Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces Commons^™

Touchscreen Smartphone User Interfaces For Older Adults, Ai Sano

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Today the world is experiencing the rapid growth of the older population. The number of older adults who own digital devices such as smartphones is increasing as well. The current smartphone user interfaces, however, appear not optimized for older adults. When designing smartphone user interfaces for older adults, we must consider their age-related physical and cognitive changes, which most likely affect their user experience. The present paper explores smartphone user interface guidelines for older adults and heuristics for evaluating the usability of Android launchers for older adults as well as a research study that developed an Android launcher for older ...

An Overview Of Modern Global Illumination, Skye A. Antinozzi

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Advancements in graphical hardware call for innovative solutions, which can improve the realism of computer generated lighting. These innovative solutions aim to generate state of the art computer generated lighting through a combination of intelligent global illumination models and the use of modern hardware. The solution described in this paper achieves global illumination by ray tracing over geometry within a 3D scene from distributed light field probes and proceeds to shade the scene with a deferred renderer. Such a solution provides the flexibility and robustness that many other global illumination models have previously lacked while still achieving realistic lighting that ...

Virtual Training Simulator For Atomic Force Microscopy, Matthew J. Heying, James H. Oliver, Sriram Sundararajan, Pranav Shrotriya, Qingze Zou

Sriram Sundararajan

Training novice users how to operate an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is expensive due to the cost of equipment and the time required to train users in a hands-on learning environment. Training large groups of users simultaneously presents a problem because usually only one AFM is available for use. To alleviate this problem, a virtual training simulator for AFM training has been developed. The training simulator is a Windows-based software program designed to allow users to simulate basic AFM operation on a PC. Instructors can use this tool to demonstrate the exact same instruction that a user would receive in ...

An Examination Of A Theory Of Embodied Social Presence In Virtual Worlds, Brian E. Mennecke, Janea L. Triplett, Lesya M. Hassall, Zayira Jordán Conde, Rex Heer

Lesya Hassall

In this article, we discuss and empirically examine the importance of embodiment, context, and spatial proximity as they pertain to collaborative interaction and task completion in virtual environments. Specifically, we introduce the embodied social presence (ESP) theory as a framework to account for a higher level of perceptual engagement that users experience as they engage in activity-based social interaction in virtual environments. The ESP theory builds on the analysis of reflection data from Second Life users to explain the process by which perceptions of ESP are realized. We proceed to describe implications of ESP for collaboration and other organizational functions.

The Cognitive Implications Of Virtual Locomotion With A Restricted Field Of View, William E. Marsh, Jonathan W. Kelly, Veronica J. Dark, James H. Oliver

Jonathan W. Kelly

A study was conducted to examine the impact, in terms of cognitive demands, of a restricted field of view (FOV) on semi-natural locomotion in virtual reality (VR). Participants were divided into two groups: high-FOV and low-FOV. They were asked to perform basic movements using a locomotion interface while simultaneously performing one of two memory tasks (spatial or verbal) or no memory task. The memory tasks were intended to simulate the competing demands when a user has primary tasks to perform while using an unnatural interface to move through the virtual world. Results show that participants remembered fewer spatial or verbal ...

Institutional Research And Advanced Analytics, Mary Kathryn Starkey, Shelby Albers

Research Data and Scholarly Communications Committee Workshops

Tableau empowers everyone to see and understand their data. The Institutional Research & Advanced Analytics (IRAA) team will deliver an engaging one-hour demonstration that covers the ins and outs of Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server. We will also show you University of Kentucky data that is currently available to you, as well as where to find and how to access said data.

The presentation slides are available by clicking the Download button on the right. The video and audio files of this workshop are listed as additional files below and are available for download.

An Evaluation Of On-Screen Keyboards For First Time Single Switch Users, Paul Ahern, Rupert Westrup

The ITB Journal

This paper presents an evaluation of three designs for on-screen keyboard layouts for use by Single Switch Users (SSUs). SSUs are those users who have a disability which means that they are able to activate a switch into an "on" or "off'' position but are not able to locate or position a particular switch. The first keyboard layout design was alphabetically based, the second design was based upon the most frequently occurring letters in the English alphabet and the third design was the standard QWERTY layout found on most keyboards. The research shows that there is no significant difference in ...

Unreal Engine 4 Rpg, Jacob W. Russ, Jeffrey J. Nunez

Computer Engineering

Classic RPG videogames have become few and far between in the Western market over the years as modern RPG systems have gained popularity. The purpose of this project is to present a vertical slice of a hybrid RPG game that takes the gameplay mechanics and styles of classic RPG videogames and infuses them with a modern presentation. Through the use of the powerful Unreal Engine 4 graphics engine, this project is able to combine impressive graphical fidelity with modernized systems to fuel a videogame that is undeniably a classic RPG at heart. This is not a full game, but a ...

Procedurally Generating Genetic Keys, Adam A. Levasseur

Computer Engineering

This project presents a method for creating multi-part models based on input keys to generate new, variant models via genetic algorithms. By utilizing 3D models as modular parts, this method allows for the generation of a unique, compound model based on one or multiple input keys. This paper explains the process of creating and testing such generation styles using simple geometry to create more complex, compound models.

