Challenges of Business Simulation Games — A New Approach of Teaching Business

Our members: Andrej Jerman Blažič and Franc Novak, have published a book chapter in book titled E-Learning – Instructional Design, Organizational Strategy and Management.

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Abstract:

Serious games are part of the new emerging world of education environment that is based on sophisticated technology with elements of entertainment. They have been seen as good supplements for supporting the learning processes due to their capability to increase visualisations and challenge the student creativity. They have the potential to significantly improve training and education activities and initiatives. As a part of serious computer games, business simulation games support training and learning focused on the management of economic processes. They have been proven to be useful in empowering and mediating learning business content. This chapter addresses the simulation business games used in the educational process by analysing selected popular games regarding their properties that are considered as important in the learning process. The first part presents a short introduction in the field of business games and the approach used in selection of the studied games. The next part provides a review of related articles and brief overview of the state of the art that has guided the selection of business simulation games to be analysed and assessed. The game parameters used in the assessment have been defined and described. The analysis and the assessment report are followed with brief concluding remarks.

HCI IS 2015 extended deadlines

Deadlines for HCI IS 2015 paper submission have been extended. New deadlines are:

Paper Submission: May, 10, 2015 June, 15, 2015
Notification of Acceptance: June, 7, 2015 July, 1, 2015
Camera Ready Submission: July, 1, 2015 July, 31, 2015

Mobile and responsive web applications

Mario Konecki

Abstract

Web technology has been a major factor of globalization for years. Modern technology has enabled web applications to be more complex because of greater data transfer speeds. Web quality is something that has come to focus as well as usability as one of its major aspects. Mobile applications have become popular since smartphones have gained greater hardware possibilities. The question that has presented itself is whether web technology can be as good as native mobile technology. The discussion about these two technologies is presented in this paper along with the research about the current popularity and utilization of responsive mobile websites.

[Paper] [Presentation]

Decision support in emergency call service

Miha Ristič, Franc Novak

Abstract

The emergency call service (telephone number 113) in Slovenia yearly receives more than half million calls. The communication between the caller and the policeman receiving the call is occasionally error prone due to stress and related conditions. From the above it is clear that a reliable operation of communication infrastructure and human resources is a prerequisite for efficient performance In this paper we explore possible ways of improving the emergency call service by providing decision support to the officer who receives the calls and dispatches a patrol to the place of the event.

[Presentation] [Presentation]

Use of UX and HCI tools among start-ups

Bojan Blažica

Abstract

Today, User Experience (UX) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) tools can provide a competitive advantage that might be key of a company’s business success or failure. In this paper, the awareness and use of these tools among start-ups is examined with a survey. The results hint that there is lots of room for improvement in terms of raising awareness and adoption of tools that help companies deliver better experiences through their products.

[Paper] [Presentation]

Student’ acceptance of animated interactive presentation of sorting algorithms

Mario Konecki, Vladimir Mrkela

Abstract

Programming courses are very important and challenging part of computer experts’ education process. However, abstract nature of these courses makes them rather difficult for most students. In order to increase students’ motivation and level of comprehension regarding programming an approach that includes less abstract presentation of programming concepts using visualization techniques is proposed and implemented through the tool SortExpert that is designed to help the students to cope in a more suitable and easier way with various sorting algorithms. Discussion about the effectiveness of existing visualization tools and research about the evaluation and acceptance of SortExpert are also presented.

[Paper] [Presentation]

An improved visualization of LiDAR data using level of details and weighted color mapping

Sašo Pečnik, Danijel Žlaus, Domen Mongus, Borut Žalik

Abstract

This paper proposes an improved approach for LiDAR data visualization in terms of rendering quality. The method uses adaptive point-scaling for dealing with variations in data densities, while the contrasts of rendered objects are improved with weighted color mapping. In the former case, points’ distances from the observer are used to estimate their optimal rendering sizes. In the latter case, points are colored based on height attributes and increasing visual fidelity a point’s color is weighted using that point’s intensity information. Common image quality matrices, as well as conducted user study, confirm the improvements of the visualization.

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Using Kinect for touchless interaction with existing applications

Andrej Černivec, Ciril Bohak

Abstract

In this paper we present a system for touchless interface using Kinect sensor. The system can be used for general purpose interaction with existing applications. We show a case study implementation for use with web-browser where user can interact with the content using gestures. We also present implementation of the game that uses presented system for handling interaction with the user. We also present advantages and disadvantages of such framework and give possible solutions for some of the problems.

[Paper] [Presentation]

Multi-Touch surface based on RGBD camera

Klemen Istenič, Luka Čehovin, Daniel Skočaj

Abstract

The popularity of interactive surfaces is increasing because of their natural and intuitive usage. Adding 3D multi-point interaction capabilities to an arbitrary surface creates numerous additional possibilities in fields ranging from marketing to medicine. Interactive tables are nowadays present in numerous museums, schools and companies. With the advent of low-cost RGBD cameras, thee-dimensional surfaces are slowly emerging as well, attracting even more attention. This paper presents an affordable system for 3D human-computer interaction using a RGBD camera that is capable of detecting and tracking user’s fingertips in 3D space. The system is evaluated in terms of accuracy, response time, CPU usage, and user experience. The results of the evaluation show that such low-cost systems are already a viable alternative to other multi-touch technologies and also present interesting new ways of interaction with a surface-based interfaces.

[Paper] [Presentation]

UX – From theory to practical application – Keynote

Jože Guna, Emilija Stojmenova, Matevž Pogačnik

Abstract

We present the importance and key aspects of the User Experience, Usability and User/Human Centered Design paradigms and approaches. Furthermore, real-life examples are given to illustrate the practical use of these approaches.

There are many definitions of the “user experience”, however the common ground to all is the idea, that the focus should be on the user and his/her needs, wishes and expectations, rather than exclusively on the product or service itself. The main goal is that the product or service in question should not only be functional or usable but also easy, intuitive and fun to use and explore. This is closely connected with the term of “cognitive flow”.

The definition from The User Experience Professionals Association states the user experience as follows: “User experience (UX) is an approach to product development that incorporates direct user feedback throughout the development cycle (human-centered design) in order to reduce costs and create products and tools that meet user needs and have a high level of usability (are easy to use).” This definition emphasizes the users’ role in the process through the User/Human Centered design philosophy. It defines the whole product or service design and development process as a continuous circular process, where user product testing at each phase is very important. In this way problems can be found early on and solved, which allows for a more cost effective approach with a better final product.

Of course, to design something for the “user” one has to know who your users are. To achieve this goal first end target user groups should be defined, and then specific, but single virtual users in a form of personas should be created. Not all users have the same abilities; therefore a special attention should be given to the accessibility issues.

Finally, some general, but golden rules of good design approach exist: the user should always be in control as much as possible, the interface should adapt to the user and reduce the cognitive load as much as possible, the interface should be consistent, and finally, the product or service should be personal and adapt to the users’ needs, and be not only functional, but also easy and intuitive to use.

To illustrate these paradigms, five distinct real-life examples are given, how the UX design approach was used to create a more “human” product, service or content. These examples include lessons learnt from a TVWEB project; a national RTV mobile multimedia application; a project for the national Telecom operator with a goal of designing an interface for the e-health portal; UCD approach used for designing the new university multimedia programme; and finally, the World Usability Day conference event in Slovenia.

[Presentation]