http://www.hindawi.comThe latest articles from Hindawi Publishing Corporation© 2012, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2012/575463/The increasing amount of NFC phones is attracting application developers to utilize NFC functionality. We can hence soon expect a large amount of mobile applications that users command by touching NFC tags in their environment with their NFC phones. The communication technology and the data formats have been standardized by the NFC Forum, but there are no conventions for advertising to the users NFC tags and the functionality touching the tags triggers. Only individual graphical symbols have been suggested when guidelines for advertising a rich variety of functionality are called for. In this paper, we identify the main challenges and present our proposal, a set of design guidelines based on more than twenty application prototypes we have built. We hope to initiate discussion and research resulting in uniform user interfaces for NFC-based services.Mikko Pyykkönen, Jukka Riekki, Ismo Alakärppä, Ivan Sanchez, Marta Cortes, and Sonja SaukkonenCopyright © 2012 Mikko Pyykkönen et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2012/724587/We present an intention estimator algorithm that can deal with dynamic change of the environment in a man-machine system and will be able to be utilized for an autarkical human-assisting system. In the algorithm, state transition relation of intentions is formed using a self-organizing map (SOM) from the measured data of the operation and environmental variables with the reference intention sequence. The operational intention modes are identified by stochastic computation using a Bayesian particle filter with the trained SOM. This method enables to omit the troublesome process to specify types of information which should be used to build the estimator. Applying the proposed method to the remote operation task, the estimator's behavior was analyzed, the pros and cons of the method were investigated, and ways for the improvement were discussed. As a result, it was confirmed that the estimator can identify the intention modes at 44–94 percent concordance ratios against normal intention modes whose periods can be found by about 70 percent of members of human analysts. On the other hand, it was found that human analysts' discrimination which was used as canonical data for validation differed depending on difference of intention modes. Specifically, an investigation of intentions pattern discriminated by eight analysts showed that the estimator could not identify the same modes that human analysts could not discriminate. And, in the analysis of the multiple different intentions, it was found that the estimator could identify the same type of intention modes to human-discriminated ones as well as 62–73 percent when the first and second dominant intention modes were considered.Satoshi Suzuki and Fumio HarashimaCopyright © 2012 Satoshi Suzuki and Fumio Harashima. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/841069/Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have great potential as sites for research within the social and human-computer interaction. In the MMORPGs, a stability player taxonomy model is very important for game design. It helps to balance different types of players and improve business strategy of the game. The players in mobile MMORPGs are also connected with social networks; many studies only use the player's own attributes statistics or questionnaire survey method to predict player taxonomy, so lots of social network relations' information will be lost. In this paper, by analyzing the impacts of player's social network, commercial operating data from mobile MMORPGs is used to establish our player taxonomy model (SN model). From the model results, social network-related information in mobile MMORPGs will be considered as important factors to pose this optimized player taxonomy model. As experimental results showed, compared with another player taxonomy model (RA model), our proposed player taxonomy model can achieve good results: classification is more stable.Fang You, Jianping Liu, Xinjian Guan, Jianmin Wang, Zibin Zheng, and Peter TamCopyright © 2011 Fang You et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/565689/Distributed technologies and ubiquitous computing now support users who may be detached or decoupled from traditional interactions. In order to investigate the potential usability of speech and manual input devices, an evaluation of speech input across different user groups and a usability assessment of independent-user and collaborative-user interactions was conducted. Whilst the primary focus was on a formative usability evaluation, the user group evaluation provided a formal basis to underpin the academic rigor of the exercise. The results illustrate that using a speech interface is important in understanding user acceptance of such technologies. From the usability assessment it was possible to translate interactions and make them compatible with innovative input devices. This approach to interaction is still at an early stage of development, and the potential or validity of this interfacing concept is still under evaluation; however, as a concept demonstrator, the results of these initial evaluations demonstrate the potential usability issues of both input devices as well as highlighting their suitability for advanced virtual applications.Alex Stedmon, Victor Bayon, and Gareth GriffithsCopyright © 2011 Alex Stedmon et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/594353/The control theory of driving suggests that driver distraction can be analyzed as a breakdown of control at three levels. Common approach for analyzing distraction experimentally is to utilize capacity-based measures to assess distraction at the level of operational control. Three driving simulation experiments with 61 participants were organized to evaluate which kind of