#19143
ACM’s Computing Professionals Face New Challenges 
The ACM community is in a position to take a leadership role in responding to the challenges brought by last fall’s terror attacks. Some of us have already been contacted to contribute to designs for improving security at airports, verifying identity at check-in, or redesigning cockpits to give more options to pilots and ground controllers. Others will be asked to redesign systems that trace financial transactions across international borders or examine email patterns among loosely affiliated groups. These efforts win the broadest support when our decisions about how to pursue safety and security are coupled with a strong defense of civil liberties and privacy.
Shneiderman, Ben. University of Maryland (2001). Articles>TC>Professionalism
#31062
It is the job of the information architect to discern the internal structure of content and than give it external form to support users in constructing meaning, in relating the content to their own knowledge, needs, and purposes, and thus making sense of the content.
Soergel, Dagobert. University of Maryland. Articles>Information Design>Rhetoric>User Centered Design
#23905
Cross-Language Information Retrieval: Layout Strategies for Gloss Translation
In this experiment, we study some issues on the user interface design of Cross-Language Information Retrieval (CLIR). In particular, we study some enhancements to the current user interface design for the University of Maryland Translingual Information Retrieval System web page.
Elnahrawy, Eiman M., Nagia M. Ghanem and Moustafa A. Youssef. University of Maryland (2001). Design>Document Design>Localization>Search
#23889
Depth vs. Breadth in the Arrangement of Web Links
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of depth and breadth of web site structure on the user response time.
Mtei, Lianaeli and Panayiotis Zaphiris. University of Maryland (1997). Design>Web Design>Information Design
#24009
An Empirical Study Comparing Denim and Visio
An ethnographic observation and controlled experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of Denim and MS Visio in terms of supporting user creativity.
Zhao, Haixia. University of Maryland (2002). Articles>User Interface>Software>Visio
#31063
Knowledge analysis and representation; information presentation and assimilation; bibliographic and record control.
Soergel, Dagobert. University of Maryland. Academic>Courses>Information Design
#14010
Perspectives on Science and Technical Communication 
The purpose of presenting is to actuate. You want to persuade people. You want to persuade them to think, or get excited about something, or act in response to what you present. Otherwise there is no point in making the effort of preparing and delivering your presentation. Presentations do not necessarily need to be meaningful for you. You already know the meaning of your message. Deliver the message from the audiences' point of view. (Another way to say this: What you want to present is not as important as what the audience needs to hear in order for your message to come across clearly, simply.) Remember that an audience will judge a presentation on the basis of how meaningful is was for them.
Kane, Andrew S. University of Maryland (2002). Presentations>Advice>TC
#14153
The Psychology of Menu Selection: Designing Cognitive Control at the Human/Computer Interface
Menu selection is emerging as an important mode of human/computer interaction. This book, the first entirely devoted to this important form of human/computer interaction, provides detailed theoretical and empirical information of interest to software designers and human/computer interaction specialists and researchers. A new theoretical approach to menu selection is taken by developing a psychological theory of cognitive control by the user. A comprehensive review of empirical research on menu selection is presented in an organized fashion to aid in the design and evaluation of systems. Finally, information is given on how to protype and evaluate menu selection systems using both performance data and user ratings.
Norman, Kent L. University of Maryland (1991). Books>Information Design>Usability>Cognitive Psychology
#22830
User Modeling for Adaptive and Adaptable Software Systems
Universal Usability requires that user interfaces accommodate users with a wide variety of expertise and knowledge. Moreover, individual users' needs and preferences change as they use a software system. Systems that guide the user through an evolutionary learning process or adapt the user interface to the user provide a solution to this challenge. This paper introduces the techniques, highlights several examples of systems that implement them and provides guidelines for practitioners who wish to develop adaptive and adaptable interfaces.
Kules, Bill. University of Maryland (2000). Design>User Interface>Accessibility>Universal Usability
#30628
The design of everyday objects is not always intuitive and at times it leaves the user frustrated and unable to complete a simple task. How many of us have bought a VCR that we have struggled to used and missed recording our favorite programs because we misunderstood the instructions or had to put up with the clock blinking 12:00 because we didn't know how to stop it? Do we have to put up with designs like these? Isn't it possible to design systems that are more usable? 'User-centered design' (UCD) is a broad term to describe design processes in which end-users influence how a design takes shape. It is both a broad philosophy and variety of methods. There is a spectrum of ways in which users are involved in UCD but the important concept is that users are involved one way or another. For example, some types of UCD consult users about their needs and involve them at specific times during the design process; typically during requirements gathering and usability testing. At the opposite end of the spectrum there are UCD methods in which users have a deep impact on the design by being involved as partners with designers throughout the design process.
Abras, Chadia, Diane Maloney-Krichmar and Jenny Preece. University of Maryland (2004). Articles>User Centered Design
#33344
QUIS: The Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction
Subjective evaluation is an important component in the evaluation of workstation usability. We have developed and standardized a general user evaluation instrument for interactive computer systems. The methods of psychological test construction were applied in order to ensure proper construct and empirical validity of the items and to assess their reliability. A hierarchical approach was taken in which overall usability was divided into subcomponents which constituted independent psychometric scales. For example, subcomponents include character readability, usefulness of online help, and meaningfulness of error messages. Evaluation on these scales is assessed by user ratings of specific system attributes such as character definition, contrast, font, and spacing for the scale of character readability.
