Sílvia Amélia Bim

Can inspection methods generate valid new knowledge in HCI? The case of semiotic inspection

HCI evaluation methods tend to be proposed and used to verify the interactive qualities of specific systems and design strategies. A discussion about the scientific merits of such methods to advance knowledge in HCI as a field is very rare, although much needed. This paper shows that, under certain conditions, inspection methods can be safely used in scientific research in HCI and extend their advantages beyond the territory of professional practice. Taking the Semiotic Inspection Method (SIM) as an example, we argue that its interpretive results are objective, can be validated, and produce scientific knowledge comparable to that generated by more widely accepted methods.

HCI education in brazil: challenges and opportunities

HCI Education in Brazil has come a long way. Since 1999, the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC) included HCI in its reference curriculum for its Computing courses. Since then, the community has discussed the perspective of the area in our country. From 2010 to this day, we have held a series of workshops on HCI Education, called WEIHC, as a permanent discussion forum within the Brazilian HCI conference, IHC. We report here the results of the WEIHC discussions and of two surveys, conducted in 2009 and in 2012, to help us assess the status of HCI Education in Brazil. Despite the advances of the Brazilian HCI community, our surveys show that we still face some important challenges. We should curate existing teaching material to further enhance collaboration among professors, to increase the quality of our courses, and to broaden HCI awareness across all related departments.

Charting the Landscape of HCI Education in Brazil

One of the issues the Brazilian HCI community has paid great attention to is HCI education in the country. One of the efforts has been to understand, through the use of surveys, how HCI has been taught in Brazil. So far, two reports on HCI education profile in Brazil have been presented: one from 2009 that described HCI courses being taught, and another from 2012 that was in response to a SIGCHI demand and targeted a broader audience, not taking into account specificities of the Brazilian context. Therefore, the need for an updated analysis of HCI education in Brazil was identified and a new survey applied. In this paper we present the initial analysis of the results of this survey and delineate what HCI courses have been offered at undergraduate or graduate levels around the country and their topics they cover.

Comparação entre os métodos de avaliação de base cognitiva e semiótica

In this article we present a comparative study of three methods: Cognitive Walkthrough, Heuristic Evaluation, and Communicability Evaluation. The aim of the study is to compare costs and benefits of the three, so as to inform decisions about which one to choose when time and feedback for (re)design are the most critical factors. The study was carried out as an academic exercise by graduate students in HCI. Results suggest that, of the three methods, Communicability Evaluation produces the most informative results, whereas Heuristic Evaluation is the most cost-effective.

How Does HCI Research Affect Education Programs? A Study in the Brazilian Context

This paper presents a comparative analysis based on two independent studies of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) education and research in Brazil. The first study was conducted to understand how HCI has been taught in Brazil, via a survey responded by 114 educators and researchers in the country. The second study analyzed the scientific production of HCI in Brazil from a fifteen-year analysis of full papers published on the Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems (IHC). Our analysis is based on data-driven visual exploration, and it can help to get insights from the data and to identify how HCI research in Brazil relates to our education programs. We believe this kind of analysis can shed some light in the evolution of HCI in other countries.

HCI with Chocolate: Introducing HCI Concepts to Brazilian Girls in Elementary School

In order to attract women to the area of computing there are several initiatives in the Brazilian context. The project named Meninas Digitais (Digital Girls) is one of them.In this paper we discuss one experiment carried out in the context of this project. A Computer Science Unplugged activity (The Chocolate Factory) was performed in a Brazilian state school. The activity was about HCI design and was done with nine teenagers. Most of these girls do not have a computer, so they rarely use one. The experiment was their first contact with a topic related to concepts of HCI design, and the girls succeeded in the activity giving interesting solutions for the problem situations presented. The experiment showed that it is possible to introduce some activities to elementary school students so as to present HCI and promote courses in the area of Computing.

A critical analysis of the semiotic engineering evaluation methods

Semiotic Engineering is a semiotic theory of HCI that views human-computer interaction as a contingent process of designer-touser metacommunication. The theory currently has two evaluation methods, Communicability Evaluation and Semiotic Inspection. The aim of our research is to do a critical analysis of both methods in order to align them with each other, especially in ontological and epistemic terms, and to position them more clearly in the Semiotic Engineering territory.

The Use of Educational Applications by Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Case of Study

Researchs on digital accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities is still incipient. Seeking to contribute changing this scenario, this article presents a study case on the use of eight different educational mobile applications by six children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The results indicate that software specifically developed or not for people with ASD can attend the needs of professionals that work with ASD children. The use of sounds, the accompaniment of experts during the use and the purpose of the use are factors that influence the satisfaction of the children using educational applications.

HCI Education in Brazil from the Results of the Workshop on Teaching of HCI

The teaching of Human-Computer Interaction in Computer courses in Brazil is still in consolidation and expansion. In this context, the Special Committee on Human-Computer Interaction (CEIHC) of the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC) has instituted in its annual symposium a permanent forum for discussion of this topic, the Workshop on IHC Education (WEIHC). This article presents an analysis of the six editions of this event concerning its execution and content covered, pointing developments and perspectives of this initiative.

How to Join Theoretical Concepts, Industry Needs and Innovative Technologies in HCI Courses? The Big Challenge of Teaching HCI

The relation between HCI Education and the Industry needs is a challenge to the HCI community. HCI professors should be aware of their role to persuade students that user experience and experience design are cross-cutting concepts, which therefore influence all other areas involved in innovative product and service development, from conceptual design to implementation and testing. In this paper we present a revised HCI Brazilian syllabus for undergraduate Computer Science courses, discussing HCI requirements for UX professional and academic formation of the students. We also describe some research questions that have been raised in this context.