Several behavioural problems exist in office environments, including resource use, sedentary beha... more Several behavioural problems exist in office environments, including resource use, sedentary behaviour, cognitive/multitasking, and social media. These behavioural problems have been solved through subjective or objective techniques. Within objective techniques, behavioural modelling in smart environments (SEs) can allow the adequate provision of services to users of SEs with inputs from user modelling. The effectiveness of current behavioural models relative to user-specific preferences is unclear. This study introduces a new approach to behavioural modelling in smart environments by illustrating how human behaviours can be effectively modelled from user models in SEs. To achieve this aim, a new behavioural model, the Positive Behaviour Change (PBC) Model, was developed and evaluated based on the guidelines from the Design Science Research Methodology. The PBC Model emphasises the importance of using user-specific information within the user model for behavioural modelling. The PBC...
Ninth International Conference on Information Visualisation (IV'05)
ABSTRACT The visualisation of large information collections is a common problem which has been ex... more ABSTRACT The visualisation of large information collections is a common problem which has been extensively researched in many domains. Several application domains still exist, however, where visualisation techniques have not been adequately researched or applied. The aim of this paper is to discuss research into visualisation tools for two such areas, namely genealogical information systems and network application management. Genealogical information systems are concerned with providing facilities for storing and browsing family information. Network application management is concerned with providing facilities to manage the performance of network application services. Whilst these two domains are vastly different, the visualisation requirements are very similar. This paper shows how the interactive visualisation tools developed can be used to facilitate effective exploration and browsing of this information.
In this paper we describe a novel use of augmented reality for information visualization. We deta... more In this paper we describe a novel use of augmented reality for information visualization. We detail the use of augmented reality as a component of InVision - an open framework for the development and deployment on visualization systems. The research discussed in ...
Smart Cities/Smart Regions – Technische, wirtschaftliche und gesellschaftliche Innovationen, 2019
Electric vehicles have a limited driving range before another charge is required. The number of c... more Electric vehicles have a limited driving range before another charge is required. The number of charging stations available in South Africa is low, meaning that the few stations that are available need to be managed effectively. The purpose of this paper is to determine criteria for selecting appropriate algorithms for scheduling the charging of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in photovoltaic (PV) microgrids. Research articles were rigorously reviewed on how scheduling has been applied in other domains, especially timetabling problems, due to the similarities between timetabling scheduling and scheduling of EV charging. The paper also reports on a review of the constraints involved in scheduling, particularly in scheduling the charging of EVs powered by PVs. From the proposed criteria, appropriate scheduling algorithms are recommended for scheduling the EV charging in smart microgrids that are PV powered.
Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, 2009
A need exists to improve the overall usability of enterprise resource planning systems. Current r... more A need exists to improve the overall usability of enterprise resource planning systems. Current research has shown that the user interfaces of these systems are too complex and difficult to use. Enterprise resources planning systems for small enterprises are currently too rigid and are not flexible enough to match the constantly changing business landscape of small enterprises. This paper proposes the use of adaptive user interfaces as a means to improve the overall usability of enterprise resource planning systems for small enterprises. Adaptive user interfaces are capable of improving system usability by reducing user interface complexity and improving the overall user experience. This could provide small enterprises with the flexibility and adaptability that they require from enterprise resource planning systems.
IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 2010
Mobile applications are becoming increasingly widespread and complex. Many of these applications ... more Mobile applications are becoming increasingly widespread and complex. Many of these applications suffer from usability issues, including information overload, screen clutter, lack of task support and limited interaction mechanisms. Adaptive user interfaces (AUIs) have been proposed to address some of these usability issues. The aim of this paper is to investigate how AUIs can improve the usability of mobile applications. This paper discusses several simple types of adaptation that have been shown to yield significant usability benefits for mobile applications. Two case studies are presented to illustrate how an AUI can be incorporated into different types of mobile applications. This paper also discusses the lessons learned from these case studies and presents some implications for designing adaptive systems in the future.
I would like to thank Prof. Janet Wesson for her invaluable guidance, supervision and advice over... more I would like to thank Prof. Janet Wesson for her invaluable guidance, supervision and advice over the duration of this dissertation. I would also like to thank all the staff in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems for allowing me to conduct this research and for providing moral and technical support. Special mention must be made to Dr Lynette Barnard and Dr Charmain Cilliers who also provided me with invaluable assistance. Last but not least thanks must be made to my darling husband Blayne for all his support and encouragement, without which I would not have been able to complete this project so successfully.
