Publications
66 results found
Borsci S, Buckle P, Hanna GB, 2016, Why you need to include human factors in clinical and empirical studies of in vitro point of care devices? Review and future perspectives, Expert Review of Medical Devices, Vol: 13, Pages: 405-416, ISSN: 1745-2422
Use of in-vitro point of care devices - intended as tests performed out of laboratories and near patient - is increasing in clinical environments. International standards indicate that interaction assessment should not end after the product release, yet human factors methods are frequently not included in clinical and empirical studies of these devices. Whilst the literature confirms some advantages of bed-side tests compared to those in laboratories there is a lack of knowledge of the risks associated with their use. This article provides a review of approaches applied by clinical researchers to model the use of in-vitro testing. Results suggest that only a few studies have explored human factor approaches. Furthermore, when researchers investigated people-device interaction these were predominantly limited to qualitative and not standardised approaches. The methodological failings and limitations of these studies, identified by us, demonstrate the growing need to integrate human factors methods in the medical field.
Borsci S, Lawson G, Jha B, et al., 2016, Effectiveness of a multidevice 3D virtual environment application to train car service maintenance procedures, Virtual Reality, Vol: 20, Pages: 41-55, ISSN: 1434-9957
This paper reports a study which demonstrates the advantages of using virtual-reality-based systems for training automotive assembly tasks. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to one of the following three training experiences to learn a car service procedure: (1) observational training through video instruction; (2) an experiential virtual training and trial in a CAVE; and (3) an experiential virtual training and trial through a portable 3D interactive table. Results show that virtual trained participants, after the training, can remember significantly better (p < .05) the correct execution of the steps compared to video-trained trainees. No significant differences were identified between the experiential groups neither in terms of post-training performances nor in terms of proficiency, despite differences in the interaction devices. The relevance of the outcomes for the automotive fields and for the designers of virtual training applications are discussed in light of the outcomes, particularly that virtual training experienced through a portable device such as the interactive table can be effective, as can training performed in a CAVE. This suggests the possibility for automotive industries to invest in advanced portable hardware to deliver effectively long-distance programs of training for car service operators placed all over the world.
Borsci S, Federici S, Bacci S, et al., 2015, Assessing user satisfaction in the era of user experience: comparison of the SUS, UMUX and UMUX-LITE as a function of product experience, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, Vol: 31, Pages: 484-495, ISSN: 1532-7590
Nowadays, practitioners extensively apply quick and reliable scales of user satisfaction as part of their user experience (UX) analyses to obtain well-founded measures of user satisfaction within time and budget constraints. However, in the human-computer interaction (HCI) literature the relationship between the outcomes of standardized satisfaction scales and the amount of product usage has been only marginally explored. The few studies that have investigated this relationship have typically shown that users who have interacted more with a product have higher satisfaction. The purpose of this paper was to systematically analyze the variation in outcomes of three standardized user satisfaction scales (SUS, UMUX and UMUX-LITE) when completed by users who had spent different amounts of time with a website. In two studies, the amount of interaction was manipulated to assess its effect on user satisfaction. Measurements of the three scales were strongly correlated and their outcomes were significantly affected by the amount of interaction time. Notably, the SUS acted as a unidimensional scale when administered to people who had less product experience, but was bidimensional when administered to users with more experience. We replicated previous findings of similar magnitudes for the SUS and UMUX-LITE (after adjustment), but did not observe the previously reported similarities of magnitude for the SUS and the UMUX. Our results strongly encourage further research to analyze the relationships of the three scales with levels of product exposure. We also provide recommendations for practitioners and researchers in the use of the questionnaires.
