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1 – 10 of over 32000The purpose of this paper is to explore children’s spatial cognitive abilities as they engaged in information-seeking behaviors on two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore children’s spatial cognitive abilities as they engaged in information-seeking behaviors on two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) digital interfaces.
Design/methodology/approach
Children between the ages of seven and 11 were observed as they browsed either a 2D or 3D navigation interface for a children’s digital library. Data regarding their use of the overview function and depth cues were analyzed to reveal the relationships between search performance efficiency, precision, and effectiveness and the associative memory, visualization memory, and spatial visualization abilities of the user.
Findings
Children spent less time using the 2D interface when compared to time spent using the 3D interface. Children exhibited better performance precision when using the 3D interface. Children applied exhaustive strategies and more varied cognitive skills across different tasks when using the 2D interface, and applied a more focussed approach when using the 3D interface.
Originality/value
The cognitive abilities of children are not yet fully developed, so they require a unique user interface when browsing digital libraries. This study served the practical purpose of developing a game-like user interface for ease of use. Providing an effective overview function allows young users with less developed cognitive abilities to navigate informational cues. They can then build an effective mind map and implement efficient way-finding strategies.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore whether children adopt a survey or a route approach when seeking information in a virtual world (VW), and whether their approach differs…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether children adopt a survey or a route approach when seeking information in a virtual world (VW), and whether their approach differs depending on whether they are experiencing positive or negative motivation. Different models were used based on disparate spatial recognition and conceptual abilities.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 127 children operated a three-dimensional VW interface then they filled out a questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze weighted relationships among latent variables. Motivation (positive vs negative), information-seeking model (heuristic survey or detailed route) and the spatial markers, and complexity of patterns of the VW were examined.
Findings
The authors discovered that a highly motivated child tends to take a central route in the process of information seeking, whereas a child experiencing negative emotions and uncertainty prefers a survey approach using spatial markers to obtain information. In short, the type of motivation influences whether children adopt a heuristic or detailed perspective when searching for information on virtual interfaces.
Originality/value
It is believed that users combine perceptual activities (low-level cognition) with conceptual activities (high-level cognition) in order to save energy. Yet this study is the first to investigate the conditions under which children are prone to utilize spatial markers (based on visual working memory) or the sequencing of patterns (based on verbal working memory) to find information in a heuristic or detailed fashion. This study provides a fresh perspective regarding perceptual and conceptual integration for information visualization technology.
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Stephen Greaves and Richard Ellison
Purpose — Describe the system set-up and processing requirements for a long-duration longitudinal Global Positioning System (GPS)/prompted-recall (PR) survey conducted in Sydney…
Abstract
Purpose — Describe the system set-up and processing requirements for a long-duration longitudinal Global Positioning System (GPS)/prompted-recall (PR) survey conducted in Sydney, Australia and assess reaction and cognition of participants.
Design/methodology/approach — The survey uses data collected using an in-car GPS device within a PR interface accessed over the Internet by participants. Technical requirements, interface design and survey administration of the survey are discussed. This is followed by an assessment of participant burden and cognition by analysing user activity on the PR and comparing participant responses to information inferred from the GPS data.
Findings — New technologies have allowed for increasingly sophisticated data collection efforts but they require substantial resources to translate this into a usable form. This study shows these technologies can be used to conduct long-duration travel studies in a way that is appealing and engaging to participants. However, it was found that responses to the PR are sometimes inconsistent and caution should be drawn in taking PR responses as the ‘ground truth’.
Research limitations/implications — The relatively low participant burden of this study shows long-duration studies are feasible if care is taken to limit the work required by participants. The inconsistency of the responses to the PR suggest future surveys may need to employ mechanisms that are better able to aid participants in accurately completing the survey.
Originality/value — Details the requirements of running a long-duration GPS/PR survey and assesses participant burden and cognition of the survey which are often not reported.
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Susan Benbow, Paul Kingston, Sabyasachi Bhaumik, Sarah Black, Satheesh Gangadharan and Suzanne Hardy
The Royal College of Psychiatrists set up an interface group to look at the interface between old age psychiatry and learning disability and, as part of its work, the group…
Abstract
The Royal College of Psychiatrists set up an interface group to look at the interface between old age psychiatry and learning disability and, as part of its work, the group commissioned a survey of learning disability and old age psychiatrists to investigate their experience of working across the boundary between the two specialities. This paper is based on the report produced. It summarises the findings of the survey and sets out eight recommendations to further the work. There was no clarity on how services should be provided to older people with a learning disability who develop a mental health problem in later life but the need for collaboration between the two specialities is compelling.
