Marcin Sikorski

Creative sprints: an unplanned broad agile evaluation and redesign process

We report how a request for routine usability work rapidly evolved into a novel agile process for evaluation and redesign. This process is described and then analysed to identify reasons for success. This analysis supports realistic knowledge transfer between User Experience professionals by outlining how similar future processes could succeed. Realistically, professionals must work to get approaches to work. Uncritical copying of concrete details is unrealistic.

HCI and the Economics of User Experience

This chapter presents a conceptual framework for expanding the scope of current HCI research, by including economic aspects that affect user experience when interacting with online services. This framework presents development models for interactive products and online services. It refers to the concept of value-oriented design that attempts to use HCI and interaction design as a part of business design activity. Although this framework is as yet partly visionary and needs validation, it seems to open interesting perspectives on user experience design, because interaction design is an important part of modern business technology.

Exploring an Ontological Approach for User Requirements Elicitation in the Design of Online Virtual Agents

Effective user requirements elicitation is a key factor for the success of software development projects. There are many qualitative and quantitative research studies that promulgate particular methods and show the application of user requirements elicitation in particular domains. However, few try to eliminate the burden of ambiguity in gathered data, naturally occurring in different groups of stakeholders. This paper deals with this problem by introducing an ontology-based approach which by design provides a shared and common understanding of a domain. On the other hand, the developed ontology is a feasible communication facility for the stakeholders involved, acknowledged and controlled by a group of experts.

Can Evaluation Patterns Enable End Users to Evaluate the Quality of an e-learning System? An Exploratory Study

This paper presents the results of an exploratory study whose main aim is to verify if the Pattern-Based (PB) inspection technique enables end users to perform reliable evaluation of e-learning systems in real work-related settings. The study involved 13 Polish and Italian participants, who did not have an HCI background, but used e-learning platforms for didactic and/or administrative purposes. The study revealed that the participants were able to effectively and efficiently apply the PB inspection technique with minimum effort. However, in some cases, participants complained that, in some cases, the technique appeared time demanding. This work provides some valuable suggestions to redesign the evaluation tools of the PB technique, in order to improve the focus on specific elements of the e-learning system and to streamline better the evaluation process.

Beyond the User Interface: Towards User-Centred Design of Online Services

This paper presents an attempt to identify those economic factors relevant to design of online services, which shape long-term customer satisfaction, as well as customer loyalty and business relationship with the service vendor. Using user-based studies and expert-based evaluations and major economic factors were identified as consumer needs . Also typical technical components of online services have been identified and prioritized as design elements, also relevant to satisfying economic needs of consumers of online services. As a result of this study will be delivered: a catalogue of design elements, design guidelines and economics-oriented design methodology for online services.

Knowledge management challenges in collaborative design of a virtual call centre

This paper presents an analysis of knowledge management issues for a user interface consulting project relevant during the development of a Virtual Call Centre. The experiences gathered by a team of designers and a team of usability consultants have been described and evaluated from the knowledge management viewpoint. A concept of a knowledge-based system, potentially supporting usability consulting in subsequent IT projects has been presented, as well as constraints for its possible use in real settings.

Building employer credibility in corporate intranet portals

This paper presents the role of intranet portals in creating the brand of employer as a trustful and credible partner for the employees -- intranet users. Survey results showing the usage of intranets in Polish companies have been presented as a starting point for developing research agenda and guidelines for building employer brand and credibility in intranet portals. Presented guidelines are based on recent research on trust and credibility in on-line transactions on the Polish internet market.

Usability in Poland

This paper presents the summary of HCI and usability-related activities in Poland. A historical view and the future prospects are presented, as well as the main institutions and projects involved in development of usability in Poland. Current activities in this area are briefly reviewed and their impact on HCI and usability community in Poland is discussed.

Emerging trends and novel approaches in interaction design

This paper presents an outline of novel approaches and emerging trends related to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). These trends have been present in the MIDI 2017 conference organized within FedCSIS series. In particular on-line services and mobile applications, often operated by voice-based interfaces and voice-driven assistants, are special areas of interest as to their prospective developments. Also the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in user interfaces seems to offer a breakthrough towards more intuitive and error-tolerant interaction needed especially in the most common, mobile context of use.

Oddziaływanie portali intranetowych na zarządzanie wiedzą w nowoczesnych organizacjach

This article presents the results of a survey performed among experts in internal communications and intranet on the perceived impact of intranet portals on knowledge management in their organizations. According to responding experts, the strongest impact of intranet portals is observed on knowledge transfer and knowledge usage, and weaker – but noticeable – on knowledge evaluation and development, innovation in organization and motivation to share knowledge. Paradoxically enough, experts say the impact of intranet portals is marginal in increasing employees’ competence and knowledge identification.