Areej Al-Wabil

Visual Analysis of Dyslexia on Search

A key problem in the field of search interfaces is dyslexic users interaction with the UI. Dyslexia is a widespread specific learning difficult (SpLD) (10% of any population is estimated to have this cognitive disability) which is under researched in the field of information retrieval. The focus here is an analysis of the User Interface (UI) for search, using visual analytical methods on eye tracking data to examine the difference between control and dyslexic searchers. We use a number of visual analytic methods including path similarity analysis (PSA) and clustering of time intervals to demonstrate both similarities and differences between the user groups. Observations of videos are used to augment the visualizations. Results demonstrate a clear difference between the user groups, and a clear memory effect on the user of search interfaces is shown -- this is a key contribution of this paper. We examine the results using of theories of dyslexia, contributing also to the field of dyslexia and search.

Coding Schemes for Observational Studies of Usability in Collaborative Tangible User Interfaces

With the growing complexity in Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) and their integration in the decision-making process, user acceptance of these TUI systems continues to be an important issue. Drawing upon recent findings in computer-mediated communication, human computer interaction, computer-supported-cooperative work, and social psychology, the present research extends the coding schemes for observational video analysis by incorporating the variables of communication and collaboration in the context of systems designed for urban planning and modeling.

Behavioral Archetypes for Stroke Rehabilitation Technologies

Being a leading cause of death and serious long-term disability across the world, stroke and cerebrovascular diseases became a major burden on health and social care. However, research has shown that early therapy intervention with stroke patients has the potential for significant improvements in terms of cognitive and motor abilities. Integration of technology into rehabilitation such as the robot-assisted therapy, virtual reality applications, and telecare systems have changed the way rehabilitation programs are being delivered and it overcame some of the limitations and challenges that come with conventional therapy programs. Understanding the target audience and their behavior is of crucial importance to be considered in an early design phase especially with this kind of systems that have tedious nature and involve multiple groups of users (patients, therapists, and caregivers). In this study, we aim to adopt a participatory design approach that engages users and stakeholders in developing stroke rehabilitation technologies aligned with behavioral archetypes that are modeled around their behavioral perspectives. We believe that using archetypes in user research gives us a better view of behavior in interaction design of rehabilitation systems and provide developers with a model to validate interactive elements in stroke rehabilitation systems and user flows at a macro level. In this paper, a user study was designed to be conducted to validate behavioral archetypes of these groups through interviews and focus group sessions with different physicians, therapists and caregivers in rehabilitation centers.

HCI Practices in Software-Development Environments in Saudi Arabia

Within the human–computer interaction (HCI) community, there is a wide range of experience and approaches to integrating user research in the software-development life cycle. Independent HCI consulting and contracting is becoming a more prevalent mode of user research globally, but our understanding of the local context in some regions is limited. This paper reports the results of a survey of 65 practitioners working in software-development environments in Saudi Arabia. The survey was conducted in January 2018 and covered a range of aspects: profiles of respondents and their organizations, their perception of usability, user experience and user-centered design, assessment of current HCI activities, and motivation for and obstacles to adopting HCI practice in software-development environments. The results revealed recognition of HCI practices was greater than expected. The adoption of HCI practices in the industry and private sector was greater than in government organizations. The findings also suggested that the most-used HCI activities were prototyping and stakeholder meetings for requirements elicitation. The degree of importance of decision factors for adopting HCI practices and the frequency of obstacles to adoption of the practices varied slightly among government, private, and semi-government organizations. The study results also provided basic information for HCI practitioners and researchers who are interested in appropriating HCI methods to meet local needs. Here, we discuss the results and provide implications for advancing HCI practice in software-development environments in Saudi Arabia.

Recognition of Affective States via Electroencephalogram Analysis and Classification

Understanding and reacting to the affective state of users is increasingly becoming important in the field of human–computer interaction (HCI) research and practice. Recent developments in brain–computer interface (BCI) technology has facilitated improved accuracy in human emotion detection and classification. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of using electroencephalogram (EEG) for the detection of four affective states based on a dimensional model (valence and arousal) of emotions. We conduct rigorous offline analysis for investigating the deep neural network (DNN) classification method in emotion detection. We also compare our classification performance with a random forest (RF) classifier and support vector machine (SVM). The data analysis results revealed that the proposed DNN-based classifier method outperformed the methods based on the SVM and RF classifiers.

