Romanian Journal of
Human - Computer InteractionVol. 2 (2009) Special issue: Human Computer Interaction 2009
Proceedings of the National Conference on Human-Computer Interaction
Cluj-Napoca, 3-4 September 2009ISSN 1843-4460
Contents
Mirrors of the World – Supporting Situational Awareness with Computer Screens
Gerrit C. van der Veer, Olga Kulyk, Dhaval Vyas
1-8 User Experience in Windows 7
Ioan Lazarciuc
9-10 New directions in UI: WPF and Silverlight
Dan Petric, Daniel Lăcătuş, Stefan Szasz
11-12 Creating And Visualizing Lessons In Egle Elearning Platform
Teodor Ştefănuţ, Victor Bâcu, Dorian Gorgan
13-18 Usage Of Computer-Based Collaborative Interfacing Tools For Learning
Ştefan Trăuşan-Matu, Vlad Posea, Traian Rebedea
19-24 The Accesibility Of Elearning Platforms For The Visually Impaired Students
Marian Pădure
25-30 A Study Regarding The Abstract Specification Of The User Interface By Using USIXML And UIML Languages
Simina Tofan, Anamaria Pradais, Sabin Buraga
31-34 The Components Of A Text To Speech System
Mihai Alexandru Ordean, Andrei Şaupe, Mihaela Ordean, Dorian Gorgan
35-38 Synchronizing Video Sequences With Text Streams
Dârdală Marian, Reveiu Adriana, Furtună Titus Felix
39-42 Interaction Techniques In Earth Science Applications
Victor Bâcu, Teodor Ştefănut, Dorian Gorgan
43-48 A Generic Component Approach For Dynamic Generation Of User Interfaces
Frăsinaru Cristian, Ungureanu Vlad Costel
49-56 Virtual Geographical Space Visualization Based On Graphics Cluster Using Hybrid Algorithms
Cristinel Mihai Mocan
57-60 Recent Approaches In The Formative Usability Evaluation
Costin Pribeanu, Ruxandra Dora Marinescu, Irina Cristescu, Lucreţia Pîrvu, Dragoş Daniel Iordache
61-64 Efficiency Evaluation Of First Person Interaction Metaphors For Manipulation Of Virtual Prototypes
Florin Gîrbacia, Doru Talabă
65-68 Evaluation Of Motivational Value Of An Augmented Reality System For Learning Biology
Dragoş Daniel Iordache, Costin Pribeanu
69-72 Emotional State Evaluation Based On The Human Body Position, Through Computer-Vision Methods
Delia Mitrea, Sergiu Nedevschi, Dorian Gorgan
73-76 A User Centered Approach In Developing An Intelligent System For National Cancer Registry Management
Adriana-Mihaela Guran, Grigoreta-Sofia Cojocar, Luciana Neamţiu
77-82 An Ontology-Based Competence Management Interactive System For It Companies
Cristina Niculescu, Ştefan Trăuşan-Matu
83-88 Applying Social Science Methods In Software Engineering – A Practical Approach
Daniela-Maria Andrei, Adriana-Mihaela Guran, Horia D. Pitariu
89-94 Critical Remarks On The Interaction Of Users With File Systems
Lucian Cheţan
95-98 Current State Of Research In Augmented Reality
Dragoş Cătălin Barbu
99-104 Recommendations For E-Learning Solutions Development And Evaluation
Daniel Safta, Dorian Gorgan
105-110
Abstracts
Mirrors of the World – Supporting Situational Awareness with Computer Screens
Gerrit C. van der Veer1, Olga Kulyk2, Dhaval Vyas2
1 Open University Netherlands
Heerlen, the Netherlands
gerrit@acm.org
2 University of Twente
Enschede, the Netherlands
{o.kulyk, d.m.vyas}@utwente.nlAbstract. In this paper we develop a notion of support for social and situational awareness. Our initial ideas are based on the metaphor of using a mirror to see what you are not looking at. We provide two studies that, for different contexts, apply the metaphor to develop design ideas that fit the context of use.
