User Modelling

Social acceptance of serious games for physical and cognitive training in older adults residing in ambient assisted living environments

philipp — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 07:22:20 +0000

Social acceptance of serious games for physical and cognitive training in older adults residing in ambient assisted living environments philipp Thu, 04/08/2021 - 09:22

Abstract

Aims: Although ambient assisted living (AAL) environments and serious games for healthcare have been proposed as solutions to meet the changing demographics, the two approaches are rarely combined. We present the development and empirical evaluation of two serious games for healthcare in AAL. The first uses a cooking scenario for training of cognitive functioning. The latter uses a gardening scenario and motion capture for training agility and endurance. As the frequent lack of social acceptance is a major challenge in consumer health technology, we integrated methods of technology acceptance research by means of the UTAUT2-model and intention to use into the evaluation.

Subject and methods: We developed both games utilizing user-centered and participatory design methods ranging from low-fidelity paper prototypes to usability and acceptance evaluations of functional prototypes. In the final evaluation, each game prototype was evaluated by 64 participants form different age groups.

Results: The results show that although performance decreases with age, the performance attained in the games is not decisive for social acceptance measured as intention to use. However, user diversity factors shape the evaluation of the games, and older people and people with low technical competence are in danger of being excluded from using serious games for healthcare.

Conclusion: Exercise games, if designed right, can mitigate the negative effects of demographic change. Nevertheless, user diversity needs must be considered to ensure that the games are usable and used by a broad audience. The article concludes with guidelines and open research questions for the design of serious games in AAL environments.

Brauner P, Ziefle M (2021) Social acceptance of serious games for physical and cognitive training in older adults residing in ambient assisted living environments. Journal of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-021-01524-y

DOI

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10389-021-01524-y

Invisible Touch! – Design and Communication Guidelines for Interactive Digital Textiles Based on Empirical User Acceptance Modeling

philipp — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 17:20:16 +0000

Invisible Touch! – Design and Communication Guidelines for Interactive Digital Textiles Based on Empirical User Acceptance Modeling philipp Thu, 08/20/2020 - 19:20

Abstract

Interactive digital textiles are both light and shadow in regard to users’ perception and technology acceptance. To understand people’s perceived barriers and benefits in regard to interactive digital textiles and to derive empirically founded design and communication guidelines, we conducted an empirical study based on a synthesis of the Unified Theory and Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) and the Smart Textile Technology Acceptance Model (STTAM). In a scenario-based quantitative user study with N = 324 participants, we evaluated the projected acceptance of two exemplary textile products in a between-subject design. The first product addressed wearables in form of a smart jacket and the second product referred to technology augmented living environments in form of a smart armchair. Regression analyses revealed that the combined model (UTAUT2 and STTAM) explained over 80% of the variance of the participants intention to use the smart armchair (80.3%) as well as the smart jacket (84.7%): For the smart armchair, the model dimensions performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, washability, and input modality were decisive, while performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, and connectivity were relevant for the smart jacket. We conclude with empirically based communication and design guidelines to increase the acceptance of interactive digital textiles.

Brauner P., Offermann-van Heek J., Ziefle M. (2019) Invisible Touch! – Design and Communication Guidelines for Interactive Digital Textiles Based on Empirical User Acceptance Modeling. In: Bagnara S., Tartaglia R., Albolino S., Alexander T., Fujita Y. (eds) Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018). IEA 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 822. Springer, Cham.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96077-7_61

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Smart Interactive Textiles (IntuiTex)

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Human Interaction Under Risk in Cyber-Physical Production Systems

philipp — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 16:55:42 +0000

Human Interaction Under Risk in Cyber-Physical Production Systems philipp Thu, 08/20/2020 - 18:55

Abstract

The emergence of cyber-physical production systems poses new challenges for designing the interface between production systems and the human-in-the-loop. In this study, we investigate how human operators interact with risks in a supply chain scenario. We varied the financial magnitude and the expected value of the decisions, the combination of two types of risk (risk in delivery amount and risk in timeliness), as well as three different task displays as within-subject factors. As explanatory user factors we studied the influence of Need for Achievement and the Attitude towards Risk-taking on the dependent variables task speed and accuracy. Results of the user study with 33 participants show that each of the investigated factors either influences decision speed, decision accuracy, or both. Consequently, the human-in-the-loop profits from adequate decision support systems that help to increase decision efficiency and effectiveness and reduce uncertainty and workload. The article concludes with a research agenda to support the human-in-the-loop in production systems.

