Noor Faezah Mohd Yatim

Secure and auditable agent-based e-marketplace framework for mobile users

Mobile agent based e-marketplace auction trading requires a secure and auditable system with a solid framework to support it. In investigating the requirements, it transpired that there is a lack of such a standardised framework. While mobility helps in avoiding network latency, particularly in increasing fairness in applications with bounded response times such as trading of auctions, it nevertheless raises issues concerning security, privacy and trust in protecting personal confidential information, managing and regulating legitimate trading and payment processing. These issues are of paramount importance and must be taken into consideration when designing a framework for modelling an auditable e-marketplace for mobile users. This also implies that there is also an underlying need to provide mobile users with simple, transparent and unobtrusive user interface. This paper proposes a framework that accommodates these requirements through protocol scenarios and highlight further research work that need to be performed.

Improving Mouse Controlling and Movement for People with Parkinson’s Disease and Involuntary Tremor Using Adaptive Path Smoothing Technique via B-Spline

Many input devices are available for interacting with computers, but the computer mouse is still the most popular device for interaction. People who suffer from involuntary tremor have difficulty using the mouse in the normal way. The target participants of this research were individuals who suffer from Parkinson’s disease. Tremor in limbs makes accurate mouse movements impossible or difficult without any assistive technologies to help. This study explores a new assistive technique—adaptive path smoothing via B-spline (APSS)—to enhance mouse controlling based on user’s tremor level and type. APSS uses Mean filtering and B-spline to provide a smoothed mouse trajectory. Seven participants who have unwanted tremor evaluated APSS. Results show that APSS is very promising and greatly increases their control of the computer mouse. Result of user acceptance test also shows that user perceived APSS as easy to use. They also believe it to be a useful tool and intend to use it once it is available. Future studies could explore the possibility of integrating APSS with one assistive pointing technique, such as the Bubble cursor or the Sticky target technique, to provide an all in one solution for motor disabled users.Many input devices are available for interacting with computers, but the computer mouse is still the most popular device for interaction. People who suffer from involuntary tremor have difficulty using the mouse in the normal way. The target participants of this research were individuals who suffer from Parkinsons disease. Tremor in limbs makes accurate mouse movements impossible or difficult without any assistive technologies to help. This study explores a new assistive technique-adaptive path smoothing via B-spline (APSS)-to enhance mouse controlling based on users tremor level and type. APSS uses Mean filtering and B-spline to provide a smoothed mouse trajectory. Seven participants who have unwanted tremor evaluated APSS. Results show that APSS is very promising and greatly increases their control of the computer mouse. Result of user acceptance test also shows that user perceived APSS as easy to use. They also believe it to be a useful tool and intend to use it once it is available. Future studies could explore the possibility of integrating APSS with one assistive pointing technique, such as the Bubble cursor or the Sticky target technique, to provide an all in one solution for motor disabled users.

Factors Facilitating Cultural Learning in Virtual Architectural Heritage Environments: End User Perspective

Besides being a medium for exhibiting three-dimensional heritage objects, the design and development of virtual heritage environments could also facilitate cultural learning. The aim of this article is to present some consideration on factors that could facilitate cultural learning in virtual heritage environment. Cultural learning in the context of this study refers to the acquisition of knowledge that encourages cultural awareness and appreciation. In this study, we explore virtual heritage environment design features, and cultural information characteristics and presentation formats that are important to facilitate cultural learning, from the casual users perspective. We conducted experiments that required users to explore virtual heritage environments (focusing on architectural heritage) from selected heritage-related websites, followed by interview sessions. Four contributing factors were identified: information design, information presentation, navigation mechanism, and environment setting. The results suggest the need to reduce users’ cognitive load when exploring virtual heritage environments while simultaneously presenting information that adds value to their understanding. The results also suggest that the inclusion of cultural information in virtual heritage environments is essential for cultural learning to take place.

Cultural learning in virtual heritage: an overview

The aim of this paper is to present the overview of cultural learning in virtual heritage. In the past, works done on virtual heritage were mostly focused on replicating and visualizing heritage objects for presentation using virtual reality. However, accurate and realistic representation of heritage objects is not enough when it comes to cultural learning in virtual environment. This paper attempts to identify issues that impede cultural learning in virtual environment. In order to develop a virtual environment that is able to facilitate cultural learning, we argue that there is a need to understand what the end users really want to know when it comes to learning culture. We propose a thorough user study to be carried out at the beginning of virtual heritage project development and discuss the outline of our intended approach.

