Designing a user interface for repositories of learning objects

This paper presents the design of a user interface for repositories of learning objects. It integrates several tasks, such as submission, browse, search, and comment/review of learning objects, on a single screen layout. This design is being implemented on the web front-end of crimsonHex, a repository of specialized learning objects, developed as part of the EduJudge, a European project that aims to bring automatic evaluation of programming problems to eLearning systems.

Avatar modeling: a telepresence study with natural user interface

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Web user interface architecture for advanced planning and scheduling systems Case: Nokia Demand / Supply Planning Applications

In modem hitec industry Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) systems provide the basis for e-business solutions towards the suppliers and the customers. One objective of this thesis was to clarify the modem supply chain management with the APS systems and especially concentrate on the area of Collaborative Planning. In order Advanced Planning and Scheduling systems to be complete and usable, user interfaces are needed. Current Visual Basic user interfaces have faced many complaints and arguments from the users as well as from the development team. This thesis is trying to analyze the reasons and causes for the encountered problems and also provide ways to overcome them. The decision has been made to build the new user interfaces to be Web-enabled. Therefore another objective of this thesis was to research and find suitable technologies for building the Web-based user interfaces for Advanced Planning and Scheduling Systems in Nokia Demand/Supply Planning business area. Comparison between the most suitable technologies is made. Usability issues of Web-enabled user interfaces are also covered. The empirical part of the thesis includes design and implementation of a Web-based user interface with the chosen technology for a particular APS module that enables Collaborative Planning with suppliers.

Analysis of companies' software as a service adoption intention factors

The goal of this study is to develop managerial recommendations for international vendors and system integrators, which offer Software as a Service for enterprise information systems on the Russian market. Those recommendations can be used to develop marketing, sales, new product and service level agreement strategies. For those reasons factors affecting SaaS adoption were determined and their influence on intention to adoption was examined.

Mirage 2: A responsive user interface for DSpace

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Software as a Service liiketoimintamallina

Software as a Service (SaaS) on tietojärjestelmien kehityksessä käytettävä liiketoimintamalli. Sen toiminta perustuu pilvilaskentaan ja pilven kautta tarjottavaan ohjelmistoon. Perinteisen ohjelmiston vastaisesti SaaSia käyttävää ohjelmaa ei asenneta käyttäjän laitteistolle, vaan ohjelmiston loogisen osan toiminta tapahtuu pilvessä. Käyttäjä siis antaa Internetin välitykselle ohjelmalle käskyjä, joiden perusteella ohjelma suorittaa tehtäviä ja palauttaa informaatiota. Tässä tutkielmassa käsitellään SaaSin yleisen toiminnan lisäksi sen liiketoiminnallisia ominaisuuksia ja vaikutusta ohjelmistotuotannon normeihin. Työssä arvioidaan SaaSin hyötyjä ja haittoja niin yrityksien ohjelmistotuotannon kuin liiketoiminnankin kannalta ja tutkitaan milloin ja miten kyseistä toimintamallia voi hyödyntää parhaimmalla tavalla nykyaikaisessa tietojärjestelmäkehityksessä. Lopussa pohditaan syvemmin SaaSin toimintaa tällä hetkellä ja tulevaisuudessa. Tuloksista nähdään mitä SaaS ja pilvilaskenta käytännössä merkitsee nykyaikaisessa ohjelmistokehityksessä. Huomataan, että SaaSin suuri suosion kasvu on perusteltavaa sen käytännöllisyyden ja toiminnallisuuden takia. SaaSin tarjoaman modernin pilveen perustuvan tietoteknisen ja liiketoiminnallisen ratkaisun takia on oletettavissa, että SaaSin suosion kasvukäyrä tulee jatkossakin olemaan nousu-johteinen.

