Kun-Pyo Lee

How users manipulate deformable displays as input devices

This study is aimed at understanding deformation-based user gestures by observing users interacting with artificial deformable displays with various levels of flexibility. We gained user-defined gestures that would help with the design and implementation of deformation-based interface, without considering current technical limitations. We found that when a display material gave more freedom from deformation, the level of consensus of gestures among the users as well as the intuitiveness and preferences were all enhanced. This study offers implications for deformation-based interaction which will be helpful for both designers and engineers who are trying to set the direction for future interface and technology development.

Towards more natural digital content manipulation via user freehand gestural interaction in a living room

Advances in dynamic gesture recognition technologies now make it possible to investigate freehand input techniques. This study tried to understand how users manipulate digital content on a distant screen by hand gesture interaction in a living room environment. While there have been many existing studies that investigate freehand input techniques, we developed and applied a novel study methodology based on a combination of both an existing user elicitation study and conventional Wizard-of-Oz study that involved another non-technical user for providing feedback. Through the study, many useful issues and implications for making freehand gesture interaction design more natural in a living room environment were generated which have not been covered in previous works. Furthermore, we could observe how the initial user-defined gestures are changed over time.

Three factors for contextmapping in East Asia: Trust, control and nunchi

Contextmapping techniques have been tried and tuned for participants in Western cultures and are known to provide inspiration in the conceptual phase of design. Because these techniques rely heavily on activities such as expressing feelings in public and discussing in groups, they are less attuned to participants from more ‘reserved’ cultures, e.g. East Asia. In this project we adapted the techniques for use with East Asian participants. Our findings indicate that, when conducted in appropriate forms, contextmapping techniques can work in East Asia. However, more than in the West, a well-demarcated script is needed. By ‘script’ we mean a construct that frames the roles of the participants and the researcher, and provides a clear stage on which the participant plays the role of ‘expert of his experience’ and outside of which he/she is free from the burden of expressing him- or herself. The importance of a script in East Asia led us to review the value of scripting and staging as design parameter for the techniques in general.

Wearable-object-based interaction for a mobile audio device

In this paper, we explore the possibilities of providing miniaturized audio players with gesture control capabilities that are based on wearable objects. We selected thirteen wearable objects and used them as interaction surfaces. We used user-centered design methods to collect interaction gestures suited for play, stop, volume up, volume down, previous song, and next song functions. The characteristics and possibility of these interaction gestures are also discussed.

A participatory design approach to information architecture design for children

A design process that involves the participation of children should effectively elicit the needs of child users by considering characteristics such as their age-appropriate levels of cognitive ability, shyness, language skills, and motor-sensory capabilities. Since the 1960s, a variety of methods and guidelines have emerged specialising in children. Participatory design deals with the problem of enabling users to participate in the design process and with the task of generating ideas by means of generative toolkits and workshops. Hence, participatory design enables designers to look at problems from a childs standpoint and, simultaneously, deal with childhood traits such as shyness and immature language skills. This paper introduces two participatory design toolkits: namely Info Block and Info Tree. These toolkits enable users to build information architecture (IA) that can, firstly, reflect their cognitive characteristics and, secondly, elicit user needs with respect to the information architecture design of childrens websites. In a case study, the toolkits were used to evaluate the usability of the Yahoo!® Kids (Korea) directory. The results show that the information architecture of children differs from that of adults in depth, breadth, and clarity of contents and logicality. Finally, suggestions are made to improve the usability of childrens websites.

Development of integrated analysis system and tool of perception, recognition, and behavior for web usability test: with emphasis on eye-tracking, mouse-tracking, and retrospective think aloud

Recent researches reveal effort to observe users experience from users point of view in order to estimate usability of a web site. Eye-tracking and mouse-tracking to record and analysis what user sees and how user acts can be proper examples. However, although eye-tracking and mouse-tracking are used practically, not only difficult to find the case that uses both, but also the case is rare that considers what user is thinking. Hence, this paper introduced EMT System that tracks eye and mouse, and records users thinking. And for applying EMT system, this paper developed EMT Tool, which helps a researcher to do usability test by recording the users experience, and reproducing it visually. EMT Tool is consist of EMT Tracker which is responsible for observing and collecting users experience and EMT Analyzer synthesizing and analyzing data from EMT Tracker.

Cultural differences and design methods for user experience research: Dutch and Korean participants compared

As business competition globalizes, understanding user experience from various cultures plays a crucial role in design process. However, because most user research methods were developed in Western area, one may question if the expected result can be obtained when applying them to totally different culture. The paper explores cultural effects on the feedback collected in the process and result of user experience research conducted in two countries, the Netherlands and Korea. We presumed four factors which influence user research process: spontaneity of participation, uncertainty avoidance, tendency of problem criticism, and attitude within a group. After the two sets of user research in two countries, actual differences of results were revealed. Consequently, guidelines of user experience research in Korea were suggested based on discovered differences.

FlexRemote: Exploring the Effectiveness of Deformable User Interface as an Input Device for TV

We tried to explore the possibility of using deformation-based interaction as a new input method to remote control. We selected eight basic commands to control TV and design deformation-based gestures for each command based on prior studies regarding organic user interface. A prototype, the FlexRemote, was made and tested by informal user study. The study showed that the users have higher preferences to the FlexRemote in comparison with the conventional input devices and the users can make intuitive interactions through physical deforms. From this positive explorative study, we are expecting that this study will present a new direction in intuitive and fun interaction method with TV in living room environments, which is gaining greater importance.

Social or Financial Goals?: Comparative Analysis of User Behaviors in Couchsurfing and Airbnb

Uber and Airbnb, two well-known sharing economy services, are facing conflicts with traditional taxi and hotel companies because these services have monetary benefits but are free from legacy regulations. However, non-monetary-based sharing services, represented by Couchsurfing, Inc., are free from such conflict and still successful. We investigated the distinctive user participation motivation of non-monetary-based sharing services versus monetary-based ones. Specifically, a comparative analysis of Couchsurfing with Airbnb was conducted via affinity diagramming from host profiles and guest review data. The human relationship, rather than a house, is discovered as the primary shared asset and the primary satisfaction feature for Couchsurfing users. This study gives an insight to prioritize human relationships as the main design concern while developing non-monetary based sharing economy services.

Cultural Dimensions in User Preferences and Behaviors of Mobile Phones and Interpretation of National Cultural Differences

The purpose of this study is to identify the differences in user behaviors and cultural tendencies which will develop a cultural evaluation frame work for mobile phone design among countries in the mobile telecommunication market. Cultural taxonomy helps the understanding of cultural differences. To help understand the Asian market more clearly, a brief overview of Geert Hofstedes findings (Individualism, Uncertainty avoidance, Power distance, Masculinity, and Long-term orientation) and the K.P. Lees Cultural Variables (Way of Task Handling, Temporal Perception, Conception of Nature, Adherence to rules, Relationship with Human, Nature of Human Activity, Message Contexting, and Expression of Emotion) for the index of different cultures was used in this study. This research is based on an online survey in three countries (Korea, China and Japan), summarizing the responses of questionnaire about user preferences, and behavioral perceptions of UI Design of mobile phones. The result of this research identified the differences and similarities among countries clearly, reorganized the cultural variables. After comparing values of authors value from online survey and two other variables, this study found that Hofstedes and KP Lees are very meaningful to identify cultural-based national characteristics. This verifies that differences of usage behavior and preference for mobile phone reflect cultural perspectives. This cultural research is the key to understanding these needs and to providing the companies with advanced market positioning. This study should not stop at a simple cross-national comparison but be a cultural comparison framework for giving companies a clear future direction for globalization-based design development.