measures could be used to analyze drivers' tactical visual sampling models and the related effects of distraction while searching textual information on in-car display. The effects of two different text types were evaluated. The utilized capacity-based measures seemed to be insufficient for revealing participants' tactical behaviors or effects of text type. The measures of workload or performance did not indicate reliably the differences found between participants' visual sampling strategies or which text type is better for enabling safer task timing behaviors. Visual sampling measures did indicate effects of text type on participants' tactical abilities. Differences in participants' visual sampling strategies leading to different levels of systematicity in visual behaviors can explain the variances in visual sampling efficiency. Displays encouraging unsystematic glance allocation behaviors were found potentially the most distracting in relation to safe visual sampling of in-vehicle displays.Tuomo Kujala and Pertti SaariluomaCopyright © 2011 Tuomo Kujala and Pertti Saariluoma. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/172318/In this paper we presents the results of our experimental study which aims to understand the impact of three interaction 3D metaphors (ray casting, GoGo, and virtual hand) on the user experience in a semi-immersive collaborative virtual environment (the Braccetto System). For each session, participants are grouped in twos to reconstruct a puzzle by an assemblage of cubes. The puzzle to reconstruct corresponds to a gradient of colors. We found that there is a significant difference in the user experience by changing the interaction metaphor on the copresence, awareness, involvement, collaborative effort, satisfaction usability, and preference. These findings provide a basis for designing 3D navigation techniques in a CVE.Hamid Hrimech, Leila Alem, and Frederic MerienneCopyright © 2011 Hamid Hrimech et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/202701/When an interactive form in the world wide web requires users to fill in exact dates, this can be implemented in several ways. This paper discusses an empirical online study with n = 172 participants which compared six different versions to design input fields for date entries. The results revealed that using a drop-down menu is best when format errors must be avoided, whereas using only one input field and placing the format requirements left or inside the text box led to faster completion time and higher user satisfaction.Javier A. Bargas-Avila, Olivia Brenzikofer, Alexandre N. Tuch, Sandra P. Roth, and Klaus OpwisCopyright © 2011 Javier A. Bargas-Avila et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/295074/Residential garden design using Kansei engineering is a challenging problem. Landscaping components, such as rocks, trees, and ponds, are widely diversified and have a large number of possible arrangements. This large number of design alternatives makes conventional analyses, such as linear regression and its variations like Quantification Theory Type I (QT1), inapplicable for analyzing the relationships between design elements and the Kansei evaluation. We applied a partial least squares (PLS) model that effectively deals with a large number of predictor variables. The multiple correlation coefficient of the PLS analysis was much higher than that of the QT1 analysis. The results of the analyses were used to create a low-cost virtual reality Kansei engineering system that permits visualization of garden designs corresponding to selected Kansei words. To render complex garden scenes, we developed an original 3D computation and rendering library built on Java. The garden is shown in public-view style with stereo 3D graphic projection. The rendering is scalable from low to high resolution and enables drop object shadowing, which is indispensable for considering the effect of daytime changes in insolation. Visualizing the garden design based on Kansei analysis could facilitate collaboration between the designer and customer in the design process.Tatsuro Matsubara, Shigekazu Ishihara, Mitsuo Nagamachi, and Yukihiro MatsubaraCopyright © 2011 Tatsuro Matsubara et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/206983/We present the results of an experimental study towards modeling the reader's emotional state variations induced by the typographic elements in electronic documents. Based on the dimensional theory of emotions we investigate how typographic elements, like font style (bold, italics, bold-italics) and font (type, size, color and background color), affect the reader's emotional states, namely, Pleasure, Arousal, and Dominance (PAD). An experimental procedure was implemented conforming to International Affective Picture System guidelines and incorporating the Self-Assessment Manikin test. Thirty students participated in the experiment. The stimulus was a short paragraph of text for which any content, emotion, and/or domain dependent information was excluded. The Analysis of Variance revealed the dependency of (a) all the three emotional dimensions on font size and font/background color combinations and (b) the Pleasure dimension on font type and font style. We introduce a set of mapping rules showing how PAD vary on the discrete values of font style and font type elements. Moreover, we introduce a set of equations describing the PAD dimensions' dependency on font size. This novel model can contribute to the automated reader's emotional state extraction in order, for example, to enhance the acoustic rendition of the documents, utilizing text-to-speech synthesis.Dimitrios Tsonos and Georgios KouroupetroglouCopyright © 2011 Dimitrios Tsonos and Georgios Kouroupetroglou. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2012/301608/This paper presents the design, development, and testing of a tabletop interface called RoboTable, which is an infrastructure supporting intuitive interaction with both mobile robots and virtual components in a mixed-reality environment. With a flexible software toolkit and specifically developed robots, the platform enables various modes of interaction with mobile robots. Using this platform, prototype applications are developed for two different application domains: RoboPong investigates the efficiency of the RoboTable system in game applications, and ExploreRobot explores the possibility of using robots and intuitive interaction to enhance learning.Haipeng Mi, Aleksander Krzywinski, Tomoki Fujita, and Masanori SugimotoCopyright © 2012 Haipeng Mi et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/629305/We present an XML approach for the production of an Arabic morphological database for Arabic language that will be used in morphological analysis for modern standard Arabic (MSA). Optimizing the production, maintenance, and extension of morphological database is one of the crucial aspects impacting natural language processing (NLP). For Arabic language, producing a morphological database is not an easy task, because this it has some particularities such as the phenomena of agglutination and a lot of morphological ambiguity phenomenon. The method presented can be exploited by NLP applications such as syntactic analysis, semantic analysis, information retrieval, and orthographical correction.Mourad Gridach and Noureddine ChenfourCopyright © 2011 Mourad Gridach and Noureddine Chenfour. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/659758/A recent study suggested the use of the screen layout elements of balance, unity, and sequence as a part of a computational model of interface aesthetics. It is argued that these three elements are the most contributed terms in the model. In the current study, a controlled experiment was designed and conducted to systematically investigate effects of these three elements (balance, unity, and sequence) on the perceived interface aesthetics. Results showed that the three elements have significant effects on the perceived interface aesthetics. Significant interactions were also found among the three elements. A regression model relating the perceived visual aesthetics to the three elements was constructed. When validating the model using standard questionnaire scores of real web pages, high correlations were found between the values computed by the model and scores of questionnaire items related to visual layout of the web pages, indicating that layout-based measures are good at assessing the classical dimension of website aesthetics.Ahamed Altaboli and Yingzi LinCopyright © 2011 Ahamed Altaboli and Yingzi Lin. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/347171/If an interactive form in the worldwide web requires users to select multiple answers from a given list, this can be implemented in several ways. This paper discusses an empirical study with n=106 participants, where two interface elements for choosing multiple answers (checkboxes and list boxes) were compared. Results showed that participants chose the same amount of options in both conditions but were faster and more satisfied using checkboxes. The time differences disappeared after several trials, revealing a learning effect for the list box element. As a conclusion, it can be recommended that website developers and online researchers should use checkboxes instead of list boxes for their online forms and questionnaires to enhance usability and user satisfaction—at least for a smaller number of options.Javier A. Bargas-Avila, Olivia Brenzikofer, Alexandre N. Tuch, Sandra P. Roth, and Klaus OpwisCopyright © 2011 Javier A. Bargas-Avila et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/965342/Virtual Learning Environments are increasingly becoming part of the medical curriculum. In a previous study we (luursema et al., 2006) found that a combination of computer-implemented stereopsis (visual depth through seeing with both eyes) and dynamic exploration (being able to continuously change one's viewpoint relative to the studied objects in real time) is beneficial to anatomical learning, especially for subjects of low visuo spatial ability (the ability to form, retrieve, and manipulate mental representations of a visuo-spatial nature). A follow-up study (luursema et al., 2008) found the contribution of computer-implemented stereopsis to this effect to be small but significant. The present experiment investigated the contribution of dynamic exploration to anatomical learning by means of a virtual learning environment. Seventy participants were tested for visuo-spatial ability and were grouped in pairs matched for this ability. One individual of the pair actively manipulated a 3D reconstruction of the human abdomen; the other individual passively watched the interactions of the first individual on a separate screen. Learning was assessed by two anatomical learning tests. Dynamic exploration provided a small but significant benefit to anatomical learning.Jan-Maarten Luursema and Willem B. VerweyCopyright © 2011 Jan-Maarten Luursema and Willem B. Verwey. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/684202/Virtual worlds became an appealing and fascinating component of today's internet. In particular, the number of educational providers that see a potential for E-Learning in such new platforms increases. Unfortunately, most of the environments and processes implemented up to now do not exceed a virtual modelling of real-world scenarios. In particular, this paper shows that Second Life can be more than just another learning platform. A flexible and bidirectional link between the reality and the virtual world enables synchronous and seamless interaction between users and devices across both worlds. The primary advantages of this interconnection are a spatial extension of face-to-face and online learning scenarios and a closer relationship between virtual learners and the real world.Ulrike Lucke and Raphael ZenderCopyright © 2011 Ulrike Lucke and Raphael Zender. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2011/987830/This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of two gesture representations (overlaying hands and cursor pointer) in a video-mediated scenario—remote collaboration on physical task. Our study assessed the relative value of the two gesture representations with respect to their effectiveness in task performance, user's satisfaction, and user's perceived quality of collaboration in terms of the coordination and interaction with the remote partner. Our results show no clear difference between these two gesture representations in the effectiveness and user satisfaction. However, when considering the perceived quality of collaboration, the overlaying hands condition was statistically significantly higher than the pointer cursor condition. Our results seem to suggest that the value of a more expressive gesture representation is not so much a gain in performance but rather a gain in user's experience, more specifically in user's perceived quality of collaborative effort.Leila Alem and Jane LiCopyright © 2011 Leila Alem and Jane Li. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2010/329351/We analysed four Rational Unified Process (RUP) projects in Switzerland that identified themselves as following a user-centred approach. Grounded theory served for analysis of 12 interviews with software developers, project managers, and UI specialists. For each professional group we analysed their work context, motivations, work practices, and strategies used to overcome the obstacles to user-centred design. Results show that end users did not participate in the projects. Instead of working directly with end users, participants used data from marketing research or consulted colleagues from other departments. Prototypes played an important role. We suggest the following remedies: (1) developing methods for easy integration of existing company knowledge about products with usability features, (2) professionalising UI design by educating project stakeholders in standard UI design, (3) creating an approved pool of company's personas for UI specialists' work, and (4) educating customers on their right to get good user interfaces.Ljiljana Vukelja, Klaus Opwis, and Lothar MüllerCopyright © 2010 Ljiljana Vukelja et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2010/487163/In recent years, electronic services delivered via the World Wide Web have become increasingly important to governments. Substantial investments have been made to provide crucial services and information to citizens, businesses, and governmental institutions. This paper presents the development of a short questionnaire to measure user satisfaction with e-Governmental portals. After two validations of the instrument with federal e-Governmental portals in Switzerland, a final set of 15 items remained that were tested with 2498 participants. The final version showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α) of .91, good item difficulties (.51 to .82), and discriminatory power coefficients (.49 to .81), as well as a moderate average homogeneity of .47. The survey was translated into five languages.Javier A. Bargas-Avila, Sébastien Orsini, Marco de Vito, and Klaus OpwisCopyright © 2010 Javier A. Bargas-Avila et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2010/956918/Online user feedback, collected by means of internet survey tools, is a promising approach to obtain early user feedback on concepts and early prototypes. In this study, the collection and utilization of online user feedback was investigated in four design cases: all master student projects for industry clients involving seven student designers. A total of 272 user participants provided quantitative feedback. Half of these also provided qualitative feedback. One third of the qualitative feedback was perceived as useful by the student designers. The main usefulness of the feedback was related to strategic concept decisions rather than the interaction design of the early prototype. Lessons learnt are provided.Asbjørn Følstad and Jørn KnutsenCopyright © 2010 Asbjørn Følstad and Jørn Knutsen. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2010/602570/Programmers often encounter cryptic compiler error messages that are difficult to understand and thus difficult to resolve. Unfortunately, most related disciplines, including compiler technology, have not paid much attention to this important aspect that affects programmers significantly, apparently because it is felt that programmers should adapt to compilers. In this article, however, this problem is studied from the perspective of the discipline of human-computer interaction to gain insight into why compiler errors messages make the work of programmers more difficult, and how this situation can be alleviated. Additionally, because poorly designed error messages affect novice programmers more adversely, the problems faced by computer science students while learning to program are analyzed, and the obstacles originated by compilers are identified. Examples of actual compiler error messages are provided and carefully commented. Finally, some possible measures that can be taken are outlined, and some principles for compiler error message design are included.V. Javier TraverCopyright © 2010 V. Javier Traver. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2010/215825/Human characteristics concerning voluntary motion control are investigated, because this motion is fundamental for the machine operation and human-computer system. Using a force feedback haptic device and a balancing task of a virtual inverted pendulum, participants were trained in the task, and hand motion/force was measured, and brain activity was monitored. First, through brain analysis by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and motion analysis of the pendulum, we identified a participant who was the most expert. Next, control characteristics of the most expert were investigated by considering the operational force and delay factor of a human. As a result, it was found that predictive control based on velocity information was used predominantly although a perception feedback control against the pendulum posture worked. And it was shown that an on-off intermittency control, which was a strategy for the skilled balancing, can be described well by a liner model involving two types of time shifts for the position and velocity. In addition, it was confirmed that the cortex activity for observation in an ocular motor control area and visual processing area was strong to enhance above-mentioned control strategies.Satoshi Suzuki, Fumio Harashima, and Katsuhisa FurutaCopyright © 2010 Satoshi Suzuki et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2010/657937/Interactive surfaces are only just beginning to break into the market, and they still do not offer the advanced functionality demonstrated with many lab prototypes. The path from a prototype system to a finished product for use in real-world scenarios is a long one, and many obstacles must be overcome. The design of an interactive multitouch table had to address issues like optical recognition, hardware design, and ergonomics. This paper describes in detail the construction of a large, robust multi-touch table called mrT. It will show how to solve major problems of the diffuse illumination technique and other challenges of constructing a large-screen, high-resolution, self-contained interactive multitouch surface that not only serves as a development system but can be deployed in the real-world. Additionally, to further motivate some of the design decisions, especially why the diffuse illumination technology was chosen, this paper will discuss related on-going research projects on the application side.Jens Teichert, Marc Herrlich, Benjamin Walther-Franks, Lasse Schwarten, Sebastian Feige, Markus Krause, and Rainer MalakaCopyright © 2010 Jens Teichert et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2010/852420/Stroop interference and facilitation effects were documented in the visual, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory modalities. This study extends the Stroop phenomena also for kinesthetic and haptic tasks. In a touch-enabled computer interface, participants touched and manipulated virtual objects (cylinders, cubes, and tiles), through a pen-like stylus, and identified their haptic qualities (weight, firmness, vibrations). Similarly, participants were stimulated with a mechanical force pushing their hands lightly towards a specific direction which they had to identify. While performing these identification tasks, participants were simultaneously presented with words or symbols that were congruent, neutral, or incongruent with the experienced kinesthetic/haptic sensations. Error rates and response times were affected in the following order: congruent < neutral < incongruent. As technologies advance into multisensory systems, engineers and designers can improve human-computer interactions by ensuring optimal congruence between all the inter- and intra-sensory elements in the display.David Hecht and Miriam ReinerCopyright © 2010 David Hecht and Miriam Reiner. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2009/901707/We introduce a new type of perception aid device based on user's exploration action, which is named as CyARM (acronym of “Cyber Arm”). The user holds this device in her/his arm, the extension of the arm is controlled by tension in wires, which are attached to her/his body according to the distance to the object. This user interface has unique characteristics that give users the illusion of an imaginary arm that extends to existing objects. The implementations of CyARM and our two experiments to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of CyARM are described. The results show that we could confirm that CyARM can be used to recognize the presence of an object in front of the user and to measure the relative distance to the object.Junichi Akita, Takanori komatsu, Kiyohide Ito, Tetsuo Ono, and Makoto OkamotoCopyright © 2009 Junichi Akita et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2009/713516/RFID technology provides an economically feasible means to embed computing and communication capabilities in numerous physical objects around us, thereby allowing anyone to effortlessly announce and expose varieties of information anywhere at any time. As the technology is increasingly used in everyday environments, there is a heightening tension in the design and shaping of social boundaries in the digitally enhanced real world. Our experiments of RFID-triggered information sharing have identified usability, deployment, and privacy issues of physically based information systems. We discuss awareness issues and cognitive costs in regulating RFID-triggered information flows and propose a framework for privacy-observant RFID applications. The proposed framework supports users' in situ privacy boundary control by allowing users to (1) see how their information is socially disclosed and viewed by others, (2) dynamically negotiate their privacy boundaries, and (3) automate certain information disclosure processes.Shin'ichi Konomi and Chang S. NamCopyright © 2009 Shin'ichi Konomi and Chang S. Nam. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2009/642929/A Benefit-Cost-Deficit (BCD) model is proposed for analyzing such intentional human errors as barrier removal, the deliberate nonrespect of the rules and instructions governing use of a given system. The proposed BCD model attempts to explain and predict barrier removal in terms of the benefits, costs, and potential deficits associated with this human behaviour. The results of an experimental study conducted on a railway simulator (TRANSPAL) are used to illustrate the advantages of the BCD model. In this study, human operators were faced with barriers that they could choose to deactivate, or not. Their decisions were analyzed in an attempt to explain and predict their choices. The analysis highlights that operators make their decisions using a balance between several criteria. Though barriers are safety-related elements, the decision to remove them is not guided only by the safety criterion; it is also motivated by such criteria as productivity, workload, and quality. Results of prediction supported by the BCD demonstrate the predictability of barrier violationPhilippe Polet, Frédéric Vanderhaegen, and Patrick MillotCopyright © 2009 Philippe Polet et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2009/121494/Guidelines for designing usable interfaces recommend reducing short term memory load. Cognitive load, that is, working memory demands during problem solving, reasoning, or thinking, may affect users' general satisfaction and performance when completing complex tasks. Whereas in design guidelines numerous ways of reducing cognitive load in interactive systems are described, not many attempts have been made to measure cognitive load in Web applications, and few techniques exist. In this study participants' cognitive load was measured while they were engaged in searching for several products in four different online book stores. NASA-TLX and dual-task methodology were used to measure subjective and objective mental workload. The dual-task methodology involved searching for books as the primary task and a visual monitoring task as the secondary task. NASA-TLX scores differed significantly among the shops. Secondary task reaction times showed no significant differences between the four shops. Strong correlations between NASA-TLX, primary task completion time, and general satisfaction suggest that NASA-TLX can be used as a valuable additional measure of efficiency. Furthermore, strong correlations were found between browse/search preference and NASA-TLX as well as between search/browse preference and user satisfaction. Thus we suggest browse/search preference as a promising heuristic assessment method of cognitive load.Peter Schmutz, Silvia Heinz, Yolanda Métrailler, and Klaus OpwisCopyright © 2009 Peter Schmutz et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2009/362651/Laban movement analysis (LMA) is a systematic framework for describing all forms of human movement and has been widely applied across animation, biomedicine, dance, and kinesiology. LMA (especially Effort/Shape) emphasizes how internal feelings and intentions govern the patterning of movement throughout the whole body. As we argue, a complex understanding of intention via LMA is necessary for human-computer interaction to become embodied in ways that resemble interaction in the physical world. We thus introduce a novel, flexible Bayesian fusion approach for identifying LMA Shape qualities from raw motion capture data in real time. The method uses a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) to fuse movement features across the body and across time and as we discuss can be readily adapted for low-cost video. It has delivered excellent performance in preliminary studies comprising improvisatory movements. Our approach has been incorporated in Response, a mixed-reality environment where users interact via natural, full-body human movement and enhance their bodily-kinesthetic awareness through immersive sound and light feedback, with applications to kinesiology training, Parkinson's patient rehabilitation, interactive dance, and many other areas.Dilip Swaminathan, Harvey Thornburg, Jessica Mumford, Stjepan Rajko, Jodi James, Todd Ingalls, Ellen Campana, Gang Qian, Pavithra Sampath, and Bo PengCopyright © 2009 Dilip Swaminathan et al. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2009/619405/The key problem of successful developing of the software intensive system (SIS) is adequate conceptual interactions of stakeholders at the early stages of designing. Nowadays the success of development is extremely low. It can be increased with using artificial intelligence (AI) means including models of reasoning supported by the human-computer interaction in collaborative development activity. In this paper, a number of question-answer means for modeling reasoning are suggested. Such kind of means is defined and implemented in order to get effects of integrating the collective reasoning for their positive influence on the intellectual activity of designers. Question-answer means are arranged as a specialized processor opening the possibility to question-answer programming of the tasks on the conceptual stage of designing. Suggested and investigated means can be used for solving any complicated task.Petr SosninCopyright © 2009 Petr Sosnin. All rights reserved.http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ahci/2008/680640/Designing an effective mobile search user interface is challenging, as interacting with the results is often complicated by the lack of available screen space and limited interaction methods. We present Mobile Findex, a mobile search user interface that uses automatically computed result clusters to provide the user with an overview of the result set. In addition, it utilizes a focus-plus-context result list presentation combined with an intuitive browsing method to aid the user in the evaluation of results. A user study with 16 participants was carried out to evaluate Mobile Findex. Subjective evaluations show that Mobile Findex was clearly preferred by the participants over the traditional ranked result list in terms of ease of finding relevant results, suitability to tasks, and perceived efficiency. While the use of categories resulted in a lower rate of nonrelevant result selections and better precision in some tasks, an overall significant difference in search performance was not observed.Tomi HeimonenCopyright © 2008 Tomi Heimonen. All rights reserved.