Understanding sources of user variability in computer-based data entry performance

The pervasive use of computers in work settings implies that an increased number of workers, with varying levels of skills and abilities, will be performing computerbased tasks. This study investigated the impact of age, cognitive abilities, and computer experience on the performance of a real world data entry task. One hundred and ten subjects, ranging in age from 20 - 75 years, performed the task for nine hours following task training. The results indicated that abilities such as visuo-spatial skills, motor skills and processing speed had a significant impact on performance as did age and prior computer experience. With respect to age, the older participants completed less work than the younger and middle-aged subjects. Age differences in psychomotor skills and processing speed appeared to be important factors underlying age effects. In fact, the data indicated that after controlling for differences in these abilities age was no longer a significant predictor of work output. Further, after controlling for differences in work output the older people made fewer errors than the younger people. Overall the data suggest that older people will be at a disadvantage in the performance of computer-based data entry work to the extent to which speed of responding is emphasized. However, if speed of responding is not a critical element of performance they will be able to achieve comparable levels of performance to that of younger people.     

Using multiple data sources to get closer insights into user cost and task performance

This pilot study explores the use of combining multiple data sources (subjective, physical, physiological, and eye tracking) in understanding user cost and behavior. Specifically, we show the efficacy of such objective measurements as heart rate variability (HRV), and pupillary response in evaluating user cost in game environments, along with subjective techniques, and investigate eye and hand behavior at various levels of user cost. In addition, a method for evaluating task performance at the micro-level is developed by combining eye and hand data. Four findings indicate the great potential value of combining multiple data sources to evaluate interaction: first, spectral analysis of HRV in the low frequency band shows significant sensitivity to changes in user cost, modulated by game difficulty—the result is consistent with subjective ratings, but pupillary response fails to accord with user cost in this game environment; second, eye saccades seem to be more sensitive to user cost changes than eye fixation number and duration, or scanpath length; third, a composite index based on eye and hand movements is developed, and it shows more sensitivity to user cost changes than a single eye or hand measurement; finally, timeline analysis of the ratio of eye fixations to mouse clicks demonstrates task performance changes and learning effects over time. We conclude that combining multiple data sources has a valuable role in human–computer interaction (HCI) evaluation and design.     

A structural equation model of job performance using a computer-based order entry system

The research uses a structural equation model with latent variables to examine the role of computer self-efficacy and outcome expectancy in impacting job performance. Constructs measuring management support, ease of system use, and the previous computer experience of the user are used as antecedents to computer self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. The empirical results are generated using 524 responses to a questionnaire administered in a large hospital in the southeastern United States regarding its computer-based order entry system. These results provide empirical support for the theoretical role of computer self-efficacy and outcome expectancy positively impacting job performance. Further, the antecedents were found to have the expected positive impacts on computer self-efficacy and outcome expectancy.     

Understanding students' performance in a computer-based assessment of complex problem solving: An analysis of behavioral data from computer-generated log files

Computer-based assessments of complex problem solving (CPS) that have been used in international large-scale surveys require students to engage in an in-depth interaction with the problem environment. In this, they evoke manifest sequences of overt behavior that are stored in computer-generated log files. In the present study, we explored the relation between several overt behaviors, which N = 1476 Finnish ninth-grade students (mean age = 15.23, SD = .47 years) exhibited when exploring a CPS environment, and their CPS performance. We used the MicroDYN approach to measure CPS and inspected students' behaviors through log-file analyses. Results indicated that students who occasionally observed the problem environment in a noninterfering way in addition to actively exploring it (noninterfering observation) showed better CPS performance, whereas students who showed a high frequency of (potentially unplanned) interventions (intervention frequency) exhibited worse CPS performance. Additionally, both too much and too little time spent on a CPS task (time on task) was associated with poor CPS performance. The observed effects held after controlling for students' use of an exploration strategy that required a sequence of multiple interventions (VOTAT strategy) indicating that these behaviors exhibited incremental effects on CPS performance beyond the use of VOTAT.     