Brauner P., Philipsen R., Valdez A.C., Ziefle M. (2019) Human Interaction Under Risk in Cyber-Physical Production Systems. In: Bagnara S., Tartaglia R., Albolino S., Alexander T., Fujita Y. (eds) Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018). Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, Springer, Cham.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96077-7_45

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Related Project(s):

Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage countries

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Age, Gender, and Technology Attitude as Factors for Acceptance of Smart Interactive Textiles in Home Environments - Towards a Smart Textile Technology Acceptance Model

philipp — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 16:28:57 +0000

Age, Gender, and Technology Attitude as Factors for Acceptance of Smart Interactive Textiles in Home Environments - Towards a Smart Textile Technology Acceptance Model philipp Thu, 08/20/2020 - 18:28

Abstract

Smart interactive textiles are the next frontier of ubiquitous computing and may serve as novel and accepted interfaces that go beyond conventional human-computer interaction. Modern computer interfaces increase in functionality and potential, shrink in size, and enter our everyday lives. Apart from the technical perspective, it is important to understand if and under which conditions people adopt these technologies and which factors constitute perceived barriers of technology acceptance. In this work we examine people's attitudes towards smart textiles and their relationship to the intention to use these products in their home environment. This article provides a precise modeling of younger and older people in regard to expertise in interacting with technology, their desire to control and automate functions in their home environment, and the evaluation of a smart cushion for controlling the home environment, using the Smart Textile Technology Acceptance Model that is derived from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 model. This model was applied for a specific smart textile product and the evaluation was focused on user-diversity, attitudes, and age. The article concludes with open research questions and guidelines for practitioners to leverage the benefits of smart textile user interfaces.

Brauner, P., Van Heek, J., Ziefle, M.: Age, Gender, and Technology Attitude as Factors for Acceptance of Smart Interactive Textiles in Home Environments. In: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health (ICT4AWE 2017). pp. 13–24. SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Porto, Portugal (2017).

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Smart Interactive Textiles (IntuiTex)

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Projecting Efficacy and Use of Business Simulation Games in the Production Domain Using Technology Acceptance Models

philipp — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 15:00:54 +0000

Projecting Efficacy and Use of Business Simulation Games in the Production Domain Using Technology Acceptance Models philipp Thu, 08/20/2020 - 17:00

Abstract

Globalized markets, product complexity, and increased requirements on quality lead to growing complexity of business and manufacturing processes. Game-Based learning environments and business simulation games offer great potential to prepare employees the increasing complexity. As it is unclear who profits most from these learning environments, we did a study with 66 partici- pants on a game for conveying Production Planning and Control and Quality Management. In our research model we combined personality attributes and two common technology acceptance models to determine factors projecting perfor- mance in the game and projected later use of business simulation games in gen- eral. We found that main drivers for usage are performance expectancy and trans- fer of skill, i.e., the perceived applicability of the learned knowledge and skills for the later work. The attained performance is unrelated to the projected use. The article concludes with guidelines to increase the likelihood for the later use of business simulation games and for increasing their overall efficacy.

Brauner, P., Philipsen, R., Ziefle, M.: Projecting Efficacy and Use of Business Simulation Games in the Production Domain Using Technology Acceptance Models. In: Schlick, C. and Trzcieliński, S. (eds.) Advances in Ergonomics of Manufacturing: Managing the Enterprise of the Future. pp. 607–620. Springer International Publishing (2016).