... Towards Guidelines for Touch Screen Design: Perception of Button Form and Extension 757 Morte... more ... Towards Guidelines for Touch Screen Design: Perception of Button Form and Extension 757 Morten Fjeld, Hans-Jorg Zuberbuhler, Sissel ... ZENetic Computer 997 Naoko Tosa and Seigo Matsuoka Digital Photo Browsing with Souvenirs 1000 Elise van den Hoven and Berry ...
Doctors can experience difficulty in accessing medical information of new patients. One reason fo... more Doctors can experience difficulty in accessing medical information of new patients. One reason for this is that, the management of medical records is mostly institution-centred. The lack of access to medical information may affect patients in several ways, such as: new medical tests may be carried out at a cost to the patient, and doctors may prescribe drugs to which the patient is allergic. This paper presents the design and implementation of a ubiquitous Personal Health Record system for South Africa. The design was informed by a literature review of existing personal health record standards, applications and the need to ensure patient privacy. Three medical practices in Port Elizabeth were interviewed with the aim of contextualizing the personal health record standards from the literature study. The findings of this research provide an insight as to how patients can bridge the gap created by institution-centred management of medical records.
IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 2002
Results from a series of web site studies suggest that the concept of user satisfaction comprises... more Results from a series of web site studies suggest that the concept of user satisfaction comprises more than perceived aesthetics and usability. Satisfaction was repeatedly found to be a complex construct comprising 'emotion', 'likeability', and 'expectation' as well. A web site very high in appeal but low in usability scored highly on user satisfaction when first encountered. However, when faced with serious problems in a usability test, users' overall level of satisfaction dropped considerably, but perceived aesthetics remained unchanged. Given the known importance of the first impression for subsequent judgments, our results suggest that user interface designers of ecommerce sites would be well advised to design pretty and usable sites. Designing for user efficiency and effectiveness alone is not enough unless the products and services offered on a web site are unique in the world.
Most human-computer interaction (HCI) curricula place little emphasis on iterative design and usa... more Most human-computer interaction (HCI) curricula place little emphasis on iterative design and usability evaluation is often only addressed at the end of the course. Several authors, however, believe that innovation takes considerable time and effort and that iteration is an essential requirement for innovation. Designers seldom, if ever, get the solution right the first time. This paper discusses an approach which has been developed over several years to teach HCI at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). This approach focuses on teaching HCI from an iterative design perspective, which involves integrating appropriate usability evaluation methods with the different design phases. Several examples of innovative designs produced by students as well as results of the course evaluation are presented and discussed.
South African Computer Journal - SA Computer Journal, 2002
A number of computerised testing systems have been developed recently without considering the use... more A number of computerised testing systems have been developed recently without considering the users? level of computer proficiency. First year students at the University of Port Elizabeth have a diverse background, both in home language and population group. The level of computer expertise of these students differs greatly and this may influence the test scores they obtain in computerised tests. In this study, various factors were found to be significant indicators of performance when using computer-based testing systems. These factors include previous computer and software experience, attitude towards computers, self-perceived ability to work with computers, contact with technology, gender and home language. This paper discusses the development of a user classification model to classify students into three user groups, namely novice, intermediate and expert. Two methods were used for classification. The first followed a quantitative approach to user modelling and required users to perform simple computer-based tasks. The second method was qualitative in nature and used a questionnaire to assess the factors that were found to be significant indicators of performance in human-computer interaction. This research project demonstrates that a user classification model can be developed for the first year student population at the University of Port Elizabeth.
Users of mobile devices share their information through various methods, which are supported by m... more Users of mobile devices share their information through various methods, which are supported by mobile devices. However, the information sharing process of these methods are typically redundant and sometimes tedious. This is because it may require the user to repeatedly perform a series of steps to share one or more selected files with another individual. The proliferation of mobile devices support new, more intuitive, and less complicated solutions to information sharing in the field of mobile computing. The aim of this paper is to present MotionShare, which is a NUI application that supports information sharing among co-located mobile devices. Unlike other existing systems, MotionShare’s distinguishing attribute is its inability of relying on additional and assisting technologies in determining the positions of devices. A primary example is using an external camera to determine device positioning in a spatial environment. An analytical evaluation investigated the accuracy of devic...
