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Objective:The aim of this study was to compare continuous versus bandwidth haptic steering guidance in terms of lane-keeping behavior, aftereffects, and satisfaction.Background:An important human factors question is whether operators should be supported continuously or only when tolerance limits are exceeded. We aimed to clarify this issue for haptic steering guidance by investigating costs and benefits of both approaches in a driving simulator.Methods:Thirty-two participants drove five trials, each with a different level of haptic support: no guidance (Manual); guidance outside a 0.5-m bandwidth (Band1); a hysteresis version of Band1, which guided back to the lane center once triggered (Band2); continuous guidance (Cont); and Cont with double feedback gain (ContS). Participants performed a reaction time task while driving. Toward the end of each trial, the guidance was unexpectedly disabled to investigate aftereffects.Results:All four guidance systems prevented large lateral errors (>0.7 m). Cont and especially ContS yielded smaller lateral errors and higher time to line crossing than Manual, Band1, and Band2. Cont and ContS yielded short-lasting aftereffects, whereas Band1 and Band2 did not. Cont yielded higher self-reported satisfaction and faster reaction times than Band1.Conclusions:Continuous and bandwidth guidance both prevent large driver errors. Continuous guidance yields improved performance and satisfaction over bandwidth guidance at the cost of aftereffects and variability in driver torque (indicating human–automation conflicts).Application:The presented results are useful for designers of haptic guidance systems and support critical thinking about the costs and benefits of automation support systems.

Objective: The impact of interference from irrelevant spatial versus verbal cues is investigated in an auditory spatial Stroop task, and individual differences in navigation strategy are examined as a moderating factor. Background: Verbal-spatial cue conflict in the auditory modality has not been extensively studied, and yet the potential for such conflict can be high in certain settings, such as modern aircraft and automobile cockpits, where multiple warning systems and verbally delivered instructions may compete for the operator's spatial attention. Method: Two studies are presented in which participants responded to either the semantic meaning or the spatial location of directional words, which were presented from congruent and incongruent locations. A subset was selected from the larger sample for additional analyses based on their navigation strategy. Results: Results demonstrated greater interference when participants were responding to the spatial location and thus attempting to ignore conflicting semantic information. Participants with a verbal navigation strategy paralleled this finding. Conversely, highly spatial navigators responded faster to spatially relevant information but did not show corresponding interference when trying to ignore spatial information. Conclusion: The findings suggest that people have fundamentally different approaches to the use of auditory spatial information that manifest at the early level of orienting toward a single word or sound. Application: When designing spatial information displays and warning systems, particularly those with an auditory component, designers should ensure that either verbal-directional or nonverbal-spatial information is utilized by all alerts to reduce interference.

Purpose– The purpose of the paper is to shed light on the particular organizing design practices behind making items exchangeable into commodities. It is a constructive contribution to establish more critical studies of merchandizing.Design/methodology/approach– The study included several longitudinal projects in retail chains in Scandinavia. The research was based on anthropological and participatory research methods. We introduce the term "waremaking" as a term for the work to make items exchangeable and expand on a distinction between silent and seen design (Gorb and Dumas, 1987).Findings– Waremaking is business, but includes giving form to relations between business and society to make exchanges at all possible. We found considerable silent design work that is not commonly acknowledged in economic and social theory.Research limitations/implications– There is a need for comparative and aggregate studies. We deconstruct the conventional categories "commodities" and "merchandizing" and a study of the contingent effects on the meaning of other constructs is needed.Practical implications– Introducing the notion of waremaking yields important insights for organizations and managers. We offer a new framework of waremaking that crosses existing boundaries and helps construct new interfaces between designers, traders and consumers in society.Social implications– The papers reveal merchandizing as a culturally complex and nuanced form of work and a crucial field of practice.Originality/value– Scholars have denoted little attention to the cultural work of merchandizing. By delineating a new practice-based framework encompassing both ordinary and extraordinary work, we can address the cultural production of commodities.

Abstract Background India is a country with vast unmet medical needs. eHealth has the potential to improve the quality of health care and reach the unreached. We have sought to understand the kinds of eHealth programmes being offered in India today, the challenges they face and the nature of their financing. Methods We have adopted an interview-based methodology. The 30 interviews represent 28 organizations, and include designers, implementers, evaluators and technology providers for eHealth programmes. Results A range of programmes is being run, including point-of-care in rural and urban areas, treatment compliance, data collection and disease surveillance, and distant medical education. Most programmes provide point-of-care to patients or other beneficiaries in rural areas. Technology is not a limiting factor but the unavailability of suitable health personnel is a major challenge, especially in rural areas. We have identified a few factors that help this situation. Financial sustainability is also a concern for most programmes, which have rarely been scaled up. There are recent for-profit efforts in urban areas, but no reliable business model has been identified yet. Government facilities have not been very effective in eHealth on their own, but collaborations between the government and non-profit (in particular) and for-profit organisations have led to impactful programmes. Conclusions It is unlikely that eHealth will have widespread and sustainable impact without government involvement, especially in rural areas. Nevertheless, programmes run solely by the government are unlikely to be the most effective.

