Advances in Human Factors and System Interactions

Most accidents, some resulting in technological disasters, have human factors as root-causes. Some of these are mental biases related with human cognitive limitations, while others concern group decision making processes. The case of maritime incidents is of particular interest, due to the typically harsh environment at sea and the likelihood of disasters that may result. The outcomes of maritime accidents involving socio-technical systems – ships and maritime infrastructures – may be classified as severe, if not catastrophic. Analysing known maritime disasters provide insight for prevention, as well as the best way to manage crisis. Incidents with root causes linked to explicit knowledge may be controlled. When causes, however, are grounded on mind bias and subconscious processes, it becomes difficult to foresee the potential disaster, and provide for adequate preventive measures. An analysis of a number of disasters, recent and ancient, provides insight for human factors focused educational and training programmes.

Decision-making related to emergencies and disasters is a daunting process given the dynamic and complex nature of such events, the wide range of factors to manage, and the large amount of information to consider. To address the challenge, the long-term goals of this work advocate for the use of an adaptive intelligent system to assist with these complex decision tasks. This paper provides background for MCDM methods and their uses and develops and proposes a taxonomy of eleven questions for use in selecting MCDM methods within complex decision-making environments such as emergency management.

An increasing number of multiple types of disasters challenge the current role of Disaster Management (DM) support systems regarding the interventions at the different phases of the DM cycle. Disaster Management is known for the heterogeneity of domain’s concepts, the kind of resources deployed for disaster response, and the complexity of the information shared among the several organizations participating in a catastrophe scenario. The goal of this work is to envision what seems to be the next evolution of DM support systems towards a better decision-making support along the disasters’ management cycle, specifically, concerning the integration of the several available distributed data sources using ontologies and Linked Open Data as tools.

The maritime industry is affected by security and safety problems. Human factors (HF) are recognized as an important root-cause of such problems, which often result in complex crisis – e.g., technological disasters, humanitarian disasters, piracy/terrorism, cyber-attacks –, which require a comprehensive approach, and operations conducted by multiple agencies that combine competencies, frequently at international level. The efficiency and effectiveness of the response to crises depend on the level of preparedness of the agencies involved, both at individual and at joint levels. Preparedness is particularly important for managing offshore maritime crises, since the environment is adverse, access to resources is limited, and tolerance to errors is small. The paper addresses HF factors affecting the maritime industry and provides examples of initiatives and best practices that mitigate the threats and negative impacts to security and safety in this industry.

Technology is both an enabler and disruptor for the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Yet few approaches integrate macro-outcomes with the micro and meso scale activities of human behavior. We instantiate an agent-based model to simulate technology diffusion within a micro-meso-macro scale integrated economy: allowing heterogenous agents to play technology enabled symmetric and asymmetric socio-economic transaction games through various random and preferential social network market typologies to simulate how behavioral technology adoption and societal proliferation impact macroeconomic income, growth and inequality dynamics. By fusing cross-scale theory and simulation modeling in a complex adaptive systems framework, such approaches could provide additional insights on the complex relationships between income, technology and inequality. These can also assist creating the necessary evidence and science-based policy conversations around why, if, how and when societies might achieve their SDG targets.

An Ergonomic Work Analysis was done to assess and evaluate the working conditions among brush cutter operators during vegetation management tasks. The main objectives of this study were: to assess the actual working conditions and the complaints presented by workers that accomplish the task with brush cutters; to quantify the physical exertion during the use of the equipment and to characterize the musculoskeletal symptoms. Nineteen workers agreed to participate in the study answering the questionnaire, while only seven of these participated in the Physical workload assessment. The six body regions with the highest percentage of complaints were the lumbar spine, followed by feet, dorsal spine, right-wrist/hand, cervical spine and right-thigh. Considering physical exertion, the results showed that the workload in this study ranged from low to very high or extremely high.