User Experience in Windows 7
Ioan Lazarciuc
Microsoft Student Partner, Universitatea Tehnica din Cluj-Napoca
Str. Gh. Bariţiu Nr 28
ioan.lazarciuc@student-partners.comAbstract. The experience of a user with an operating system has the power to transform the software in a success or a failure. The new Windows version uses the test program feedback and the latest technologies, like multi-touch, in order to offer the users a well organized, intuitive and efficient working environment.
New directions in UI: WPF and Silverlight
Dan Petric, Daniel Lăcătuş, Stefan Szasz
Fortech, Cluj-Napoca
dan.petric@fortech.ro, daniel.lacatus@fortech.ro, stefans@fortech.roWindows Presentation Foundation, or WPF, is the new framework for UI development included in the .NET 3.0+ technologies, aiming to replace the older Windows Forms Framework. With a special Direct 3D based engine, the new framework offers support for video streaming and 3D operations together with other graphical visual effects that where impossible to achieve in the old Window Forms. Silverlight is another framework designed to support the development of web applications with a very attractive interface. Implemented as a browser plugin, Silverlight allows these applications to run on the most of the operating systems being a more advanced environment that the DHTML (HTML and JavaScript) language. Both frameworks represent the new generation of instruments used for creating special and innovative User Interfaces, superior to the classical ones.
Creating And Visualizing Lessons In Egle Elearning Platform
Teodor Ştefănuţ, Victor Bâcu, Dorian Gorgan
Universitatea Tehnică din Cluj-Napoca
{teodor.stefanut, victor.bacu, dorian.gorgan}@cs.utcluj.roAbstract. Together with the development of the Internet and with the large use of personal computers, the eLearning Platforms have known an accelerated development providing educational services to significantly lower costs than classical methods. Today, the development of these systems has been slowed down because of their limited processing and storage capabilities that can be used at once. Being used in new domains that require the management and processing of large volumes of information (ex. satellite images, 3D simulations etc.), the eLearning Environments based on single server architectures will be replaced by the ones based on Grid networks that will provide the capabilities necessary to perform this kind of operations. This paper will describe the eGLE eLearning Platform which has been created based on Grid technology and will also present a method to create lessons in Earth Observation domain using these extended storage and processing capabilities.
Usage Of Computer-Based Collaborative Interfacing Tools For Learning
Ştefan Trăuşan-Matu1,2, Vlad Posea1, Traian Rebedea1
1Universitatea Politehnică Bucureşti
Str. Splaiul Independenţei nr. 313, Bucureşti
2Institutul de Cercetări pentru Inteligenţă Artificială
Calea 13 Septembrie nr.13, Bucureşti
stefan.trausan@cs.pub.ro, vladposea@yahoo.com, traian.rebedea@cs.pub.roAbstract. The paper presents several researches performed during several years at the Computer Science Department of the ”Politehnica” University of Bucharest for supporting the learning activities with computers. The shift from the cognitive paradigm to the socio-cultural one is discussed. The experiments of using instant messenger (chat) and blog are discussed in detail.
The Accesibility Of Elearning Platforms For The Visually Impaired Students
Marian Pădure
Universitatea “Babeş-Bolyai” Cluj-Napoca
Centrul de Asistenţă în Domeniul Tehnologiilor de Acces pentru Persoane cu Deficienţe de Vedere
Str. Panduri nr. 7
mpadure@psiedu.ubbcluj.roAbstract. The accessibility of the interfaces, with which a student with visual impairments interacts, remains an unsolved issue. Even if, there have been elaborated and recommended various standards for web accessibility (e.g. W3C-WAI), and also for e-learning system (e.g. I.M.S.,E-Learn-ViP), these are present only at a primary level or not entirely acceptable. In our research we intended to evaluate two platforms e-learning throughout two methodological steps, with the help from students with visual imairments. The accessibility of an e-learning system is useful to all the users, not only to those with visual impairments.
A Study Regarding The Abstract Specification Of The User Interface By Using USIXML And UIML Languages
Simina Tofan, Anamaria Pradais, Sabin Buraga
Facultatea de Informatică, Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iaşi, România
Str. Berthelot, nr. 16, Iaşi 700483 - România
{simina.tofan, anamaria.pradais, busaco}@info.uaic.roAbstract. The paper proposes a study regarding the methods of abstract specification for a game user interface by using UsiXML and UIML descriptive languages. Certain aspects about the model-based interaction in the context of CADUI (Computer-Aided Design of User Interface) and the effective use of the modelling tools are presented.
