Research Projects

For a full list of projects, please refer to the HCI group's web page here.

Abstract

This project focuses on forgetting of unwanted habits in the job context. We shall examine the circumstances that help employees to actually abandon habits that they regard as dysfunctional and that they wish to get rid of, and if adaptable interactive information systems can support this process. We concentrate on behavior at the individual level and conceptualize abandoning of a habit as a proactive process that may have implications for the social work environment. In the first project phase we shall use Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and Thinking Aloud Protocols (TAP) to capture and contrast work processes. We shall examine the feasibility of a programmatic implementation of an adaptable interactive system that incorporates the previously modeled work processes and thereby controls the real work process. In a field study, we shall examine individual and situational factors that help versus hinder forgetting of unwanted habitual behavior. For the second project phase we plan to implement and evaluate an adaptable information system that supports employees who wish to abandon unwanted habitual behavior.

Funding

This project is conducted in context of the Priority Program (Schwerpunktprogramm) SPP1921 on the topic of "Intentional Forgetting in Organizations". See also its entry in GERPIS here. The project is funded by the DFG under code WE5408/2-1.

Related Publications

Law, Y. C., Wehrt, W., Sonnentag, S., & Weyers, B. (2017). Generation of information systems from process models to support intentional forgetting of work habits. In Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Symposium on Engineering Interactive Computing Systems (pp. 27-32). ACM. doi:10.1145/3102113.3102121

[DFG/RWTH Aachen University Seedfund] Modelling in Virtual Environments - Development and Investigation of new Design Methods and Processes for Creative Sculpturing

Jan 01, 2016 - Dec 31, 2016

Abstract

Creative and artistic design processes are reflexive processes, where internal product images are transformed into external representations and prototypes. During this process, physical models play an important role due to their three dimensionality and materiality. Such models can be perceived haptically and allow for a natural way to judge their spatial properties. More-over, using plastic materials as clay they can be manipulated intuitively. Nevertheless, physical models have several disadvantages, i.e., high material costs, inaccuracies, and potentially a deficient scale. These problems are resolved by digital tools such as Computer-Aided Design (CAD). These, however, come at the cost of losing the described beneficial qualities of the physical models, so that, both approaches are diametrically opposed. Therefore, creative pro- cesses usually incorporate both and there is an ongoing alternation between them in different work steps. Nonetheless, there is a hard transition between the physical and digital work steps. First of all, the transformation between physical and digital models tends to be quite effortful, but, furthermore, the properties of the physical and the digital modeling itself are as men-tioned very different and create a gap in the work- and creative flow.

In this project, we explore how methods from VR can be used to develop new design tools which strike a balance between the properties of both approaches and create a link between the digital and physical steps in the design processes. By using haptic in/output devices and immersive display systems, the developed tool shall allow for a spatial, embodied and haptic manipulation of virtual shapes. Thereby, we aim at increasing the intuitiveness of designing and sculpting with digital tools. Additionally, we want to explore how such a VR-based tool can be used to augment and support existing design processes and gain new insights in the influence of new digital media in creative processes.

Funding

The project was funded as Seed-fund project as part of the DFG funded excellence initiative through the RWTH Aachen University.

[DFG] Refresher interventions and their impact on skill retention of complex, dynamic process control tasks for longer periods of nonuse considering mental workload and situation awareness

Apr 01, 2014 - Sep 30, 2016

Abstract

The overriding objective of the proposed experiments is to gain novel insights on enhancing skill retention of complex, dynamic, and procedural tasks with refresher interventions (RIs). There are only a few studies on skill decay and skill retention in the field of process control so far, although skill decay has been recognized as highly relevant with respect to side effects of automation. A RI is supposed to re-establish a specific skill level that was acquired at the end of an initial training after a certain time interval of nonuse. On the basis of our previous experimental findings, we aim to analyze the impact of practice, symbolic rehearsal, and retrieval in an examination situation (testing) as RIs. These RI approaches will be (a) examined regarding parallel and contingent sequences in addition to fixed sequences, (b) examined regarding their effectiveness considering psychophysiological measures of mental workload and situation awareness, and (c) expanded with an innovative concept of a gaze-guiding user interface in which the refresher will take place at the time of retrieval. Fixed, parallel, and contingent sequences represent tasks that need to be completed in man-machine interaction in different fields of process control as well as e.g. aviation to a large part. Consideration of mental workload and situation awareness aims at gaining insights into how RIs need to be designed for often stress inducing, abnormal situations in which skills and knowledge need be retrieved saving as many resources as possible. Although there is some knowledge about the effectiveness of the suggested RIs, testing the effectiveness of these RI approaches for complex, dynamic tasks is novel and important. Our previous research showed that results found on the test effect or symbolic rehearsal regarding simple, non-dynamic tasks can either not be replicated with complex, dynamic tasks or the RIs induce unexpected side effects such as a higher mental workload than RIs which enhance automatization of cognitive schemas (e.g., practice RI).