Weak-visual users carry out various types of temporary interaction processes through a wide range of work systems to perform heterogeneous activities of daily living as well as to obtain specific information. One of the processes that are more complicated for a weak-visual person, by the investment of time as well as the activation of various sensory mechanisms, is the spatial location. It has been detected, through static network techniques, a difference in the hierarchy of the temporal micro-processes that the Weak-Visual person performs in the interaction with two different work systems, in this sense, it was observed that the spatial location for the weak-visual person can be originated by two kinds of processes: from the Sound Interaction (Is) and the motor exploration (Img). In the interaction processes executed by the weak-visual person, it was observed that the user could make a spatial location in work systems started with the sound interaction. In this process of interaction, a lower activation of sensory mechanisms were observed. On the other hand, in work systems that involved a motor exploration were observed a greater activation of sensory mechanisms. In the same way, it was perceived that work systems that promote spatial location starting with Is generates more time in the precise location of virtual objects., While work systems that promote spatial location from motor exploration generates higher levels of stress. Our objective is to reflect on the analysis of those patterns that can generate a better interaction in the relationship: Weak-visual person - Work devices, to improve the execution of the activities of these users in a precise and autonomous way.

Normal-vision users carry out various types of temporary interaction micro-processes through a wide range of New Media Objects and their work systems, for the execution of several activities of daily living as well as to obtain information. In Mexico, cultural studies have been carried out to obtain an approximation to the phenomenon. A great diversity of characteristics have been observed in the interaction processes in the relationship: user - technological device - object of the new media. Hierarchy of three temporal micro-processes has been detected through static networks techniques in the process of interaction of a user with a Website object with screen technology. In this sense, it was observed that the breaking points in Focal Attention Processes are linked to internal factors related to the user from the activation of specific sensory mechanisms such as motors. In turn, it was observed that the activation of some motor mechanisms are linked to emotional responses. In the same way, it was observed that the emotional responses of the user in the interaction processes with the work system are hierarchized by a hybridization of two temporal micro-processes, and they are joined with the sensitive qualities of the visual symbols. The objective of these studies is to promote reflections on the use of a great variety of technological devices and their heterogeneous objects with a better focalization in different environments such as learning, work, entertainment, among others. As well as in areas of knowledge such as Design, Human Factors, Cognitive Ergonomics, just to mention a couple of them.

We conducted a user study comparing the accuracy and speed of three zoom methods for touch-screen devices. The comparison was between touch and touchless zoom methods. One method is GyroZoom which uses the mobile phone's rotation to zoom in and zoom out. It is named after the gyroscope sensor in smartphones to detect the angle and amount of device rotation. We constrained our research to single-handed interaction. The pinch-to-zoom method, also tested, is the standard touch-screen gesture method. VolumeZoom was the third method and does not require the user to touch the screen. Instead, the user presses the physical volume buttons that are normally used to increase or decrease volume; they were reprogrammed to perform zoom operations. The user study engaged 12 participants and employed a Google Pixel 3a smartphone. GyroZoom was 18.1% faster than the traditional pinch-to-zoom method and it was more efficient. VolumeZoom was the most efficient method of the three but was 18.9% slower than pinch-to-zoom. Participants gave favorable and preferential ratings for using GyroZoom and VolumeZoom over pinch-to-zoom in a single-handed usage scenarios.

Graphical user interface design, ICONS are widely used. Icon background color and icon form have a certain influence on icon identification and usability. At present, the research on icon style and color is mainly in the theoretical level, but lack of practical experimental research to investigate how they affect users. According to the search time of users, through statistical analysis, the experimental results showed that, for ICONS without schemata association, the linear icon in monochromatic background had the shortest reaction time, followed by monochromatic background icon, polychromatic background linear icon, and polychromatic background polychromatic icon. The results of this study can provide references for future mobile phone icon design and help to achieve a better search environment in line with human vision.

As a basic common component, forms are ubiquitous in user interfaces. When designing a form page, it appears to be a combination of basic components such as buttons, input boxes, and prompt messages. However, in the actual case, there are countless details that can be deliberated, especially complex forms due to their relatively important function. As the filling process is complicated, some factors such as unclear level and information, or unreasonable interactive feedback, which can greatly reduce the efficiency of information input and cause a very frustrating experience. In order to solve these problems, this article studies the design strategies of complex forms from the perspective of information entry efficiency and emotional experience. First, we disassemble the complex form into basic elements and propose how to choose the appropriate form type and layout. Then we proposed some help and guidance to avoid making users encounter difficulties. Finally, we shared some interactive feedback strategies and some design details.