Re-examining information systems user performance: Using data mining to identify properties of IS that lead to highest levels of user performance

As competitive pressures increase, managers try to realize every bit of productivity from people, business processes and new information technologies (IT). This leads one to ask, how can managers configure information systems to achieve higher levels of performance from end users? In this regard, managers continually seek advice on how to meet the promises and expectations of continued increases in productivity through the use of IT. However, results from research on how to achieve higher performance through the use of IT in organizations has been mixed. Consequently, it has been difficult for IS researchers to give managers any advice on investing in specific aspects of IS that would lead to the highest performance possible. We focus on this question in this research. We use a data mining approach to tease out information about specific characteristics of IS that managers can manipulate to achieve desired outcomes with regards to individual performance. Our findings offer both researchers and managers significant new knowledge that can make a difference to IT user performance research theory and the practice of user performance management. Further, our research method offers a novel approach to linking theory and practice in IS research, a problem that is of great concern to many IS researchers. The approach is generalized and can be implemented by academic or industry researchers who are interested in generating hypotheses from data for the purpose of theoretical or applied research.     

Designing the user interface of the computer-based speech training system ARTUR based on early user tests

This study has been performed in order to evaluate a prototype for the human - computer interface of a computer-based speech training aid named ARTUR. The main feature of the aid is that it can give suggestions on how to improve articulations. Two user groups were involved: three children aged 9 - 14 with extensive experience of speech training with therapists and computers, and three children aged 6, with little or no prior experience of computer-based speech training. All children had general language disorders. The study indicates that the present interface is usable without prior training or instructions, even for the younger children, but that more motivational factors should be introduced. The granularity of the mesh that classifies mispronunciations was satisfactory, but the flexibility and level of detail of the feedback should be developed further.     

Microbreak length, performance, and stress in a data entry task

The effects of brief rest pauses on performance and well-being were evaluated for a highly repetitive, data entry task. Experienced data entry operators (N = 20) performed the task in a two-day experiment in a simulated office environment. Each day was divided into six, 40-min work periods. Subjects took a brief rest pause at the workstation (microbreak) in the middle of each work period. Subjects were instructed to terminate this microbreak when ready to resume work. Keystroke rate, error rate, correction rate, heart rate and heart rate variability were scored for each half of the work period. In addition, mood states before and during the work period were assessed. Microbreaks were found to average 27.4 s in duration. High ratings of fatigue and boredom during the work period were associated with longer microbreaks, suggesting that the break period was self-adjusted relative to mood state. In addition, correction rate and heart rate were lower following long microbreaks, implying that the degree of recovery was linked to the length of the microbreak. Comparison of keystroke output and correction rate before and after the microbreak, however, revealed that performance worsened after the microbreak, suggesting that subjects terminated microbreaks before complete recovery could occur.     

Using tangible user interfaces in computer-based training systems for low-functioning autistic children

In this paper, the design of a computer-based training (CBT) system for low-functioning autistic children is addressed. The emphasis is on ease-of-use and learning efficiency of CBT systems with different interaction styles, namely the WIMP (Window Icon Menu Pointing Device) and TUI (Tangible User Interface) interaction styles. Two WIMP-based CBT systems with different pointing devices were involved in the study. The first system applied a standard computer mouse as a pointing device, while the second one employed a touch screen instead. For the TUI-based CBT system, a tabletop setting was adopted. Based on the known characteristics of TUI and children with autism, as well as related cognitive and learning theories, the benefits of TUI for low-functioning autistic children have been investigated. Elementary skill teaching was chosen as a case study for performance evaluation of these CBT systems. Empirical results show that the touch-based and TUI-based systems offered much better ease-of-use performance than that of the mouse-based system. Regarding learning efficacy, experimental results show that the TUI-based system achieved higher skill improvement, as compared with the WIMP-based system and a non-computer training method. Some guidelines and suggestions for the design of a TUI-based system for children with autism are summarized.     

Understanding user perceptions of World-wide web environments

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop and test a conceptual model of individual perceptions of Web technology as a use and training tool. The model presents a perspective of users' attitudes toward Web environments. This model integrates the Technical Acceptance Model, Social Cognitive Theory, individual attitudes, motivation and self-efficacy perspectives to develop a new aspect of users' perceptions toward Web technology acceptance and use. The study provides some evidence that the conceptual model helps the understanding of user perceptions to Web environments. In addition, training and educational programmes on computers may foster a positive feeling towards the Web. Furthermore, the more individuals have self-efficacy towards Web technology, the more individuals have motivation to use the Web.     

