Valéria Farinazzo Martins

A software development process model for gesture-based interface

Gesture-based applications have particularities, since users interact in a natural way, much as they interact in the non-digital world. Hence, new requirements are needed on the software design process. This paper shows a software development process model for these applications, including requirement specification, design, implementation, and testing procedures. The steps and activities of the proposed model were tested through a game case study, which is a puzzle game. The puzzle is completed when all pieces of a painting are correctly positioned by the drag and drop action of users hand gesture. It also shows the results obtained of applying a heuristic evaluation on this game.

A Checklist to Evaluate Augmented Reality Applications

Augmented reality applications merge virtual content with the real world, with real-time interaction and they have inherent characteristic, such as the lighting conditions, use of sensors, and the user position. These applications are very different from conventional applications that use mouse and keyboard, so they require a usability evaluation to verify whether they achieve their goals and satisfy users. We developed a checklist to measure the usability of augmented reality applications in a practical manner. This checklist was developed adapting the ISO 9241-11 and Nielsen Heuristics for an augmented reality context, and criteria created by us. Five experts evaluated two applications to test the checklist. In both cases, the evaluation clearly identified key problems in the application design. They also evaluated the checklist. Analyzing the results, we could determine that the checklist appears to be a possible solution to evaluate usability of augmented reality applications.

Usability test for Augmented Reality applications

The Augmented Reality applications differ from conventional in many ways such as add virtual objects in real scenes and, commonly, use markers for interaction. The unconventional way of interaction of these applications become the evaluation of usability essential. This paper presents the evaluation of usability of augmented reality applications based on heuristics of Nielsen, ISO 9241-11 and heuristics created by the authors. The evaluation was to assess the usability focus in relation to their users, so we used Usability Testing. It also presented the evaluation of three case studies form the marketing area.

Converging Natural User Interfaces guidelines and the design of applications for older adults

The world population is becoming older. Consequently, there is a significant increase in the number of computer users with more than 60 years old. At the same time, technological advances have allowed the emergence of a new type of interface, which uses non-conventional devices - the Natural User Interfaces. This work presents a set of guidelines for building Natural User Interfaces and their adherence to guidelines provided to build applications aimed to older adults. To evaluate the suitability of these guidelines, two case studies were created and used to perform an usability evaluation with senior users.

Music-AR: Augmented Reality in Teaching the Concept of Sound Loudness to Children in Pre-School

Since the mass media and the lack of mandatory music education in Brazilian schools, there was a loss of perception of sound / music of Brazilian children. This fact, coupled with the lack of software for teaching and sound perception, enhances the problem. This paper presents the Music-AR, an augmented reality software for teaching sound properties such as pitch, loudness and volume. This application allows children manipulate virtual objects that are associated with sound, allowing them to learn sound bass and treble. The results of a usability test are presented.

Usability and Functionality Assessment of an Oculus Rift in Immersive and Interactive Systems Using Voice Commands

Virtual Reality has provided means to improve interface and user interaction with computational systems. This improvement has affected directly the degree of immersion and user interaction with computer-generated synthetic environments, through the utilization of human senses such sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. This work aims to present a usability assessment and the functionalities of an interactive and immersive virtual reality system based on the utilization of the panoramic Oculus Rift device and interaction through voice commands. The virtual environment adopted to be integrated to the solution is the Google Street View through which user can visualize and navigate on. Besides assessment, this paper also introduces the hardware and software integration carried out, as the different phases of the development of the virtual environment.

Problem based learning associated to the development of games for programming teaching

The programming teaching faces serious challenges all over the world. Many students end up abandoning the Computer Science courses in their freshman years because they are not able to understand the concepts taught in introductory courses. On the other hand, the development of games is an opportunity for the students to perform an actual activity of the career and hence it may serve as an incentive to their motivation, commitment, and proactivity. This article describes a teaching approach based on the Problem Based Learning (PBL) methodology, which is associated to the development of educational games to drive the programming teaching in an introductory and practical course of programming teaching. The article presents details on the approach and how it was conducted in a case study with 30 students. The article also comprehends the approachs assessment, as well as the results got through the evaluation survey with students and teachers.

A Visuospatial Memory Game for the Elderly Using Gestural Interface

This work presents a visuospatial game designed for the elderly that uses gesture based interaction. The game is a computer version of the Simon Memory Game (known in Brazil as “Genius”), which was quite popular in the 80s. All the development phases are presented, since the requirements elicitation to the tests with potential users. The elderly population characteristics were taken into account for the game development. Details on the usability tests results with 10 users are given and also the analysis of this data.

WebAR: A Web-Augmented Reality-Based Authoring Tool with Experience API Support for Educational Applications

Learning objects are reusable teaching units that are supported by various learning management systems, such as Moodle and Blackboard. Once learning object standards are followed, several types of media can be used as learning objects, such as augmented reality applications. We propose the use of augmented reality content as media for e-learning systems. Therefore, this paper presents an Web Augmented Reality-based Authoring called WebAR. It is compatible with Experience API (xAPI) which is a standard learning object that is based on the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). Learning objects based on augmented reality can also be used to assist students with difficulties related to spatial skills.

Problem-based learning methodology applied within a data network infrastructure design course a real case implementation

Education professionals are always searching for new ways of promoting learning, either by modifying the pedagogical project of courses or by the adoption of new learning strategies. In particular, this paper presents the results of an effort in order to bridge the knowledge acquired by students within classroom in face-to-face classes with technical skills required in real life situations. The contribution presented in this paper is the result of an assignment applied within an undergraduate Data Network Infrastructure Design course in a Brazilian university using an adapted Problem-Based Learning methodology (PBL), as a motivational tool. This paper also presents and discusses the resulting data related to the learning assessment.