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Mulugeta D. Watabaji, Adrienn Molnar, Robert D. Weaver, Manoj K. Dora and Xavier Gellynck
The purpose of this paper is to describe the volume and quality of information and communication channel use at various stages of the malt barley value chain (MBVC) in Ethiopia…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the volume and quality of information and communication channel use at various stages of the malt barley value chain (MBVC) in Ethiopia and to investigate how metrics of these variables influence the extent of integration of the chain.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on survey data collected from 320 farmers and 100 traders and interview responses compiled from 76 respondents. Descriptive statistics and ordered logistic regression were used for data analysis.
Findings
The descriptive statistics show a lower volume and poor quality of information is being shared at farmer-trader interface and that value chain integration (VCI) is weak at all studied interfaces. Results of ordered logistic regression show that information volume and quality positively influence VCI, whereas a positive relationship between channel use and VCI was found only at farm level interfaces. Evidences found suggested that inconsistent information systems, lack of information sharing plans, low level of members’ awareness about the value of information, and lack of trust to share information were factors that inhibited information sharing in the MBVC.
Originality/value
The study offers pioneering evidence of the relative role of information volume and quality and channel use as factors that influence the extent of integration of the value chain.
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Johanna Zmud, Martin Lee-Gosselin, Marcela Munizaga and Juan Antonio Carrasco
This book provides an international perspective on improving information to support transportation decision making. It comprises a selection of papers plus workshop syntheses from…
Abstract
This book provides an international perspective on improving information to support transportation decision making. It comprises a selection of papers plus workshop syntheses from the 9th International Conference on Transport Survey Methods in Chile in November 2011. The conference was organized into 14 workshops with both paper presentations and discussions in the workshops forming the majority of the conference activity. The papers reported primarily on research pertaining to continuous improvement in transport survey methods — the backbone of the transportation data pipeline in most countries. But some papers also addressed the new ways in which innovation — notably technological innovation — is being applied to the capture and analysis of data to produce necessary information faster, better, and less expensively. The conference program built on a rich legacy of intellectual pursuits spanning the past two decades, and it is anticipated that the conference will continue into the future. Thus, the contents of this book represent a 5–10 year view through a moving window on the international state of the practice and concerns in transport survey methods.
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Li Si, Ruoyao Shi and Bijuan Chen
This paper aims to provide an overall picture of the application of Web 2.0 technologies in Chinese university libraries. The focus of the research is what types of Web 2.0…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an overall picture of the application of Web 2.0 technologies in Chinese university libraries. The focus of the research is what types of Web 2.0 technologies were applied in such libraries as well as their function and user interface.
Design/methodology/approach
The top 30 Chinese university libraries were selected to investigate the application of Web 2.0 technologies. Content analysis was used in terms of quantitative approach. Data were collected by accessing these 30 university libraries web sites within five weeks.
Findings
Two‐thirds of Chinese university libraries deployed one or more Web 2.0 technologies. Only one‐tenth of libraries adopted more than four Web 2.0 technologies. RSS was the most widely applied, while Wiki was the least. The application of Web 2.0 technologies among Chinese university libraries was not extensive and profound enough.
Research implications
The findings can be utilized to evaluate the status of Web 2.0 technology applications. The statistical data are very useful and authentic sources for improving the level of Web 2.0 technology application. It may enable future research to analyze other aspects (e.g. the application of RSS or Blogs for services).
Originality/value
This unique study explores the application of Web 2.0 mainly in Chinese university libraries that deployed any types of Web 2.0 technologies. This study is very useful for Chinese university libraries in evaluating/deploying Web 2.0. Library managers, librarians, and other libraries may also find this helpful, once they decide to implement such technologies in their libraries.
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Ying‐Lien Lee, Sheue‐Ling Hwang and Eric Min‐Yang Wang
The primary purpose of this paper is to present an integrated framework for user interface prototyping and evaluation for the development of information systems and to present…
Abstract
Purpose
The primary purpose of this paper is to present an integrated framework for user interface prototyping and evaluation for the development of information systems and to present architecture for evaluating generic applications.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework is constructed through combining two distinctive methods of prototyping and evaluation, statechart and goals, operators, methods, and selection rules. Relevant methods and architectures of the integrated framework are presented in unified modeling language when possible.
Findings
The importance of the usability of information systems is highlighted in this research. However, it still lacks an integrated framework for information system development and usability evaluation. This paper provides a framework that evaluation method is intertwined with user interface prototyping to shorten the time of development lifecycle. The architecture for evaluating generic applications is also invaluable for motion and time study and the procurement of vender‐provided systems.
Research limitations/implications
The user base of information systems is diverse and the requirements of these systems change over time. This paper provides a framework that helps managers and engineers smooth and shorten the development phases. For future works, an object‐oriented programming framework and a tool for evaluating generic applications will be developed.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for combining prototyping and evaluation, as well as architecture for the evaluation of generic applications. It shortens the development phases by using formal modeling for user interface construction and evaluation. It also provides means to evaluate candidate systems whose program logics cannot be accessed and modified. It also complements the models used in the framework by extending their practical and academic values.
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