While storytelling is an essential form of communication and has been used to help humans make sense of the world and prepare for the future for thousands of years, compelling narratives are designed storytelling systems that encourage the audience to get involved and make active thought and behavioral change. Another significant aspect of compelling narrative design is that they are not resolute. While stories have definite endings, the end of a compelling narrative should be a "call to action", an opportunity to engage further and invest time, effort, or aid back into the narrative's cause. The challenge for designers is how can we use this design process to leverage the educational, entertaining, and empathic nature of storytelling to change behavior and prompt meaningful interactions? Prezolution is a political campaign game, set in America in the year 2040, which encourages non-partisan political discussion and problem solving. In the game, the traditional two-party system has disappeared, leaving and opportunity for much more diverse candidates and their ideas to emerge in order to help solve more complex issues than we have ever faced as a country before. The extension of the board game to the online platform changes the experience from an individual story into a larger compelling narrative system. When we can bring together diverse audiences to share their values, ideas, and visions for our future, we may find common goals that unite us and inspire active investment in shaping our future together.

HIV and AIDS programme implementers or facilitators and lecturers are mandated to use a variety of methods as a means of teaching and distributing HIV and AIDS related information or material to students. The study made use of the Post-positivist paradigm. Thirty- nine lecturers, 24 students, 3 senior health workers and 3 NGO officials made up the sample. Data was collected through questionnaires, face to face interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis, and observations. SPSS computer software was used to analyse quantitative data and qualitative data was grouped into themes. This study revealed that time allocated for HIV and AIDS lessons in the curriculum was not adequate. University lecturers used lecture method, group discussion, assessment methods as key methods of implementing the programme. The study revealed that HIV and AIDS programmes were not well managed or coordinated though they were taught throughout the year in all universities. The study concluded that that a university can teach HIV and AIDS content in different semesters of the academic calendar. It was therefore recommended that HIV and AIDS deserve the political will, recognition and support from designers just like any other subject, move beyond the traditional passive methods and try also video-assisted education models that increase subject's knowledge significantly and that NGOs and HIV and AIDS coordinators, since they offer technical and financial support, should be conversant with the methods used by the lecturers to a lager extent. DOI:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p1124

Readability formulas, such as the Flesch Reading Ease formula, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Index, the Gunning Fog Index, and the Dale-Chall formula are often considered to be objective measures of language complexity. Not surprisingly, survey researchers have frequently used readability scores as indicators of question difficulty and it has been repeatedly suggested that the formulas be applied during the questionnaire design phase, to identify problematic items and to assist survey designers in revising flawed questions. At the same time, the formulas have faced severe criticism among reading researchers, particularly because they are predominantly based on only two variables (word length/frequency and sentence length) that may not be appropriate predictors of language difficulty. The present study examines whether the four readability formulas named above correctly identify problematic survey questions. Readability scores were calculated for 71 question pairs, each of which included a problematic (e.g., syntactically complex, vague, etc.) and an improved version of the question. The question pairs came from two sources: (1) existing literature on questionnaire design and (2) the Q-BANK database. The analyses revealed that the readability formulas often favored the problematic over the improved version. On average, the success rate of the formulas in identifying the difficult questions was below 50 percent and agreement between the various formulas varied considerably. Reasons for this poor performance, as well as implications for the use of readability formulas during questionnaire design and testing, are discussed.

AbstractMany disability advocates and professionals believe they will recognize community inclusion when they see it, yet "inclusion" is a nuanced subjective construct that may hold a somewhat different meaning for each person. A comparison of the disability movement and accessibility laws and policies reveals community inclusion to be an ideal repeatedly sought by individuals with disabilities and advocates alike. This article recounts national and international efforts toward inclusion and suggests some reasons why these have fallen short. Research has revealed that limited financial resources, inadequate social supports and transportation, and unwelcoming or negative reciprocal attitudes are important community barriers to inclusion. These barriers are significant to all individuals with disabilities but especially to persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). Regarding ID in the context of person–environment interactions, the authors suggest that other significant barriers to community inclusion may be found in the built environment and result from negative attitudes of the professionals responsible for its creation. Because the built environment plays a substantial role in community inclusion for individuals with ID, it is important to ensure the congruency of designers' attitudes with the philosophies that underlie accessible design and inclusion. The authors suggest that the negative attitudes of the creators of the built environment may be amenable to change through education. The authors highlight the need for an integrated and preventive interdisciplinary educational approach, particularly targeting design professionals, as one meaningful step toward creating truly inclusive and disability‐friendly communities.

