Anindita Paul

Sensor Systems for Monitoring Functional Status in Assisted Living Facility Residents

This article provides results of an expert review of data displays for a sensor system used to monitor functional abilities in older adults. The research took place at TigerPlace, an assisted living facility where the sensor system is currently being evaluated. A checklist of 16 heuristic criteria was used to evaluate the sensor data displays, with consideration to the users of the system: residents, their families, and health care providers. Results of this expert review indicate that flexibility and efficiency of use, help and documentation, navigation, and skills were not well developed in the sensor data displays. Conversely, sensor data displays were rated highly for their aesthetic value and the ample visual contrast on the main display components. Through the use of a sensor system, new ways of detecting functional decline in elderly residents of assisted living facilities can be accomplished.

Implementation and Use of Web Analytics for Academic Library Websites

Academic libraries are often required to support decision-making related to data that are both credible and readily obtained. Library researchers and practitioners have recognized the need for tools, such as Web Analytics (WA) for online researching. However, few studies have analysed the library managements perception towards the WA use. Understanding the managements perspective towards WA can further help to understand the optimum usage of WA and the various challenges and obstacles faced while using it for the library purposes. Six members of the Website Usability Committee of an academic library were engaged in an interactive group interview about WA. Analysis revealed the library managements various views about WA and the challenges faced while interpreting the WA reports. Four themes emerged out of the interview regarding the use of WA—decision about services, decision about web-design, librarys interest in user behavior, and challenges of WA use for the library. These themes are then discussed to shed light on current and future prospects of using WA for improving academic library website. Factors affecting web analytics implementation are also discussed.

Conferences as Information Grounds: Web Site Evaluation with a Mobile Usability Laboratory.

ABSTRACT This article describes an “on-the-road” usability study and explains the studys methodological challenges, solutions, and recommendations. The study concerned a library-consortium website, which is a communication and educational tool for librarians who are physically dispersed throughout the state, and an intranet for remote users. Rather than traveling to numerous locations or attempting a remote usability evaluation of the website, the lab took a mobile laboratory to a professional conference where a large number of website users were gathered. Four doctoral students used the talk-aloud protocol to interview 14 conference participants. The interviews were recorded with Morae software on laptop computers, and participants were asked to complete 13 tasks. Although there proved to be difficulties in mobile usability testing, the conference provided a space to describe the project and recruit participants. While the optimal place to conduct usability testing is in either the lab or the participants natural environment, advantages in taking it to a conference include access to a diverse range of users and the ability to generate interest in the project among users.

Web ecology: Information needs of different user groups in the context of a community college website

College websites play an increasingly important role in the lives of students, faculty, and parents providing them with necessary information and communication opportunities. A number of researchers have studied the effectiveness of college websites, however, most of these studies focused on the needs of students. There is a research gap in understanding the information needs of multiple audiences of college websites. This paper presents the preliminary findings of the study on information needs of multiple user groups of a community college website: traditional students, non-traditional students, employees, parents, and prospective students. The preliminary analysis of data shows that in general, community college website users need course-related information, information about the college, financial information, contact information, admission and career-related information pertaining to the college. On the other hand, each group of users has distinct information needs that should be taken into account in the architecture, design, and content of community college websites to make them more effective.

“I Am Not Sure How Much It Will Be Helpful for Me”: Factors for Digital Inclusion among Middle-Class Women in India

The ability of the individual to participate fully in society is increasingly tied to the ability to access and to use digital technologies in a meaningful way for social, political, and economic participation, making digital inclusion a key component of modern social justice. This article explores digital inclusion issues beyond physical access to digital information technology. The research is based on a series of in-depth interviews with women in Kerala, India, who have had access to digital information technologies for at least 5 years. The collected data were analyzed for evidence of factors beyond physical access to technology and basic literacy skills that affect information and communication technology access and use.

After access: an inquiry into ICT use factors for Indian women

Nations have made great strides in providing physical access to digital technologies and educational opportunities, yet barriers still exist that prevent those who have strong physical and intellectual access to information and communication technology from taking full advantage of the information and opportunities the technology offers. Women in particular are affected by social barriers which may be quite subtle and are easily excluded from taking an active role in the information society. This study explores how Indian women incorporate information and communication technology (ICT) into their daily lives and what aids or barriers they face in the process. This study contributes to an understanding of factors that lead to Indian womens current use of ICT, reasons why Indian women choose to use ICT, and barriers to this usage.

An experience with measuring multi-user online task performance

Growing demand for usability testing as a part of iterative design process requires novel approaches and methods to accelerate the process. This paper introduces a new approach of conducting MUST (Multiple-User Simultaneous Testing) using the Autopilot feature of Morae as a potential way for discounted usability testing method. Seventeen participants performed 15 information retrieval tasks on an academic website using MUST. Taking proper steps in research design and study set up when collecting data on online user interaction in a group setting can improve data quality by avoiding unnecessary mistakes. Also, knowledge about advanced features available in the data collection software can help information retrieval and usability evaluation researchers to become well-prepared for the challenges of data collection. Automatic reports generated by Autopilot are provided that include graphs of average time on tasks and participant responses on likert scale. Advantages and disadvantages of the Autopilot feature are also shared.