Showing papers in "International Journal of Human-computer Studies \/ International Journal of Man-machine Studies in 2022"

A Comparison of the Effects of Haptic and Visual Feedback on Presence in Virtual Reality

Abstract: In the current consumer market, Virtual reality experiences are predominantly generated through visual and auditory feedback. Haptics are not yet well established, but are increasingly introduced to enhance the user’s sense of ‘reality’. With haptic (vibrotactile) feedback now part of the built-in mechanism of VR consumer devices, there is an urgent need to understand how different modalities work together to improve the user experience. This paper reports an experiment that explores the contributions made to participants’ sense of presence by haptic and visual feedback in a virtual environment. Participants experienced a virtual ball bouncing on a virtual stick resting across their avatar hands. We found that presence was enhanced when they could both see and feel the ball’s action; with a strong suggestion that haptic feedback alone gave rise to a greater sense of presence than visual alone. Similarly, whilst visual or bimodal feedback enhanced participants’ ability to locate where the ball bounced on the stick, our results suggest that the action itself was more readily discerned haptically than visually.

Do you feel safe with your robot? Factors influencing perceived safety in human-robot interaction based on subjective and objective measures

Abstract: Safety in human-robot interaction can be divided into physical safety and perceived safety, where the latter is still under-addressed in the literature. Investigating perceived safety in human-robot interaction requires a multidisciplinary perspective. Indeed, perceived safety is often considered as being associated with several common factors studied in other disciplines, i.e., comfort, predictability, sense of control, and trust. In this paper, we investigated the relationship between these factors and perceived safety in human-robot interaction using subjective and objective measures. We conducted a two-by-five mixed-subjects design experiment. There were two between-subjects conditions: the faulty robot was experienced at the beginning or the end of the interaction. The five within-subjects conditions correspond to (1) baseline, and the manipulations of robot behaviors to stimulate: (2) discomfort, (3) decreased perceived safety, (4) decreased sense of control and (5) distrust. The idea of triggering a deprivation of these factors was motivated by the definition of safety in the literature where safety is often defined by the absence of it. Twenty-seven young adult participants took part in the experiments. Participants were asked to answer questionnaires that measure the manipulated factors after within-subjects conditions. Besides questionnaire data, we collected objective measures such as videos and physiological data. The questionnaire results show a correlation between comfort, sense of control, trust, and perceived safety. Since these factors are the main factors that influence perceived safety, they should be considered in human-robot interaction design decisions. We also discuss the effect of individual human characteristics (such as personality and gender) that they could be predictors of perceived safety. We used the physiological signal data and facial affect from videos for estimating perceived safety where participants’ subjective ratings were utilized as labels. The data from objective measures revealed that the prediction rate was higher from physiological signal data. This paper can play an important role in the goal of better understanding perceived safety in human-robot interaction.

How Linguistic Framing Affects Factory Workers' Initial Trust in Collaborative Robots: The Interplay Between Anthropomorphism and Technological Replacement

Abstract: An appropriate level of human-robot trust is considered a necessary precondition for successful human-robot interaction (HRI). With collaborative robots (cobots) entering production sites and allowing factory workers to operate interactively, issues of human-robot trust at the workplace are gaining relevance and complexity. It is widely believed that trust is promoted by anthropomorphisation, that is, the application of human-like mental models to technical devices. Anthropomorphisation can be triggered by altering either the characteristics of the robot or the mental models of the human interaction partner, for example by providing linguistically framed descriptions of the robot. However, the research base on linguistic framing effects on anthropomorphisation and on human-robot trust in industrial environments is scarce. This article aims to close this research gap by investigating changes in inexperienced factory workers’ initial trust induced by linguistic framing in the run-up to an interaction. Besides the human-likeness of the robot, the framing also addresses the human-robot relation in order to take into account the special circumstances of cobot use in the industrial workplace. In this usage context, cobots frequently provoke ambivalent attitudes amongst employees, who see themselves in a cooperative or in a competitive relationship to the robot, depending on whether they consider the latter as complementing or substituting their jobs. The results of the pre-post online experiment presented in this article highlight the effectiveness of framing and reveal a significant interaction effect between perceived human-likeness and cooperativeness. In particular, human-like framing of the cobot significantly increases an employee's trust in the cobot only when the human-cobot relation is perceived as cooperative. This can be explained by different psychological reactions on the anticipated technological replacement by either man or machine. This finding suggests that the way employees relate to cobots represents a relevant contextual factor in the industrial workplace that moderates the effect of anthropomorphisation on human-robot trust. Furthermore, providing information about the cobot generally seems to foster trust, possibly resulting from an effect of imagined contact with the cobot.