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41697-7_52

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Related Project(s):

Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage countries

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On Studying Human Factors in Complex Cyber-Physical Systems

philipp — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:53:18 +0000

On Studying Human Factors in Complex Cyber-Physical Systems philipp Thu, 08/20/2020 - 16:53

Abstract

Deep penetration of modern information and communication technology in manufacturing companies (vertical integration) and across supply chains (horizontal integration) leads to an increasing amount and complexity of information that needs to be perceived, filtered, processed, and reacted to. Yet, the human factors that influence performance are insufficiently understood. This article outlines that individual factors, interface factors, and system factors affect overall performance and it presents two complementary research methodologies for identifying and quantifying these factors. On one side, we show that controlled laboratory experiments with singular decision tasks can precisely identify and quantify factors contributing to performance. On the other side, we use business simulation games with realistic decision tasks that can quantify the complexity of the underlying system. Our studies show that information amount, complexity, and presentation affect performance and that Decision Support Systems can increase performance and decrease error rates if and only if they are designed correctly. The article concludes with a research agenda to specifically understand which factors influence performance and how humans in the loop can be supported.

Brauner, P., Valdez, A.C., Philipsen, R., Ziefle, M.: On Studying Human Factors in Complex Cyber-Physical Systems. In: Workshop Human Factors in Information Visualization and Decision Support Systems Held as Part of the Mensch und Computer 2016. Gesellschaft für Informatik (2016).

DOI

https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.18420/muc2016-ws11-0002

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Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage countries

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Intentions to Use Smart Textiles in AAL Home Environments: Comparing Younger and Older Adults

philipp — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:20:57 +0000

Intentions to Use Smart Textiles in AAL Home Environments: Comparing Younger and Older Adults philipp Thu, 08/20/2020 - 16:20

Abstract

The vision of ubiquitous computing is increasingly picking up pace. An increasing number of everyday objects are equipped with smart technology and start to form the Internet of Things. Yet, interacting with these devices is based on conventional surfaces made of glass, metal, or plastic. We believe that textile interaction surfaces will be the next frontier of ubiquitous computing and identified many blank spots in the research landscape. Peoples’ perception and acceptance of smooth and soft interaction surfaces is insufficiently understood. In this paper we present a study in which 90 people of a wide age range evaluated the suitability of smart textiles in different usage scenarios in the home environment. Overall, a solid willingness to use smart textiles as input devices was found, even though there were conditional acceptance criteria which should be given before participants would be willing to buy them. In contrast to many other technology contexts, however, age is not decisive in the evaluation of the usefulness of smart textiles. Younger and older adults seem to have a quite similar evaluation, hinting at a quite generic acceptance pattern.

Ziefle, M., Brauner, P., van Heek, J.: Intentions to Use Smart Textiles in AAL Home Environments: Comparing Younger and Older Adults. In: Salvendy, G. and Zhou, J. (eds.) Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population - Design for Aging, Held as Part of HCI International 2016. pp. 266–276. Springer, Cham (2016).

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39943-0_26

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Smart Interactive Textiles (IntuiTex)

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Smart Textiles as Intuitive and Ubiquitous User Interfaces for Smart Homes

philipp — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 13:50:14 +0000

Smart Textiles as Intuitive and Ubiquitous User Interfaces for Smart Homes philipp Thu, 08/20/2020 - 15:50

Abstract

Textile user interfaces for smart homes offer novel intuitive input gestures and may lower acceptance barrier for technophobic or elderly people. To understand the users’ requirements of smart textile input devices, an Adaptive Conjoint Analysis with the attributes wearability, functionality, haptic, location, and components was carried out with 100 participants. The attributes were rated with different importances. Users request non-wearable textile input devices with no noticeable electronics for the living room. Gender, but no age effects were identified, as women prefer health applications, whereas men prefer media control. In summary, the device needs to be individually tailored to the user’s requirements to achieve high acceptance.

