Chien Hsu Chen

Design and evaluation of small, linear QWERTY keyboards

Miniature keyboard design is motivated by the need for smaller mobile devices with maximum user display area. Thus, this study developed four miniature keyboard designs which varied from conventional keyboard design in terms of their configuration and layout. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the input speed, accuracy, comfort, likability and learnability of four miniature keyboards. Sixteen fast typists and 16 slow typists were recruited to use these four miniature keyboards. The results showed that the rectangular-shaped keycaps of 3 letters with separated keycaps of numerals obtained the best proficiency speed, highest comfort and greatest user acceptance among the four keyboards. Moreover, the keyboards with square-shaped keycaps had better input accuracy compared to rectangular-shaped keycaps. Finally, the proposed keyboards were smaller than current keyboards, and the performance for all of the small keyboards was worse than that of the conventional keyboard.

Observe the user interactive behavior with a large multi-touch display in public space

Multi touch is a new-type technology of human computer interaction, it can provide multi user to operate on the same display. Hence, different type of interface design will cause manipulation problem. This study is going to create a 100 inch multi-touch display to observe the users interactive behavior through the 6 cameras in public space area. In addition to the manipulation interface, a Photo.DIG interface is development to control photos in the depth.

Using an augmented reality-based training system to promote spatial visualization ability for the elderly

The physical condition and cognitive ability of older adults tends to decline. This study focused on the development of an augmented reality (AR)-based rehabilitation training system to improve the spatial visualization and mental rotation abilities of elderly people. Using one’s imagination to manipulate objects is common in everyday life. However, training tasks for the elderly are still presented in two-dimension, which research indicates generates a cognitive load that reduces the participants’ interest and diminishes the effects of training. AR can effectively reduce cognitive load, improve one’s sense of spatial direction, and increase participants’ interest in training. Therefore, this study used AR technology, combined with a tangible user interface as a manual controller, to allow participants to directly manipulate a virtual three-dimensional model that used a cube to conduct mental rotation tasks (MRT) for the elderly to improve their mental rotation ability. After 6 weeks of intervention, we used an ABA (reversal) design and paired-sample t tests in SPSS to compare the learning effects on the experimental group’s pre- and posttests. The participants’ error rates significantly declined and their reaction times significantly improved during the MRT test.

Integrating Augmented Reality into Blended Learning for Elementary Science Course

Because of the advanced technology and popularity of mobile devices, Computer assisted instruction (CAI) has become an important role in learning activities and provide effective and efficient learning tools. With the development of digital learning, blended learning integrating a variety of multimedia technology and different learning method has become a hot topic in educational research. And studies have shown that the potential of CAI to benefit blended learning environments and increase the flexibility and interaction of learning activities. In recent years, augmented reality (AR) technology is new CAI tool that bring a new experience to learning. Therefore, this study proposed an augmented reality-based blended learning (ARBL) approach to evaluate the learning usability of elementary students. There were 25 participants to learn with ARBL, and a questionnaire was given to them to understand their feeling about the ARBL learning. The results of the experiment showed that students could enjoy the learning activities and they were interested in the learning course. And the ARBL learning approach provides a helpful CAI tool in the blended learning to assist teachers/students in exploring learning knowledge.

Ergonomic Consideration for Wearable Device Design in Frozen Shoulder Rehabilitation

This paper is regarding the wearable device design which is based on frozen shoulder game rehabilitation. At present some studies are focus on sensors and rehabilitation outcomes. However the sensors designed without a suitable wearable device and it will influence the sensed results and wear comfort. Thus, this article records the design process of the wearable device, particularly the worn ways and the fabric. The way in which wearable device are worn will be analyzed with the user experience to improve sensing accuracy and comfort. The material in which wearable device are used will be tested with making models. Then the models of the wearable devices are made and tested to find out the design factors which are suitable ergonomic.

BeaconPass: A Location Based APP Game for Traveler

BeaconPass is a smartphone/tablet application inspired by shared problems among travelers. Following our previews research; lack of internet access, GPS inaccuracy, battery life and insufficient site-specific information, reflect on travelers getting lost and missing on their touring expectations. Thus it was decided that the application’s goal is to narrow the gap between previously planned activities and the exploration of a city. Beacon technology was selected as the means, from which the application would develop, to ease the exploration of a city. Given the potential that beacon technology holds for showcasing a wide offer of visiting alternatives, on a site-specific basis, the application has been packaged into a game that seeks to encourage the traveler to meet unplanned locations. Graphically, the game uses a “pirate’s journey” metaphor that allows the user to level up while engaging in an open exploration of the city.

Developing story performing system for children

Storytelling activity is an effective method to enhance childrens presentation ability, logical thinking and imagination in elementary education. In this paper, researchers observed elementary school children in the course of Performing Art and discovered the difficulty for them to operate the puppets. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to take advantages from both technology and storytelling activities to solve this kind of problems. A real-time chromakey technique system which is able to composites the actors and the scenes in real-time is conducted for children to create plays intuitively as well as record their performance for sharing, therefore reduce the frustration and increase the motivation of children in creating stories.

The user interactive behavior model for a large multi-touch display in public space

Multi-touch is a kind of emerging technology in human computer interaction area. It does not only provide a more natural and intuitive interaction, but also allows multi users simultaneously to manipulate on the same display. Therefore, it usually would be suitable to be represented in the form of the large display in the public space. Furthermore, most of the research issues in the large and public display usually focused on the social network and the human behavior. However, few researches of the multi-touch area were mentioned about the issue, hence, in this study we built up a 100-inch multi-touch display to observe the human behavior through 6 cameras in the public space with a developed “Photo Dig” interface for the uses manipulation. Finally, the five stages and three levels of the user interactive behavior model are proposed.

Design a Multi-Touch Table and Apply to Interior Furniture Allocation

This is a study based on the integration of FTIR multi-touch technology with Industrial Design to produce a multi-touch table. An multi-touch system interface is also developed through this study. Furniture allocation is applied as the content to provide users practical operating experience on the multi-touch interface. The process includes FTIR structure related testing, hardware technology and specifications; and the exterior design. The system interface includes image recognition system and multi-touch application, and is developed in FLASH. This study not only uses the easy-to-use characteristics of the multi-touch technology but also integrates PV3D to link the 3D scene with the user interface. This provides a real-time 3D simulation image that the user can view the result of the furniture allocation while controlling the user interface. Observation and interviews are made on the users to evaluate the advantages and related problems of the multi-touch technology for future study and development.

Design and Evaluation of Innovative Chord Input for Mobile Phones

Text message is one of the most popular functions of mobile phones, apart from talking through the phone. This study focuses on how chord input is being used on mobile phones, as well as operating phones with chord input. We propose two new mobile phones: Tri-joint key and Four-corner key, which combines with the chord input and the natural finger localization. There were 14 male participants and 6 female participants that participated in this research; after 9 days of practice with the content of numerals, English characters and English phrases. The result shows the performances of the participants have increased, including the speed of completing tasks and accuracy. There is no significant difference between these two new styles of phones and the ordinary type concerning the user satisfaction chart. This also means users could accept new kinds of input devices.