Supply of data assurance in electronic exchanges and user evaluation of risk and performance outcomes

Modern technology allows businesses to efficiently transact in electronic markets. Lack of control over each transacting party raises issues of accountability and increases demand for assurance. While extant assurance services emphasize third-party certification as a primary assurance signal, they do not examine substitutes of such services which address the need for evaluation of assurance signals provided by the level of transparency in an entity’s controls in a web-based data exchange. The present research develops the concept of data assurance to encompass evaluative beliefs communicated to users on a real-time basis. A simulated web-based data exchange was custom-developed for this study and used in an experimental setting. Two levels of data assurance were implemented which manipulated the level of transparency in an entity’s controls in processing real-time transactions. The findings of the study suggest that data assurance operates as an uncertainty absorption mechanism minimizing negative effects of perceived risk in a data exchange. Future research should benefit from these results which provide implications for the design of assurance mechanisms that are substitute to third-party assurance services in a web-based exchange context.     

Characterizing user performance in command-driven dialogue

To learn to use an interactive system, a person typically has to acquire a good deal of new knowledge. The ease of learning will depend on the extent to which the design of the task and the interface capitalizes on the user's pre-existing knowledge and his or her cognitive capabilities for learning. This paper explores the nature of both design decisions and user learning with a command-based system. Three studies were conducted, all involving a task in which secret messages were decoded by means of a sequence of commands (based on the task used by Barnard et al. In Study I, software specialists designed command structures for the task and gave reasons for their choices. In Study II, naive subjects chose between alternative command terms. In Study TTI, subjects learned to use interactive versions of the task in which dialogue factors (command terms and argument structures) were systematically varied. The results enabled the development of user knowledge of the system to be specified in detail. Comparisons across the three studies highlighted the diversity of the factors determining both design decisions and user behaviour.     

Facilitating data exploration with query previews: A study of user performance and preference

Networked and local data exploration systems that use command languages, menus, or form fill-in interfaces rarely give users an indication of the distribution of data. This often leads users to waste time, posing queries that have zero-hit or mega-hit results. Query previews are a novel visual approach for browsing databases. Query previews supply users with data distribution information for selected attributes of the database, and give continuous feedback about the size of the result set as the query is being formed. Subsequent refinements might be necessary to narrow the search. As there is a risk that query previews are an additional step, leading to a more complex and slow search process, a within-subjects empirical study was ran with 12 subjects who used interfaces with and without query previews and with minimized network delays. Even with 12 subjects and minimized network delays statistically significant differences were found, showing that query previews could speed up performance 1.6 to 2.1 times and lead to higher user satisfaction.     

Facilitating data exploration with query previews: a study of user performance and preference

Networked and local data exploration systems that use command languages, menus, or form fill-in interfaces rarely give users an indication of the distribution of data. This often leads users to waste time, posing queries that have zero-hit or mega-hit results. Query previews are a novel visual approach for browsing databases. Query previews supply users with data distribution information for selected attributes of the database, and give continuous feedback about the size of the result set as the query is being formed. Subsequent refinements might be necessary to narrow the search. As there is a risk that query previews are an additional step, leading to a more complex and slow search process, a within-subjects empirical study was ran with 12 subjects who used interfaces with and without query previews and with minimized network delays. Even with 12 subjects and minimized network delays statistically significant differences were found, showing that query previews could speed up performance 1.6 to 2.1 times and lead to higher user satisfaction.     

Understanding user interface needs of e-commerce web sites

With the growth in the number of web sites, users must choose among many alternative web sites and designers must face the challenge of keeping the user's duration. Web site design is an iterative process of fine-tuning to enhance user satisfaction. According to the hygiene–motivation theory, the emotions of satisfaction and dissatisfaction are caused by two different categories of characteristics. Lack of dissatisfaction does not mean satisfaction, and lack of satisfaction does not mean dissatisfaction. This study proposes a parsimonious and effective multidimensional evaluation tool: a max–min approach to combine the hygiene–motivation factors and thereby provide a strategy to compare the competitive position of different web sites. The interfaces of eight e-retailer web sites for computer and communication products were targeted for evaluation. Four hygiene factors (navigation, information display, ease of learning and response time) and five motivation factors (interaction with people, screen complexity, user empowerment, visual appearance and achievement) are measured. The evaluations on hygiene and motivation factors were transformed into max and min effectiveness scores using the proposed models. Three zones (zone of intolerance, zone of efficiency and zone of satisfaction) were described to illustrate the role of strategic planning of a site interface in shaping a competitive position among the observed web sites.     

