show that a VR experience can be used to effectively elicit mortality salience (MS), which makes TMT applicable. Then, we evaluate the effects of the VR experience on attitudes towards risk. Wearing a head-mounted display (HMD), participants explored one of two virtual environments (VEs). In a first group of participants, the VE represented a cemetery with MS cues like tombs and burial recesses. In a second group of participants, the MS cues were removed, and the VE looked like a public park. Results show that the MS cues manipulation changed the effects of the VR experience on users attitudes towards risk, as TMT would predict. Moreover, results revealed a relationship between MS elicited through VR and physiological correlates of arousal. Finally, we show that user's personality traits can moderate the effects of the VR experience on attitudes towards risk. Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used as a persuasive technology.This paper explores the use of Terror Management Theory (TMT) in VR experiences.We show that mortality salience (MS) can be elicited in VR, making TMT applicable.The MS manipulation had an effect on users attitudes towards risk and arousal.Personality traits of users can moderate the effects of the VR experience.

Designing for action: An evaluation of Social Recipes in reducing food waste

Abstract: Approximately, one-third to half of all food produced globally is wasted. In developed countries, roughly up to half of this food waste comes from consumers. In response to this, the UN has set goals to raise consumer awareness and reduce food waste by 50% before 2030. Our objective is to evaluate how emerging technologies could improve awareness in households. Inspired by future sensing possibilities, we envision a community-based social system that captures in-home food availability and waste patterns and uses this information to support awareness and sustainability. In this work, we describe an evaluation of a component that could be part of such a system. This component or concept, called Social Recipes, aims at encouraging food sharing by suggesting groups of related consumers recipes that are based on ingredients from different individuals or households. To evaluate Social Recipes, we conducted 3 user studies to see how it could raise awareness and reduce food waste and to suggest implications for its design. In the first two studies, we evaluated expected impacts of the concept. The third study was a home deployment, where Social Recipes were sent using technological probes for a more realistic experience. Here, we also evaluated it against the more common method of influence strategy in sustainability research that is restricted to feedback (i.e., eco-feedback). Our main findings showed that Social Recipes has raised awareness of in-home food availability and triggered food-related conversations among participants resulting in knowledge gain. However, Social Recipes alone was not perceived as effective in directly reducing food waste. And therefore, for the design of a community-based social system, we suggest another component to be added to the system that provides eco-feedback. This component was perceived as more effective in reducing food waste with impacts on awareness of waste generation and social surveillance. Overall, the aim of this work is to contribute to an understanding of how Social Recipes could impact consumers and how to design a community-based social (recipe) system that can be integrated in consumers daily activities for effective but pleasurable food waste prevention.

BendableSound: An elastic multisensory surface using touch-based interactions to assist children with severe autism during music therapy

Abstract: Neurological Music Therapy uses live music to improve the sensorimotor regulation of children with severe autism. However, they often lack musical training and their impairments limit their interactions with musical instruments. In this paper, we present our co-design work that led to the BendableSound prototype: an elastic multisensory surface encouraging users to practice coordination movements when touching a fabric to play sounds. We present the results of a formative study conducted with 18 teachers showing BendableSound was perceived as “usable” and “attractive”. Then, we present a deployment study with 24 children with severe autism showing BendableSound is “easy to use” and may potentially have therapeutic benefits regarding attention and motor development. We propose a set of design insights that could guide the design of natural user interfaces, particularly elastic multisensory surfaces. We close with a discussion and directions for future work.

