MFS Design in Appstore-enabled Smart Featurephones for Low-literate, Marginalized Communities

Mobile Financial Services (MFS) has gained significant popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among marginalized and low-income, low-literate communities around the world. Such communities have not been traditionally considered while designing MFS services via smartphone apps or USSD services in featurephones. Financial constraints limit such end-users towards basic featurephones, where recent appstore support has made it possible to deploy app-based MFS solutions beyond USSD. This new featurephone platform is a relatively underexplored area in terms of addressing design issues related to aforementioned end-users while developing MFS solutions. Our work addresses this gap by presenting qualitative findings on barriers to technology access focused on MFS solutions in marginal communities. We present a prototype non-USSD, app-based solution on an appstore-supported featurephone platform designed via a human-centered approach. This work has the potential to increase the financial inclusivity of marginalized communities in cashless MFS transactions via low-cost, appstore-enabled featurephones. © 2023 ACM.

The tactile dimension: a method for physicalizing touch behaviors

Traces of touch provide valuable insight into how we interact with the physical world. Measuring touch behavior, however, is expensive and imprecise. Utilizing a fluorescent UV tracer powder, we developed a low-cost analog method to capture persistent, high-contrast touch records on arbitrary objects. We describe our process for selecting a tracer, methods for capturing, enhancing, and aggregating traces, and approaches to examining qualitative aspects of the user experience. Three user studies demonstrate key features of this method. First, we show that it provides clear and durable traces on objects representative of scientific visualization, physicalization, and product design. Second, we demonstrate how this method could be used to study touch perception, by measuring how task and narrative framing elicit different touch behaviors on the same object. Third, we demonstrate how this method can be used to evaluate data physicalizations by observing how participants touch two different physicalizations of COVID-19 time-series data. © 2023 ACM.

"I Won't Go Speechless": Design Exploration on a Real-Time Text-To-Speech Speaking Tool for Videoconferencing

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted many business activities to non-face-to-face activities, and videoconferencing has become a new paradigm. However, conference spaces isolated from surrounding interferences are not always readily available. People frequently participate in public places with unexpected crowds or acquaintances, such as cafés, living rooms, and shared offices. These environments have surrounding limitations that potentially cause challenges in speaking up during videoconferencing. To alleviate these issues and support the users in speaking-restrained spatial contexts, we propose a text-to-speech (TTS) speaking tool as a new speaking method to support active videoconferencing participation. We derived the possibility of a TTS speaking tool and investigated the empirical challenges and user expectations of a TTS speaking tool using a technology probe and participatory design methodology. Based on our findings, we discuss the need for a TTS speaking tool and suggest design considerations for its application in videoconferencing. © 2023 ACM.

Orchestrating Image Retrieval and Storage Over a Cloud System

Since massive numbers of images are now being communicated from, and stored in different cloud systems, faster retrieval has become extremely important. This is more relevant, especially after COVID-19 in bandwidth-constrained environments. However, to the best of our knowledge, a coherent solution to overcome this problem is yet to be investigated in the literature. In this article, by customizing the Progressive JPEG method, we propose a new Scan Script to ensure Faster Image Retrieval. Furthermore, we also propose a new lossy PJPEG architecture to reduce the file size as a solution to overcome our Scan Script's drawback. In order to achieve an orchestration between them, we improve the scanning of Progressive JPEG's picture payloads to ensure Faster Image Retrieval using the change in bit pixels of distinct Luma and Chroma components ([Formula Omitted], [Formula Omitted], and [Formula Omitted]). The orchestration improves user experience even in bandwidth-constrained cases. We evaluate our proposed orchestration in a real-world setting across two continents encompassing a private cloud. Compared to existing alternatives, our proposed orchestration can improve user waiting time by up to 54% and decrease image size by up to 27%. Our proposed work is tested in cutting-edge cloud apps, ensuring up to 69% quicker loading time.