Jahangirian M, Borsci S, Shah SGS, et al., 2015, Causal factors of low stakeholder engagement: a survey of expert opinions in the context of healthcare simulation projects, Simulation, Vol: 91, Pages: 511-526, ISSN: 1741-3133
Federici S, Corradi F, Meloni F, et al., 2015, Successful assistive technology service delivery outcomes from applying a person-centered systematic assessment process: a case study, LIFE SPAN AND DISABILITY, Vol: 18, Pages: 41-74, ISSN: 1721-0151
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- Citations: 3
Borsci S, Lawson G, Burgess M, et al., 2015, Early prototype assessment of a new virtual system for training procedural skills of automotive service operators: LARTE tool, Pages: 135-143, ISSN: 0302-9743
The consortium of the Innovate UK funded Live Augmented Reality Training Environments (LARTE) project, composed of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Holovis International Ltd and The University of Nottingham, developed a new concept of a 3D multiplatform training system to train the procedural skills of service maintenance operators. The LARTE tool was designed on the basis of JLR needs and desiderata. This paper presents the functionalities of the initial prototype of LARTE training system, and outcomes of an evaluation study of the usability of the product.
Borsci S, Federici S, Mele ML, et al., 2015, Short scales of satisfaction assessment: A proxy to involve disabled users in the usability testing of websites, Pages: 35-42, ISSN: 0302-9743
Short scales of user satisfaction analysis are largely applied in usability studies as part of the measures to assess the interaction experience of users. Among the traditional tools, System Usability Scale (SUS), composed of 10 items, is the most applied quick evaluation scale. Recently, researchers have proposed two new and shorter scales: the Usability Metric for User Experience (UMUX), composed of four items, and the UMUX-LITE, which consists of only the two positive items of UMUX. Despite their recent creation, researchers in human-computer interaction (HCI) have already showed that these two tools are reliable and strongly correlated to each other [1–3]. Nevertheless, there are still no studies about the use of these questionnaires with disabled users. As HCI experts claim [4–7], when disabled and elderly users are included in the assessment cohorts, they add to the overall analysis alternative and extended perspectives about the usability of a system. This is particularly relevant to those interfaces that are designed to serve a large population of end-users, such as websites of public administration or public services. Hence, for a practitioner adding to the evaluation cohorts a group of disabled people may sensibly extend number and types of errors identified during the assessment. One of the major obstacles in creating mixed cohorts is due to the increase in time and costs of the evaluation. Often, the budget does not support the inclusion of disabled users in the test. In order to overcome these hindrances, the administering to disabled users of a short questionnaire—after a period of use (expert disabled costumers) or after an interaction test performed through a set of scenario-driven tasks (novice disabled users)—permits to achieve a good trade-off between a limited effort in terms of time and costs and the advantage of evaluating the user satisfaction of disabled people in the use of websites. To date, researchers have neither
Salanitri D, Hare C, Borsci S, et al., 2015, Relationship Between Trust and Usability in Virtual Environments: An Ongoing Study, 17th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI International), Publisher: SPRINGER INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING AG, Pages: 49-59, ISSN: 0302-9743
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- Citations: 11
Borsci S, Lawson G, Broome S, 2014, Empirical evidence, evaluation criteria and challenges for the effectiveness of virtual and mixed reality tools for training operators of car service maintenance, Computers in Industry, Vol: 67, Pages: 17-26, ISSN: 0166-3615
Borsci S, Kuljis J, Barnett J, et al., 2014, Beyond the User Preferences: Aligning the Prototype Design to the Users’ Expectations, Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, Vol: 26, Pages: 16-39, ISSN: 1090-8471
It is important for practitioners to conceptualize and tailor a prototype in tune with the users’ expectations in the early stages of the design life cycle so the modifications of the product design in advanced phases are kept to a minimum. According to user preference studies, the aesthetic and the usability of a system play an important role in the user appraisal and selection of a product. However, user preferences are just a part of the equation. The fact that a user prefers one product over the other does not mean that he or she would necessarily buy it. To understand the factors affecting the user's assessment of a product before the actual use of the product and the user's intention to purchase the product we conducted a study, reported in this article. Our study, a modification of a well-known protocol, considers the users’ preferences of six simulated smartphones each with different combination of attributes. A sample consisting of 365 participants was involved in our analysis. Our results confirm that the main basis for the users’ pre-use preferences is the aesthetics of the product, whereas our results suggest that the main basis for the user's intention to purchase are the expected usability of the product. Moreover, our analysis reveals that the personal characteristics of the users have different effects on both the users’ preferences and their intention to purchase a product. These results suggest that the designers should carefully balance the aesthetics and usability features of a prototype in tune with the users expectations. If the conceptualization of a product is done properly the redesign cycles after the usability testing can be reduced and speed up the process for releasing the product on the market.