Recent studies have shown a growing demand on college campuses for mental health support and services. At the same time, Black and Latinx students have a higher incidence of unsatisfied needs for mental wellbeing and are more likely to encounter difficulties with mental health services. A technological approach for the navigation of mental health services on campus is a promising approach to meeting Black and Latinx students’ mental health needs. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study that focuses on understanding the technology habits and preferences correlated with students' mental health and how those relate to what is presented by college and university counseling center websites. Findings illustrate how the college students' preferences for applications that integrate with their current on-campus programs clashed with the easily available offerings of campus counseling centers. These results demonstrate the disconnect between Enterprise UX and modern college students' technology practices.

Care for people suffering from cognitive impairment is demanding and requires a high level of personnel attendance by nurses and driving costs as well as the need for additional human resources. Specifically, the toileting process is a neglected area and taboo topic that has not been tackled so far. People with cognitive impairments like dementia often cannot go to the toilet on their own. Instead, caregivers need to accompany them to provide assistance. We present a computer vision solution which detects the current pose of a person on the toilet based on privacy-preserving 3D depth data. Instructions of the next step the user needs to perform is provided on a screen. The proposed toileting guide is regarded to be useful in terms of increased autonomy, especially for persons with mild dementia. Additionally, time is expected to be relieved care givers which leads to improvement of work load and efficiency.

This paper proposes innovation through “translation” of phonocardiogram signal obtained from electronic stethoscope into an algorithm, procedure and software that gives an opportunity to each primary-care physician either in town or hardly reachable countryside to reliably and cost effectively diagnose mitral valve prolapsed (MVP) without engagement of resources such as highly specialized diagnostic methods that are available only in modern clinical centers, expensive equipment and complex training of experienced cardiologists for interpretation of results together with high maintenance costs analysis its cost-effectiveness. Till now very few research address the cost-effectiveness of various approaches to the patient undergoing medical evaluation, so this paper analyses the economic feasibility of MVP software application through cost-benefit framework. The pay-back period of the invested funds is 4 years and it represents a good investment, while critical sales price is 159 euros per software license and switching number of installations is 429 units.

We are constantly exposed to countless visual stimuli that trigger different emotions and reactions in individuals. Assessing one’s own reactions to visual stimuli can be a powerful tool for diagnosing a person’s psychological state, as well as to evaluate, objectively, the effects of one’s interaction with the environment. Currently, the measurement of this emotional responsiveness to visual stimulation is mostly carried out by means of self-reporting questionnaires, which lead to a quite subjective assessment of the emotional impact of the presented stimuli. The aim of this study is to investigate the use of Electrodermal Activity (EDA) to predict the level of emotional response of individuals to negatively charged pictures. With this purpose, we collected EDA signals from 25 participants, while they visualized a sequence of 75 emotional response pictures, from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). The most relevant EDA parameters, such as amplitude, area, skin conductance levels and the number of specific responses were statistically confronted with the arousal and valence of each image. This analysis showed the expected increase in the first three parameters for high arousal pictures. We also found that more neutral valenced ones had higher amplitude and skin conductance levels than pictures with negative valence. Those results show that the Electrodermal Activity can be used as an objective indicator to evaluate emotional arousal, as a response to viewing negative pictures. In addition, it opens the possibility to use such electrophysiological measurements, in a clinical, social or ludic context and, in such way improve certain forms of diagnosis, as well as assess the efficiency of visual interaction with a particular individual, while allowing for a more objective way to monitor the emotional effects of said interaction.

The development of people living with some type of disability depends on assistive technologies, their families and in some cases government support. Worldwide, 15% of the population lives with some type of disability. In this context, the different degrees of dependency, derived from the different limitations of functional diversity, as a result of disability, cannot in many cases maintain personal development, since their limitations do not allow them to be independent and require permanent care. What happens to these people and their family? The objective of the research is to identify the sectors in Ecuador in which government subsidies are concentrated and in which type of disability. This research is descriptive in nature and public information from authorized sources was used. Obtaining this information will allow to orient what care this vulnerable population requires for its development, since the different degrees of dependency will condition the evolution in the prevalence of disability at any geographical scale.