The Components Of A Text To Speech System
Mihai Alexandru Ordean1, Andrei Şaupe1, Mihaela Ordean1, Dorian Gorgan2
1 iQuest Technologies
Cluj-Napoca, România
{Mihai.Ordean, Andrei.Saupe, Mihaela.Ordean}@iquestint.com
2 Universitatea Tehnica Cluj-Napoca, România
Dorian.Gorgan@cs.utcluj.roAbstract. Converting words from written form into speakable forms strongly influences the performance of a text-to-speech (TTS) system. The text analysis component of a TTS system is responsible for parsing the language structure and meaning. It indicates all the knowledge about the text and reveals out the message. The core element of the text analysis component is the text parser which translates and disambiguates the human language and conveys the meaning among a potentially unlimited range of possibilities. In this paper the focus is on the text analysis component of a TTS system tailored for the Romanian language. Our goal is to produce an efficient parser of the written text and proper data structures to allow the tuning of the core unit selection component of our TTS system. We go beyond previous research by enhancing our parser with further computational efficiency and better output representation.
Synchronizing Video Sequences With Text Streams
Dârdală Marian, Reveiu Adriana, Furtună Titus Felix
Academia de Studii Economice
Bucureşti, Piaţa Romană, nr 6
{dardala, reveiua, titus}@ase.roAbstract. The construction of multimedia applications assumes to control and to management the media streams. The most complex data type involved in the multimedia applications is the video type. To use such a multimedia resource there are end-user oriented solutions as in the case of specialized software components from the authoring multimedia software products. In this case the emphasis is: on the presenting scenario, on the composition, on the synchronizing of elements involved in the presentation. In the development of low level applications, that is when the developer wants to build its own module for video sequences development, he/she must implement the streams synchronization module too, and the synchronization of native streams, from the multimedia resource with the external streams of the multimedia resource. In this article we intend to show the solutions for representing of text external streams and for synchronizing them with audio streams and with the images of a video stream.
Interaction Techniques In Earth Science Applications
Victor Bâcu, Teodor Ştefănut, Dorian Gorgan
Universitatea Tehnică Cluj-Napoca
St. G. Bariţiu 26
{victor.bacu, teodor.stefanut, dorian.gorgan}@cs.utcluj.roAbstract. The modelling, simulation and visualization of environmental data involves the defining and development of some particular interaction techniques. An architecture that supports different interaction techniques is presented in this paper. In addition, some test scenarios are presented to highlight the interaction model.
A Generic Component Approach For Dynamic Generation Of User Interfaces
Frăsinaru Cristian, Ungureanu Vlad Costel
Facultatea de Informatică Iaşi
General Berthelot 16, Iaşi 700483, Romania
acf@infoiasi.ro, ungureanu_vlad_costel@yahoo.comAbstract. In this article, we describe a new technique for dynamically generating user interfaces, used for data visualization and editing. Based on the Model Driven Architecture (MDA) specifications we propose a solution composed of an abstract framework, which not only allows the integration between entities in the persistence layer with their visualization models, but also offers a mechanism for multiple implementations for various Java technologies. The results obtained in our projects that use this framework allow us to consider that the utilization of this technique significantly reduces the development cycle and insures an easier maintenance.
Virtual Geographical Space Visualization Based On Graphics Cluster Using Hybrid Algorithms
Cristinel Mihai Mocan
Universitatea Tehnică din Cluj-Napoca
Str. G. Bariţiu, Nr. 28, 400027, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
cristi.mocan@cs.utcluj.roAbstract. Modeling and visualization of virtual geographical space involves high power computation resources and complex models. In this article I will describe some experiments on the solutions supported by the Equalizer graphics cluster to provide remote visualization and fast distributed processing. The performance is evaluated for various cluster configurations and spatial data models. The research concerns as well with demonstrating the efficiency and flexibility of hybrid algorithms from the point of view of the cluster graph and remote visualization. In terms of practical and theoretical analysis, it is realized a comparison to what we find in the literature.
