Introduction to Volume 13, Issue 4
We are delighted to publish an editorial by Marc Hassenzahl titled “A Personal Journey Through User Experience.” The author explores the relationship between function, beauty, and pleasure in product design from a historical perspective. In his essay, he argues that many in the usability community have historically neglected the importance of hedonics in our research […] [Read More]
A Personal Journey Through User Experience
The Beauty and the Cognitive Twenty years ago, it seemed as if functionalism had finally won. Back then, effective and efficient use had been the sole mission for practitioners of human-computer interaction (HCI). A sharp distinction was made between sober and elegant “tools” and gimmicky “toys”—the latter supposedly bloated with useless functionality and ornament. Supporting […] [Read More]
Are Two Pairs of Eyes Better Than One? A Comparison of Concurrent Think- Aloud and Co-Participation Methods in Usability Testing
Abstract This paper presents the results of a study that aimed to compare the traditional concurrent think-aloud protocol with the co-participation method to determine the benefit of adding an additional participant to the testing session. The two methods were compared through an evaluation of a library website, and their relative validity and utility were measured […] [Read More]
Usability Comparison of Over-the-Shoulder Attack Resistant Authentication Schemes
Abstract Graphical authentication schemes offer a more memorable alternative to alphanumeric passwords. However, they have been criticized for being susceptible to over-the-shoulder attacks (OSA). To solve this shortcoming, schemes have specifically been designed to be resistant to OSA. Common strategies used to decrease the ease of OSAs are grouping targets among distractors, translating them to […] [Read More]
Usability Study to Improve Interaction Design for Drivers in Car-Sharing Systems
Abstract Car-sharing system users generally rent a vehicle for a brief amount of time, and they often do not take enough time to learn the controls and functions of a car that they are unfamiliar with. The purpose of this study is to understand the difficulty of controlling a car’s functions while driving an unfamiliar […] [Read More]