Production planning is a scheduling process to acquire, utilize, and allocate production resources to specific production activities in the most efficient way, meeting customer expectations. Due to, e.g., climate crisis, customer expectations are changing shift to be more sustainably produced products. Therefore, decision-makers have to adjust economic production planning goals according to social and environmental aspects. However, driven by financial market expectations, most enterprises still consider the economic dimension more important than the other two. Especially the social dimension has been neglect in previous approaches for sustainable production planning. The paper presents a concept of a fuzzy inference model (FIM) to assess the social-sustainability of production programs using expert knowledge. The concept shows the formulation of the FIM using common methods and fuzzy operators from the fuzzy set theory. The FIM determines the sustainability potential to improve the production program. The concept was applied in a case study. For the case study, the FIM has been implemented in a simulation model of a job shop learning factory.

While after months of virtual-only meetings, the benefits of face-to-face meetings have been clearly missed, the alternatives are not only remote and on-site. An interesting path to explore is the usage of telepresence robots (TPR). A TPR is a video conference system with remote control movement capabilities. It allows individuals to work remotely from one place (e.g., home) while at the same time experiencing another place (e.g., production plant). Despite having been used to promote social interaction in office, academic, and medical environments, TPRs have not been implemented in an industrial context. Similarly, formal research for TPR application in industrial environments is amiss. This paper provides an overview of a series of preliminary tests and interviews with technical users and industry experts to determine suitable implementation scenarios and requirements for a TPR in an industrial environment. As a conclusion, an initial set of requirements and four possible application scenarios are presented.

Exoskeletons are an innovation that have been increasingly explored in various fields. In fact, industries are one sector that have been investing in the studies of this new equipment to answer the unnecessary efforts made by the operators, where technical and organizational measures implemented are not enough to reduce the risk exposure to demanding working conditions. Hence, a study was conducted to understand the operator’s perceptions in the workplace regarding the use of a low back passive exoskeleton (Laevo). Ease of performing the different tasks with the use of the exoskeleton, ease of use, discomfort, perceived effort with and without the use of this equipment, acceptance, usability, and intention to use it, were the parameters assessed in this study. The exoskeleton was tested in 3 workstations, by a total of 23 workers during tasks that required trunk flexion, manual material handling or both in an automotive industry. The goal was to develop a pilot test, study the participants' perceptions and opinions, and conclude whether the exoskeletons are ready for the industrial context in non-cyclic processes.

Digital assistance systems getting more and more relevance for manufacturing and especially in variant-rich manual assembly. Due to increasing product complexity, the information flow during the assembly process are becoming increasingly complex. Therefor digital assistance systems will play an important role in the future by supporting employees and cooperating with them in order to increase productivity, quality, ergonomics and flexibility. Industrial Engineers and IT experts must design digital assistance systems in a joint process. Assistance systems must be designed based on user and process requirements and in such a way that they optimally support the abilities of the employees adaptively. When designing assistance systems today, however, the complexity of the planning task results in many obstacles that companies have to overcome. This paper presents a human-centered approach to the systematic analysis of assembly processes with the focus on user needs and design of digital assistance systems.

The ‘Kayayei’ business presents several risks to the young women although there are some economic benefits. Over the years, there have been some studies in this area, but to the best of our knowledge, none of these studies has examined extensively the vulnerability (emotional and physical) of these porters. This study, therefore, assesses women’s vulnerability and risk in Kayayei business in Accra Central District. Specifically, this study examines the extent of harassment by patrons on the female head porters and the effect it has on their productivity. It further investigates the reproductive health challenges faced by these female head porters. Using a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with fourteen purposively selected head porters. This study found that the Kayayei become victims of verbal and sexual harassment and exploitation by their patrons and the general public and face some reproductive health challenges due to the very nature of their jobs.