Suggesting Assess Queries for Interactive Analysis of Multidimensional Data

Assessment is the process of comparing the actual to the expected behavior of a business phenomenon and judging the outcome of the comparison. The ${{\sf assess}}$assess querying operator has been recently proposed to support assessment based on the results of a query on a data cube. This operator requires (i) the specification of an OLAP query to determine a target cube;(ii) the specification of a reference cube of comparison (benchmark), which represents the expected performance;(iii) the specification of how to perform the comparison, and (iv) a labeling function that classifies the result of this comparison. Despite the adoption of a SQL-like syntax that hides the complexity of the assessment process, writing a complete assess statement is not easy. In this paper we focus on making the user experience more comfortable by letting the system suggest suitable completions for partially-specified statements. To this end we propose two interaction modes: progressive refinement and auto-completion, both starting from an assess statement partially declared by the user. These two modes are evaluated both in terms of scalability and user experience, with the support of two experiments made with real users.

The Effects of Information Layout, Display Mode, and Gender Difference on the User Interface Design of Mobile Shopping Applications

Online shopping has revolutionized our daily lives in the modern era. We can purchase needed goods on mobile shopping applications (apps) anytime and anywhere without leaving home. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have become increasingly dependent on various mobile shopping activities. However, the visual design of the shopping app interface often affects the user's interactive experience and the efficiency of browsing product information. In addition, gender differences are also worth being considered in the shopping interface design process. To achieve the goal, the research conducted a user study (N=40) of a 2× 2 x 2 mixed factorial design (i.e., information layout x display mode x gender difference). Each participant performed four tasks during the experiment. The authors measured the task completion time, collected the subjective responses from the SUS and the 7-point Likert scale questionnaire, and interviewed participants. The results revealed that: (1) females perform faster in lighter mode when searching for information location, while males perform faster in darker mode. (2) The information layout affects the user's visual search performance and subjective evaluation;females prefer the list style, but men prefer the matrix style. (3) Participants (both males and females) perceived matrix style as more popular than list style in dark mode;however, the result was reversed in light mode. The findings generated from the research can serve as a good reference for the development of user experience in the user interface design of mobile shopping apps. © 2013 IEEE.

Managing COVID-19 and health vulnerabilities: mHealth user experience, information quality and policy recommendations

The interplay between how people use mobile health (mHealth) technologies and its quality information for managing their health vulnerabilities in line with their protected characteristics remains unclear and underexplored. This paper examines the intersections between mHealth users' experiences, information quality issues, and everyday health vulnerabilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic by drawing on the theory of planned behaviour and technology acceptance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixty-three participants across three cities: Accra, Lagos and London, to illustrate how barriers to mHealth adoption, and information quality issues, including security and privacy concerns, interact to shape the mHealth user experience. The findings show that key barriers to mHealth user experience and health information quality vary considerably across location and protected characteristics. The paper calls for inclusive and quality mHealth systems in managing health vulnerabilities towards assuring pandemic preparedness and response. By so doing, it contributes to scholarship on the interconnected need for quality information in the context of COVID-19, and highlights the policy implications for mHealth user experience and healthcare delivery. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Development Planning Review is the property of Liverpool University Press / Journals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Analysis of Japanese consumers' attitudes toward the digital transformation of OTC medicine purchase behavior and eHealth literacy: an online survey for digital experience design.

Introduction: Since the enactment of the revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Act in Japan in 2009, self-medication practices have increased in the country. However, studies report that consumers pay little attention to the medication facts and risks indicated on the packages of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, which could be a potential risk. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital transformation of purchasing OTC medicines has progressed. As an appropriate design for the digital transformation is likely to improve consumers' literacy and them obtaining medical information, this study systematically examines Japanese consumers' attitudes toward the digital transformation of OTC medicine purchase behavior and its correlation to eHealth literacy, exploring an appropriate digital experience design in purchasing OTC medicine. Methods: Participants from the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan participated in an online survey. Consumers' current behavior and preferences in accessing OTC medicine, receiving medication guidance, and obtaining medical information were examined. eHealth literacy was assessed using the J-eHEALS. Descriptive statistics, text mining, and thematic analysis were conducted to answer research questions. Results: Over 89% of the respondents who had experience in purchasing OTC medicines preferred local pharmacies or stores rather than online purchasing, p < 0.001. Obtaining medicine guidance in pharmacies or stores was the main preference over other approaches, p < 0.001. Furthermore, most of the participants accepted selecting medicine on shelves and digital screens in-store. However, they were accustomed to using smartphones to obtain additional information at the pharmacy or drug store, p < 0.001; this behavior was positively correlated with eHealth literacy, p < 0.001. Conclusions: Japanese consumers are seeking a combination of conventional and digital behaviors for purchasing OTC medicine rather than opting for a particular method. Most consumers prefer purchasing and receiving instructions in-store while searching for additional decision-making information online. eHealth literacy is positively associated with digital behaviors of OTC medicine information acquisition but less associated with medicine purchases and selections. The hybrid digital experience design may enhance the OTC medicine purchase experience and reduce potential risks by providing appropriate information.