Borsci S, Macredie RD, Martin JL, et al., 2014, How many testers are needed to assure the usability of medical devices?, EXPERT REVIEW OF MEDICAL DEVICES, Vol: 11, Pages: 513-525, ISSN: 1743-4440
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- Citations: 15
Federici S, Scherer MJ, Borsci S, 2014, An ideal model of an assistive technology assessment and delivery process, Technology and disability, Vol: 26, Pages: 27-38, ISSN: 1878-643X
The purpose of the present work is to present some aspects of the Assistive Technology Assessment (ATA) process model compatible with the Position Paper 2012 by AAATE/EASTIN. Three aspects of the ATA process will be discussed in light of three topics of the Position Paper 2012: (i) The dimensions and the measures of the User eXperience (UX) evaluation modelled in the ATA process as a way to verify the efficient and the evidence-based practices of an AT service delivery centre; (ii) The relevance of the presence of the psychologist in the multidisciplinary team of an AT service delivery centre as necessary for a complete person-centred assistive solution empowering users to make their own choices; (iii) The new profession of the psychotechnologist, who explores user's needs by seeking a proper assistive solution, leading the multidisciplinary team to observe critical issues and problems. Through the foundation of the Position Paper 2012, the 1995 HEART study, the Matching Person and Technology model, the ICF framework, and the pillars of the ATA process, this paper sets forth a concept and approach that emphasise the personal factors of the individual consumer and UX as key to positively impacting a successful outcome and AT solution.
Federici S, Borsci S, 2014, Providing assistive technology in Italy: the perceived delivery process quality as affecting abandonment, Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, Vol: 11, Pages: 22-31, ISSN: 1748-3107
Federici S, Corradi F, Meloni F, et al., 2014, A person-centered assistive technology service delivery model: A framework for device selection and assignment, Life Span and Disability, Vol: 17, Pages: 175-198
Background: The introduction of assistive technology (AT) into people's lives is a deliberative and long-term process, which presupposes teamwork as much as professionalism, time, and experience. The aim of the assistive technology assessment (ATA) process is to suggest guidelines to follow in order to reach valid results during the AT selection and assignment process. Purpose: This paper aims to critically discuss the application of the model of the ATA process developed by Federici and Scherer (2012c). Method: A cross-cultural comparison of AT service delivery systems and discussion of the ATA process model adopted by the Leonarda Vaccari Institute of Rome was conducted. Conclusion: Currently, the wide variety of AT devices on the market opens up new frontiers for the individual's enhanced functioning, inclusion, and participation. Because the choice for the most appropriate match is often a complex process, a systematic selection process such as the ATA process described in this article can help practitioners to efficiently achieve successful outcomes.