Due to the popularity of mobile devices, personal information (PI) has become fragmented across m... more Due to the popularity of mobile devices, personal information (PI) has become fragmented across multiple digital devices. Research has shown that providing access to PI across multiple devices is not currently supported. The hierarchical organisation method and indented-list used to visualise PI by file managers, such as Windows Explorer, do not adequately support personal information management (PIM) across different devices. In order to be able to effectively access and retrieve PI, this information needs to be suitably visualised. This paper presents the design of MyPSI, an interactive tool to visualise PI across multiple devices. This paper will outline the organisation, visualisation and interaction requirements for PIM across multiple devices and discuss how these requirements will be supported by the MyPSI tool.
The usability evaluation of advanced interfaces such as intelligent, adaptive and context-aware i... more The usability evaluation of advanced interfaces such as intelligent, adaptive and context-aware interfaces presents several challenges. These interfaces need to be evaluated over an extended time period and used in their actual context of use, rather than in a laboratory setting. Usability evaluation methods for traditional interactive systems have been extensively researched and are well understood. These methods include heuristic evaluation, usability testing and field studies. The goal of this workshop is to bring together people who are engaged in the design and evaluation of advanced interfaces across different disciplines. The objective is to exchange ideas and techniques relevant to the usability evaluation of advanced interfaces and to establish guidelines for the evaluation of such interfaces that cross-pollinate the different disciplines.
ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, 2003
Many researchers have found that E-commerce and usability are inextricably linked, since unusable... more Many researchers have found that E-commerce and usability are inextricably linked, since unusable E-commerce sites are often also unsuccessful. The purpose of this paper is to discuss an empirical investigation that was conducted in South Africa to determine if there were any usability problems on three well-known South African E-commerce sites and one international site. This paper gives a brief
Proceedings of the 2010 Annual Research Conference of the South African Institute of Computer Scientists and Information Technologists on - SAICSIT '10, 2010
Map-based applications are becoming standard features of most smart phones. Keypad and touch-scre... more Map-based applications are becoming standard features of most smart phones. Keypad and touch-screen interaction have traditionally been used to interact with maps on mobile phones, but both these interaction techniques have several shortcomings. Tilt interaction offers an alternative approach with several advantages. Tilt interaction is intuitive and can be performed one-handed. Previous research has shown that tilt interaction offers equivalent
Several behavioural problems exist in office environments, including resource use, sedentary beha... more Several behavioural problems exist in office environments, including resource use, sedentary behaviour, cognitive/multitasking, and social media. These behavioural problems have been solved through subjective or objective techniques. Within objective techniques, behavioural modelling in smart environments (SEs) can allow the adequate provision of services to users of SEs with inputs from user modelling. The effectiveness of current behavioural models relative to user-specific preferences is unclear. This study introduces a new approach to behavioural modelling in smart environments by illustrating how human behaviours can be effectively modelled from user models in SEs. To achieve this aim, a new behavioural model, the Positive Behaviour Change (PBC) Model, was developed and evaluated based on the guidelines from the Design Science Research Methodology. The PBC Model emphasises the importance of using user-specific information within the user model for behavioural modelling. The PBC...
Ninth International Conference on Information Visualisation (IV'05)
ABSTRACT The visualisation of large information collections is a common problem which has been ex... more ABSTRACT The visualisation of large information collections is a common problem which has been extensively researched in many domains. Several application domains still exist, however, where visualisation techniques have not been adequately researched or applied. The aim of this paper is to discuss research into visualisation tools for two such areas, namely genealogical information systems and network application management. Genealogical information systems are concerned with providing facilities for storing and browsing family information. Network application management is concerned with providing facilities to manage the performance of network application services. Whilst these two domains are vastly different, the visualisation requirements are very similar. This paper shows how the interactive visualisation tools developed can be used to facilitate effective exploration and browsing of this information.
In this paper we describe a novel use of augmented reality for information visualization. We deta... more In this paper we describe a novel use of augmented reality for information visualization. We detail the use of augmented reality as a component of InVision - an open framework for the development and deployment on visualization systems. The research discussed in ...
Smart Cities/Smart Regions – Technische, wirtschaftliche und gesellschaftliche Innovationen, 2019
Electric vehicles have a limited driving range before another charge is required. The number of c... more Electric vehicles have a limited driving range before another charge is required. The number of charging stations available in South Africa is low, meaning that the few stations that are available need to be managed effectively. The purpose of this paper is to determine criteria for selecting appropriate algorithms for scheduling the charging of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in photovoltaic (PV) microgrids. Research articles were rigorously reviewed on how scheduling has been applied in other domains, especially timetabling problems, due to the similarities between timetabling scheduling and scheduling of EV charging. The paper also reports on a review of the constraints involved in scheduling, particularly in scheduling the charging of EVs powered by PVs. From the proposed criteria, appropriate scheduling algorithms are recommended for scheduling the EV charging in smart microgrids that are PV powered.
Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, 2009
A need exists to improve the overall usability of enterprise resource planning systems. Current r... more A need exists to improve the overall usability of enterprise resource planning systems. Current research has shown that the user interfaces of these systems are too complex and difficult to use. Enterprise resources planning systems for small enterprises are currently too rigid and are not flexible enough to match the constantly changing business landscape of small enterprises. This paper proposes the use of adaptive user interfaces as a means to improve the overall usability of enterprise resource planning systems for small enterprises. Adaptive user interfaces are capable of improving system usability by reducing user interface complexity and improving the overall user experience. This could provide small enterprises with the flexibility and adaptability that they require from enterprise resource planning systems.
IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 2010
Mobile applications are becoming increasingly widespread and complex. Many of these applications ... more Mobile applications are becoming increasingly widespread and complex. Many of these applications suffer from usability issues, including information overload, screen clutter, lack of task support and limited interaction mechanisms. Adaptive user interfaces (AUIs) have been proposed to address some of these usability issues. The aim of this paper is to investigate how AUIs can improve the usability of mobile applications. This paper discusses several simple types of adaptation that have been shown to yield significant usability benefits for mobile applications. Two case studies are presented to illustrate how an AUI can be incorporated into different types of mobile applications. This paper also discusses the lessons learned from these case studies and presents some implications for designing adaptive systems in the future.
I would like to thank Prof. Janet Wesson for her invaluable guidance, supervision and advice over... more I would like to thank Prof. Janet Wesson for her invaluable guidance, supervision and advice over the duration of this dissertation. I would also like to thank all the staff in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems for allowing me to conduct this research and for providing moral and technical support. Special mention must be made to Dr Lynette Barnard and Dr Charmain Cilliers who also provided me with invaluable assistance. Last but not least thanks must be made to my darling husband Blayne for all his support and encouragement, without which I would not have been able to complete this project so successfully.
... Towards Guidelines for Touch Screen Design: Perception of Button Form and Extension 757 Morte... more ... Towards Guidelines for Touch Screen Design: Perception of Button Form and Extension 757 Morten Fjeld, Hans-Jorg Zuberbuhler, Sissel ... ZENetic Computer 997 Naoko Tosa and Seigo Matsuoka Digital Photo Browsing with Souvenirs 1000 Elise van den Hoven and Berry ...
Doctors can experience difficulty in accessing medical information of new patients. One reason fo... more Doctors can experience difficulty in accessing medical information of new patients. One reason for this is that, the management of medical records is mostly institution-centred. The lack of access to medical information may affect patients in several ways, such as: new medical tests may be carried out at a cost to the patient, and doctors may prescribe drugs to which the patient is allergic. This paper presents the design and implementation of a ubiquitous Personal Health Record system for South Africa. The design was informed by a literature review of existing personal health record standards, applications and the need to ensure patient privacy. Three medical practices in Port Elizabeth were interviewed with the aim of contextualizing the personal health record standards from the literature study. The findings of this research provide an insight as to how patients can bridge the gap created by institution-centred management of medical records.
IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 2002
Results from a series of web site studies suggest that the concept of user satisfaction comprises... more Results from a series of web site studies suggest that the concept of user satisfaction comprises more than perceived aesthetics and usability. Satisfaction was repeatedly found to be a complex construct comprising 'emotion', 'likeability', and 'expectation' as well. A web site very high in appeal but low in usability scored highly on user satisfaction when first encountered. However, when faced with serious problems in a usability test, users' overall level of satisfaction dropped considerably, but perceived aesthetics remained unchanged. Given the known importance of the first impression for subsequent judgments, our results suggest that user interface designers of ecommerce sites would be well advised to design pretty and usable sites. Designing for user efficiency and effectiveness alone is not enough unless the products and services offered on a web site are unique in the world.