Recent Approaches In The Formative Usability Evaluation
Costin Pribeanu, Ruxandra Dora Marinescu, Irina Cristescu, Lucreţia Pîrvu, Dragoş Daniel Iordache
Institutul Naţional de Cercetare-Dezvoltare în Informatică – ICI Bucureşti
Bd. Mareşal Averescu nr.8-10, Bucureşti
{pribeanu, doruma, irina.cristescu, lpirvu, iordache}@ici.roAbstract. The advances in the digital information quality and the degree of its utilization require a user-centred design aproach in order to increase the usability of IT applications. The purpose of this paper is to present a synthesis of recent approaches in the formative usability evaluation of interactive systems. The topics is diverse, including indicators frequenly used to assess the reliability and validity of evaluation results.
Efficiency Evaluation Of First Person Interaction Metaphors For Manipulation Of Virtual Prototypes
Florin Gîrbacia, Doru Talabă
Universitatea Transilvania Brasov
B-dul Eroilor 29, 500036, Brasov
{garbacia, talaba}@unitbv.roAbstract. In this paper an evaluation study of first person interaction metaphors used for manipulation of virtual prototypes in an immersive environment is presented. A multimodal interface based on Virtual Reality (VR) technologies that offers direct access to the space model by using several sensorial channels (visual, tactile, verbal) is described. Users can manipulate 3D objects using 6DOF tracking device, voice commands, gestures and visualize the design status in an immersive CAVE - like system. The results of conducted evaluation study illustrate that using VR technologies as an alternative for the WIMP interface for Computer Aided Design software is feasible.
Evaluation Of Motivational Value Of An Augmented Reality System For Learning Biology
Dragoş Daniel Iordache, Costin Pribeanu
ICI Bucureşti
Bd. Mareşal Averescu nr.8-10, Bucureşti
{iordache, pribeanu}@ici.roAbstract. The development of augmented reality (AR) technologies creates new opportunities and challenges for e-learning systems designers. An important goal of these new platforms is increasing the learning motivation of students. This paper presents an evaluation of motivational value of an AR scenario for learning biology. After user testing, qualitative and quantitative measures have been collected, which asses the educational and motivational value of the learning scenario. While the results validity is sustained by the comparison between the two types of measures, the qualitative measures also offer and a detailed description of user learning experience.
Emotional State Evaluation Based On The Human Body Position, Through Computer-Vision Methods
Delia Mitrea, Sergiu Nedevschi, Dorian Gorgan
Universitatea Tehnică din Cluj-Napoca
Facultatea de Automatică şi Calculatoare
Str. Bariţiu Nr.26-28
{Delia.Mitrea, Sergiu.Nedevschi, Dorian.Gorgan}@cs.utcluj.roAbstract. The recognition of the users’ emotional states is a subject of interest concerning the human-computer interaction, as it conforms to the concept of natural interaction. The elimination of every constraint regarding the human-machine communication is one of the objectives of the nowadays research in the domain: the aim is that of making the machine invisible to the user. The body language, consisting in the body position and gestures, is one of the non-verbal, indirect means for emotion expression, besides the face expression and voice tonality. The computer-vision specific methods provide efficient, low cost techniques for emotional state recognition based on body position, respectively on human gestures, in the context of human-computer interaction. We study the problem of emotional state recognition based on body language, through computer-vision techniques. First, the nowadays knowledge in the domain is studied, and then the proposed solution is applied, consisting in image skeletonization and supervised classification.
A User Centered Approach In Developing An Intelligent System For National Cancer Registry Management
Adriana-Mihaela Guran1, Grigoreta-Sofia Cojocar1, Luciana Neamţiu2
1 Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai
Facultatea de Matematică şi Informatică
Str. M. Kogălniceanu nr. 1, Cluj-Napoca
{adriana, grigo}@cs.ubbcluj.ro
2Institutul Oncologic "Prof. dr. I.Chiricuta" Cluj-Napoca
Str. Republicii, 34-36, 400015 Cluj-Napoca
luciana@iocn.roAbstract. Cancer registry is an informational system for acquiring, managing and analyzing information about neoplazic disease persons. Its purpose is to provide accurate information about cancer occurrence in a particular geographical region. In this paper we present a proposal for the architecture of a multiagent system for national cancer registry. One of the main concerns in developing the system was its usability, that is why we have applied a task-based design, using GTA method and interviews and observation, in order to gather valid information for the future users.