A combination measurement for studying disorientation

The disorientation problem has been known to exist on hypertext and hypermedia systems. Various approaches have also been recommended and implemented in order to eliminate or reduce it.. There is, however, a lack of empirical evidence to suggest whether any of these approaches are successful. One reason seems to be the difficulty of measuring disorientation. One of the traditional methods used in the study of disorientation is to measure the time taken by users to complete a particular task. Another method uses feedback from users collected by a set of questions designed to identify occurences of disorientation experienced by users. This paper highlights the problems and ambiguities that could arise from using these methods. Guidelines and standards on how to measure disorientation are also almost non-existent. Therefore, this paper also proposes a combination of measurements that can be used for such purposes. This measurement was used in two experiments conducted to study disorientation problems on the WWW. The correlation analysis performed on the results of these experiments supports the idea that there are relationships between the time taken and the disorientation experienced by the users, and that these relationships depend on the type of task.

Visually Impaired User's Navigation Experiences in Facebook

Social networking is a platform to build social relation among people around the world. Facebook is one of the applications widely used by everyone. Now we can share information, ideas, knowledge through social networking sites (SNS). These activities are enjoyed by everyone without any barriers. In this paper we discuss the navigation issues in Facebook by visually impaired (VI) user who using screen reader. Our study focuses on important navigation activities by VI user, explaining navigation barriers and suggesting solutions.

Student's Behavioral Intention to Use Online Discussion Site (ODS) Scale: Investigating Unidimensionality of the Measurement Model

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate unidimensionality of scale used to understand students behavior towards an Online Discussion Site (ODS). The extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model was adapted and examined for unidimensionality using Rasch analysis. Seven factors was used to model the students intention to use ODS. There are Online Course Design (OCD), User-interface Design (UID), Previous Online Learning Experience (POLE), Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), Perceived Interaction (PI) and Intention to Use an Online Discussion Site (IUODS). Item fit statistics and principle component analysis (PCA) suggested that unidimensionality assessment can be achieved after removal of one item from User-interface Design (UID) factor. Our result reports that after removal the misfitting item, the 23 item instrument might provide a unidimensionality assessment of students intention to use ODS ability.

A study on web experience among visually impaired users in Malaysia

This study focused on the web experience and barriers among visually impaired (VIM) users in Malaysia when accessing web pages with screen readers. In this study, eight visually impaired users were interviewed and reported major problems related to images, hyperlinks and page layout. Based on findings from qualitative survey, a comparative analysis was performed with (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) WCAG 2.0.

Improving accessibility through aggregative e-learning for all framework

Common approach to accessible e-learning system are based on following strict guideline and requirement of assistive technology tools, developing alternative interface for user with impairment or separating of user platform and data platform. This paper has identified and discusses three major issues shared in common approaches as difficulty to implement guideline by W3C, accessibility on learning perspective and issues with emerging technology. When most approaches are able to provide contents to be access by user with impairment, the outcome can only be defined as technical perspective. User practices, preferences and ability in learning are affected by their physical disability, thus creating a barrier that demands learning accessibility. This paper has introduced Aggregative E-learning for All Framework that are based on both, technical and learning accessibility. The responsibilities of accessible e-learning are shared by content provider or instructor with system provider. In this framework, the technical components of accessibility become responsibility of system developer, and the learning components of accessibility are accountable to content provider.

Refining technical and learning accessibility elements on e-learning for user with visual impairment

This paper reviews the elements on accessibility issues in e-learning for individual with visual impairment. With current approaches to accessibility are related to technical perspective, this paper examined the fundamental elements on technical accessibility. When physical characteristic of visual impairment affecting user task and ability, it is suggested that learning perspective should be defined by their ability and performance in task, rather than looking at technical accessibility only. The limitation in task and ability leads to accessibility issues in learning process for user with visual impairment. This paper proposed the accessibility requirement for user with visual impairment should be defined by combining both issues of technical and learning accessibility that based on user task and ability. Technical accessibility may relate to individual physical impairment, but learning accessibility should focus on user ability to perform task related to cognitive, perceptual and psychomotor.