ABSTRACTIn the past decades, the micro‐electronic industry has been following the Moore's law to improve the performance of integrated circuits (ICs). However, it will probably be impossible to follow this law in the future due to physical limitations appearing with the miniaturization of the transistors below a certain threshold. In order to overcome this problem, new technologies have emerged, and among them the two‐dimensional stacked integrated circuits (3D‐SIC) have been proposed to keep the Moore's momentum alive. 3D‐SICs can bring numerous advantages in the design of future ICs but at the cost of additional design complexity due to their highly combinatorial nature, and the optimization of several conflicting criteria. In this paper, we present a first study of tools that can help the design of 3D‐SICs, using multi‐objective optimization (MOO). Our study has targeted one of the main issues in the design of 3D‐SICs: the floorplanning. This work shows that the use of MOO can provide relevant and objective analysis of the problem that may not be feasible with the current design methods. MOO can allow a quick design space exploration and an improvement of the current design flows. Also, with its flexibility, MOO can cope with the multiple degrees of freedom of 3D‐SICs, which enables more design possibilities. We believe that these promising results will help designers to overcome the main difficulties of designing 3D‐SICs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the development of trust during online collaboration. The purpose of the inquiry is to improve the understanding of individual trust development in longitudinal online collaboration teams.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reveals the conclusion of a longitudinal online collaboration case study of two student cohorts over a two‐year period, where each cohort is in their first year, based on a previous trust research model. However, the study is conducted in a new context through the implementation of online collaboration tools. Data is collected using longitudinal surveys and in‐depth interviews.FindingsThe paper demonstrates that trust development in different online collaboration groups does not follow a particular pattern in this case study. This development is characterised by fluctuation and complexity. Trust development does not attain the ideal state discussed in previous research and trust development is different within each team. The paper provides insight into the complexities of trust development in an online collaboration environment and information system understanding.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper demonstrates the findings regarding development features are context‐specific and have not been subjected to testing for replication within other settings. The authors intend this for future research.Practical implicationsThe observations will help team leaders to understand changes in trust. It will also aid system developers and designers to consider trust development features in future system design for online collaboration environment and tools.Originality/valueThe paper builds upon a previous trust development model but applies it to the context of online collaboration using student groups to analyse the findings over time.

Objective: Two studies were conducted to develop an understanding of factors that drive user expectations when navigating between discrete elements on a display via a limited degree-of-freedom cursor control device. Background: For the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle spacecraft, a free-floating cursor with a graphical user interface (GUI) would require an unachievable level of accuracy due to expected acceleration and vibration conditions during dynamic phases of flight. Therefore, Orion program proposed using a "caged" cursor to "jump" from one controllable element (node) on the GUI to another. However, nodes are not likely to be arranged on a rectilinear grid, and so movements between nodes are not obvious. Method: Proximity between nodes, direction of nodes relative to each other, and context features may all contribute to user cursor movement expectations. In an initial study, we examined user expectations based on the nodes themselves. In a second study, we examined the effect of context features on user expectations. Results: The studies established that perceptual grouping effects influence expectations to varying degrees. Based on these results, a simple rule set was developed to support users in building a straightforward mental model that closely matches their natural expectations for cursor movement. Conclusion: The results will help designers of display formats take advantage of the natural context-driven cursor movement expectations of users to reduce navigation errors, increase usability, and decrease access time. Application: The rules set and guidelines tie theory to practice and can be applied in environments where vibration or acceleration are significant, including spacecraft, aircraft, and automobiles.