An Ontology-Based Competence Management Interactive System For It Companies
Cristina Niculescu2, Ştefan Trăuşan-Matu1,2
1 Universitatea Politehnică Bucureşti
Str. Splaiul Independenţei nr. 313, Bucureşti
2 Institutul de Cercetări pentru Inteligenţă Artificială
Calea 13 Septembrie nr.13, Bucureşti
{ncristina, trausan}@racai.roAbstract. The paper presents an interactive information system for competence management based on ontologies for information technology companies. The advantage of using an ontology-based system is the possibility of the identification of new relations among concepts based on inferences starting from the existing knowledge. The inferences may be performed in our approach by a reasoning engine, using classifiers in the Descriptions Logics tab associated with the Protégé ontology environment. The user can choose to query instances of one type of concept, based on the relations that are displayed for him/her in a dropping menu. In addition to choosing relations modeled in the ontology, the user may also query inferred relations that are not explicitly stored in the knowledge base. Other search type is browsing the ontology. Starting from base-concepts, the user can get specific information about any instance or concept. The paper also presents some use-cases and further developments.
Applying Social Science Methods In Software Engineering – A Practical Approach
Daniela-Maria Andrei1, Adriana-Mihaela Guran2, Horia D. Pitariu1
1 Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai
Facultatea de Psihologie şi Ştiinţele Educaţiei
str.Republicii nr. 37,
400015, Cluj-Napoca, România
{daniela.onaca, horia.pitariu}@apio.ro
2 Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai
Facultatea de Matematică şi Informatică
Str. M. Kogălniceanu nr. 1,
400084, Cluj-Napoca, România
adriana@cs.ubbcluj.roAbstract. One of the main problems in designing interactive systems is to make it usable. This means you have to know the users and their needs and expectations. Software engineering approaches in building interactive systems does not support these aspects related to users. That is why, the methods used by social sciences can be adapted in order to provide the needed information about users. In this paper we present some of the methods used by social sciences that can be helpful in requirements analysis and usability evaluation. These methods have been successfully applied and some case studies are also presented.
Critical Remarks On The Interaction Of Users With File Systems
Lucian Cheţan
Universitatea Tehnică din Cluj-Napoca
lucianchetan85@yahoo.comAbstract. Every major operating system stores data by means of hierarchical file systems. Easily understood by users, this form of organizing data has remained basically the same since its inception, but is unable to effectively organize large quantities of personal files, such as music, documents, etc. A new approach is necessary, one that builds on top of existing functionality. The solution consists in the implementation of virtual file systems—metadata-centric file systems that allow adding meaning to data. This leads to a more intuitive way of managing personal files: searching, previewing and meaningfully displaying data in graphical user interfaces. The article presents an overview of such file systems, and how the graphical user interfaces must reflect the new capabilities. At the end, the article suggests new ways of bridgind the gap between locally stored data and Internet data, whose goal is to ultimately create a more satisfying user experience.
Current State Of Research In Augmented Reality
Dragoş Cătălin Barbu
ICI Bucureşti
B-dul Mareşal Averescu, 8-10, Bucureşti
dbarbu@ici.roAbstract. This article will review current research in augmented reality. Describes the work carried out in several parts and explains the problems encountered in the construction of augmented reality. It will summarize the approaches taken to overcome these problems.
Recommendations For E-Learning Solutions Development And Evaluation
Daniel Safta, Dorian Gorgan
Universitatea Tehnică din Cluj-Napoca
Facultatea de Automatică şi Calculatoare
Str. G.Bariţiu nr. 26-28
davonkeep@yahoo.com, dorian.gorgan@cs.utcluj.roAbstract. This paper describes basic concepts in computer assisted training, state of the art in Romania and guidelines for developing educational software. We’ve approached expert educational systems, the IMS Learning Design Model, a series of parameters for e-learning techniques and their use in choosing and/or obtaining an educational software solution.