Reflecting on Hybrid Events: Learning from a Year of Hybrid Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a sudden shift to virtual work and events, with the last two years enabling an appropriated and rather simulated togetherness - the hybrid mode. As we return to in-person events, it is important to reflect on not only what we learned about technologies and social justice, but about the types of events we desire, and how to re-design them accordingly. This SIG aims to reflect on hybrid events and their execution: scaling them across sectors, communities, and industries;considering trade-offs when choosing technologies;studying best practices and defining measures of "success"for hybrid events;and finally, identifying and charting the wider social, ethical, and legal implications of hybrid formats. This SIG will consolidate these topics by inviting participants to collaboratively reflect on previous hybrid experiences and what can be learned from them. © 2023 Owner/Author.

Promote collaborations in online problem-based learning in a user experience design course: Educational design research.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an increasing growing need for learning experience or instructional designers. As a result, online courses on user experience (UX) design for learning are in demand to prepare those much-needed professionals. This paper reports the first circle of educational design research (EDR) on such a completely online problem-based course using group contracts and peer-evaluations to promote collaborations. Multiple datasets were collected from a range of data sources from a graduate-level course and were analyzed by two researchers. The study yielded several meaningful results: (1) group contracts helped students work smoothly and keep goals focused on collaborative learning in PBL; (2) the instructor could facilitate the group formation process; (3) peer evaluations helped group collaboration and monitoring; and (4) collaborative technologies are critical for collaboration. The findings also revealed important design principles for collaborative learning in PBL that can be used in similar courses. In addition, this study provides a successful example of how to teach UX design in an online PBL environment, and sheds light on how to further improve similar practices while contributing to the limited body of research on UX design for learning. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10639-022-11495-6.

Research on Affective Interaction in Mini Public Transport Based on IPA-FMEA

In the promotion of sustainable modes of transport, especially public transport, reasonable failure risk assessment at the critical moment in the process of service provider touch with users can improve the service quality to a certain extent. This study presents a product service touch point evaluation approach based on the importance–performance analysis (IPA) of user and failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA). Firstly, the authors capture service product service touch points in the process of user interaction with the product by observing the user behavior in a speculative design experiment, and perform the correlation analysis of the service product service touch point. Second, the authors use the IPA analysis method to evaluate and classify the product service touch points and identify the key product service touch points. Thirdly, the authors propose to analyze the failure of key product service touch points based on user-perceived affective interaction and clarify the priority of each key touch point. Finally, reluctant interpersonal communication, as the key failure caused by high risk, is derived according to the evaluation report, which leads to establishing new product service touch points and improving the overall user experience to promote sustainable transports with similar forms and characteristics.

Understanding social media users' engagement intention toward emergency information: the role of experience and information usefulness in a reciprocity framework

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate how social media users' experience of seeking emergency information affects their engagement intention toward emergency information with a reciprocity framework integrated with information adoption model.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on reciprocity theory, indebtedness theory, and information adoption model, an integrative research model is developed. This study employs a questionnaire survey to collect data of 325 social media users in China. Structural equation modeling analyses are conducted to test the proposed theoretical model.FindingsSocial media users' experience of seeking emergency information has a strong effect on their perceived information usefulness and indebtedness, while perceived information usefulness further influences community norm, indebtedness, and engagement intention. The authors also found that perceived information usefulness mediates the relationships between experience of seeking emergency information and community norm/indebtedness.Originality/valueThis study offers a new perspective to explain social media users' engagement intention in the diffusion of emergency information. This study contributes to the literature by extending the theoretical framework of reciprocity and applying it to the context of emergency information diffusion. The findings of this study could benefit the practitioners who wish to leverage social media tools for emergency response purposes.

