Browsing by Author "Erfanian, Aida"

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    Framework of multiuser satisfaction for assessing interaction models within collaborative virtual environments
    (IEEE Press, 2017) Erfanian, Aida; Hu, Yaoping; Zeng, Tao
    Collaborative virtual environments (VEs) require interaction models for resolving conflicts and promoting multi-user collaboration. Common models, such as the first-come-first-serve (FCFS) model, which grants interaction opportunities to the most agile user, and the static priority model, which gives interaction opportunities to the user with the highest predefined priority, disregard the importance of perceiving equality in interaction (EII) among all users. One exception is the dynamic priority (DP) model, as proposed in our earlier work, which grants interaction opportunities to a user based on the recency of his/her gained opportunities. To date, few research efforts have investigated the effect of interaction models on multi-user satisfaction. This paper hence presents an assessment of the DP model’s effect on multi-user satisfaction within a collaborative VE. We first verified that the DP model allowed multiple users to perceive EII. We then conducted an experiment to examine the effect of the DP and FCFS models on multi-user satisfaction under a quasi-practical scenario that mimicked a decision-making meeting of experts. The framework of the examination was based on several metrics, which we proposed for the components of the ISO/IEC 25010:2011 standard. This framework resolved issues with existing metrics that measure user satisfaction by analyzing individual experience, thus omitting EII desired by multiple users. The results of the experiment indicated that the DP model fulfilled the metrics of the framework significantly better than the FCFS model. This observation implies a potential application of the DP model in collaborative VEs where multi-user satisfaction is the key to productive collaboration.
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    Multiuser Usability of Collaborative Virtual Environments
    (2017) Erfanian, Aida; Hu, Yaoping; Far, Behrouz H.; Yanushkevich, Svetlana; Wang, Ruisheng; Latoschik, Marc E.
    Collaborative virtual environments (VEs) require suitable interaction models for resolving conflicts and promoting multiuser usability. An interaction model is a key component of a collaborative VE. Traditional models such as the first-come-first-serve (FCFS) model have a problem of disregarding the vital socio-human need of equality in interaction (i.e., EII). This problem may impair the suitability of a model. Other components of a collaborative VE, including interaction devices and communication cues, may also affect the suitability of a model. Common cues are verbal and vibrotactile cues. Traditional usability studies on collaborative VEs suffer from several shortcomings. First, a set of multiuser usability metrics are not defined to consider socio-human needs and cover all possible usability factors presented by recent international standards. Secondly, suitable models to address these needs have not been sufficiently investigated. Finally, there have been a lack of studies that investigate the role of devices and cues on the suitability of models. To address these shortcomings, this thesis proposes a framework of multiuser usability for assessing collaborative VEs. The proposed framework consolidates socio-human needs and standard factors of usability. Moreover, a dynamic priority (DP) model that considers the vital need of EII is proposed to address the shortcomings of traditional models. The proposed DP model grants interaction opportunities to users based on the recency of their gained accesses. Investigations under the proposed framework indicated that compared to the FCFS model, the DP model yields perceived EII independent of devices and significantly improves the multiuser usability. The DP model also yields perceived EII regardless of cues. However, a combination of verbal and vibrotactile cues significantly promotes the multiuser usability of a VE governed by the DP model. These results imply the suitability of the DP model as well as combined verbal and vibrotactile cues to promote the multiuser usability within VEs.