Model to Build a Service Quality Centric Customer Reference Portfolio in a Software as a Service Company

The goal of the master’s thesis was to develop a model to build a service quality centric customer reference portfolio for a software as a service company. The case company is Meltwater Finland Oy that leverages customer references externally but there is no systematic model to produce good quality customer references that are in line with the company strategy. The project was carried out as a case study, where the primary source of information were seventeen internal interviews with the employees of the case company. The theory part focuses on customer references as assets and service quality in software as a service industry. In the empirical part the research problem is solved. As a result of the case study, the model to build a service quality centric customer reference portfolio was created and further research areas were suggested.

The roles and tasks of salespeople in Software-as-a-Service company's value-based sales process

Recent research in relationships marketing and sales and sales management emphasizes companies’ ability to create customer value as a core of all business-to-business relationships. The role of individual salespeople in business relation-ships is commonly acknowledged, but has been largely neglected in extant literature. This study offers especially more detailed perspective on salespeople’s roles and tasks in business-to-business value-based sales process. It focuses especially on Software-as-a-Service business environment. The objective of the study is to find out how salespeople can create value in Software-as-a-Service value-based sales process. It determines value-based sales process, salespeople’s roles and tasks in it, and combines value assessment in to process. The results indicate that salespeople have to adapt different selling roles and tasks in Software-as-a-Service value-based sales process to be able to support the customer’s value-in-use experience. The process itself is highly complex, consisting of multiple facets and selling behaviors, and involves relevant actors from both parties of relationship. The study concludes with a discussion of possibilities that provide interesting aspects for future research.

Orientaçoes para o design da interface de software educativo multimédia. 'Orientaciones para el diseño de un interfaz de software educativo multimedia'.

Conocer qué desafíos se fijan los creadores de software educativo multimedia, qué tipo de comunicación debemos establecer entre el usuario y el ordenador para que sus exploraciones desemboquen en situaciones de aprendizaje y cómo favorecer la realización de software adecuado a la naturaleza del proceso educativo en las cuales las características de accesibilidad, transparencia, atractivo, claridad de objetivos educativos y la realización de actividades, contribuyen a una mayor interactividad del hombre con la máquina. Se utilizó la investigación por compilación, con compilación documental, por entrevista y por encuesta, y la investigación documental, utilizando fuentes primarias y secundarias de información para esbozar la evolución, tendencias y orientaciones de diseño de interfaces. La investigación empírica se divide en dos estudios, el primero abordó la cuestión del nivel de conocimientos y la utilización del software educativo por parte de los maestros de Educación infantil y profesores de primaria y, el segundo, tenía como objetivo confeccionar una lista de orientaciones para el diseño de interfaces, a partir de aspectos estudiados en el marco teórico, y a partir de los cuales se diseñó una tabla de evaluación de interfaces de software educativo multimedia. El estudio se llevó a cabo con maestros y profesores de primaria que asistían al curso complementario de formación en la Escuela Superior de Educación de Fafe durante los años 1999-2000, 2000-2001, 2001-2002. Se elaboró una tabla de evaluación de interfaces destinado a los realizadores de software educativo que sirve para controlar la calidad del interfaz. Los docentes a pesar de conocer algún que otro software educativo disponible en el mercado, su uso en el contexto educativo es poco frecuente. Los profesores que estuvieron ligados a proyectos con prácticas en ordenador o que realizaron acciones de formación en Nuevas Tecnologías conocen y recurren más al software educativo.

User interface standards for expert systems: are they appropriate?

In recent years there has been a growing debate over whether or not standards should be produced for user system interfaces. Those in favor of standardization argue that standards in this area will result in more usable systems, while those against argue that standardization is neither practical nor desirable. The present paper reviews both sides of this debate in relation to expert systems. It argues that in many areas guidelines are more appropriate than standards for user interface design.

Exploração inicial da interface do software Acid Xpress

O professor, sentado diante de um computador, demonstra as diferentes partes que compõem a interface gráfica do software Acid Xpress, como “Track list (lista de faixas)”, “Timeline (linha do tempo)”, “Barra de transporte”, “Painel de exploração”, “Track properties (propriedades da faixa)”, “Janela de mixagem”, “Video preview (visualização de vídeo)” e “Soft synth properties (propriedades de sintetizador)”.