Evaluation Topics: Human-System Control

Intention of Use: What does the designer want the user to choose from and for which purpose?

- In human control (selection, manipulation and travel) tasks, the user typically specifies not only what should be done, but also how it should be done, more or less directly controlling the action. - In system control tasks, the user typically specifies only what should be done and leaves it up to the system to determine the details. The system control is considered to ben an explicit action in stead of an implicit action.

Human Control: taxonomy or usability characteristics

1. Users and User Tasks

  • navigation

  • locomotion

  • selection

  • manipulation

  • user tasks

2. User Interface Input Mechanisms

  • tracking user location & orientation

  • speech recognition & natural language input

  • interface mechanisms in general

  • pointers&clicks&props, like magic wands, flying mice, space balls, real-world props.

  • data gloves & gestural recognition

3. Virtual Model

  • system information

  • user representation & presentation

  • agent representation & behaviour

  • virtual surrounding & selling

4. User Interface Presentation Components

  • visual feedback & graphical presentation

  • haptic feedback & force and tactile presentation

  • aural feedback & acoustic presentation

  • environmental feedback and other presentation.

Human-System Control: taxonomy of input controllers

According to the extended placement options by Bowman et al. menus can be placed in the following ways:

  • world-referenced (most desktop VR menus).

  • object-referenced (e.g. combo box in).

  • head-referenced (e.g. look-at-menu).

  • body-referenced (e.g. TULIP).

  • device-referenced (e.g. tool menu of the responsive workbench.

  • PIP tool-palette.

  • fade-up menu.

System Control

System Control can be defined as the user task in which commands are issued to:

  • (1) request the system to perform a particular function

  • (2) change the mode of interaction

  • (3) change the system state.

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