Isabel Fernández de Castro

Efficient Building of Interactive Applications Guided by Requirements Models

The analysis of functional and non-functional requirements of an interactive application not only encompasses the descriptive aspects of its functionality and the user and system restrictions, it must also satisfy user needs, such as usability, along with system needs, such as reliability. InterMod is an interactive application-design methodology with agile characteristics which proposes the use of incremental models to define requirements, configure presentation and develop functionality. This poster is focused on the requirements of the InterMod methodology for the efficient construction of interactive applications. These models include user, system, task and dialog models. An example created with a tool that follows these principles and illustrates our approach to the dialog model is presented.

Integration of a Generic Diagnostic Tool in Virtual Environments for Procedural Training

In this article we discuss the problems related to the process of integrating a generic diagnostic tool in virtual environments for training. Virtual environments are suitable applications for training procedural tasks; however, they usually lack the tools to provide an educational dimension to the training. In this research we propose the use of DETECTive, a generic diagnostic tool, in order to facilitate the development of virtual environments which maximise the educational value of the training. We consider that usability of the integrated system is a priority issue. Therefore, we seek a balance between the cost of knowledge acquisition and reliability in the diagnostic phase. The virtual reality system educationally improved during this research is VIRTOOL, a virtual learning environment for machine-tool processes.

An integrated approach to develop interactive software

In this poster we present InterMod, an approach that combines Agile Methods, Model-Driven Developments and User-Centered Design, which are widely accepted in the development of interactive software. The planning and project organizing are based on User Objectives (user desires). The project is organised as a series of iterations and the work is distributed in different workgroups according to some developmental and integration activities. The requirements are incrementally collected and validated with models based on user-centered design. To speed up this validation, we put forward the SE-HCI model, which enriches a human-computer interaction model with the semantics of the application and some basic characteristics of an abstract prototype.

Workshop on Social and Emotional Intelligence in Learning Environments

It has been long recognised in education that teaching and learning is a highly social and emotional activity. Students’ cognitive progress depends on their psychological predispositions such as their interest, confidence, sense of progress and achievement as well as on social interactions with their teachers and peers who provide them (or not) with both cognitive and emotional support. Until recently the ability to recognise students’ socio-affective needs constituted exclusively the realm of human tutors’ social competence. However, in recent years and with the development of more sophisticated computer-aided learning environments, the need for those environments to take into account the student’s affective states and traits and to place them within the context of the social activity of learning has become an important issue in the domain of building intelligent and effective learning environments. More recently, the notion of emotional intelligence has attracted increasing attention as one of tutors’ pre-requisites for improving students’ learning.

Field vs. Laboratory Usability Evaluations: a Study on a Context Dependent Mobile Application Developed with an Agile Methodology

How usability assessment of mobile interactive applications should be conducted in the frame of agile methodologies is an open question. On the one hand, usability evaluation consumes time and resources, which can make agile methodologies lose their agile essence. On the other hand, there is a considerable debate about whether user interactions with mobile systems should be investigated in the field or in more traditional laboratory environments. This work compares the results of a field study conducted in an interactive context-dependent mobile application with performed laboratory studies. This study has allowed identifying different interaction patterns and contextual factors not likely to be simulated in laboratory environment. Integrating field evaluations in agile methodologies is consistent with the objective of improving product quality through incremental assessments.