Design Thinking Methodology in university teaching for the development and learning achievements in architecture

The present study analyzes the relevance of the design thinking methodology, in English Design Thinking, a collaborative work strategy to maximize collective creativity, in university students of the second semester of the architecture career of the composition II subject, at the Technological University Metropolitan of Chile. The classes were taught remotely (on-line) during the pandemic caused by the coronavirus. The methodology is descriptive and the study is part of the approach of self-directed experience and field study from virtual scenarios, applying the stages: Empathize, define, devise, prototype and devise, which allowed enriching knowledge in education from teaching-learning, improving evidence of learning achievements. A questionnaire was applied to a sample of 104 students;as a result, 61 answers that show the understanding and support of the Design Thinking methodology from the technical and analytical to the architectural activities. The student body managed to develop creativity, systematization and technical skills through the application of research instruments that contribute to the creation of architectural composition projects, placing the social needs and hopes of the user or target audience at the center of decisions © 2023, Revista de Ciencias Sociales.All Rights Reserved.

User experience research in the development of digital health products: Research letter

Background Digital health solutions are facing an increasing impact on healthcare. The current scientific focus is mainly set on clinical studies providing efficacy for different indications. In contrast to pharmaceutical therapy, user experience plays a major role in digital health. However, fundamental scientific knowledge about patient engagement, adoption and qualitative user experience of digital health solutions is missing. Objective To perform user experience design research for the development of a disease management platform for fibromyalgia-like post-COVID19 syndrome. To discuss relevant user experience and its current status in digital health products development. Methods A literature review on PubMed and interviews with digital health stakeholders were performed. German registered digital health applications (DiGAs) for musculoskeletal indications were reviewed in terms of front-end design and navigation. An online user experience design survey about Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) collection was sent to patients from a Swiss post-COVID19 patient association. Results The literature documenting patient experience aspects in digital health is poor despite all stakeholders agreed on its importance, potentially also influencing efficacy of the therapies. Currently available DiGAs have a heterogeneous front-end design without clear user interface design or navigation strategy, respectively. Patient online surveys have shown to be easily feasible and effective tools for qualitative user experience research. Basic user experience research provided helpful guidelines for choices in design features for the purpose of the development of a digital health product. Conclusions User experience research as a tool in the patient-centric development of a digital health product provides valuable data. This data has the potential to help increase adoption and efficacy of the product. Further research studies are needed to clarify the role of user experience in digital therapies.

Experienced versus inexperienced mobile users: eye tracking fashion consumers' shopping behaviour on smartphones

The impact of COVID-19 on shopping behaviour preferences has resulted in the accelerated adoption of e-commerce and increased traffic of first-time e-commerce shoppers worldwide. This study compared experienced versus inexperienced mobile consumers' shopping experiences on smartphones. A mixed-methods research, combining mobile eye-tracking technology and interviews, was employed. The comparison of experienced and inexperienced users showed significant differences in regards to time spent on various stages of the shopping journey, used elements of the website and problem areas encountered. Inexperienced users have higher expectations towards fashion retailer's website. Mobile consumers' prior experience using retailers' digital shopping platform is a key parameter in user experience research and participants' recruitment. The findings of this research have managerial and methodological implications and can be used in understanding the behaviour differences between current and potential customers, and in developing personalised shopping experiences on smartphones by feeding these into retailers' digital analytics database and marketing strategy.

E-learning university evaluation through sentiment analysis centered on user experience dimensions

center dot The COVID-19 crisis increased the number of users of university online teaching, enhancing the importance of this learning format. Additionally, ISO 9241-210:2019 standard sets the international standards for the design of products, services and interaction systems from usability, accessibility, and user experience (User eXperience -UX) perspective. Then, in order to design interfaces and learning experiences that include motivations, feelings and needs of end users, it is necessary to previously evaluate the UX of these environments, with less general and/or laborious methods than those that currently exist. Therefore, this work aims to establish the basis of a method that allows automatically to evaluate the UX of online teaching platforms by analyzing the users' sentiment about specific aspects of their virtual learning experience. To do this, 2,035 users were surveyed about their online learning experience with a questionnaire and an open text field to give their opinion. The population surveyed were online postgraduate students of the Universitat de Valencia and the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, and university students of massive open online courses of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. The opinions collected in Spanish from 476 students were processed with the commercial sentiment analysis and natural language processing tool MeaningCloud, to analyze the sentiment (positive, negative, or neutral) about aspects of their experience. The results present a new model that, on the one hand, ontologically classifies categories and aspects of online education with sentiment analysis techniques, and on the other hand, the model groups these categories according to UX criteria, presenting its own classification to facilitate the evaluation of online learning experiences in a concrete and automatic way.

