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Publications

Publications by HumanISE

2012

Web Accessibility and Digital Businesses: The Potential Economic Value of Portuguese People with Disability

Authors
Rocha, T; Bessa, M; Goncalves, R; Peres, E; Magalhaes, L;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT FOR ENHANCING ACCESSIBILITY AND FIGHTING INFO-EXCLUSION (DSAI 2012)

Abstract
The lack of data in Portugal is a crucial problem for a full characterization and thus a full digital integration for people with disabilities. This is not only a problem of ethic dimension or equal opportunities but have also an economic dimension because excludes a consumer group with economical potential. Hence, this article focuses on the importance of the characterization of people with disabilities in a social, economic and digital perspective. It aims to emphasize their disabilities and ageing evolution, potential value in the digital business and design awareness for inclusion for improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. (C) 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Programme Committee of the 4th International Conference on Software Development for Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion (DSAI 2012)

2012

The Recognition of Web Pages' Hyperlinks by People with Intellectual Disabilities: An Evaluation Study

Authors
Rocha, T; Bessa, M; Goncalves, M; Cabral, L; Godinho, F; Peres, E; Reis, MC; Magalhaes, L; Chalmers, A;

Publication
JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Abstract
Background One of the most mentioned problems of web accessibility, as recognized in several different studies, is related to the difficulty regarding the perception of what is or is not clickable in a web page. In particular, a key problem is the recognition of hyperlinks by a specific group of people, namely those with intellectual disabilities. Materials and Methods This experiment investigated a methodology based on the direct observation, video recording, interview and data obtained by an eye tracker device. Ten participants took part in this study. They were divided into two groups and asked to perform two tasks: Sing a song and Listen to a story in two websites. These websites were developed to include specific details. The first website presented an image navigation menu (INM), whereas the other one showed a text navigation menu (TNM). Results There was a general improvement regarding the participants' performance when using INMs. Conclusion The referred analysis indeed shows that not only did these specific participants gain a better understanding of the demanding task, but also they showed an improved perception concerning the content of the navigation menu that included hyperlinks with images.

2012

MOW: Augmented Reality Game to Learn Words in Different Languages Case study: learning english names of animals in elementary school

Authors
Barreira, J; Bessa, M; Pereira, LC; Adao, T; Peres, E; Magalhaes, L;

Publication
INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract
Recent digital games have been developed not only for entertainment purposes, but also to promote learning. This paper presents MOW (Matching Objects and Words), which is an Augmented Reality (AR) game for learning words in different languages. Experimental tests were performed with Portuguese children during English classes. We have compared the results from using MOW along with traditional teaching methods. The results indicate that children who used the Augmented Reality games had a superior learning progress than those who used only traditional methods.

2012

New interaction paradigms to fight the digital divide: a pilot case study regarding multi-touch technology

Authors
Carvalho, D; Bessa, M; Oliveira, L; Guedes, C; Peres, E; Magalhaes, L;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT FOR ENHANCING ACCESSIBILITY AND FIGHTING INFO-EXCLUSION (DSAI 2012)

Abstract
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are considered a powerful tool for economic development and the growth of societies. However, instead of helping overcome society's inqualities caused by the digital era, they have instigated an increase of the people that rested aside of the information age. The digital divide refers to the difficulty info-excluded people have in keeping up with technological advances. This phenomenon was triggered by the rapid growth and dissemination of technological equipment, as a portion of society did not have the proper time or knowledge to adjust. This paper sets forth a new approach to help fight the Portuguese digital divide by presenting new ways of interaction. Resorting to multi-touch technology, we examine how this new natural interaction paradigm can have a positive influence in the struggle against info-exclusion. For this purpose, we present a multi-touch game envisioned to encourage and teach digitally excluded people on how to use an important and needed everyday equipment - the ATM (Automated Teller Machine) - as it is still avoided by some. We believe that our pilot case study can show preliminary results on how natural user interfaces may be beneficial to help overcome some difficulties enforced by the digital divide. We consider that our findings may be valuable to show a possible path of how the new natural user interfaces can help bring technology and people closer. After being asked about their user experience, the participants of this exploratory study agreed that the game encouraged them to explore more about new technologies. (C) 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Programme Committee of the 4th International Conference on Software Development for Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion (DSAI 2012)

2012

Developing a multi-touch Serious Game to fight the digital divide The Portuguese ATM: a pilot case study

Authors
Carvalho, D; Bessa, M; Peres, E; Magalhaes, L; Guedes, C; Oliveira, L;

Publication
SISTEMAS Y TECNOLOGIAS DE INFORMACION, VOLS 1 AND 2

Abstract
The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has grown substantially over the past few years. However, a portion of the world's society has not been able to keep up with these technological advances. For this purpose, we present a serious game with a multi-touch interface envisioned to encourage and teach digitally excluded people on how to use the Portuguese Automated Teller Machine (ATM): a commodity much needed by society, but still avoided by some, mainly due to their fear of the digital world. An exploratory study was conducted to investigate if a serious game based on a new interaction paradigm can have a positive influence in the struggle against the Portuguese digital divide. We believe that the findings of our pilot case study can be useful to determine if a multi-touch serious game, due to its intuitiveness and ease of use, can stimulate the digitally excluded people to handle the ATM on a regular basis. The results that were obtained suggest that this approach may indeed produce a positive impact in the attempt to bridge the Portuguese digital divide.

2012

A Collaborative Expandable Framework for Software End-Users and Programmers

Authors
Almeida, T; Ferreira, HS; Sousa, TB;

Publication
COOPERATIVE DESIGN, VISUALIZATION, AND ENGINEERING (CDVE)

Abstract
The quantity and complexity that end-users are increasingly demanding from their applications and devices makes it impractical for a software developer to "foresee" every possible combination and explore every valid alternative. One solution is to empower end-users with tools that allows them to explore their necessities in a collaborative framework, where novices and experts can co-exist and share. We believe that such a tool could not only reduce the number of "small", specific-tailored applications, but also foster discovery and experimentation.

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