Analyzing The Keystroke Dynamics Of Web Identifiers, Andrew G. West

Dr. Andrew G. West

A Period Examination Through Contemporary Energy Analysis Of Kevin Roche’S Fine Arts Center At University Of Massachusetts-Amherst, L Carl Fiocchi Jr

L. Carl Fiocchi

Studies of buildings belonging to a subset of Modernist architecture, Brutalism, have included discussions pertaining to social and architectural history, critical reception, tectonic form and geometry inspirations, material property selections, period technology limitations, and migration of public perceptions. Evaluations of Brutalist buildings’ energy related performances have been restricted to anecdotal observations with particular focus on the building type’s poor thermal performance, a result of the preferred construction method, i.e. monolithic reinforced concrete used as structure, interior finish and exterior finish. A valid criticism, but one that served to dismiss discussion that the possibility of other positive design strategies ...

Learning To Identify Depth Edges In Real-World Images With 3d Ground Truth, Krista A. Ehinger, Kevin T. Joseph, Wendy J. Adams, Erich W. Graf, James H. Elder

MODVIS Workshop

No abstract provided.

Measuring Presence In A Police Use Of Force Simulation, Dharmesh Rajendra Desai

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

We have designed a simulation that can be used to train police officers. Digital simulations are more cost-effective than a human role play. Use of force decisions are complex and made quickly, so there is a need for better training and innovative methods. Using this simulation, we are measuring the degree of presence that a human experience in a virtual environment. More presence implies better training. Participants are divided into two groups in which one group performs the experiment using a screen, keyboard, and mouse, and another uses virtual reality controls. In this experiment, we use subjective measurements and physiological ...

Development Of An Alumni Relations Web App Using An Agile Approach, Spencer Linsner

Senior Honors Theses

I present my experience developing a web app to interface with an alumni database for the Computing Sciences department at Brockport. Prior to the end of each semester, the College seeks to gather relevant information from graduating students (e.g. contact information, employment data, etc.). All this information is stored in a database, whose schema was designed by the department faculty some years ago. A prior project took a UML modeling-based waterfall approach to constructing the web app to interface to this database using a ‘pure’ MVC approach and the CakePHP tool. This effort did not meet user needs. Therefore ...

Introduction To Gephi, Jesse Fagan

Research Data and Scholarly Communications Committee Workshops

Gephi is a visualization and exploration software for graphs and networks. Think Photoshop, but for graph data. This session will provide an overview of the software, its features, and resources for further study. Gephi is open-source, free to download, and runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

The presentation slides are available by clicking the Download button on the right. The video and audio files of this workshop are listed as the additional files below and are available for download.

Curiosity: Emergent Behavior Through Interacting Multi-Level Predictions, Douglas S. Blank, Lisa Meeden, James Marshall

Computer Science Faculty Research and Scholarship

Over the past 15 years our research group has been exploring models of developmental robotics and curiosity. Our research is based on the premise that intelligent behavior arises through emergent interactions between opposing forces in an open-ended, task-independent environment. In an initial experiment we constructed a recurrent neural network model where self-motivation was "an emergent property generated by the competing pressures that arise in attempting to balance predictability and novelty". The system first focused on its error, then learned to successfully predict its error, and finally became habituated to what caused the error. This process of focusing, learning, and habituating ...

We Are Alfred: Empathy Learned Through A Medical Education Virtual Reality Project, Barbara Swartzlander, Elizabeth Dyer, Marilyn R. Gugliucci

Library Services Faculty Posters

Poster describing project collaboration among University of New England (UNE) librarians and College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) faculty, whose goal was to adopt technology which will teach UNECOM students to be empathic with older adults and familiarize medical students with information resources from the NIH/NLM related to older adult health. Technology tested was the Alfred Lab developed by Embodied Labs. First year medical students were required to complete the ‘We Are Alfred’ virtual reality module and a pre and post assessment. Descriptive statistics were applied to finite questions on pre and post assessments, and content analysis on open ended ...

Recognition, Internalization, Growth: Intuitive Design For Archival Representation, Jaime L. Ganzel

Graduate Student Conference

Although there is a pressing need for archival description and access systems to be more intuitive and user-friendly, the uniqueness of archival records presents significant barriers to establishing simplistic and standardized conventions for the representation of archival materials. Indecipherable finding aids and access tools prevent new and inexperienced researchers from accessing the unique information and documentation held in archives. This article aims to help open the archival record to new and non-traditional archival users, support individual development of archival literacy skills, and cultivate a greater level of archival awareness in our society by developing a usable model for archivists to ...

Simulating Foodborne Pathogens In Poultry Production And Processing To Defend Against Intentional Contamination, Silas B. Lankford

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

There is a lack of data in recent history of food terrorism attacks, and as such, it is difficult to predict its impact. The food supply industry is one of the most vulnerable industries for terrorist threats while the poultry industry is one of the largest food industries in the United States. A small food terrorism attack against just a single poultry processing center has the potential to affect a much larger population than its immediate consumers. In this work, the spread of foodborne pathogens is simulated in a poultry production and processing system to defend against intentional contamination. An ...

Music Feature Matching Using Computer Vision Algorithms, Mason Hollis

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper seeks to establish the validity and potential benefits of using existing computer vision techniques on audio samples rather than traditional images in order to consistently and accurately identify a song of origin from a short audio clip of potentially noisy sound. To do this, the audio sample is first converted to a spectrogram image, which is used to generate SURF features. These features are compared against a database of features, which have been previously generated in a similar fashion, in order to find the best match. This algorithm has been implemented in a system that can run as ...