Federici S, Mele ML, Romeo SA, et al., 2014, A Model of Web-Based Follow-Up to Reduce Assistive Technology Abandonment, 16th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Publisher: SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN, Pages: 674-682, ISSN: 0302-9743
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- Citations: 1
Mele ML, Federici S, Borsci S, 2014, WhatsOnWeb: A Sonificated Search Engine for Blind People, 16th International Conference on Association-of-Psychology-and-Psychiatry-for-Adults-and-Childrens, Publisher: MEDIMOND S R L, Pages: 25-29
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- Citations: 1
Borsci S, Kurosu M, Federici S, et al., 2013, Computer Systems Experiences of Users with and Without Disabilities: An Evaluation Guide for Professionals, Publisher: CRC Press
Borsci S, Macredie RD, Barnett J, et al., 2013, Reviewing and Extending the Five-User Assumption: A Grounded Procedure for Interaction Evaluation, ACM TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTER-HUMAN INTERACTION, Vol: 20, ISSN: 1073-0516
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- Citations: 24
Borsci S, Martin JL, Barnett J, 2013, A grounded procedure for managing data and sample size of a home medical device assessment, Pages: 166-175, ISSN: 0302-9743
The selection of participants for usability assessment, together with the minimum number of subjects required to obtain a set of reliable data, is a hot topic in Human Computer Interaction (HCI). Albeit, prominent contributions through the application of different p estimation models argued that five users provide a good benchmark when seeking to discover interaction problems a lot of studies have complained this five-user assumption. The sample size topic is today a central issue for the assessment of critical-systems, such as medical devices, because lacks in usability and, moreover, in the safety in use of these kind of products may seriously damage the final users. We argue that rely on one-size-fits-all solutions, such as the five-user assumption (for websites) or the mandated size of 15 users for major group (for medical device) lead manufactures to release unsafe product. Nevertheless, albeit there are no magic numbers for determining "a priori" the cohort size, by using a specific procedure it is possible to monitoring the sample discovery likelihood after the first five users in order to obtain reliable information about the gathered data and determine whether the problems discovered by the sample have a certain level of representativeness (i.e., reliability). We call this approach "Grounded Procedure" (GP).The goal of this study is to present the GP assumptions and steps, by exemplifying its application in the assessment of a home medical device. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.
Federci S, Borsci S, Mele ML, 2013, Environmental evaluation of a rehabilitation aid interaction under the framework of the ideal model of assistive technology assessment process, Pages: 203-210, ISSN: 0302-9743
Recently Federici and Scherer [1] proposed an ideal model of an Assistive Technology Assessment (ATA) process that provides reference guidelines for professionals of a multidisciplinary team of assistive technology (AT) service delivery centers to compare, evaluate, and improve their own matching models. The ATA process borrows a user-driven working methodology from the Matching Person and Technology Model [2] and it embraces the biopsychosocial model [3] aiming at the best combination of AT to promote customers' personal well-being. As Federici and Scherer [1] suggest, the multidisciplinary team, by applying the ATA process, may provide for users not only a device, but much more an assistive solution, which is the real outcome of a match process. An assistive solution is provided for the user only when the interaction dialogue between user, device, and environments of use improves the users' performances in participating in their everyday contexts. In this theoretical framework, the evaluation of the users' interaction with the AT in different kinds of environments is a key factor for the success of the ATA process, because, as Mirza, Gossett Zakrajsek, and Borsci [4] claim, the environment is antecedent to the AT and crucial for identifying how the AT works in relation to the users' needs. In the ATA process a specific Environmental Assessment (EA) model for testing the interaction of the user with the environments of use, through the AT, has been defined. The aim of this paper is to describe the EA model steps and discuss the dimensions that a practitioner has to consider for this assessment. Accessibility, universal design, and sustainability are used in the EA model as the dimensions for measuring the relationship between the AT and the environment [4]. The EA model steps and the trade-off among these dimensions are presented through a case example in which practitioners analyze the relationship between a communication aid used by a child and her classroom and
Capurso M, Borsci S, 2013, Effects of a tall ship sail training experience on adolescents' self-concept, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, Vol: 58, Pages: 15-24, ISSN: 0883-0355
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- Citations: 19
Borsci S, Federici S, Mele ML, et al., 2012, The bootstrap discovery behaviour model: Why five users are not enough to test user experience, Cognitively Informed Intelligent Interfaces: Systems Design and Development, Pages: 258-279, ISBN: 9781466616288
The chapter focuses on the Bootstrap statistical technique for assigning measures of accuracy to sample estimates, here adopted for the first time to obtain an effective and efficient interaction evaluation. After introducing and discussing the classic debate on p value (i.e., the discovery detection rate) about estimation problems, the authors present the most used model for the estimation of the number of participants needed for an evaluation test, namely the Return On Investment model (ROI). Since the ROI model endorses a monodimensional and economical perspective in which an evaluation process, composed of only an expert technique, is sufficient to identify all the interaction problems-without distinguishing real problems (i.e., identified both experts and users) and false problems (i.e., identified only by experts)- they propose the new Bootstrap Discovery Behaviour (BDB) estimation model. Findings highlight the BDB as a functional technique favouring practitioners to optimize the number of participants needed for an interaction evaluation. Finally, three experiments show the application of the BDB model to create experimental sample sizes to test user experience of people with and without disabilities. © 2012, IGI Global.