Design of a toolkit for real-time executive function assessment in custom-made virtual experiences and interventions

Abstract: Virtual Reality (VR) and other game-like experiences are popular intervention platforms in neurocognitive rehabilitation research. Executive Functions (EF), the cognitive processes that regulate attention and goal-oriented action, are recognized as a domain of concern in several congenital and acquired neurocognitive conditions (e.g.: ADHD, autism, addiction, cognitive decline, traumatic brain injury, and stroke). VR-based simulations of real-world tasks have shown potential for rehabilitation in independent functioning. The custom nature of such projects makes cross-intervention analysis difficult and complicates development of best-practices. We have designed a toolkit for building virtual interactions that can consistently replicate traditional cognitive tests (such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task and Multitasking Task) as well as extend to more complex tasks in any virtual context. Analysis of participant performance data between traditional tasks and these VR replications may indicate the toolkit can successfully replicate traditional measures while also extending into more complex contexts.

Raising Awareness of Stereotyping Through Collaborative Digital Storytelling:Design for Change with and for Children

Abstract: The purpose of our research is to use design as a mean to support children becoming more aware of stereotypes in their own artefacts. We have been facing this challenge leveraging on Digital StoryTelling (DST) as a powerful instrument to detect children's beliefs and values including those connecting to gender. In addition, considering the role of social interactions in creating and reproducing gender stereotypes in children we have been focusing on the collaborative creation of digital stories to investigate stereotypes as a cultural product. The goal of the paper is to give an account of our process of digging into this topic and our design pathway in developing and assess a DST prototype directed to raise children's awareness. Our work main contribution is to spread insight on our approach and support the HCI community to replicate it to challenge the negative effect of stereotypes, and to provide new knowledge on how gender stereotype awareness could be raised among children through the collaborative creation of DST. As a final research contribution we provide a set of design recommendations to address the design of a collaborative DST tool for raising stereotype awareness.

User experience framework for understanding user experience in blockchain services

Abstract: Since the advent of blockchain, interest in the technology has rapidly increased, bringing the launch of new blockchain services. User experience (UX) research provides a basis for systematically understanding and improving the experience of users, and must be carried out regardless of service type. However, it seems that research on the UX of blockchain services has not kept up with the speed with which blockchain technology has been implemented. To remedy this situation, this study proposes a UX framework for understanding the nature of UX in blockchain services. An extensive literature survey related to UX, blockchain technology, and blockchain services was conducted to define UX in blockchain services and identify the elements of UX. Blockchain functions and values that had been newly introduced in blockchain services were identified to help clarify the nature of UX in blockchain services. The proposed framework consists of two parts: a general UX and a technological UX. The elements and sub-elements of the defined UX are derived with detailed explanations. The proposed framework was applied to four blockchain services as a case study. The appropriateness and applicability of the framework are supported by the results of this case study. This study is expected to inspire researchers to provide enhanced UX in blockchain services in the future.

Understanding and Streamlining App Switching Experiences in Mobile Interaction

Abstract: Despite a large body of literature analyzing mobile device usage, app switching is still an overlooked interaction. To better understand and streamline the app switching experience in modern smartphones, we first explore how to automatically extract and characterize habitual app switching behaviors from smartphone usage data. By applying a data analytic methodology based on association rules to a large dataset of smartphone usage, in particular, we demonstrate that users repeatedly switch between the same applications under different contexts (e.g., location and time). We then implemented the methodology in RecApps, an interactive floating widget that proactively suggests the next apps to be used while the user is interacting with their smartphone. We evaluate RecApps through an in-the-wild study with 18 participants. Findings show that RecApps simplifies and supports the transitions between the users’ favorite apps, while highlighting the need for novel interactions supporting app switching behavior. We use such results to explore trade-offs in the design space for proactively supporting app switching behavior in mobile interaction.