Applied Semiotics in the Context of Open Government Data (OGD) Portals in the Arab Gulf

Theories of semiotics and how they relate to the use of web interfaces have been a topic of research for decades. However, little attention has been paid to the perception of semiotics from the perspective of technology users in the Arabic speaking populations. In this paper, we delve into interpretations of semiotics in icons used in open government data (OGD) portals from the perspective of native Arabic speakers in the Arab Gulf. We consider how semiotics are used and understood in technology-mediated OGD environments among this population, paying particular attention to the role of social and cultural norms in the visual design of symbols and semiotics. We then offer culturally sensitive design principles and suggestions for future research that incorporates previously unexplored characteristics of semiotics, which play a role in how users perceive icon-based navigation schemes in open data portals. Implications for the design of intelligent OGD portals, and translation of applied semiotics into technological innovations for intelligent navigation in complex OGD portals are discussed.

UX Design in the Localization and Internationalization of NASA’s Eyes on the Earth

In this study, we describe a user experience (UX) design case study for the localization and globalization of NASA’s browser-based visualization technology, “Eyes on the Earth.” The application was developed to display the location of all of NASA’s Earth-observing missions in real time. Visualizations include data streams from missions that constantly monitor the Earth’s vital signs (e.g. global temperatures, concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, sea level height). In the localization of the platform, we describe the design considerations for adaptations of “Eyes on the Earth” to meet the language, cultural, and social requirements of a specific target audience for native Arabic speakers. We discuss the comprehensive rethinking of logic, visual design, and presentation to align the concepts and metaphors with the accepted paradigm for learning (e.g. focus on individual vs. group) and exploration in a given locale, when it differs substantially from the originating culture. In the internationalization aspect of the UX design process, we describe the design and development practices that facilitate migration in the localization process, such as adding markup in document type definitions (DTDs) to support bidirectional text or style sheets for typographic features and for enabling coding to support local, regional, and culturally related preferences. Insights from the UX design process and methodological considerations for localization and globalization are discussed.

Measuring and monitoring emotional changes in children who stutter

The assessment of clients with speech disorders presents challenges for speech-language pathologists. For example, having a reliable way of measuring the severity of the case, determining which remedial program is aligned with a patients needs, and measuring of treatment processes. There is potential for brain-computer interface (BCI) applications to enhance speech therapy sessions by providing objective insights and real-time visualization of brain activity during the sessions. This paper presents a study on emotional state detection during speech pathology. The goal of this study is to investigate affective-motivational brain responses to stimuli in children who stutter. To this end, we conducted an experiment that involved recording frontal electroencephalography (EEG) activity from fifteen children with stuttering whilst they looked at visual stimuli. The contribution of our study is to provide a comprehensive background and a framework for emotional state detection experiments as assessment and monitoring tool in speech pathology. It mainly discusses the feasibility and potential benefits of applying EEG-based emotion detection in speech-language therapy contexts of use. The findings of our research indicate that emotional recognition using non-invasive EEG-based BCI system is sufficient to differentiate between affective states of individuals in treatment contexts.

Understanding Gendered Spaces Using Social Media Data

In Saudi Arabia, gender shapes cities in a way that is not commonly found in other cities due to Saudi Arabia’s imposed gender segregation. This segregation policy drives both genders to different areas of the city in different ways, influencing the emergence of gendered spaces. In this paper, we utilize social media data to better understand gendered spaces throughout the city of Riyadh. For our analysis, we developed an algorithm to perform gender annotation based on users’ first names. The method, optimized for English and Arabic language names, was applied to a sample of over 120,000 geotagged tweets between November 2016 and January 2017. The customer demographics of Foursquare venues were estimated based on the gender ratio of reviewers. Areas with a high degree of gender concentration in these datasets were used to identify gendered spaces. The correlation between gendered space identified from tweets and Foursquare venues was used to examine the link between amenities and gender-specific mobility habits in Riyadh. Throughout our analysis, we aim to identify ways in which government policies and the organization of businesses and services with similar customer demographics impact the mobility patterns of women and men and lead to the emergence of gendered spaces in Riyadh.

The Rise of Hackathon-Led Innovation in the MENA Region: Visualizing Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Time-Bounded Events

Hackathons are poised to accelerate technological progress and redefine the technology innovation lifecycle. Time-bounded events have spawned a raw form of creativity that is rarely seen elsewhere in the digital innovation landscape. Efficient monitoring and analysis of data emerging from time-bounded events - and trends in the technology innovation process that emerge from encouraging developers, designers and entrepreneurs to go from the drawing board to a working demo - is of interest to both professional analysts and the general public. This research identifies the distinguishing characteristics of hackathons in the MENA region. It also introduces a visual analytics platform for uniquely identifying the technical, socio-cultural and contextual differences that define hackathon practices and the emerging hacking communities in the MENA region. The benefit of such understanding not only supports the continued growth of such activities in these countries, it also helps to disambiguate hackathon activities from other productive practices for software development, entrepreneurship and computing education.