Borsci S, Londei A, Federici S, 2011, The Bootstrap Discovery Behaviour (BDB): a new outlook on usability evaluation, COGNITIVE PROCESSING, Vol: 12, Pages: 23-31, ISSN: 1612-4782
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- Citations: 6
Federici S, Borsci S, 2011, The Use and Non-use of Assistive Technology in Italy: Preliminary Data, 11th Bi-Annual AAATE Conference, Publisher: IOS PRESS, Pages: 979-986, ISSN: 1383-813X
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- Citations: 16
Borsci S, Federici S, Londei A, 2010, Cost of a usability evalution: Bootstrap discovery behaviour model, Pages: 364-368
The international debate on the costs of usability evaluation is mainly focused on the return on investment (ROI) model of Nielsen and Landauer (1993). In this study, the ROI model properties and limits are discussed in order to identify the base of an alternative model that considers a large number of variables for the estimation of the number of participants needed for a usability evaluation. Using the bootstrapping statistical inference (Efron, 1979), we propose a model, named Bootstrap Discovery Behaviour (BDB), suitable to take into account: a) the interface properties, as the properties at zero condition of evaluation; and b) the probability that the population discovery behaviour is represented by all the possible discovery behaviour of a sample. The data of two experimental groups, one of users and one of experts, are involved in the evaluation of a website. Applying the BDB model to the problems identified by the two groups we found that 13 experts and 20 users are needed to obtain the 80% of usability problems, instead of 6 experts and 7 users required according to the estimation of the discovery likelihood provided by the ROI model. The power of the BDB model rests on the most predictive validity for accurate predictions about a participants' future discovery behaviour of usability problems, as regards the ROI model.
Federici S, Borsci S, Mele ML, et al., 2010, Web popularity: an illusory perception of a qualitative order in information, UNIVERSAL ACCESS IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY, Vol: 9, Pages: 375-386, ISSN: 1615-5289
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- Citations: 2
Federici S, Borsci S, Stamerra G, 2010, Erratum: Web usability evaluation with screen reader users: Implementation of the partial concurrent thinking aloud technique (Cognitive Processing DOI: 10.1007/s10339-009-0347-y), Cognitive Processing, Vol: 11, ISSN: 1612-4782
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- Citations: 1
Stefano F, Borsci S, Stamerra G, 2010, Web usability evaluation with screen reader users: implementation of the partial concurrent thinking aloud technique, COGNITIVE PROCESSING, Vol: 11, Pages: 263-272, ISSN: 1612-4782
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- Citations: 21
Federici S, Borsci S, Mele ML, 2010, Usability evaluation with screen reader users: a video presentation of the PCTA's experimental setting and rules, COGNITIVE PROCESSING, Vol: 11, Pages: 285-288, ISSN: 1612-4782
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- Citations: 6
Mele ML, Federici S, Borsci S, et al., 2010, Beyond a Visuocentric Way of a Visual Web Search Clustering Engine: The Sonification of WhatsOnWeb, 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010, Publisher: SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN, Pages: 351-+, ISSN: 0302-9743
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- Citations: 1
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