Investigating cognitive workload in concurrent speech-based information communication

Abstract: Users are capable of noticing, listening, and comprehending concurrent information simultaneously, but in conventional speech-based interaction methods, systems communicate information sequentially to the users. This mismatch implies that the sequential approach may be under-utilising human perception capabilities and restricting users to seek information to sub-optimal levels. This paper reports on an experiment that investigates the cognitive workload experienced by the users when listening to a variety of combinations of information types in concurrent formats. Fifteen different combinations of concurrent information streams were investigated, and the subjective listening workload for each of the combination was measured using NASA-TLX. The results showed that the perceived workload index score varies in all concurrent combinations. The workload index score depends on the types and the amount of information presented to users. The perceived workload index score in concurrent listening remained the highest in Monolog with Interview (three concurrent talkers) combination, medium in Monolog with News Headlines (two talkers where one is intermittent) combination, and the lowest in Monolog with Music (one talker and a concurrent music stream) combination. Users descriptive feedback remained aligned with the NASA-TLX-based results. It is expected that the results of this experiment will contribute to helping digital content creators and interaction designers to communicate information more efficiently to users.

Real-time posture feedback for effective motor learning in table tennis in virtual reality

Abstract: Table tennis is a demanding sport in terms of motor skills, requiring precise time-critical postures and techniques for the player to excel. Therefore, it is a compelling case study for motor learning in Virtual Reality (VR). Though VR table tennis training applications have been used to study the learning process in VR, each has not fully explored the role of real-time feedback on motor learning, which is a fundamental component of real-life table tennis training. To address this, we have developed a training system that provides multi-modal training instructions and real-time posture guidance feedback to assist beginner players in improving their playing outcomes. This system synthesizes a table tennis training environment by providing realistic visual and audio stimuli that includes a custom highly-accurate physics implementation of ball flight. An experimental group (n = 9) trained to learn correct posture and paddle handling for forehand and backhand drives. The results show that the participants improved significantly in terms of technique and ball return quality. This work is the first VR table tennis system that provides real-time posture feedback using a low-cost depth camera. Additionally, the participants’ significant improvement in playing posture over a short period of time shows the integral role of feedback in learning and further validates VR as an effective motor learning tool.

Modeling operator self-assessment in human-autonomy teaming settings

Abstract: The need to design for appropriate human-autonomy teaming has become increasingly important as systems grow in complexity, especially those that require time-pressured interactions like in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations. However, it is not always clear whether operators develop effective strategies for computer-based technologies. When operators are given such tools, their performances can be statistically compared but often such assessments only provide summative information. These comparisons do not indicate how and why technology influenced people's strategies and actions. To fill this gap, we utilized Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) to represent strategies employed by operators in first-person control of UAVs for inspection tasks. The resulting models captured differences in strategies for people who both succeeded and crashed, as well as those who were overconfident in their self-assessments, and those who were not. People who were not overconfident exhibited less risky strategies and were more successful. These findings were further strengthened by a quantitative state similarity metric, which indicated where and for who possible interventions could improve outcomes. This application of HMMs to operator strategy representation could help to identify effective operator strategy development in the use of computer-based technologies, and what kind of interventions could be the most effective in improving outcomes.

Quantifying determinants of social conformity in an online debating website

Abstract: Social conformity is the act of individuals adjusting their personal opinions to agree with an opposing majority. Previous work has identified multiple determinants of social conformity in controlled laboratory studies, but they remain largely untested in naturalistic online environments. For this study, we developed a realistic debating website, which 48 participants used for one week. We deployed four versions of the website using a 2 (high vs. low social presence) x 2 (high vs. low emphasis on majority–minority group composition) between-subjects factorial design. We found that participants were significantly more likely to conform when the platform promotes high social presence, despite its emphasis on group composition. Our qualitative findings further reveal how different aspects of social presence embedded in platform design (i.e., user representation, interactivity, and response visibility) contribute to heightened conformity behaviour. Our results provide evidence of the organic manifestation of conformity in online groups discussing subjective content and confirm the effect of platform design on online conformity behaviour. We conclude with a discussion on the implications of our findings on how future online platforms can be designed accounting for conformity influences.