Aude Dufresne

Adaptive Navigational Tools for Educational Hupermedia

Hypermedia makes it possible to access in a flexible and interactive way large quantities of information. Compared to intelligent tutors, hypermedia learning environments are easier to design. On the other hand, compared to textbooks, they facilitate exploration, simulation and interactive adaptation of the courseware to the user. The flexibility left to the user in hypermedia appears to pose disorientation problems. In this paper we explore how, in the context of education, the interface and especially navigational tools may be used to improve learning. We also present current research on adaptive navigational tools in educational environments: first, the information made accessible should be adapted to the level of the user, eventually unfolding only as he progresses in his learning; second, the interface should reflect the users progression, using multilevel footprints and advice; finally, the system can offer restructuring facilities to the user for rearranging information as he explores it in order to remember it more easily.

Touching and hearing GUI's: design issues for the PC-Access system

PC-Access is a system which combines both hardware and software in order to provide multimodal feedback in a Microsoft Windows graphical interface and within its applications. We propose two versions of PC-Access: one which offers sound feedback with an enhanced drawing tablet and another in which tactile stimuli are synthesized by a haptic pointing device. When using the second version, the user will be able to perceive the interface objects (e.g, icons, menus, windows) as well as actions (e.g, moving, re-sizing). Thus, PC-Access offers auditory information (non-verbal sounds and voice synthesis), reinforced by the sense of touch which in turn helps to direct manipulation.

Refreshable tactile graphics applied to schoolbook illustrations for students with visual impairment

This article presents research on making schoolbook illustrations accessible for students with visual impairment. The MaskGen system was developed to interactively transpose illustrations of schoolbooks into tactile graphics. A methodology was designed to transpose the graphics and prepare them to be displayed on the STReSS2, a refreshable tactile device. We experimented different associations of tactile rendering and audio feedbacks to find a model that children with visual impairment could use. We experimented with three scientific graphics (diagram, bar-chart and map) with forty participants: twenty sighted adults, ten adults with visual impairment, and ten children with visual impairment. Results show that the participants with visual impairment liked the tactile graphics and could use them to explore illustrations and answer questions about their content.

Multimodal User Interface System for Blind and “Visually Occupied” users: Ergonomic Evaluation of the Haptic and Auditive Dimensions

An ergonomical evaluation of a multimodal windows-oriented interface that gives blind and “visually occupied” persons access to graphical user interfaces. Physical models are used to represent interface features providing haptic informations, thanks to a force-feedback device, and non-speech audio. In the absence of vision, both auditory and haptic modalities are used, to perform manipulation tasks. Three conditions were compared: sound feedback alone, force feedback alone and bimodal feedback. Measures of usability were timing, error rates with subjective satisfaction. Results from the experiment show that multimodality was associated with better performance for blind and sighted subjects and that it is ranked as the best interface.

Introducing tactoweb: a tool to spatially explore web pages for users with visual impairment

This paper introduces the TactoWeb tool. TactoWeb is a Web browser allowing users with visual impairment to explore Web pages using tactile and audio feedbacks. It is used in conjunction with the Tactograph device or the iFeel mouse. We first present a comparative study of existing tools that give users with visual impairment access to Web pages. The aim of this study is to identify the capabilities and limitations of these tools in order to define important features which are needed to improve navigation on the Web for users with visual impairment. TactoWeb is designed to make spatial navigation possible, with better audio and tactile feedbacks. It should be superior to sequential exploration with only audio feedback.

Graphisme tactile appliqué aux illustrations de manuels scolaires à l'usage d'enfants ayant une déficience visuelle

This article presents research on making schoolbook illustrations accessible for students with visual impairment. The MaskGen system was developed to interactively transpose illustrations of schoolbooks into tactile graphics. A methodology was designed to transpose the graphics and prepare them to be displayed on the STReSS, a refreshable tactile device. We experimented different associations of tactile rendering and audio feedbacks to find a model that children with visual impairment could use. We experimented with three scientific graphics (diagram, bar chart and map) with forty participants: twenty sighted adults, ten adults with visual impairment, and ten children with visual impairment. Results show that the participants with visual impairment liked the tactile graphics and could use them to explore illustrations and to answer questions about their content.

Explor@Graph Scenarios Editor - Designing a Collaborative Task

The Explor@Graph system is tool where scenarios are designed as conceptual graphs, and used as an LMS. It is integrated to a forum for collaborative tasks.

Cultivating a community of practice: designing the TeleLearning Exchange

CSCW is one mechanism by which the TeleLearning Exchange Project promotes collaboration in the interdisciplinary research of the TeleLearning Network of Centres of Excellence (TL-NCE). Affiliated researchers are encouraged to share informal knowledge of their projects via three major strategies: site visits by an integration officer, a community Web repository (http://teleport.techbc.ca) and collaborative visits by students. An informal goal of the TeleLearning Exchange is to scaffold the next generation of collaborative researchers by actively involving students affiliated with the TL-NCE as agents of interdisciplinary cooperation and technical integration. The paper describes the design and development issues surrounding a Web repository tool to build a community of practice.

Physiological heatmaps: a tool for visualizing users’ emotional reactions

Practitioners in many fields of human-computer interaction are now using physiological data to measure different aspects of user experience. The dynamic nature of physiological data offers a continuous window to the users and allows a better understanding of their experience while interacting with a system. However, in order to be truly informative, physiological signals need to be closely linked to users’ behaviors and interaction states. This paper presents an analysis method that provides a direct visual interpretation of users’ physiological signals when interacting with an interface. The proposed physiological heatmap tool uses eyetracking data along with physiological signals to identify regions where users are experiencing different emotional and cognitive states with a higher frequency. The method was evaluated in an experiment with 44 participants. Results show that physiological heatmaps are able to identify emotionally significant regions within an interface better than standard gaze heatmaps. Applications of the method to different fields of HCI research are also discussed.

ExploraGraph et la personnalisation des interactions pour l'apprentissage

This paper describes how the different dimensions of personalization can be integrated in an environment designed to support learning. We show how the Explora-Graph environment integrates those various dimensions to restore a more holistic interaction.