The study examined the after effect of a merger and rightsizing strategy employed by Ecobank Ghana Limited and the Trust Bank Limited when they merged in the year 2012. The aim of the study was to gather data to be able to create a practice guide for future corporate restructurings. As a qualitative study, data was collected from twenty (20) survivors using a semi-structured interview and secondary information for the period 2012–2019. The study found that while the merger had a significant effect on role and workload, it had little effect on productivity and job security. Although the merger had to an extent brought on certain efficiencies for EGH in terms of its share of operating assets and its asset quality, it had not achieved efficiency regarding its cost-to-income ratio and liquidity.

This paper explored online shoppers perspectives of the quality of their systemic interactions with digital transaction platforms provided by e-commerce firms to excite their shopping experiences, especially during this period of Covid-19 pandemic, with a corresponding significant impact on consumer behaviour. Guided by a survey research design, quantitative data was collected from 304 online shoppers and analyzed descriptively and inferentially. The results showed that digital platform factors that excite clients shopping experiences include senses of care, flexibility, community, customization, character, and interactivity. Female clients were found to found relate more to such enablers than male clients, even though, the differences in their premium ratings the factors were not insignificant. It is concluded that the increase in clients usage of digital platforms for shopping and subsequent excitement is influenced by the quality of the platforms’ interactivenesses derived from feelings of care, customization, community, character and flexibilities provided by its design.

Workload is an effective analytical attribute that helps to evaluate a pilot’s performance while operating an aircraft yet is an under-researched construct in aviation. In the foundational study, we sought to utilize electroencephalogram (EEG) and flight simulator performance data to explore the relationship between mental and physical workload of pilots as they completed routine flight activities. The study focused on two specific metrics- the EEG response (sensory inhibition, and attention) and a physical workload metric derived from flight control activity and the deviation from reference pitch and bank attitudes. Five pilots participated in the study, each completing five sessions in an Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD). The results were inconclusive but seemed to indicate trends that were reasonably linked to pilot’s skill profile. A more complete and nuanced understanding of how mental and physical workloads relate to pilot activity may be determined from additional research with a larger sample size and broader range of performance metrics and assessment strategies.

Digitalization in railway maintenance opens new avenues for decision-making and maintenance actions. Advanced sensors and support systems help in automating railway maintenance operations, but this also brings new challenges. Dealing with huge amount of data, transparency and observability are becoming critical aspects in the digitalized word. Successively influence the human ability to gain Situation Awareness, which is considered as important human cognitive aspect for decision-making. The study elaborates the opportunities and challenges of digitalization, in a Situation Awareness perspective. Review of present studies shows that although digitalization is meant to increase: Situation Awareness is often challenged and, sometimes even hindered. Therefore, the major focus is on making recommendations using proper Situation Awareness interventions for meeting the emerging challenges of digitalization on the railway maintenance, so as to provide a better awareness about the railway systems they are dealing with.

At present, the previous studies on the parameters of Fitts’ law in the command and control system interface are mostly carried out in a single monitor system. However, with the increase of the complexity of the command system, the amount of information that needs to be displayed becomes more and more large, so the system needs to display information with the help of multi monitor, and cross-screen operation is also needed for the operation of the system. In the multi-monitor command and control system, aiming at the mouse click behavior, this study uses Fitts’ law to model. Through the analysis of the collected data, the functional relationship between the movement time, the motion amplitude and the width of the target area is updated under the multi monitor command and control system, and the time of predicting the human-computer interaction of the multi monitor command and control system is quantified. The new fitting function can provide strong support for man-machine interface design and human factor engineering research of multi-monitor command and control system.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted family life around the world. Families had to adapt to teleworking and online learning to maintain young children’s learning at home. During quarantine and nationwide school closures, parents of young children and children with disabilities had to act as teachers, therapists and caregivers. The role of parents gained relevance and it was needed to be able to guide their children to use technology during online learning. Digital resources provided an opportunity for children to keep learning, take part in games and keep in touch with their friends and teachers. But it increased access online brings heightened risks for children’s safety, protection and privacy, so it is necessary that parents observe their children and support them. In this context, this paper presents the perception from parents about on the use of digital resources and techno-logical tools that teachers applied before and during pandemic. This study surveyed 773 Peruvian parents to know which of the resources used by teachers helped their children to understand the content of the course and which of tools allowed a better interaction with their classmates and teachers. According to the results of the survey, the most used resource before pandemic has been WhatsApp (32.1%), followed by office tools (Word or Excel 20.3%) and email (8.7%). However, for carrying out online activities during the pandemic the most digital used resource by the teachers has been WhatsApp (29.9%), then YouTube (17.6%), Google Drive (16.7%) and Google Docs. (7.9%). Regarding to a good interaction to increase a better interaction between their classmates and teacher were Zoom (61.7%), Google Meet (25.1%) and WhatsApp (11.6%). These results suggested that the use of digital resources and technological tools during the pandemic has been problematic and challenging for families.

