Tag-based interaction in online and mobile banking : a preliminary study of the effect on usability

In this paper we describe tag-based interaction afforded by a tag-based interface in online and mobile banking, and present our preliminary usability evaluation findings. We conducted a pilot usability study with a group of banking users by comparing the present 'conventional' interface and tag-based interface. The results show that participants perceive the tag-based interface as more usable in both online and mobile contexts. Participants also rated the tag-based interface better despite their unfamiliarity and perceived it as more user-friendly. Additionally, the results highlight that tag-based interaction is more effective in the mobile context especially to inexperienced mobile banking users. This in turn could have a positive effect on the adoption and acceptance of mobile banking in general and also specifically in Australia. We discuss our findings in more detail in the later sections of this paper and conclude with a discussion on future work.

Managing process model complexity via concrete syntax modifications

While Business Process Management (BPM) is an established discipline, the increased adoption of BPM technology in recent years has introduced new challenges. One challenge concerns dealing with the ever-growing complexity of business process models. Mechanisms for dealing with this complexity can be classified into two categories: 1) those that are solely concerned with the visual representation of the model and 2) those that change its inner structure. While significant attention is paid to the latter category in the BPM literature, this paper focuses on the former category. It presents a collection of patterns that generalize and conceptualize various existing mechanisms to change the visual representation of a process model. Next, it provides a detailed analysis of the degree of support for these patterns in a number of state-of-the-art languages and tools. This paper concludes with the results of a usability evaluation of the patterns conducted with BPM practitioners.

Visual support for work assignment in process-aware information systems : framework formalisation and implementation

Process-aware information systems, ranging from generic workflow systems to dedicated enterprise information systems, use work-lists to offer so-called work items to users. In real scenarios, users can be confronted with a very large number of work items that stem from multiple cases of different processes. In this jungle of work items, users may find it hard to choose the right item to work on next. The system cannot autonomously decide which is the right work item, since the decision is also dependent on conditions that are somehow outside the system. For instance, what is “best” for an organisation should be mediated with what is “best” for its employees. Current work-list handlers show work items as a simple sorted list and therefore do not provide much decision support for choosing the right work item. Since the work-list handler is the dominant interface between the system and its users, it is worthwhile to provide an intuitive graphical interface that uses contextual information about work items and users to provide suggestions about prioritisation of work items. This paper uses the so-called map metaphor to visualise work items and resources (e.g., users) in a sophisticated manner. Moreover, based on distance notions, the work-list handler can suggest the next work item by considering different perspectives. For example, urgent work items of a type that suits the user may be highlighted. The underlying map and distance notions may be of a geographical nature (e.g., a map of a city or office building), but may also be based on process designs, organisational structures, social networks, due dates, calendars, etc. The framework proposed in this paper is generic and can be applied to any process-aware information system. Moreover, in order to show its practical feasibility, the paper discusses a full-fledged implementation developed in the context of the open-source workflow environment YAWL, together with two real examples stemming from two very different scenarios. The results of an initial usability evaluation of the implementation are also presented, which provide a first indication of the validity of the approach.

Using Participatory Design (PD) as youth engagement strategy to inform design and development of evidence-based wellbeing e-tools

The paper presents a participatory design research framework as a primary method for structuring youth engagement, participation and contribution to the design, development and usability evaluation of three evidencebased e-tools for wellbeing, which include smart phone mobile apps as well as e-health websites. The three projects are part of a series of six e-tools part of Safe and Supportive program under Young and Well CRC. The participatory design method, developed by Zelenko (2012) for application in design of online health promoting technologies, was further piloted in partnership with Inspire USA for specific application within the CRC, deploying a combination of creative design workshops and speculative design activities in developing e-tool prototypes with young people. This paper presents the resulting participatory research framework as it was implemented across the e-tool projects to facilitate active youth participation in co-designing the e-tools and ensuring the final designs are relevant to young people and deliver health messages in engaging ways. The principles of Participatory Design (PD) that inform the new framework include a high degree of participant agency in creative decisionmaking and a commitment to the process of co-designing, with young people working alongside designers and developers. The paper will showcase how the PD framework was applied across three projects to increase young people’s contribution to final design outcome.

Efficient web browsing with a single-switch

This paper presents a new approach to web browsing in situ- ations where the user can only provide the device with a sin- gle input command device (switch). Switches have been de- veloped for example for people with locked-in syndrome and are used in combination with scanning to navigate virtual keyboards and desktop interfaces. Our proposed approach leverages the hierarchical structure of webpages to operate a multi-level scan of actionable elements of webpages (links or form elements). As there are a few methods already exist- ing to facilitate browsing under these conditions, we present a theoretical usability evaluation of our approach in com- parison to the existing ones, which takes into account the average time taken to reach any part of a web page (such as a link or a form) but also the number of clicks necessary to reach the goal. We argue that these factors contribute together to usability. In addition, we propose that our ap- proach presents additional usability benefits.