Hildebrandt, J., Brauner, P., Ziefle, M.: Smart Textiles as Intuitive and Ubiquitous User Interfaces for Smart Homes. In: Zhou, J. and Salvendy, G. (eds.) Human Computer Interaction International - Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population. pp. 423–434. Springer, Switzerland (2015).

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20913-5_39

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Related Project(s):

Smart Interactive Textiles (IntuiTex)

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Understanding Requirements for Textile Input Devices: Individually-tailored Interfaces Within Home Environments

philipp — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 13:31:40 +0000

Understanding Requirements for Textile Input Devices: Individually-tailored Interfaces Within Home Environments philipp Thu, 08/20/2020 - 15:31

Abstract

In the last few years, an increasing public awareness regarding the consequences of the demographic change can be observed in many countries, which is imposing considerable challenges on future health care systems in the next decades. As a framework of the research presented here we introduce a currently running interdisciplinary research project, in which novel textile input devices are to be developed, iteratively designed, and evaluated. In order to learn about the individual requirements for using smart textiles in a home con- text, we carried out a exploratory questionnaire study in which 72 participants (20-76 y) evaluated perceived benefits and barriers of smart textiles in the home context. Results show a first insight into user experience the general willingness to adopt smart textile input devices. Also, the perceived suitability of functions to be controlled by those novel input devices as well as the reported appropri- ateness of different rooms and device types in which smart input devices could be integrated were collected. Results show, overall, a high willingness of partic- ipants to use smart textiles as input devices.

Ziefle, M., Brauner, P., Heidrich, F., Möllering, C., Lee, H.-Y., Armbrüster, C.: Understanding Requirements for Textile Input Devices: Individually-tailored Interfaces Within Home Environments. In: Proceedings of Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction HCII 2014. pp. 589–600. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Germany (2014).

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07446-7_57

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Related Project(s):

Smart Interactive Textiles (IntuiTex)

Was bestimmt die Performance meiner Supply-Chain? – Eine Untersuchung technischer und menschlicher Einflussfaktoren im Hinblick auf die Effizienz von Lieferketten. Unternehmen der Zukunft

philipp — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 10:12:07 +0000

Was bestimmt die Performance meiner Supply-Chain? – Eine Untersuchung technischer und menschlicher Einflussfaktoren im Hinblick auf die Effizienz von Lieferketten. Unternehmen der Zukunft philipp Thu, 08/20/2020 - 12:12

Abstract

Das FIR arbeitet mit anderen Instituten im Aachener Exzellenzcluster „Integrative Produktionstechnik für Hochlohnländer“ daran, die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit von deutschen Unternehmen zu stärken. Ein Ziel ist es, die Qualität und die Effizienz der menschlichen Entscheidungen innerhalb der Disposition zu verbessern. Zur Steuerung und Optimierung von Lieferketten greifen Entscheider auf eine Vielzahl von Informationen aus Logistik und Qualitätssicherung zurück, die sie schnell erfassen, verarbeiten und richtig interpretieren müssen. Menschen handeln aber nicht ausschließlich rational und die Qualität der Entscheidungen hängt von zahlreichen und individuell unterschiedlichen Größen ab. Kernfragen der simulationsba- sierten Untersuchungen sind: Welche Wechselwirkungen existieren innerhalb von Lieferketten zwischen Dispositions- und Qualitätsparametern und wie schnell können Entscheider die im ERP-System verfügbaren Informationen verarbeiten?

Exzellenzcluster: Was bestimmt die Performance meiner Supply-Chain? – Eine Untersuchung technischer und menschlicher Einflussfaktoren im Hinblick auf die Effizienz von Lieferketten. Unternehmen der Zukunft - Zeitschrift für Betriebsorganisation und Unternehmensentwicklung. 27–28 (2014).

DOI

http://www.fir.rwth-aachen.de/sites/default/files/udz1_2014_web_20140408.pdf