%T International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction - RoCHI 2018 %C Cluj-Napoca %D 3-4 September 2018 %G ISSN 2501-9422 %E Adrian Sabou %E Philippe Palanque %P 180 %W http://rochi2018.utcluj.ro %T Effects of gender differences in the perceived learning quality of an AR-based learning scenario %A Costin Pribeanu %P 1-4 %X In recent years there is an increasing interest in the quality of the educational software. Augmented Reality (AR) learning platforms have the potential to improve the understanding of specific concepts of a discipline. This paper aims to explore the effects of gender differences on the perceived learning quality of an AR-based learning scenario for Chemistry. A formatively measured model with causal indicators has been developed that has as focal construct the perceived Chemistry learning quality. An invariance analysis has been carried out to test if the model is invariant across. The results show that although the gender differences as regards the perceived learning quality are not significant, the boys and the girls have different perceptions as regards the contribution of the specific AR features to Chemistry learning. %K AR-based learning, causal indicators, invariance analysis, multidimensional model, educational quality. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Pribeanu.pdf %T Filter Application on Facial Features in a Smartphone App %A Sofia Morar %A Elena Pelican %A Dorin-Mircea Popovici %P 5-11 %X Filter application on facial features is a rather new field and it has quickly become essential in all the social network applications. Fast and accurate filter application is still a field to be explored. In this paper, an automatic application of filters of different makeup products (lipstick and blush) is developed on the facial features of interest (lips and cheeks). Facial features are recognized and extracted with the help of a Machine Learning API (Application Programming Interface), Google Mobile Vision API. The application of the filters is developed using Bezier curves and the basic principles of graphics for the correct rendering of layers. The application of the filters is developed in an iOS App, with two functionalities, application on a picture, as well as in real-time through the phone’s camera, where we also use a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) in order to recognize the user’s face, which introduces us into the field of Augmented Reality (AR) and Deep Learning. %K Filter Application; Facial Features; Real-Time; Augmented Reality; Bezier Curves; iOS; Convolutional Neural Network (CNN); Image Classification; Deep Learning; Network Architecture %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Morar.pdf %T Towards a VR-based Cognitive Assessment and Rehabilitation Tool for Cognitively Impaired Elderly People %A Ștefan Cojocaru %A Dorin-Mircea Popovici %P 12-17 %X With increased life expectancies and improved quality of life conditions, many people find themselves living long and healthy lives until they reach old age, when the body starts decaying, and the brain is no exception. The primary objective of this paper is to introduce a novel approach on the evaluation, prevention and training of the elderly afflicted by cognitive disorders, within a virtual reality environment. By adapting and enhancing examinations normally used in the specialized medical field combined with the potential of virtual reality, a path to new possibilities opens up. The data gathered from various studies strongly suggests that mental exercise is a key factor in the prevention and alleviation of the evolution of dementia. The aim of our system is not only to detect and mitigate early signs of dementia, but to offer a mentally stimulating VR-assisted activity for the elderly, an important step in the rehabilitation of the elderly and potentially a forward step in the research field of cognitive impairments. %K Virtual Reality; Cognitive; Assessment; Rehabilitation; Training; Dementia; Alzheimer’s Disease; Elderly; Cognitively Impaired %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Cojocaru.pdf %T FoodAR - An Augmented Reality Application used in Gastronomy %A Mirela Chițaniuc %A Bianca Miron %A Adrian Iftene %P 18-23 %X Augmented reality is used today in many different domains with important benefits for the end users. They are helped to understand the concepts better or to do simple things guided by augmented information presented like texts, images, audios or videos. In this paper we present an augmented reality application created to help the user identify fast the existing ingredients in a fridge and then choose a recipe which can be prepared with these ingredients. The application also provides the necessary steps to prepare this recipe and suggestive images which can help the user during the preparation process. %K Augmented reality; Gastronomy; Usability testing. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Chitaniuc.pdf %T A Systematic Review of the Methods and Experiments Aimed to Reduce Front-Back Confusions in the Free-Field and Virtual Auditory Environments %A Oana Bălan %A Alin Moldoveanu %A Florica Moldoveanu %P 24-29 %X Human spatial representation is determined by the interaction of a wide range of stimuli, including visual, neuromotor and acoustic information. In a virtual acoustic environment that intends to simulate the perception of sound as in real-world conditions by rendering the audio stimuli over headphones, the accuracy of audio presentation is of the utmost importance. Nonetheless, a well-known problem which affects binaural audio localization is represented by the front-back confusion, a situation in which the listener perceives the sounds which come from the front as coming from the back and vice-versa. Over the years, many theoretical and practical approaches have been devised in order to reduce the incidence of front-back confusions, including head movement, source movement, sound filtering using early reflections, the simulation of reverberant environments or anthropometric estimation. This paper aims to study, review and compare the most relevant methods and experiments designed to decrease the rate of front-back confusion errors that appear in the case of synthesized 3D sound delivered over headphones in virtual auditory displays and in real-world conditions. %K Spatial hearing; sound localization; virtual auditory environment; front-back confusion. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Balan.pdf %T Assessing the usability of web-based applications for diabetes care %A Maria Gheorghe-Moisii %A Marilena Ianculescu %A Costin Pribeanu %P 30-33 %X In the last years, software applications for medical care, including the guided self-management of medication, have known a continuous expansion. As such, there is a growing interest in the usability of these applications. A typical category of patients that need support for the self- management of medication and life style are the diabetics. This paper aims to present three case studies of usability evaluation of web-based applications for diabetes care. The evaluation results revealed several important usability problems that are mainly related to the user guidance and user effort. %K Usability, usability inspection, usability heuristics, diabetes care, online medical centers. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Gheorghe-Moisii.pdf %T Using expert evaluation to assess the usability of the CNAS-SIUI Portal %A Irina Cristescu %A Dragoș Daniel Iordache %A Marilena Ianculescu %P 34-37 %X Recently, the number of e-Health applications that aim to streamline relationships between relevant institutions, physicians, health professionals and other interested entities has increased. One of these applications is the Integrated Information System of the Romanian Health Insurance (CNAS-SIUI Portal). The main objective of this paper is to assess the usability of CNAS-SIUI Portal using expert evaluation. The results revealed several usability problems that were mainly related to the difficulty to access the user account section, to patient authentication to the electronic health record and the lack of voice alternative to create the account for blind people. %K Usability, usability inspection, usability heuristics, eHealth, eHealth portals. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Cristescu.pdf %T Usability evaluation of Tesys e-Learning platform %A Paul Ștefan Popescu %A Marian Cristian Mihăescu %A Dragoș Daniel Iordache %A Costin Pribeanu %P 38-41 %X Currently, e-learning platforms are increasingly used tools in universities to easily and efficiently achieve the proposed educational goals. Students and teachers can choose from a variety of learning platforms that differ both in structure, function and facilities they offer. Under these conditions, usable platforms have much greater chances to be integrated into longer-lasting educational activities than less usable ones. This paper presents the evaluation of the usability of the Tesys e-learning platform developed at the University of Craiova. The results of the evaluation revealed several important usability problems that have to be fixed. %K Usability, usability inspection, usability heuristics, e- Learning platforms. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Popescu.pdf %T Mobile usability evaluation: the case of the Art Encounters 2017 application %A Silviu Vert %A Diana Andone %P 42-45 %X Usability evaluation is a crucial step in ensuring the success and adoption of a mobile application. Several usability evaluation techniques have been developed over the time, each one with its own advantages. In this paper, we present a usability test that was done for the mobile application Art Encounters 2017, an app developed by Politehnica University of Timisoara, that promotes the Romanian biennial contemporary art exhibition with the same name. We applied the observation session and the focus group techniques, having as participants 20 students attending an Interactivity and Usability master course. The usability test indicates issues in the areas of navigation, menu, event searching and filtering, or getting to a venue, and received suggestions from the participants on how to further improve the application. Based on the result an improved version is to be developed for the next year event. %K Usability evaluation; observation session; focus group; mobile application. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Vert.pdf %T Tools and resources for Romanian text-to-speech and speech-to-text applications %A Tiberiu Boros %A Ștefan Daniel Dumitrescu %A Vasile Pais %P 46-53 %X In this paper we introduce a set of resources and tools aimed at providing support for natural language processing, text-to-speech synthesis and speech recognition for Romanian. While the tools are general purpose and can be used for any language (we successfully trained our system for more than 50 languages), the resources are only relevant for Romanian language processing. %K Natural language processing, text-to-speech synthesis, Romanian language, multilingual, low-resourced environments, decision trees, neural networks, LSTMs. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Boros.pdf %T Speech & Speaker Recognition for Romanian Language %A Eugeniu Vezeteu %A Dragoș-Florin Sburlan %A Elena Pelican %P 54-62 %X The present paper illustrates the main methods that can be employed to build a speech and speaker recognition system for Romanian language. To this aim, we start by presenting the classical approach of extracting the Mell Frequency Cepstral Coefficients features from a dataset of speech signals (which represents some words/phrases in Romanian language). The recognition is done either by using Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) or by training an Convolutional Neural Network. A comparison between these models is presented and commented. Once such a system is developed, we proceed further by implementing an application that listens and executes some predefined commands. In our setup, the system performs two main tasks: it recognizes the user by his voice and executes a task corresponding to the vocal command. %K Sound processing, feature extraction, pattern recognition. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Vezeteu.pdf %T ReaderBench Talk: Online Conversations Empowered by Advanced NLP Techniques %A Andrei Mardale %A Gabriel Guțu-Robu %A Mihai Dascălu %A Ștefan Trăușan-Matu %P 63-70 %X With the increased need of communication, Computer- Supported Collaborative Learning has gained a broader attention within the last years. Thus, the necessity of using chat applications emerged; however, most solutions lack the integration of Natural Language Processing (NLP) services in order to provide support and guidance, while discussing. Our novel application Talk is integrated within the ReaderBench framework and is defined by three main features: asynchronous messages specific to chats, automated bots for enhancing participants’ involvement and interactions, as well as the usage of advanced NLP functionalities for a posteriori evaluations. ReaderBench Talk communicates with the framework through a dedicated endpoint built within the ReaderBench API. As preliminary validation, two assignments were given to students from our faculty. Overall, students were able to solve the tasks without encountering critical bugs and they also provided valuable feedback. Their feedback revealed the usefulness of the application, its ease of use, the persistency of data, and the quality of the NLP services. The feedback also helped identify issues, which were mainly related to the user interface and to the communication with the server. %K Chat Conversations; Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning; ReaderBench framework; Natural Language Processing; Chat Bots. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Mardale.pdf %T Byzantine Music Composition Using Markov Models %A Teodor Lucian Anton %A Ștefan Trăușan-Matu %P 71-75 %X This paper presents a project that applies Markov Models improved with similarity metrics to produce computer- generated Byzantine music. An implementation over a dataset of Romanian music in eighth mode, stichiraric style is described. The importance of the similarity mechanism is highlighted, in particular in regard to melodic transition tables. Results of the implementation are presented, which show both strengths and limitations of the model. %K Music composition; Markov Models; Byzantine Music; rhythm. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Anton.pdf %T Workflow Editor for Definition and Execution of Parallelized Earth Data Processing Algorithms %A Constantin Ioan Nandra %A Dorian Gorgan %P 76-83 %X The aim of this paper is to present a workflow editor application meant to facilitate the description of parallelizable Earth Data processing algorithms. The application was developed as part of the BigEarth project, whose overall aim was to improve the execution time of large Earth Observation data sets by spreading the processing effort over a distributed, high-performance computing network. To achieve a simple and flexible manner of partitioning the parallel parts of the algorithms between different processing nodes, we chose to represent them using a simple, workflow-based model. Since one of the main purposes of the project was to provide a simple and intuitive way of creating algorithms descriptions, we chose to implement a Domain Specific Language coupled with a visual workflow representation used for providing feedback. Throughout this paper, we will be demonstrating the use of the workflow editor together with the description language in order to define and execute distributed data processing algorithms. We will be highlighting the effectiveness of the application as a means of providing processing algorithms by analyzing its behavior under various stress tests. %K Interactive processing; workflow description; earth data. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Nandra.pdf %T Smart Watch-based Gesture Recognition to Control a Music Player %A Ioana-Crinela Potinteu %A Teodor Ștefănuț %P 84-90 %X This paper describes a system for gesture recognition based on a smart watch and a mobile phone. Our system also integrates a Web API for saving, retrieving and processing data about the gestures and a web application to visualize the saved data. We propose a button-based segmentation method that uses Dynamic Time Warping and One Nearest Neighbors to classify the data from a single 3-axis accelerometer. The system distinguishes 4 arm gestures using a variable number of labeled templates for the classifier. To emphasize the practical utility of the system the recognized gestures are used to control a music player. This is just an example. This form of user interaction can be exploited by many different types of applications, for instance applications for home automation. %K Human-computer interaction; gesture recognition; smart watch; accelerometer; classification; dynamic time warping. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Potinteu.pdf %T Perceived Usability, Desirability, and Workload of Mid-Air Gesture Control for Smart TVs %A Irina Popovici %A Radu-Daniel Vatavu %P 91-98 %X We explore in this work users’ perceived workload, desirability, and usability of selecting mid-air targets representing TV menu options anchored to physical loci in 3-D space. Toward this end, we introduce a gesture-based selection technique and a spatial user interface for Smart TVs that consists of shortcuts to TV channels located in mid-air in front of the user’s body. Target selection is implemented with pointing and hand gestures recognized with the Myo armband. Ten participants evaluated our prototype and were elicited for feedback. We report empirical results about perceived usability (SUS=77.8), desirability (high frequency of positive connotation words), and workload (TLX=43.9) of our gesture-based selection technique and spatial user interface and discuss future work directions. %K Mid-air gestures; pointing; menu selection; usability; NASA TLX; SUS; desirability; study; Smart TVs; spatial user interfaces; Myo. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Popovici.pdf %T Toward Smart Rings as Assistive Devices for People with Motor Impairments: A Position Paper %A Bogdan-Florin Gheran %A Ovidiu-Ciprian Ungurean %A Radu-Daniel Vatavu %P 99-106 %X In this position paper we highlight the potential of finger augmentation devices, such as smart rings, for designing assistive technology for people with upper body motor impairments. We review the literature on assistive input for motor impairments and point out the fact that no prior work has examined the application opportunities of finger augmentation devices for people with motor impairments, despite vast attention dedicated to other input devices and modalities, such as touch, voice, eye gaze tracking, and direct brain-computer input. To foster explorations of smart rings as assistive devices for users with motor impairments, we recommend several directions of investigation, such as designing one-button or microswitch interactions, design of multi-device user interfaces that combine smart rings with touch input on mobile devices, recognition of mid-air gestures performed by movements of the upper arm and shoulder, and application of the principles of ability-based design for self-adapting smart ring gesture user interfaces to accommodate a wide range of motor impairments. %K Smart rings; Wearables; Motor impairments; Finger augmentation devices; Microswitch; Gesture input; Ability- based design; Position paper. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Gheran.pdf %T Augmenting Selection by Intention for In-Vehicle Control and Command %A Cătălin Diaconescu %A Dragoș-Florin Sburlan %A Dorin-Mircea Popovici %P 107-110 %X Our paper proposes an in-vehicle interactive environment that facilitates driver to interact with a computer-based (multimedia) system through intentional gestures. To this end we used two complementary gesture detection technologies, Leap motion responsible for user gesture detection, and Myo as a second interaction device that gives the driver the possibility to switch between launched applications and supplementary controls. Based on preliminary results of the usability test we conducted for our solution, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using two different gesture recognition technologies for in-vehicle interactive environments. We conclude by the main issues we identify until now and some future directions of our efforts. %K Natural gesture-based interaction, augmented reality, multimodal rendering, haptic feedback. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Diaconescu.pdf %T Game Development Methodology Mapped on the EvoGlimpse Video Game Experiment %A Bianca-Cerasela-Zelia Blaga %A Dorian Gorgan %P 111-118 %X Game development is a complex task that requires a lot of hard work and patience because it contains various elements such as 3D objects, collision detection, scripting, sound management, animation, rendering, control, and artificial intelligence. Video games are also interactive applications; therefore, they need to be designed in such a way that would enable a high level of usability. In this paper, the development methodology steps that were done for creating a video game are presented. The goal is to gain knowledge in game development with a hands-on experiment and to obtain a highly functional and usable game. %K Development methodology; evaluation; game design; game implementation; video games. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Blaga.pdf %T Exploring Solutions for the Development Methodology of the Video Game DABABAT %A Al-Doori Rami %A Bianca-Cerasela-Zelia Blaga %A Dorian Gorgan %P 119-126 %X This paper proposes an implementation of a multiplayer war game using Unity Game Engine and explores all the basic steps of development, starting from planning until getting a product, and evaluating by usability heuristics. The development steps contain a method to build a functional avatar of tank module with a synchronized movement of the turret and the gun. %K Blender 3D; Heuristics Evaluation; Tanks; Unity. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Rami.pdf %T Experiments on Computer Game Development Methodology %A Andrei Gabriel Morar %A Dorian Gorgan %P 127-134 %X This paper describes the methodology of creating an interactive computer game. It analyzes the necessary phases by which the functional and non-functional requirements related to a computer game are transformed into a final product. The presentation of the game development methodology is based on YAMS interactive multiplayer dice game. The description of each development phase includes both different implementation ideas for some features and changes based on the objective analysis of the previous phase. %K Interactive Games; Unity; Development Methodology. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-MorarG.pdf %T Impact of Game AI Systems on Player Experience %A Daniel Ciugurean %A Bogdan Maxim %A Dorian Gorgan %P 135-140 %X In this paper, we explore the impact of the most common building blocks of game AI systems on player experience. We conduct an extensive survey of the most common techniques applied in practice, and then analyze their individual and combined impact on player experience. Next, we argue that a systemic AI that guides the player adversary on a macro level, raises the replay value that keeps the users engaged and enhances the overall player experience. We observe player behavior through a series of playtesting sessions on an AI-based game prototype, with variations on each AI subsystem. Finally, we provide an analysis of our results. %K Artificial Intelligence, AI-based game design, Systemic AI. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Ciugurean.pdf %T Enhancing player experience using procedural level generation %A Bogdan Maxim %A Daniel Ciugurean %A Dorian Gorgan %P 141-146 %X In this paper we explore different types of procedurally generated content to see if and how it can affect the gameplay experience of the player. We conduct a survey with different types of procedurally generated content in order to see if and how it affects the player when playing a game. The paper presents a simple turn based tactical strategy game where the objective of the player is to eliminate the enemy team. The player must achieve this goal in different circumstances: from a simple grid to a procedurally random generated levels. The experiments conducted will show the way procedurally generation will enhance the gameplay experience of the player and where it should be used. %K Video games; procedurally generated content; player experience; gameplay; replayability. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Maxim.pdf %T Initiative to Support Basic Digital Skills Development of Romanian Preschool Children %A Adriana-Mihaela Guran %A Grigoreta-Sofia Cojocar %A Anamaria Moldovan %P 147-154 %X The children of today are born and grow up in a landscape immersed by technology. The research on the jobs of the future shows that 90% of them will need digital skills. Romania, in the context of European Union, ranks on the 28th position out of 28 countries based on the digital skills of its population, even though the IT industry is very well developed. Interventions must be done to improve the level of digital skills of Romanian children. The schools have already included in their curricula ICT (Information and Communication Technology) classes, but we consider that we should also focus on helping preschool children acquire the basic digital skills. It should be done using an integrated approach that refers to interaction with technology and the corresponding content. In this paper we present our initiative on developing interactive products that can be used in kindergarten, a formal education environment, as part of Human-Computer Interaction undergraduate course. %K Interaction design, children, user-centered design, serious games, digital skills. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Guran.pdf %T Measuring the educational support provided by the discussion groups: A multidimensional model %A Gabriel Gorghiu %A Irina Cristescu %A Dragoș Daniel Iordache %A Costin Pribeanu %P 155-158 %X Social media technologies stimulate the implementation of the social learning paradigm. Online discussion groups created by educators to support a closer relationship with students are widely used in universities. However, the research on this topic has been carried on mainly by qualitative studies and there are few approaches aiming to measure the educational support provided by the online discussion groups. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the educational support provided by the online discussion groups. A multidimensional model has been developed and tested on a sample of 302 students from various specializations of Valahia University Targoviste, Romania (bachelor and master studies). The educational support has been conceptualized as a global factor that manifests along three dimensions: support for teaching, support for personal development and support for professional formation. The results show that the social learning support the most appreciated by students, leaving the formation for the future profession and the training ones in the secondary plans. %K Online discussion groups, educational support, social media technology, measurement, multidimensional model. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Gorghiu.pdf %T Heuristic Evaluation of the EvoGlimpse Video Game %A Bianca-Cerasela-Zelia Blaga %A Selma Evelyn Cătălina Goga %A Al-Doori Rami %A Dorian Gorgan %P 159-166 %X The evaluation of the interface of a video game is essential for its development. In this paper, a heuristic evaluation is proposed, from the perspective of an interactive application. The goal is to estimate the level of usability. The game is tested by evaluators who follow a series of scenarios and relevant actions, with the purpose of answering questions that can determine if it respects the usability requirements. Specific evaluation criteria are established, and solutions are proposed for the found problems. %K Evaluation criteria; heuristic evaluation; interactive applications; video games; usability. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Blaga-2.pdf %T Analysis on Usability Heuristics for MagicHerbs Game %A Selma Evelyn Cătălina Goga %A Bianca-Cerasela-Zelia Blaga %A Flavia Andrada Pop %A Dorian Gorgan %P 167-174 %X This article discusses the evaluation stages of the MagicHerbs game using the ten usability principles of Nielsen along with the four severity ratings for the found usability problems. MagicHerbs is a new action-adventure game of type Role Playing Game (RPG) found in its prototyping stage. Three persons evaluated the application: one was the designer and developer of the game, and two other users which were already familiar with the game as they have given feedback throughout the development of the current application version. In the end, an analysis on the results of the evaluation is made and solutions for the most critical detected problems are proposed. %K Usability; Usability Heuristics; Game Development. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Goga.pdf %T Real-Time User Interaction within Socio-Physical Systems %A Corina Bianca Alb %A Dorian Gorgan %P 175-180 %X In this sample paper you can find information regarding the study of human interaction with a computer application that manipulates massive amount of information in real-time. Here are discussed the matters of assuring high performance and responsiveness of the system when interacting with a human user. It is also presents a way to establish efficient communication between entities that form crowds and the user input: how to apply external forces to dynamic entities. %K Entity; GPU; interaction; atomic; obstacle; target; parallel computation; User input; manipulation; cluster. %W http://rochi.utcluj.ro/articole/6/RoCHI2018-Alb.pdf