Nowadays, checking the ease of interaction with a serious game is a tremendous challenge for universal design and accessibility experts. Therefore, accessibility in this context means that people with intellectual disabilities can easily navigate and interact in a web application. Accessibility is an essential parameter to consider in each software development phase with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. As a case study, it was applied to the Ludominga platform. Accessibility experts defined 18 guidelines to evaluate ten serious games with a manual method. This research can serve as a reference for future work related to accessibility in serious web-based games.

According to the Global Digital Report of 2020, mobile applications have increased significantly in recent years; more than 5.19 billion people use cell phones, with many users up to 124 million compared to 2019. There are thousands of mobile apps for education, health, business, economy, banking, each with its style and form. However, not all applications meet the standardization requirements proposed by the World Wide Web Consortium, which sets standards for applications or products to have an acceptable level of access and structure. This investigation got as a case study the accessibility problems of six mobile applications most used in 2020. In the accessibility assessment, we apply a combined method that performs automatic review with Accessibility Scanner and manual accessibility review. This research can contribute to future studies related to accessibility in native mobile applications.

We are currently experiencing the first global pandemic in the digital age due to the COVID-19 disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As we try to protect ourselves with isolation and social distancing measures, the digital tools for connecting with the world become more critical. Newborn health care, a critical public health problem everywhere, has been severely affected by the pandemic. Therefore, web-based tools could be an alternative to improve newborn care. For these reasons, we believe that web applications should have accessibility standards. To predict neonatal mortality, we have designed the web application - The Score Bebe ® - considering the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. These accessibility studies will make it possible to contribute to more inclusive access for all people, including people with disabilities. It will also improve the web’s visibility in search engines and reuse the content in multiple formats or devices.

When creating user interfaces, usability considerations are important to ensure the target population an efficient and effective user experience. For this reason, recommendations are proposed for a preliminary prototype of a serious gaming application called HabCog, which consists of a collection of minigames designed for monitoring and evaluating certain cognitive abilities in users. The target population consists of adults with intellectual disabilities who use the services of the FINE Foundation, whose objective is to develop skills and abilities for full inclusion. According to the results, usability recommendations are provided so that the application is better adapted to the target population.

The current research focuses on building a set of games for training and improving people’s cognitive abilities with intellectual disabilities. Serious games (SGs) can be an effective training coaching and assistance method for persons with intellectual disabilities because they are effective learning tools that motivate students. The application to stimulate cognitive abilities development consists of 22 mini-games hosted on the LudoMinga platform. For better development in the environment, it is essential that people with intellectual disabilities develop cognitive functions, understood as the mental processes necessary to carry out any task, enabling the reception, selection, transformation, storage, processing, and retrieval of information. For the development of the application, the user-centered design approach of the iPlus methodology is followed. This article illustrates the development of the application using iPlus.

Health information on the Web can make patients better informed about a disease, which according to several studies leads to better treatment results. However, the health information found on the Web is not accessible because it presents barriers that prevent people from easily accessing it because it does not comply with the standards of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. Therefore, in this study, we present an analysis of the accessibility of the seven most visited health websites in the world. To analyze the accessibility of medical websites, we apply an automatic review method. The results show that health websites have frequent problems related to the lack of alternative text, empty links, and contrast errors. This research can contribute to future work related to accessibility in health and medical sites. Finally, we suggest designing a combined method to review each website’s accessibility barriers to complement the automatic review.