Objective: The study objective was to quantify the movement of hospital bed occupants relative to the bed in typical bed articulations. Background: Movement of a patient in bed results in two common adverse events: (a) increase in shear and friction forces between the patient and bed, which are extrinsic pressure ulcer risk factors, and (b) musculoskeletal injuries to nurses, resulting from repositioning patients who have migrated down in bed. Method: The study involved 12 participants who lay supine in three hospital beds, which were articulated to common positions. Body movement relative to the bed was quantified with the use of motion capture. Cumulative movement, net displacement, and torso compression (shoulder to trochanter distance) were calculated for different bed types and bed movements. Results: Bed design and bed movement had a significant effect on most of the dependent variables. Bed design (e.g., type) influenced cumulative movement by up to 115%, net displacement by up to 70%, and torso compression by about 20%. Bed movement (e.g., knee elevation) reduced cumulative migration by up to 35%. Conclusion: The quantification of patient migration provides a metric for evaluating the interaction between body and bed surfaces. Overall, the measures were sensitive to design changes in bed frames, bed articulations, and mattress inflation. Application: Documentation of the cumulative movement, net displacement, and torso compression provides hospital bed designers quantifiable measures for reducing migration and potentially shear and friction forces when designing bed frames, bed articulations, and mattresses. Optimization of these metrics may ultimately have an impact on patient and caregiver health.

Harmony among the different departments of a university has always been critical from the perspective of teaching English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) since it directly affects the English Language Teaching Program of a university. By 'program', we mean English at both the preparation class and during the faculty.TurAFA is a different and unique military academic institution in that the graduates of the academy receive two degrees: one commissioned officer, two a BA degree of currently five different departments following four-year education and training.English is of great importance for the prospective graduates of TurAFA for both their military and academic career. A certain proficiency of English will be indispensable aspect of the graduates who will be in need of English either for their tasks and missions both in homeland and abroad or for their academic studies during and after graduation. Therefore, a unique English Language Teaching Program has been developed in terms of schedule and content based on an intensive study of needs analysis and materials development since 2007.A hybrid experimental design (quantitative and qualitative) has been set up from the very beginning in order to observe and evaluate the effectiveness of the program in terms of developing harmony among the departments and developing respect among the learners and the academicians on the part of the curriculum developers, syllabus designers and materials developers. It has also been investigated how developing materials for EAP course increased the awareness of academicians in terms of TurAFA English Language Teaching Program.

PurposeMany learners with disabilities and special educational needs have difficulty reading or accessing traditional paper examinations at school. The most common method of accommodating these candidates, in Scotland, is the use of reader and scribe. This paper aims to define a specification for digital examination papers for candidates with disabilities, identify a suitable electronic format, and report on trials of these digital assessments.Design/methodology/approachThe support needs of candidates with disabilities were investigated through interviews with teaching staff and students, analysis of the type of requests made for accommodations, and the reasons for the requests. Findings from this exercise, together with consideration of the requirements of the examination context, were used to construct a specification for digital examination papers. Pilot trials using digital papers were then undertaken.FindingsAdobe portable document format (PDF) was judged to match the specification most closely. Successful pilot trials in 2005, 2006 and 2007 led to the introduction of digital papers by the Scottish Qualifications Authority in 2008.Research limitations/implicationsThere is some evidence that digital papers provide a more independent and less costly alternative to reader/scribes; this requires further research.Practical implicationsBetween 2008 and 2011, the number of requests for digital papers increased fivefold, indicating that digital question papers in PDF offer a practical and cost effective method of accommodation in examinations.Originality/valueThis research is of interest to examination boards, assessment designers, educators and learners. It demonstrates that candidates with disabilities can successfully access assessments in digital format.

ABSTRACT:In the 1960s and 1970s, the state-operated Maharashtra Housing Board and its successor organization Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) responded to Mumbai's exponential growth with what at the time was internationally considered to be the most effective measure to fight the housing shortage: large estates of standardized apartment blocks. In Mumbai's northern suburbs, housing compounds were built for designated income levels, such as Kannamwar Nagar and Sahyadri Nagar for the 'low-income group' and DN Nagar or Sahakar Nagar for the 'middle-income group'. This article argues that Mumbai's state-sponsored tower blocks adapted an internationally discussed urban design concept to specific local conditions. The designers took up influences from both local Maharashtrian and European housing typologies of the mid-twentieth century, including upper-class art deco apartments, socialist housing compounds and serially built working-class chawls. In contrast to mass housing developments in Chicago, Moscow or Paris, Mumbai's tower blocks were built individually rather than from prefabricated parts, offered rather high standards of living compared to that of the majority and, as a result, became increasingly inhabited by comparably wealthy groups. Since the beginning of economic liberalization in the 1990s, many have been converted into private co-operatives. Once designed to house the masses, they are now visible symbols for a growing minority that constitutes Mumbai's new middle class. At the same time, they are an example for the local evolution of the modernist housing block type that is only apparently similar all over the world.