Carlos Duarte | Universidade de Lisboa (original) (raw)

Papers by Carlos Duarte

The adoption of social networks by older adults has increased in recent years. However, many stil... more The adoption of social networks by older adults has increased in recent years. However, many still cannot make use of social networks as these are simply not adapted to them. Through a series of direct observations, interviews and focus groups, we identified recommendations for the design of social networks targeting seniors. Based on these, we developed a prototype for tablet devices, supporting sharing and viewing Facebook content. We then conducted a user study comparing our prototype with Facebook's native mobile application. We have found that Facebook's native application does not meet senior users concerns, like privacy and family focus, while our prototype, designed in accordance to the collected recommendations, supported relevant use cases in an usable and accessible manner.

Abstract—Current TV applications present uncountable challenges to an elderly user and these are ... more Abstract—Current TV applications present uncountable challenges to an elderly user and these are prone to increase, working as a vehicle of exclusion. The GUIDE project aims at improving the elderly experience with present TV applications by deploying interfaces adapted to their abilities and preferences. We do so by building the interface based on a user model and providing new ways to interact with the TV (multimodality), and tailoring the UI to the users' abilities, needs and preferences.

Abstract: The development of new digital TV systems and the design practices adopted in the devel... more Abstract: The development of new digital TV systems and the design practices adopted in the development of new TV based applications often isolate elderly and disabled users. By considering them as users with special needs and not taking their problems into account during the design phase of an application, developers are creating new accessibility problems or just keeping bad old habits.

Abstract The Web has been growing in size and complexity and is used for the most diverse activit... more Abstract The Web has been growing in size and complexity and is used for the most diverse activities in our every day life, becoming almost indispensable. Besides, Web applications are becoming more popular, and consequently used by a wide range of people. Thus, it is important to evaluate the accessibility of the new Rich Internet Applications (RIA) to guarantee that everyone can access the information.

ABSTRACT Web applications are becoming more popular, and consequently used by a wide range of peo... more ABSTRACT Web applications are becoming more popular, and consequently used by a wide range of people. With the recent evolution of TVs, these kinds of web applications can also be used on these devices. Thus, it is important to evaluate the accessibility of those applications to guarantee that everyone can access the information. Currently, there are some tools to evaluate the accessibility of regular Web pages which use WCAG guidelines.

Proceedings of the 2010 …, Jan 1, 2010

This short paper introduces the use of neurophysiological signals, electroencephalogram (EEG), as... more This short paper introduces the use of neurophysiological signals, electroencephalogram (EEG), as a technique for reading detection. Reading detection is a focused problem, yet with multiple facets and application relevance.

A interacção gestual, sem teclado, em aplicações de desenho, apresenta restrições mais rígidas do... more A interacção gestual, sem teclado, em aplicações de desenho, apresenta restrições mais rígidas do que em outro género de aplicações baseadas em gestos. Tal acontece, principalmente, pela necessidade de eliminar a ambiguidade existente quando um gesto representa um comando ou faz, simplesmente, parte do que está a ser desenhado. Neste artigo, exploramos conjuntos de gestos alternativos capazes de lidar com este problema. O contexto é fornecido através do ponto inicial do gesto ou, em alternativa, através de múltiplos toques no ecrã. Este artigo apresenta os resultados de uma experiência concebida para comparar dois conjuntos de gestos.

Multimodal interaction offers users the possibility to interact with computational systems using ... more Multimodal interaction offers users the possibility to interact with computational systems using natural interaction modes. However, different users interact differently, integrating modalities in different patterns. By knowing how users exploit different modalities, we can try to build adaptive systems that will increase the effectiveness of multimodal interaction. For that we need to characterize user abilities. However, this is a time and effort consuming process, particularly in the early stages of design. We propose an approach that can be used in the early stages of the design process, by resorting to a Wizard of Oz based prototype of a multimodal system.

Procs. Of INForum, Jan 1, 2009

We present the design of a prototype for a context aware multimodal hand-held device, envisioning... more We present the design of a prototype for a context aware multimodal hand-held device, envisioning several improvements on the interaction with such devices. The design of this prototype is strongly based on an extensive requirements and feasibility analysis. Different context awareness and multimodal interaction issues are depicted, based on previous and actual user centered experiments. We concluded that the sets of sensing mechanisms available on commercialized devices are not enough for our aspirations and that the augmentation of such devices through the utilization of sensor platforms is not applicable on real life scenarios, leading us to design a capable device for such purposes.

Haptic and Audio Interaction Design, Jan 1, 2009

This paper presents the user centered iterative interaction design of a mobile music application.... more This paper presents the user centered iterative interaction design of a mobile music application. The application enables multiple users to use one or more accelerometers in order to simulate the interaction with real percussion instruments (drums, congas, and maracas). The ways through which the accelerometers are held, before and during interaction, define the instruments they represent, allowing the swapping of instruments during musical performances. The early evaluation sessions directed to the interaction modes created for each instrument enabled design iterations that were of utmost importance regarding the final application's ease of use and similarity to reality. The final evaluation of the application involved 4 percussionists that considered it well conceived, similar to the real instruments, natural and suitable for entertainment purposes, but not for professional musical purposes.