Most human-computer interaction (HCI) curricula place little emphasis on iterative design and usa... more Most human-computer interaction (HCI) curricula place little emphasis on iterative design and usability evaluation is often only addressed at the end of the course. Several authors, however, believe that innovation takes considerable time and effort and that iteration is an essential requirement for innovation. Designers seldom, if ever, get the solution right the first time. This paper discusses an approach which has been developed over several years to teach HCI at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). This approach focuses on teaching HCI from an iterative design perspective, which involves integrating appropriate usability evaluation methods with the different design phases. Several examples of innovative designs produced by students as well as results of the course evaluation are presented and discussed.
South African Computer Journal - SA Computer Journal, 2002
A number of computerised testing systems have been developed recently without considering the use... more A number of computerised testing systems have been developed recently without considering the users? level of computer proficiency. First year students at the University of Port Elizabeth have a diverse background, both in home language and population group. The level of computer expertise of these students differs greatly and this may influence the test scores they obtain in computerised tests. In this study, various factors were found to be significant indicators of performance when using computer-based testing systems. These factors include previous computer and software experience, attitude towards computers, self-perceived ability to work with computers, contact with technology, gender and home language. This paper discusses the development of a user classification model to classify students into three user groups, namely novice, intermediate and expert. Two methods were used for classification. The first followed a quantitative approach to user modelling and required users to perform simple computer-based tasks. The second method was qualitative in nature and used a questionnaire to assess the factors that were found to be significant indicators of performance in human-computer interaction. This research project demonstrates that a user classification model can be developed for the first year student population at the University of Port Elizabeth.
Users of mobile devices share their information through various methods, which are supported by m... more Users of mobile devices share their information through various methods, which are supported by mobile devices. However, the information sharing process of these methods are typically redundant and sometimes tedious. This is because it may require the user to repeatedly perform a series of steps to share one or more selected files with another individual. The proliferation of mobile devices support new, more intuitive, and less complicated solutions to information sharing in the field of mobile computing. The aim of this paper is to present MotionShare, which is a NUI application that supports information sharing among co-located mobile devices. Unlike other existing systems, MotionShare’s distinguishing attribute is its inability of relying on additional and assisting technologies in determining the positions of devices. A primary example is using an external camera to determine device positioning in a spatial environment. An analytical evaluation investigated the accuracy of devic...
Due to the popularity of mobile devices, personal information (PI) has become fragmented across m... more Due to the popularity of mobile devices, personal information (PI) has become fragmented across multiple digital devices. Research has shown that providing access to PI across multiple devices is not currently supported. The hierarchical organisation method and indented-list used to visualise PI by file managers, such as Windows Explorer, do not adequately support personal information management (PIM) across different devices. In order to be able to effectively access and retrieve PI, this information needs to be suitably visualised. This paper presents the design of MyPSI, an interactive tool to visualise PI across multiple devices. This paper will outline the organisation, visualisation and interaction requirements for PIM across multiple devices and discuss how these requirements will be supported by the MyPSI tool.
The usability evaluation of advanced interfaces such as intelligent, adaptive and context-aware i... more The usability evaluation of advanced interfaces such as intelligent, adaptive and context-aware interfaces presents several challenges. These interfaces need to be evaluated over an extended time period and used in their actual context of use, rather than in a laboratory setting. Usability evaluation methods for traditional interactive systems have been extensively researched and are well understood. These methods include heuristic evaluation, usability testing and field studies. The goal of this workshop is to bring together people who are engaged in the design and evaluation of advanced interfaces across different disciplines. The objective is to exchange ideas and techniques relevant to the usability evaluation of advanced interfaces and to establish guidelines for the evaluation of such interfaces that cross-pollinate the different disciplines.
ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, 2003
Many researchers have found that E-commerce and usability are inextricably linked, since unusable... more Many researchers have found that E-commerce and usability are inextricably linked, since unusable E-commerce sites are often also unsuccessful. The purpose of this paper is to discuss an empirical investigation that was conducted in South Africa to determine if there were any usability problems on three well-known South African E-commerce sites and one international site. This paper gives a brief
Proceedings of the 2010 Annual Research Conference of the South African Institute of Computer Scientists and Information Technologists on - SAICSIT '10, 2010
Map-based applications are becoming standard features of most smart phones. Keypad and touch-scre... more Map-based applications are becoming standard features of most smart phones. Keypad and touch-screen interaction have traditionally been used to interact with maps on mobile phones, but both these interaction techniques have several shortcomings. Tilt interaction offers an alternative approach with several advantages. Tilt interaction is intuitive and can be performed one-handed. Previous research has shown that tilt interaction offers equivalent
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Papers by J. Wesson