Impact of autonomous solutions on earthmoving electrification using machine learning: case study

PurposeThis research aims to investigate the adoption of future technologies in earthmoving applications. The increased development in automated driving systems (ADS) has opened up significant opportunities to revolutionize mobility and to set the path for technologies, such as electrification. The research also aims to explore the impact of automation on electromobility in earthmoving applications.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a multi-objective simulation-based optimization approach using machine learning in earthmoving applications.FindingsThis study concludes that ADS is "conditionally” an enabler for electrification. The study highlights and explains how local and global factors affect this conclusion. In addition to that, the research explores the impact of the equipment size on the integration of future mobility technologies. The shift from "elephant to ants” in the fleet selection resulted in improved feasibility from the integration of ADS in electrification.Originality/valueThis research provides fundamental considerations in the assessment of the impact of autonomous driving solutions on electromobility in the construction industry.

VR tourism experiences and tourist behavior intention in COVID-19: an experience economy and mood management perspective

PurposeVirtual reality (VR) technology is a potential tool for tourism marketers to maintain the attractiveness of their destinations and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the effectiveness of VR technology in motivating potential tourists' visit intention under lockdown conditions remains unknown. An integrated model based on the experience economy framework and mood management theory was, therefore, used to explain how tourists' VR experiences affect their mood management processes and subsequent behaviors. This research also examined how perceived travel risk influenced the relationship between mood management processes and future decisions.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a cross-sectional design based on a sample collected from a Chinese survey company, Sojump. The author surveyed 285 respondents who had experienced VR tourism activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research model was tested using partial least squares–structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results demonstrated that the four dimensions of VR experiences differently affected mood management processes, while perceived travel risk differently moderated the influence of mood management processes on visit intention and VR stickiness. This provides insights for tourism marketers to adapt to the current tourism environment and develop recovery strategies.Originality/valueIn response to gaps in the literature, this research examined the effectiveness of VR technology in driving tourists' visit intention during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing insights for tourism marketers to successfully implement VR tourism and plan timely recovery strategies.

Enhancing Sales of Green Agricultural Products through Live Streaming in China: What Affects Purchase Intention?

Live streaming of agricultural products can reduce farmer losses caused by unsalable agricultural products and increase the income of farmers. Live streaming can be especially effective for green product sales as it can increase viewer understanding of and interest in the production and attributes of green products. Using the stimulus, organization, and response theoretical framework, this paper explores the influence of agricultural products anchors' characteristics on consumers' purchasing behavior and the mediating effect of green consumption cognition. The data come from surveys distributed online to Chinese shoppers who had participated in an agricultural livestreaming event. A total of 691 valid responses were received. Anchor characteristics of influence, sales promotion, and interactive entertainment were found to positively impact consumers' purchasing behavior. Green consumption cognition, composed of environmental problem perception and green consumption awareness, has a positive impact on purchasing intent. Furthermore, anchor characteristics of influence and sales promotion can positively influence consumers' purchasing behavior indirectly through green consumption cognition.

Developing a Virtual World for an Open-House Event: A Metaverse Approach

The concept of a metaverse, a virtual world that offers immersive experiences, has gained widespread interest in recent years. Despite the hype, there is still a gap in its practical application, especially in the realm of education. This study presents the design and implementation of a metaverse tailored to the needs of education. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of such a system and evaluate its effectiveness. It is crucial to understand the architecture and implementation of a metaverse to effectively customise it for educational purposes. To assess user experience, a field study was conducted, collecting data through questionnaires and qualitative feedback. The results show that users were pleased with the features, player experience, and ease of use.