Groupware: Design, Implementation, and Use, Jan 1, 2009

Several computer based tools have been developed to support cooperative work. The majority of the... more Several computer based tools have been developed to support cooperative work. The majority of these tools rely on the traditional input devices available on standard computer systems, i.e. keyboard and mouse. This paper focuses on the use of gestural interaction for cooperative scenarios, discussing how it is more suited for some tasks, and hypothesizing on how users cooperatively decide on which tasks to perform based on the available input modalities and task characteristics. An experiment design is presented to validate the proposed hypothesis. The preliminary evaluation results, also presented, support this hypothesis.

Human-Computer InteractionINTERACT 2009, Jan 1, 2009

Interfaces based on gesture recognition offer a simple and intuitive alternative to the use of tr... more Interfaces based on gesture recognition offer a simple and intuitive alternative to the use of traditional menus, keyboard and mouse. In this paper we explore the field of gestural interaction on large screen displays, presenting the results of a study where users employ gestures to perform common actions in various applications suited for large displays. Results show the actions for which gestural interaction is a best asset compared to traditional interaction.

Multimodality in Mobile …, Jan 1, 2009

In this chapter we describe a set of techniques and tools that aim at supporting designers while ... more In this chapter we describe a set of techniques and tools that aim at supporting designers while creating mobile multimodal applications. We explain how the additional difficulties that designers face during this process, especially those related to multimodalities, can be tackled. In particular, we present a scenario generation and context definition framework that can be used to drive design and support evaluation within realistic settings, promoting in-situ design and richer results. In conjunction with the scenario framework, we detail a prototyping tool that was developed to support the early stage prototyping and evaluation process of mobile multimodal applications, from the first sketch-based prototypes up to the final quantitative analysis of usage results. As a case study, we describe a mobile application for accessing and reading rich digital books. The application aims at offering users, in particular blind users, means to read and annotate digital books and it was designed to be used on Pocket PCs and Smartphones, including a set of features that enhance both content and usability of traditional books.

Human-Computer Interaction. Interacting …, Jan 1, 2009

This paper presents IWA, a platform to aid children when learning how to write. The proposed syst... more This paper presents IWA, a platform to aid children when learning how to write. The proposed system offers both tutor and child a certain degree of autonomy. IWA provides tutor and child with different interfaces. The features available to the tutor allow the definition and configuration of repetition exercises comprising letters, numerals and freeform gestures. The child interface supports the child in the task of solving those exercises. The system has been evaluated in two sessions with children. From the evaluation results and the feedback provided by a school teacher we conclude this to be a very promising system towards optimizing the repetition process required for perfecting hand-writing.

Universal Access in Human-Computer …, Jan 1, 2009

This paper presents two prototypes designed in order to enable the automatic adjustment of audio ... more This paper presents two prototypes designed in order to enable the automatic adjustment of audio output on mobile devices. One is directed to communication scenarios and the other to media control scenarios. The user centered methodology employed on the design of these prototypes involved 26 users and is also presented here. Once the prototypes were implemented, a usability study was conducted. This study involved 6 users that included our prototypes on their day-to-day lives during a two-week period. The results of the studies are presented and discussed on this paper, providing guidelines for the development of audio output adjustment algorithms and future manufacturing of mobile devices.

Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. …, Jan 1, 2009

This paper presents a prototype of a mobile Digital Talking Book player, which, by combining visu... more This paper presents a prototype of a mobile Digital Talking Book player, which, by combining visual and non-visual means of interaction, strives to achieve universal accessibility. Details on the non-visual aspects of the interaction, both input and output, are provided. To assess the validity of the proposed solutions, an experiment evaluates the non-visual operation of the prototype. Results show users can complete the same tasks with visual and nonvisual interaction. However, some limitations are identified, and the observations prompt a discussion on how the use of multimodal interfaces can improve their accessibility and usability.

Large displays are becoming available to larger and larger audiences. In this paper we discuss th... more Large displays are becoming available to larger and larger audiences. In this paper we discuss the interaction challenges faced when attempting to transfer the classic WIMP design paradigm from the desktop to large wall-sized displays. We explore the field of gestural interaction on large screen displays, conducting a study where users are asked to create gestures for common actions in various applications suited for large displays. Results show how direct manipulation through gestural interaction appeals to users for some types of actions, while demonstrating that for other types gestures should not be the preferred interaction modality.

Creativity and HCI: …, Jan 1, 2009

What challenges and opportunities do we face when we are to teach HCI to blind students, especial... more What challenges and opportunities do we face when we are to teach HCI to blind students, especially among sighted students, with HCI curricula having, traditionally, a strong focus on visual aspects? How do you bring accessibility to learning and teaching a course that itself addresses accessibility? These are a couple of the questions we raised when faced with this challenge. This paper presents our experience, feedback and reflection on the subject, after two cycles of the course with blind students.