Based on the findings of the suggested experiments, recommendations for designing approaches for skill retention such as refresher training or retrieval enhancing user interfaces can be derived. The findings are essential for designing training for maintaining skills in process control industries with high levels of automation as well as for other fields in which skill retention is essential such as medical science or aviation.

The Gaze Guiding Tool

The gaze guiding tool is an extension to existing graphical user interfaces for the control of technical systems. Find more information including a video on the Department of Work and Organizational Psychology's web page at Ruhr-University Bochum.

Funding

The project is funded by the DFG under code KL2207/3-3.

Related Publications

Kluge, A., Greve, J., Borisov, N., & Weyers, B. (2014). Exploring the usefulness of two variants of gaze-guiding-based dynamic job aid for performing a fixed sequence start up procedure after longer periods of non-use. Human Factors and Ergonomics, 3(2), 148–169. doi:10.1504/IJHFE.2014.067819

Bischof, K., Weyers, B., Frank, B., Kluge, A. (2015). Gaze guiding zur Unterstützung der Bedienung technischer Systeme. In Proceedings of Mensch und Computer 2015–Workshopband

Weyers, B., Frank, B., Kluge, A. (2015). Gaze guiding as support for the control of technical systems. International Journal of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, 7(2), 59-80. doi:10.4018/IJISCRAM.2015040104

[Industry] HMI of the Future - Innovative User Interfaces for the Initiation of Car Electronics on Production

2013 - 2016

Abstract

This project aims at the development and investigation of an innovative and future oriented concept for an AUDI-specific human-machine interface design for inspection and diagnose systems applied in the electrical initiation process. This concept will take cognitive processes of the workers as well as the existing human-machine cooperation into account to finally im-plement a successful human machine dialog.

The project is based on a conjoint pre-study, which provides a cognitive analysis of the in-spection software using semi-structured interviews applied on site, an evaluation of the hu-man-machine dialog out of the view of the worker’s tasks, requirements resulting from HCI and HMI research, as well as ideas identified together with AUDI and workers on site. In the first year, innovative, touch-free, and mobile devices have been evaluated according to their suitability and usability in the aimed at working environment. The second year focus on two prototypes, which have been identified as usable options in the first year’s evaluation. Based on these hardware prototypes, alternative human machine interfaces will be developed, which support the worker in the inspection and diagnose process. The last year is dedicated to evalu-ate the newly developed concept in a focused user study that finally will be used to define a set of design guidelines, which specifies how user interfaces and hardware should be built for this sort of process in production.

Funding

The project has been funded by the AUDI AG, Germany.

Related Publications

Borisov, N., Kluge, A., Luther, W., & Weyers, B. (2013). Integrating Production Workers into User Interface Design for Diagnosis Devices in Automotive Production Environments: Field Experiences and Lessons Learned. In Proceedings of HCI International 2013-Posters’ Extended Abstracts (pp. 469–473). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-39476-8_95

Borisov, N., Weyers, B., Kluge, A., & Luther, W. (2013). Kontextabhängige Modellierung der Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion in Mehrbenutzersystemen - eine explorative Untersuchung. In D. Söffker, & A. Kluge (Eds.), Proceedings of the 1st Workshop on Cognitive Systems (7 pages), Duisburg: DuEPublico. http://duepublico.uni-duisburg-essen.de/servlets/DerivateServlet/Derivate-33226/119_Borisov.pdf

Borisov, N., Kluge, A., Luther, W., & Weyers, B. (2014). User Interface Design for Test and Diagnosis Software in Automotive Production Environments. In Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence, Personalisation and User Adapted Services (pp. 372–375). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer LNCS 8867. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-13102-3_61

Weyers, B., Borisov, N. & Luther, W. (2014). Creation of Adaptive User Interfaces Through Reconfiguration of User Interface Models Using an Algorithmic Rule Generation Approach. International Journal on Advances in Intelligent Systems, 7(1 &2), 302–336.

Borisov, N., Weyers, B., Kluge, A., & Born, F. (2014). Innovative Mensch-Maschine Schnittstelle für Prüf- und Diagnosesysteme: Anforderungsanalyse. In A. Wendemuth, M. Jipp, A. Kluge, & D. Söffker (Eds.), Proceedings of 3rd Interdisciplinary Workshop on Cogintive Systems: Human, Teams, Systems and Automata (8 pages). Duisburg: DuEPublico.