融合用户属性信息的冷启动推荐算法

协同过滤算法广泛应用于个性化推荐系统中。现有的基于社群相似性的协同过滤算法在新用户新商品的冷启动场景中难以使用,性能较差。对此,提出了一种基于矩阵分解和神经网络映射的冷启动推荐算法。首先,使用矩阵分解方法求出用户在潜在兴趣空间的向量表示;然后,训练神经网络学习从用户属性数据到潜在兴趣向量的映射关系;最后,融合用户的历史评分数据与属性数据各自生成的兴趣向量,给出平滑的推荐预测值。实验表明,当用户的评分记录很少时,预测性能有明显提升,融合用户的属性信息能较好地改善"冷启动"情况下推荐系统的性能。     

Factors affecting user performance in haptic assembly

Current computer-aided assembly systems provide engineers with a variety of spatial snapping and alignment techniques for interactively defining the positions and attachments of components. With the advent of haptics and its integration into virtual assembly systems, users now have the potential advantage of tactile information. This paper reports research that aims to quantify how the provision of haptic feedback in an assembly system can affect user performance. To investigate human–computer interaction processes in assembly modeling, performance of a peg-in-hole manipulation was studied to determine the extent to which haptics and stereovision may impact on task completion time. The results support two important conclusions: first, it is apparent that small (i.e. visually insignificant) assembly features (e.g. chamfers) affect the overall task completion at times only when haptic feedback is provided; and second, that the difference is approximately similar to the values reported for equivalent real world peg-in-hole assembly tasks.     

Modeling user behavior data in systems of engagement

The proliferation of mobile devices has changed the way digital information is consumed and its efficacy measured. These personal devices know a lot about user behavior from embedded sensors along with monitoring the daily activities users perform through various applications on these devices. This data can be used to get a deep understanding of the context of the users and provide personalized services to them. However, there are a lot of challenges in capturing, modeling, storing, and processing such data from these systems of engagement, both in terms of achieving the right balance of redundancy in the captured and stored data, along with ensuring the usefulness of the data for analysis. There are additional challenges in balancing how much of the captured data should be processed through client or server applications. In this article, we present the modeling of user behavior in the context of personalized education which has generated a lot of recent interest. More specifically, we present an architecture and the issues of modeling student behavior data, captured from different activities the student performs during the process of learning. The user behavior data is modeled and sent to the cloud-enabled backend where detailed analytics are performed to understand different aspects of a student, such as engagement, difficulties, and preferences and to also analyze the quality of the data.     

Understanding user differences in open-source workflow management system usage intentions

Open-source software systems have become a viable alternative to proprietary systems. We collected data on the usage of an open-source workflow management system developed by a university research group, and examined this data with a focus on how three different user cohorts – students, academics and industry professionals – develop behavioral intentions to use the system. Building upon a framework of motivational components, we examined the group differences in extrinsic versus intrinsic motivations on continued usage intentions. Our study provides a detailed understanding of the use of open-source workflow management systems in different user communities. Moreover, it discusses implications for the provision of workflow management systems, the user-specific management of open-source systems and the development of services in the wider user community.     

User performance and attitude towards schemes for alphanumeric data entry using restricted input devices

. Results are reported from two usability trials in which a total of 14 schemes for alphanumeric data entry on television screens were evaluated. The seven schemes in the first trial used only the navigation and select keys on the TV remote control unit. The second trial used the best scheme from the first trial (slightly modified), a further six schemes using different combinations of the navigation and alphanumeric keys and a portable, infra-red keyboard. In both trials task completion rates and times were measured together with the number of keystrokes. User preferences were measured using attitude questionnaires and explicit ranking of the schemes. As expected, the keyboard was, overall, the best scheme-though not the most accurate. Where only a limited range of input keys were available, grid display schemes were preferred over menus and dynamic displays. Where an alphanumeric keypad was available on the remote control unit, a multiple press scheme was marginally preferred.