Using the FroggyBobby exergame to support eye-body coordination development of children with severe autism

Abstract: Children with severe autism lack of the eye-body coordination skills which are needed to conduct aimed limb movements. Physical therapy relies on the repetition of limb movements that demands children with severe autism to aim for a visual target. But their movements during physical therapies are most of the time aimless, and they found the visual stimuli confusing and not engaging. Exergames could support motor therapies as they combine game technology with exercise activity. This technology can offer a natural interaction and use multisensory stimuli appropriate to keep children with autism focused during motor therapeutic interventions. In this paper, we hypothesize that exergames supporting motor therapeutic interventions and alleviating such attention and motor challenges could help children with severe autism to develop the necessary coordination skills needed to follow up visual targets. We present a 7-weeks evaluation study of the deployment of an exergame supporting the practice of eye-body coordination exercises. Seven children with severe autism and three psychotherapists participated in the study. Our results indicate children with severe autism maintained their attention for the total duration of the therapy, reduced their aimless limb movements and developed aimed limb movements, as a result of weeks of usage of the exergame. We close discussing challenges for existing clinical practice from a design and clinical point of view.

You, me & TV - Fighting social isolation of older adults with Facebook, TV and multimodality

Abstract: Social isolation, common in old age, leads to a decrease of both physical and psychological skills and, consequently, to a decreased quality of life and even to a higher mortality risk. Social Network Services, like Facebook, have the potential to increase the amount of online and offline social interactions of older adults. However, because of the huge diversity of characteristics of this user group, the lack of inclusive design principles concerning existing Social Network Services, and the inappropriate ways of interaction available, older adults still resist adopting these services. In this paper we present the "You, me & TV", a television-based multimodal Facebook prototype enhanced with TV shows sharing functionalities, a new feature for sharing printed photos, and multiple interaction modalities - remote control, voice and gestures-. We present three in-depth case studies of the use of this prototype by three older adults aged between 65 and 73years with distinct levels of experience using Facebook, during a period between 3 and 6weeks. Results indicate that participants accepted the prototype, rated it highly in terms of usability, and that it improved their interaction with relatives, increasing both online and offline interactions. This was particularly visible for participants that were not Facebook users before the study. We also provide relevant conclusions about the relevancy of photos and how they can easily trigger interactions between older adults and their family, and how using TV as platform for deploying access to Facebook proved to be a contributing factor to their adoption. Finally, we show how adaptation and personalization concepts were perceived and received distinctly among participants. HighlightsWe report a longitudinal study with a TV enhanced Facebook prototype for older adults.TV, multimodal interaction and photos played an important role on adoption.Functionalities related with sharing TV content and printed photos trigger interactions.Preference for alternative modalities when remote control is difficult to use.Increase of online and offline interaction with family by previous non Facebook users.

The effects of interaction sequencing on user experience and preference

Abstract: Presents results two studies into the influence of primacy and recency effects in interaction.Shows that recency effects significantly influence preferences.Primacy effects were not shown to influence preferences.Discusses factors influencing recency effects in interaction. Interactive computing tasks are composed of sequences of sub-interactions (or moments), each of which yields a slightly different user experience. Prior work, predominantly from the psychology literature, suggests that the order of these moments can affect people's retrospective evaluation of experiences. Several kinds of sequencing effects have been examined, including primacy, recency, and peak-end effects. We review previous research on sequencing effects and their potential application in Human-Computer Interaction, of which prior work has found mixed results regarding the influence of interaction sequence on preference possibly because the magnitude of experiential changes caused by interactive tasks are weaker than those studied in psychological experiments. However, sequencing effects are still of great importance to interface design, because when they occur, they have the potential to substantially change user preferences for common interactions. To explore the subtlety of sequencing effects in HCI, we describe two experiments that examined user preferences for series of interactions with different orderings that created positive and negative recency and primacy effects. Positive and negative experiences were created with simulated system assistance that either worked well (aiding the user in drag-and-drop tasks) or worked poorly (hindering the user). In both experiments, the series differed only in the order of positive and negative momentary experiences. Results of Experiment 1 were mixed: the study provided some support for recency effects, but without strong evidence. Experiment 2 modified the experimental method to better accentuate the positive and negative experiences, and produced results showing strong effects of recency, but not of primacy. We discuss reasons for these results, consider overall explanations for the subtle nature of sequencing effects on HCI tasks, and provide an agenda for further research and design lessons regarding recency effects. Overall, we contribute new understanding of a phenomenon that can have a substantial impact on user experience, but that is currently underexplored in HCI.