The impact of usability on clinician acceptance of a health information system

The two longitudinal case studies that make up this dissertation sought to explain and predict the relationship between usability and clinician acceptance of a health information system. The overall aim of the research study was to determine what role usability plays in the acceptance or rejection of systems used by clinicians in a healthcare context. The focus was on the end users (the clinicians) rather than the views of the system designers and managers responsible for implementation and the clients of the clinicians. A mixed methods approach was adopted that drew on both qualitative and quantitative research methods. This study followed the implementation of a community health information system from early beginnings to its established practice. Users were drawn from different health service departments with distinctly different organisational cultures and attitudes to information and communication technology used in this context. This study provided evidence that a usability analysis in this context would not necessarily be valid when the users have prior reservations on acceptance. Investigation was made on the initial training and post-implementation support together with a study on the nature of the clinicians to determine factors that may influence their attitude. This research identified that acceptance of a system is not necessarily a measure of its quality, capability and usability, is influenced by the user’s attitude which is determined by outside factors, and the nature and quality of training. The need to recognise the limitations of the current methodologies for analysing usability and acceptance was explored to lay the foundations for further research.

A task-oriented approach to search engine usability studies

Usability is a multi-dimensional characteristic of a computer system. This paper focuses on usability as a measurement of interaction between the user and the system. The research employs a task-oriented approach to evaluate the usability of a meta search engine. This engine encourages and accepts queries of unlimited size expressed in natural language. A variety of conventional metrics developed by academic and industrial research, including ISO standards,, are applied to the information retrieval process consisting of sequential tasks. Tasks range from formulating (long) queries to interpreting and retaining search results. Results of the evaluation and analysis of the operation log indicate that obtaining advanced search engine results can be accomplished simultaneously with enhancing the usability of the interactive process. In conclusion, we discuss implications for interactive information retrieval system design and directions for future usability research. © 2008 Academy Publisher.

Practical decision support system evaluation for consultant selection

The widespread development of Decision Support System (DSS) in construction indicate that the evaluation of software become more important than before. However, it is identified that most research in construction discipline did not attempt to assess its usability. Therefore, little is known about the approach on how to properly evaluate a DSS for specific problem. In this paper, we present a practical framework that can be guidance for DSS evaluation. It focuses on how to evaluate software that is dedicatedly designed for consultant selection problem. The framework features two main components i.e. Sub-system Validation and Face Validation. Two case studies of consultant selection at Malaysian Department of Irrigation and Drainage were integrated in this framework. Some inter-disciplinary area such as Software Engineering, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Construction Project Management underpinned the discussion of the paper. It is anticipated that this work can foster better DSS development and quality decision making that accurately meet the client’s expectation and needs

Intercultural usability of language learning websites

Website usability can be defined as the ease of use of websites. General usability, pedagogical usability, technical usability and intercultural usability can be considered and examined for the understanding of the usability of language learning websites, which requires a discipline-specific approach. In the field of computer-assisted language learning, usability issues have been addressed mainly in terms of evaluation criteria and have been commonly discussed in relation to user expectations and user experiences. In spite of a growing interest in intercultural language learning, however, little research on intercultural usability of language learning websites has been published yet. There is a need to answer the question of how language learning websites integrate the target language and culture for the development of intercultural sensitivity and competence. This article explores intercultural aspects of language learning websites and presents usability guidelines for designing intercultural language learning websites.

A comparative usability study of a tag-based interface in the mobile banking context

This paper presents a comparative study to evaluate the usability of a tag-based interface alongside the present 'conventional' interface in the Australian mobile banking context. The tag-based interface is based on user-assigned tags to banking resources with support for different types of customization. And the conventional interface is based on standard HTML objects such as select boxes, lists, tables and etc, with limited customization. A total of 20 banking users evaluated both interfaces based on a set of tasks and completed a post-test usability questionnaire. Efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction were considered to evaluate the usability of the interfaces. Results of the evaluation show improved usability in terms of user satisfaction with the tag-based interface compared to the conventional interface. This outcome is more apparent among participants without prior mobile banking experience. Therefore, there is a potential for the tag-based interface to improve user satisfaction of mobile banking and also positively affect the adoption and acceptance of mobile banking, particularly in Australia.

Usability extensions for the worklet service

The YAWL Worklet Service is an effective approach to facilitating dynamic flexibility and exception handling in workflow processes. Recent additions to the Service extend its capabilities through a programming interface that provides easier access to rules storage and evaluation, and an event server that notifies listening servers and applications when exceptions are detected, which together serve enhance the functionality and accessibility of the Service's features and expand its usability to new potential domains.

Large scale multiuser digital mind mapping tool : a study in usability

Project work can involve multiple people from varying disciplines coming together to solve problems as a group. Large scale interactive displays are presenting new opportunities to support such interactions with interactive and semantically enabled cooperative work tools such as intelligent mind maps. In this paper, we present a novel digital, touch-enabled mind-mapping tool as a first step towards achieving such a vision. This first prototype allows an evaluation of the benefits of a digital environment for a task that would otherwise be performed on paper or flat interactive surfaces. Observations and surveys of 12 participants in 3 groups allowed the formulation of several recommendations for further research into: new methods for capturing text input on touch screens; inclusion of complex structures; multi-user environments and how users make the shift from single- user applications; and how best to navigate large screen real estate in a touch-enabled, co-present multi-user setting.

Evaluation of ANPR trials for traffic policing in Queensland. Report to the Queensland Police Service, State Traffic Support Branch

In response to the Travelsafe Committee Report No. 51 – report on the inquiry into Automatic Plate Recognition Technology – it was recommended that the Queensland Police Service continue to trial the deployment of ANPR technology for traffic enforcement work and to evaluate the road safety impacts and operational effectiveness of the technology. As such, the purpose of this report is to provide an independent evaluation of a trial of ANPR that was conducted by a project team within the State Traffic Support Branch of the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and provide recommendations as to the applicability and usability of the technology for use throughout Queensland...